Playing Goldeneye on NSO

So, this last week or so I decided to finally play the classic N64 game Goldeneye on Nintendo Switch Online. Last time I played it was back when it was released on the N64 itself, and that was a loooong time ago. I remember putting a lot of hours into it, never quite finishing it, but man it was fun. I even played the multiplayer with family and friends from time to time.

So how did I find it in 2024, after years of playing lotsa modern FPS games? Is it still fun? Are the controls terrible?

Well before I get into that, I’ll just summarise the game. It’s an FPS where you complete levels by shooting enemies, interacting with various objects to complete objectives, and then find the exit.

So, I started Goldeneye on Medium difficulty, or “Secret Agent”, as the game calls it. I immediately hated the game’s controls on my Pro Controller. I’m not sure if the controls are bad because they’re just not suited to the layout of the Switch Pro Controller, or if they were also bad on the N64 and at the time I just didn’t notice because it was one of my first FPS games. Regardless, on THIS playthrough I opted to follow a guide I found on Reddit, where you remap the controls so that they play more like a modern FPS.

Once done, I proceeded to feel “at home” and enjoy the first few missions. But, I did find a problem. Aiming down sight is freaking tough. Like REALLY tough, even with the adjustments to controller mapping I mentioned above. Once again, I’m not sure if it was always this difficult, or if it’s due to the Pro Controller.

For most of the game, you don’t need to aim down sight. But, there are times when it’s very important, and thus it continued to be a problem. There are missions where you have to destroy cameras, which if they spot you, trigger an alarm and cause a relentless, infinite amount of enemies to spawn. The only way to shoot them them is to aim down sight.

Same goes for these turrets which appear in various levels. These are even tougher. They see you and shoot you, and it’s just ridiculously difficult to shoot them down before they spot you and shoot you.

However, in both cases, I eventually learned it IS always possible to find a spot where you can take them out without them seeing you. It’s just extremely, very difficult to find that spot.

For the cameras, I also learned you do have a few seconds before they set the alarm off, and once I got the hang of the aim down sight to some degree, I was able to target and destroy them, before they triggered the alarm.

For the turrets, you learn by trial and error, and eventually they no longer pose a threat, because you just know where to sit and shoot them and destroy them.

So I guess that sums up aim down sight lol. Another issue I had is that sometimes I just didn’t understand the objectives. Like you might get an objective to “disrupt communications” or something close to that. What the heck does that even mean? Well it means you have to find a computer in a big satellite building and press B.

I’d say the game can be a bit trial an error. But once you get passed that… well it’s really very good fun!

Not counting the turrets, there’s basically one enemy type, with some variation in armour, accuracy and reaction time.

But the game is just… addictive, and really has that “have another go” feel to it.

I also like how some levels require being super stealthy, some levels are a rush through and just get to the exit, and some are in between. Sometimes you have an ally to protect.

The story I’ve experienced so far is light – you’re a secret agent completing missions – and mostly explained through mission briefing text, and on-screen character dialog also done with text, but it’s still enjoyable.

The music isn’t FF7 level, but it’s pretty good and makes the missions more fun.

Once I got so far in… I actually started over on the hardest difficulty setting.

On this difficulty, you get VERY limited aim assist. I’m currently a few missions in and get the feeling it’s still completable even with the aim down sight problem, although very difficult. But hey I like a challenge.

The graphics are… well they’re N64 graphics, great for the day, but dated. But you soon forget about that. True gamers don’t let graphics decide if they like a game or not anyway. 😛

In conclusion, a very fun game with some resolvable issues that may or may not be down to it being a port. Definitely worth playing, but be sure to Google a guide on remapping the controls for a modern experience.