The numbers are compelling: after Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, the best game on the Nintendo 64 is GoldenEye 007. Over eight million cartridges sold translate into a huge number of fans who fondly remember that title, especially its multiplayer mode. For over ten years, a dedicated group of developers decided to bring that mode to PC, transforming it into GoldenEye: Source. Its latest version is 5.0, and judging by the trailer, it looks and sounds excellent.
The Legacy of GoldenEye 007
Pierce Brosnan as agent 007 is long gone, but his legacy is quite large, especially considering the adaptation of his first film in the James Bond suit, GoldenEye, to the world of video games. While the relationship between games and cinema tends to be horrible, there are exceptions going the other way, and one of them is GoldenEye 007, developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The latest official number speaks of 8.09 million cartridges, placing it third among the best-selling games on that system (surpassing heavyweights like Ocarina of Time and Super Smash Bros.). Several publications declared it "game of the year" in 1997, and even today it is considered a cornerstone for the genre of FPS on consoles and the development of other franchises. Its popularity ensured the release of titles like Perfect Dark (also made by Rare, and a spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007), and gave rise to several remakes, but one specific project focused for more than ten years on bringing the multiplayer element to a platform capable of unlocking its full potential: the PC.
GoldenEye: Source 5.0
That brings us to GoldenEye: Source, which exactly one week ago presented its version 5.0. With the application of Valve's Source engine, the graphical leap of the mod is gigantic compared to the original, but the work wasn't limited to aesthetics. New weapons, 25 maps (including those not available in GoldenEye 007's multiplayer but part of the main campaign), ten different modes (Gun Trade, License to Kill, and Man With The Golden Gun sound great), and an impeccable soundtrack complete a game that goes beyond any traditional tribute.
System Requirements and Recommendations
From a legal standpoint, GoldenEye: Source cannot be downloaded via Steam, but technically, Steam and the Source SDK Base 2007 must be installed. For now, GoldenEye: Source 5.0 doesn't offer the ability to set up servers under Linux, but that support is on the way. The most important recommendations from the official site are to limit matches to a total of 16 players and, if possible, have the server be local (alternatively, a high-speed, low-ping connection would be excellent). Veterans of GoldenEye: Source have plenty of reasons to download the update, and those wishing to explore it for the first time will find no better starting point.
