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GoldenEye 007 Hits Nintendo Switch and Xbox: How to Play, Fix Switch Controls

The 1997 Nintendo 64 first-person shooter brings retro James Bond action to Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass.

Load up your silenced PP7s and prime those remote mines: GoldenEye 007 is available to play via the Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass subscription services. The beloved James Bond game originally hit the N64 in 1997, and this is the first-person shooter’s first rerelease since then.

Playing GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch

You’ll need to be subscribed to Switch Online’s $50-a-year Expansion Pack tier to access GoldenEye and other N64 games. Online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch release, the official 007 website noted, but this version is otherwise the same as the N64 original.

The default control scheme will likely feel a little weird, but Reddit user Cuesport77 suggested changes that’ll bring it in line with modern shooters. I tested this, and it works beautifully (though I opted to use the left analog stick to move around, right for aiming).

1. Go to System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Change Button Assignments.

2. Create a control profile for GoldenEye.

3. Remap the left analog stick to function as right analog.

4. Remap the right analog stick to function as left analog.

5. Remap ZR button to function as ZL, so you can fire with ZR.

6. Remap ZL to function as L, so you can manual aim with ZL.

7. (Optional) Remap L to function as B, so you can activate things with L.

8. (Optional) Remap R to function as A, so you can switch weapons with R.

(You will now have to navigate using the right analog stick and either A/B or L/R, depending on whether you followed steps 6 and 7.)

9. Launch GoldenEye and begin a mission, navigating menus with the right analog stick.

10. Pause, and go over to Controls.

11. Switch from 1.1 Honey to 1.2 Solitaire.

12. Go over to Settings, and turn the Look Up/Down setting to Upright.

Playing GoldenEye 007 on Xbox

The Game Pass version is playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S. A subscription costs $10 a month, though people who own a digital copy of Rare Replay, the 30-game compilation of classics that came out in 2015, can also get access to GoldenEye for free. That doesn’t apply to physical copies of Rare Replay, and the game isn’t available to purchase separately.

«The game now offers modern control options (including support for dual analog sticks) and a consistent refresh rate, running at a native 16:9 resolution up to 4K Ultra HD (where supported),» Craig Duncan, head of Microsoft-owned developer Rare, said in a blog post marking the game’s release. «There’s also a full roster of Xbox achievements to strive for, some of which are sure to test the mettle of proficient 00 Agents.»

So it offers more modern bells and whistles than the Switch release, but lacks online multiplayer (you’ll still have local splitscreen).

What’s the big deal about GoldenEye 007?

GoldenEye’s return was revealed in a Nintendo Direct livestream last September.

As a licensed tie-in to the 1995 movie that introduced actor Pierce Brosnan as the legendary British secret agent, the game won critical acclaim for its fun single-player campaign and epic split-screen competitive multiplayer. It became the N64’s third bestselling title, with 8.09 million units sold — it was only topped by Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, which sold 11.91 million and 9.87 million copies, respectively.

Rare also developed GoldenEye followup Perfect Dark for the N64 in 2000, before Microsoft acquired the company in 2002.

Fans have been expecting a remaster for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S to be revealed for months, since achievements for it have leaked multiple times. It was reportedly planned for release on Xbox 360 in the late 2010s, and an apparent extended gameplay video appeared in 2016. At the time, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the game’s licensing rights complicated efforts to get it on the console. The versions that came to Switch and Xbox aren’t remasters, but upscaled versions of the original game.

Original developer David Doak, whose face was famously used for in-game Bond ally Dr. Doak, expressed both his delight and discontent in a statement to CNET.

«It is heartwarming and very special to see the outpouring of love and nostalgia for the game, it is amazing to have been part of the team that created something that has touched so many people in a positive way,» he wrote. «Disappointing that none of the parties involved in this re-release have made any attempt to involve that original team in any way. Feels shabby and disingenuous.»

Doak regularly tweets about the game and engages with fans. Last September, he posted a shot of himselef dressed like his in-game counterpart, and joked that players shouldn’t «come crying» to him if they have trouble unlocking the infamous Invincibility cheat. That’s one of the game’s most difficult challenges — you have to beat the Facility level in under 2 minutes, 5 seconds to get it. He’s spoken at length about the game’s development over the years, and tweeted a 1997 shot of the original development team on Wednesday.

Read more: GoldenEye at 20: We Raise a Martini to a Classic Game

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Bond’s first appearance, in author Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale. Last year was the 60th anniversary of the Bond movie franchise — with latest film No Time to Die now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video — but the series is in a state of flux as fans await the announcement of Daniel Craig’s successor in the role. Hitman developer IO Interactive is also working on its own Bond game.

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Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, April 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 17.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


My husband groaned when he saw today’s NYT Mini Crossword. «Why is it so huge?» he asked. It’s not, but there is one additional clue-answer combo in the Down category, so it seems longer. None of them are too tough, and I enjoyed the upcoming holiday pun. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Person, ___ or thing
Answer: PLACE

6A clue: Like someone you shouldn’t trust with fragile objects
Answer: KLUTZY

7A clue: A time to dye?
Answer: EASTER

8A clue: Dangle a carrot in front of
Answer: ENTICE

9A clue: Class for a cognitive science major, for short
Answer: PSYCH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Activities on the docket
Answer: PLANS

2D clue: Full of sexual desire
Answer: LUSTY

3D clue: Commonly cobwebby room
Answer: ATTIC

4D clue: From Prague, say
Answer: CZECH

5D clue: Jane in classic literature
Answer: EYRE

6D clue: Not get rid of
Answer: KEEP

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

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