For decades, it was impossible to officially play the seminal 1997 first-person shooter, GoldenEye, on anything but the original Nintendo 64 Hardware. In what is seemingly a miracle, the game finally made its way to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Series X|S in 2023, giving both longtime fans and newer audiences a chance to play this classic. Obviously, the game retells the events of the 1995 bond film of the same name, but it also feels like a celebration of the character and franchise as a whole.
Throughout its 20 levels and legendary multiplayer suite, there are a handful of references and homages to other James Bond movies that came out before GoldenEye. Depending on how familiar you are with the franchise, some of the entries below will be immediately apparent, while others will be surprising.
6 The Aztec And The Moon Raker Lazer
GoldenEye features two bonus levels unrelated to the film's plot. Both levels are references to other Bond movies, however. The Aztec level is a direct homage to the Moonraker film from 1979. This being two years after Star Wars, Moonraker deals with space and marks the first and only time Bond has gone to the cosmos.
In the level, the guards dress like those from the film, and they even carry the Moonraker Laser, a powerful gun that shoots laser beams. The cherry on top is fighting Jaws, who is both in that movie and The Spy Who Loved Me.
5 The Names Of Game Modes
As impressive as the single-player is in GoldenEye, most people's memories are steeped in the multiplayer. Older gamers spent hours playing GoldenEye's multiplayer with their friends around the television. The variety of weapons and game modes helped make the multiplayer last. Many may not have realized that several modes were named directly after films.
The Man With The Golden Gun, You Only Live Twice, and License To Kill are all names of older bond movies starring Roger Moore, Sean Connery, and Timothy Dalton, respectively. It also has to be noted that the weapon in the Golden Gun game mode is modeled to look exactly like the Golden Gun from the movie, where it was wielded by Christopher Lee.
4 The Egyptian Level Is Based On The Spy Who Loved Me
The second bonus level in the game is appropriately called Egyptian since its design makes it look like Egyptian ruins. The Spy Who Loved Me features the same setting in a small part of the movie. The level itself also includes a reference to two other James Bond films.
It is the only single-player level where you can find the Golden Gun and you fight Baron Samedi - a villain from Live And Let Die. Interestingly enough, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker were released in order, next to each other (1977 and 1979) and both feature the iconic Jaws character. Perhaps the developers had a soft spot for this era and Roger Moore.
3 Gun Barrel Opening
GoldenEye is quick to establish itself as a James Bond game. It joyfully shoves the franchise's aesthetic in your face with blaring music and, of course, the iconic gun barrel opening that also uses opens up almost every film.
It's a great way to hype up any Bond media, and it always looks cool. The few movies that don't use it usually have a twist on the formula or do it after a cold open.
2 Multiplayer Characters
Most of the multiplayer characters are from the GoldenEye movie and models you will already find in the game. The characters who are from other James Bond movies are already in the single-player and have been mentioned in prior entries. However, Oddjob is an infamous character who hails from the third film in the franchise, Goldfinger.
He is notorious in the game because height, as it gives him an unfair advantage. At least you can't use his iconic hat for a one-hit kill. The developers also planned to add the four other James Bond actors as multiplayer characters, but they were removed due to rights issues.
1 The Music References Other Bond Movies
GoldenEye's music was composed by Graeme Norgate, Grant Kirkhope, and Robin Beanland. The three composed some of the best original music in any video game from the 1990s, which is a lot coming from the decade that brought us Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Trigger, and Ocarina of Time. Part of why the soundtrack is so good is because of its originality while still harking back to themes from the movies.
The arrangement of the main theme is energetic and perfect for an action-packed FPS. Additionally, there are small cues calling back to other themes. The frigate theme sounds like an amalgam of Goldfinger's introduction and A View to a Kill. It never goes into the realm of completely ripping off, and they are always perfectly appropriate homages. The unique tones used in the music do enough to separate it from whatever influence it takes from older bond movies.