There are those like myself who still cling to the hope that Rare will one day be able to release GoldenEye on Xbox Live Arcade. It seems extraordinarily unlikely that we’ll ever see that happen, as the game is currently “locked in no man’s land” according to Rare’s Nick Burton.

Speaking with VideoGamer.com at the Develop conference last week, Burton talked about the difficulties the game has faced. “That was a tricky one. To be fair, I kind of wished that the differences got sorted out, but obviously there’s the licensing issue for Bond, even if it’s something that’s already come out,” he said. “It’s incredibly hard to solve because there’s so many license holders involved. You’ve got the guys that own the license to the gaming rights now, the guys that have the license to Bond as an IP, and there are umpteen licensees.”

Earlier this year, sources told 1UP that the game was killed because Microsoft and Nintendo couldn’t come to terms financially. Burton explained that there’s really nothing that Rare can do, which certainly supports the earlier story. Burton explained, “The ball’s not in anybody at Rare’s court really. It’s squarely in the license holders’ courts. It’s a shame. It’s kind of locked in this no man’s land. There’s nothing on Live Arcade, there’s nothing on Wii.”

It simply wasn’t meant to be.

While I’ve enjoyed both The World is Not Enough and Everything or Nothing, no Bond game has ever come close to touching GoldenEye. It’s one of the best shooters to ever grace consoles and used the Bond license extremely well, considering what was capable on the N64 from a technological standpoint.

The new trailer for Quantum of Solace has left me with mixed feelings. While I do like the action I’m seeing, I don’t really trust Treyarch to make a good FPS, even if it is running on the Call of Duty 4 engine. Combine that with their attempts to tie the game’s story in with Casino Royale and the Quantum of Solace film, and it’s all a tall order to make this a good game. I hope my worries are misplaced, as there are few things that can match the experience of playing a great Bond game.

Back in May, we were given a few little tidbits regarding Treyarch’s new Bond game Quantum of Solace, but with no real screens from the game nor actual information other than that it would run on the CoD4 engine and  “yes, it is coming, yes it is a movie tie-in”.

Today, Games Radar posted the first screen of the game, and informed readers that OXM and PTOM would both have the scoop on Quantum so if you subscribe to one of the other or each one, you should be getting the good in the mail very soon.

As soon as we find out more, we will be sure and let you know at it. Everyone who loved GoldenEye is keeping their fingers crossed that this next-gen version of Bond will live up to the greatness that was the N64 masterpiece.

Via: Games Radar

I’ve got fond memories of play TimeSplitters 2. (On GameCube, no less, which really isn’t the ideal platform for shooters with that stupid C-stick. Ugh.) Many of the same developers from Rare who worked on GoldenEye moved on to Free Radical, which is the team that developed the TimeSplitters series. You can really tell when looking at the HUD or any number of things in the game (monkeys!?) that these people love their FPS games.

So imagine the surprise Free Radical trumped up when they told PSM3 magazine that, while they are developing TimeSplitters 4, they wouldn’t be opposed to remaking TimeSplitters 2 in HD — provided the fans showed support for the idea.

CVG is trying to round together support for the project, but do whatever you can to kick up some dust. Write a blog, make forum threads, create a petition; anything that will show we want TimeSplitters 2 HD.

Don’t do it for just me or you. Do it for the monkeys.

Editor’s Note: These scans have been removed

Remember awhile back when it was rumored that Xbox World 360’s next issue would feature some exclusive information about Goldeneye for the Xbox Live Arcade? Good times. Remember when Microsoft shot down the whole article as being “based entirely on rumour and speculation?” Not so good times. But nevertheless, scans of the article have now made their way online, making it all the more depressing that this title may never see the light of day. According the magazine though, the game was far from being complete, with only the Dam level being fully finished. The article also states that Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime supported the project, until the Japanese head honcho, Satoru Iwata, said that he didn’t want the title appearing on another console under any circumstances. Apparently, the idea of getting on Nintendo’s bad side caused Activision to pull the plug. Again though, that could all just be idle rumor is Microsoft’s statement is to be believed. A moment of silence please for the mother of all modern-day updates that will never be (*cue organ playing “Danny Boy”).

Remember those rumors last week from Xbox World 360 that indicated they had some exciting new info about an XBLA version of Goldeneye? Well, you might as well forget right now, cause Microsoft has just shot down that rumor for about the tenth time.

“The story in Xbox World 360 is based entirely on rumour and speculation,” said a spokesperson for Microsoft Games Studios. “Unfortunately, we were never contacted by the publication to confirm information or participate in the story in any way, as we would have confirmed that we do not have the necessary rights to release GoldenEye on Xbox Live Arcade.”

Tune in next week when we hear another rumor about Goldeneye coming to the XBLA. And then tune in the following week when that rumor gets killed yet again.

Via VideoGaming247

With the addition of MGM to the Video Marketplace, that means you can now download James Bond flicks for your HD viewing pleasure on the Xbox 360. Currently there are only two of the most recent Pierce Brosnan Bond movies, Die Another Day and The World is Not Enough, with more in the pipelines.

Having ready access to the entirety of the Bond library through the Video Marketplace is definitely going to be a very cool thing. I mean, sure, it’s worthless to someone like me that already owns every one of those movies on DVD (and Blu-ray in Casino Royale’s case), but for anyone else looking for quick and easy access to the classic British spy films, this is pretty sweet.

Oh, and this wouldn’t be a bad way to lead up to a release of GoldenEye on Xbox Live Arcade… Please?

There’s no denying this new generation of consoles has brought with it numerous groundbreaking changes to the gaming world. Sure, the graphics have improved overall, online components are almost par for the course these days, and many games require you to waggle your controller in front of the screen to the amusement of those around you. And while the latest consoles may offer a wide variety of hardware differences themselves, they all share one pivotal change in common: they each offer a service to download classic games online. The Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and the Playstation Network all offer their own unique sets of games to purchase and play without even getting up from your couch. While their efforts to resell me my childhood have not been in vain, I sometimes wonder why there aren’t even more old school games showing up at a more regular pace. So who do I have to bribe to get more classic games to show up on these networks? Read the full article

Once again, like the zombie chasing you through the woods, no matter how many times you shoot it in the face with a sawed-off shotgun it still keeps coming at you – this time though its the GoldenEye XBL rumors that are gnawing at our ankles.

Today, word comes that Xbox World 360 will have an exclusive feature for a “mystery game” coming to the XBL, and while they never actually come right out and say that it is GoldenEye, they provided a jigsaw picture for you to put together. This picture is a scene from your first mission as Bond – you know, where you leap off the bridge.

Here is their quote, and it is pulled directly from the site:

Next Wednesday, in Xbox World 360, you’ll find the first ever shots and definitive hands-on details behind one of this year’s biggest stories. But, for the time being, here’s two more tiles you might be able to fix to ones we’ve already released…

Yep, it’s the story the whole world wanted, but only we got – and we unleash it next Wednesday in Xbox World 360. Will you be excited? Oh yes. Will you, like us, be just a little bit angry too? Mmmm, maybe. Want to know more? The mystery unfolds – in shops – in seven days time.

First off, yes, if this is news is indeed true we will all be very excited. Big fat “duh” there – but what I want to know is, what in the world would we be angry over? The constant rumors and denials or are they omitting something that we loved about the game? Who knows really, I am so dizzy over the whole rumor mill surrounding the game that if or when it comes out it will be more or less one gigantic anti-climax for me, personally.

Thanks: M16 News

I sure you all remember the rumors floating around a month or so ago that GoldenEye and other Rare games would be coming to XBox Live Arcade. (If you don’t remember, catch up here, here, here, and even sign a petition here) Well, this week our good friend Adam Sessler from G4 TV is offering his take on the whole situation in his weekly Sessler’s Soapbox video. Adam addresses the issue, and offers a plea to Nintendo to allow this and other classic titles to be brought to the current generation.

It’s really unfortunate that some of the great games of the past are falling victim to situations such as these. GoldenEye is a great example. Rare created it for the N64, and who knows what the rights to that game are now. I imagine Nintendo holds the lion’s share of them, and I doubt they’re into the idea of letting Microsoft or anyone else publish it as a downloadable Arcade title.

Unfortunately, that means the only way that we’re going to get another crack at Goldeneye (and many other older games) is to dig into the closet, find your N64 and all the necessary cables, and then endure the mess that it displays on your shiny new HDTV. It’s unfortunate that these companies can’t find a way to work together to make something like this happen.

Honestly, I think Jonathan summed it up best in his last article on the subject, when he mentioned the sickening number of gamers begging to be sold something that they already bought years ago. It is very much akin to what we’ve seen happen with the Star Wars trilogy.

Thanks, G4 TV!