Hope for a GoldenEye 007 re-release returns as the game gets a surprise list of Xbox achievements

It was roughly a year ago when footage of a canceled GoldenEye 007 remake/port appeared online. For many fans, the gameplay video of the leaked game was bittersweet. To see the Nintendo 64 classic running at 60 fps with clean visuals was a dream. Sadly, it would never come to be. But change may be in the air. Over the weekend, GoldenEye 007 suddenly received a full list of Xbox achievements. Currently, it’s tough to say if the port is actually getting prepped for release, or if the list was a mistake. However, it does provide hope that the remake will actually find its way into our hands soon.

The list was picked up by TrueAchievements on Saturday. Happy New Year, indeed. The list includes 55 achievements for GoldenEye 007, with one that’s labeled as secret. However, the majority is about what you’d expect. There are achievements for completing all the missions, the game, as well as those for playing through on each difficulty. But there are plenty of achievements for unlocking the cheats, challenging you to play as a hyped-up speedrunner. Beating Aztec under nine minutes unlocks the option to dual-wield Lasers, for example.

There are plenty of unknowns with this reveal, even what platform GoldenEye 007 may arrive on — if it’s really coming. It’s easy to assume that it will find itself on the Xbox family of consoles. After all, the canceled remake was planned for a release on Xbox Live Arcade. However, with Microsoft pouring a lot of effort into PC, especially with Game Pass, there’s a chance we’ll see famous shooter come our way.

Slappers only, no Oddjob

The GoldenEye 007 achievements list does hint that the possible remake release is a bigger deal than once thought. Often times, Xbox Live Arcade games, much like the remake was meant to be, will only come with 200 possible Gamerscore (points rewarded for completing achievements). However, the list for the game adds up to 1,000 — as much as a full release. If Microsoft is actually planning on finally getting the game out, then the company is being serious about it. As TrueAchievements notes, 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the game. It would be a hell of a celebration.

Of course, we won’t know for sure until Microsoft speaks out. The GoldenEye 007 remake was nearly complete, but the team couldn’t get the rights from Nintendo. As far as we know, nothing about that fact has changed. So, unless Microsoft and Nintendo have agreed on something, we’ll only be able to watch the footage and pour over the achievements list and dream of what may never come.