GoldenEye 007 now has Super Mario 64 characters, thanks to the work of a diligent modder bent on combining some of the best memories of a 20-year-old console.
The mod — “GoldenEye With Mario Characters” by StupidMarioBros1Fan — is available from Mod DB. It “works on actual hardware,” according to the video above, which means a real Nintendo 64, not just an emulator.
In the mod, Mario replaces Bond (of course) and Luigi is Trevelyan (smart play). Peach is Natalya. It’s not just a character model swap either. Dialogue changes recognize the different characters, and the pre-level briefing has altered text as well. “The story itself is mainly the same as the original” StupidMarioBrosFan1 wrote on Mod DB, “with all levels playing out basically the same as the original.”
This video shows all of the characters and their roles. I especially like Defense Minister Pauline and Head of Special Forces Donkey Kong, but pretty much everyone after that is a koopa — well, until you get to the Toad cameo.
This is as good a time as any to tell readers my favorite GoldenEye 007 story. About 20 years ago, my cousin was enrolled at a private college whose students were the typically bored rich kids you’d expect at such an old-money place. One of his housemates got so fed up with the fact people were coming over to play Mario Kart 64 that he epoxied GoldenEye 64 into the console slot.
