What would it look like if FPS classic GoldenEye 007 was made today? Thankfully, we don't have to stretch our imaginations too far, as Youtuber Jude Wilson has done all of the heavy lifting, recreating one of the Nintendo 64 game's maps with modern technology.
The video is called “GoldenEye 007 Meets Unreal Engine 4 – Facility” and, as you've probably guessed by now, it takes viewers on a tour of the Facility map recreated with some modern horsepower running under the hood.
In case you didn't grow up in the 90's, the Nintendo 64's GoldenEye was an absolute classic. Sure, Doom and Wolfenstein came first, but GoldenEye did for console gaming what those games did for PC. Along with being a fun first-person shooter played with a controller in hand, you could grab a trio of pals and all of you jump into the same multiplayer battle. It was a revolutionary idea, and one that games like Call of Duty and Battlefield owe a lot to. I'm not sure the FPS genre would be what it is today without GoldenEye.
Jude Wilson apparently agrees, which is why he decided to lovingly recreate the Facility map in Unreal Engine 4. What's extra crazy for me is the fact that I haven't played GoldenEye since my friends and I were addicted to the game shortly after it launched in the 90's and yet, following the camera through all of those twists and turns, I felt like I was experiencing a homecoming of sorts. Maybe an updated version of the online portion of the game, recreated similar to Wilson's work, would do well on the Wii U, yeah?
A guy can dream.
In the video's description, Wilson explains that this wasn't just a passion project, even though GoldenEye is one of his all-time favorite games. He's including this in his portfolio on a quest to become an environment artist, and it certainly seems like he's off to a great start.
I have combined the N64's original layout with the film's look and feel using Unreal Engine 4. I have tried to get it as realistic as possible, using the film's interiors, props and lighting but, remaining true to the original game at the same time.
This isn't the first time we've seen someone take an older game and re-imagine it using the Unreal Engine. Five Nights at Freddy's was one of the more recent examples, though I'd argue some of that game's creepiness is lost in the translation to a more realistic look. As for this take on GoldenEye, it seems to fit in just fine.
