I Still Don't Care If You Have The Golden Gun. I'll Kill You Anyways
Ever since the ability to download retro titles became a possibility with today's videogame consoles, gamers everywhere have been clamoring for a re-release of 1997's Goldeneye007, originally released for the Nintendo 64.
Goldeneye007, a first-person shooter, was based off of the popular James Bond movie of the same name (well, mostly). It is popularly hailed as the title that proved that the FPS genre not only didn't belong solely to the PC gaming world, but also proved that it could be done very well on consoles. Goldeneye quickly became a legend, still holding a very special spot in numerous gamers' hearts.
Naturally, therefore, many gamers would love to be able to continue playing such a game well into the future. With services such as Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, or Nintendo's Virtual Console, hopes and dreams like these have proven to be quite possible. Countless classic titles, ranging from Pac-Man to Tetris, from Super Mario Bros to Sonic The Hedgehog, from Street Fighter II to Super Mario 64, have become instantly available in homes all across the world with a simple press of a button.
It didn't take long for petitions and fanmail to start showing up all over the place, all begging for Goldeneye007 to be re-released in one of these services. However, despite how much developers would have loved to fulfill their fans' dreams, legal issues prevented that dream from happening. Rare, the company that developed Goldeneye007, was bought out by Microsoft in 2002. However, Nintendo still owned partial rights to all titles Rare put out on their systems if Nintendo was the company that published them. And Nintendo published Goldeneye007. Even worse, Activision, another gaming company, currently owns publishing rights for the James Bond name in the videogame world. With this many parties involved, and two of those parties being nemeses, it seemed like all hope was lost and that gamers should just move on.
However, hope was rekindled Monday when Rare spokesman James Thomas announced that Microsoft, Nintendo, and Activision have come to an agreement. "Those of us at Rare are pleased to announce that an upgraded version of our classic 1997 hit Goldeneye007 is due to be released this August for download through both Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console and Microsoft Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. This version of the game will be nearly identical to the original, with upgraded controls and slightly improved graphics, as well as a new online mode playable on both systems. Nintendo has come to an agreement that, should Microsoft share 15% of all revenue from the game, they will allow its release on their rival console. Microsoft, just eager to get their hands on yet another fantastic classic, quickly agreed to the terms. Activision, meanwhile, has asked for their specific share of the royalties to be undisclosed. The game is scheduled for a firm August 18 release date."
It may have taken some time, but it looks like, come August, we'll be taking out Moonraker Elites in the Caverns with our skillfully-placed proximity mines. And sorry guys, but I'll be getting that Longest Innings award.
Written by Ken Lobb
Source: http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=010408
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