Something to look forward to: It appears that some modders are making a complete James Bond game based on The Spy Who Loved Me using the N64 classic GoldenEye 077 as the game engine. YouTuber Graslu00 posted a preview showcasing some of the levels, and while rough, it does look like a decent effort. With a little more polish, it could be as fun as the game that serves as its foundation.
The Spy Who Loved Me mod is playable via an N64 emulator, but the developers claim that if you have a working Nintendo 64 and the means of flashing a ROM cartridge, it should run natively on the console in 4K at 60fps. The full-length mod will include the movie’s plot and settings.
“The project was made with a console-first mentality and has been thoroughly tested to run on N64 hardware,” the mod’s description reads. “An Expansion Pak is required, however. The game can also be played through emulation via 1964. While it can be played on Project 64, the best performance will be on 1964. “
Cutscenes will also feature Roger Moore’s likeness and several other 007 stars. Barbara “Agent XXX” Bach has never looked so pointy. And of course, Curd Jürgens’s villain Karl Stromberg looks as good as he can on 1990s hardware. The team is also working on a four-player split-screen mode.
There are eleven playable chapters in the early build (see masthead video), but the project is still a work in progress and is not publicly available. However, there is a three-level demo posted on N64 Vault. The three levels in the demo are the opening scene in the Alps, then on to Eygpt, and then a boss fight with Karl Stromberg’s henchman, Sandor, who freakishly looks like Donald Trump.
There is no word or timeframe for when the team will finish the project. At least 18 developers are working on the project part-time. They have 11 unpolished levels after 18 months, and according to the level select menu, there are at least 20 levels to the campaign in total. So at least another year and a half on the development floor is likely needed to finish. Of course, that is if it lasts that long.
We have seen owner MGM and its lawyers pull the plug on fan-made projects like this one in the past. Nintendo is also very protective of its GoldenEye 007 property, so there’s a relatively good chance that the whole thing might get shut down now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag.