In addition to landing on Xbox Game Pass earlier today, GoldenEye 007 also arrived on Nintendo Switch for the very first time as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and it's a little bit different to the Xbox version.
For starters, it has an exclusive feature in the form of online multiplayer, which unfortunately we didn't get in the Xbox port for whatever reason, although the Switch loses out when it comes to the modern dual-analog control scheme which is exclusive to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
But what about the visuals? Well, they're mostly the same on Xbox and Switch as you might expect, although as you can see in our Pure Xbox comparison video above, there are definitely some subtle differences. The quality and clarity of the textures differs from platform-to-platform, and the Switch also tends to coat some backgrounds in a blue haze which you don't see in the Xbox version.
Check out the video for the full side-by-side comparison, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
What do you think? Does Xbox or Switch have the better visuals? Tell us down below.
Comments 13
You would expect the £450 home console version to look better than the mobile version, but even still what the hell is that blue haze, surely the switch can run a game from 1995 without drawbacks.
@UltimateOtaku91 that's the fog the game used to hide the low-res textures on the far side of the map, many games did this. The Switch it's just displaying it as it was on the N64.
I think it's fine, I wouldn't play Zelda OoT without the fog and that was added back to the N64 Online version when people pointed it out.
It’s the blue fog of war, of course.
@UltimateOtaku91 *1997. N64 wasn't out in 95.
Also as others have said, they're keeping the original blue hinge to a small degree, I guess? I get its more "authentic", but the differences in the two ports is annoying to me. Should've been uniform across both.
That said, I'm having a blast with it on Series X, as I did with the leaked remaster on PC 2 years ago. Amazing game.
@OskarRex @EVIL-C you're right it was the film that came out in 95 😅.
Didn't know this blue fog was an aspect of old games, I thought it was something to do with the switch version but looking on YouTube there's a few games that had this blue fog back in the day, so I'd guess the switch version is more faithful to the original and would be the better choice for those looking for some nostalgia.
N64 games need CRT filters.
N64 looks BRUTAL without CRT effects.
@UltimateOtaku91 Truth is, I played GoldenEye first, before seeing the film. 😅
Oh yeah, for us who are old enough to have lived through the early years of 3D, distance fog was a common visual effect. You should check out how thick the fog is in the original release of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter on N64! 😂
I don't own an N64 controller and the controls with the joycons and Pro controller make it almost unplayable. The Xbox version certainly doesn't feel modern but feels way better.
Yes the switch allows you to play online but only against friends.
The switch visuals while slightly worse didn't bother me. It's just the controls.
@PeteW Is it any better with the pro controller? I'd test it myself but I've only got the rare replay version.
Not a lot of difference control wise between the pro controller and joycons. Just more comfortable with the pro. The issue is the switch doesn't use dual stick controls. You just hold down a button to strafe. To be fair, I only played it for 15 minutes or so on my grandsons switch as I don't have expansion pack anymore myself.
It may be that it's possible to get used to them with time but it feels no where near as natural as the xbox version.
@PeteW The Switch controls are very playable with a little bit of remapping. In the Switch system menu swap the right and left control sticks, map L to ZL, ZL to ZR, A to L, and B to R. In the game menu select the Solitaire control option and make sure the look up/down is set to upright.
Been using this and had a good job playing the campaign in handheld mode, lots of fun.
@Bucky Thanks. Does this mean you have to remap the buttons used for all games and then go back and change them back again when you want to play something else.
@PeteW You can save up to five remap settings, and if you have a controller with its buttons remapped there is usually a prompt at the home screen asking if you want to continue using the remapped controls or reset to default settings, so barely an inconvenience. Definitely worth it if you want to enjoy playing the game handheld
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