I posted this over at NeoGAF when asked a similar question:
The thing that Goldeneye had, looking back, was the fact that, at the time, was a revolutionary FPS title on a console. Up to that point, we had utter trash for FPS titles - a few crappy doom ports, Quake, ect.
But Goldeneye was a totally different ball game - It had a ton of stuff no other console FPS had at the time, and had good graphics too.
Above all else, the multiplayer was fantastically revolutionary at the time - At my house, I'd get 2 friends & my brother, and we'd play for hours on end. It was the funnest multiplayer experience I ever had - the dawn of an entirely new gaming experience for so many people.
It was basically the Guitar Hero of the 90's - a casual, social revolution in gaming.
Of course, looking back, the concepts in Goldeneye are so dated, it's not funny. The format is archaic, and we look back with nostalgia not because Goldeneye is the best game made, but because it was the best game made at that time.
The closest FPS I've seen that ignites a similar passion in gamers is Halo.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
