The year is 1997. The date? December 25th - Christmas Day. You’ve barely slept, listening for the thump of reindeer hooves on the roof. “What did Santa bring me this year?” you wonder, squeezing your eyes tight to ensure Santa doesn’t skip your house because you’re awake (straight to the naughty list). You awake to find a perfectly-wrapped rectangular box. Mom and Dad have you wait until the end of the gift extravaganza, because this is your “big gift,” the highlight of the day. They give you the go-ahead, and you excitedly rip open the paper. The gift? A brand, spanking new Nintendo 64 video game system, complete with Goldeneye - the best game ever conceived.

You head to grandma and grandpa’s house to celebrate with the family, and every cousin has brought their own Nintendo 64. You play until you can’t keep your eyes open any longer, and you drift to sleep with a smile on your face.k

For all us 90s kids Goldeneye is the gold standard (see what I did there?) for video games. All others vie for second place. So what better way to capture the joy of being a kid than to play it again! A remastered, 4k version was released last week, available on Xbox, along with the the original version on Nintendo Switch. The Switch version is only available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and while not remastered, you can play the original in all its glory online with friends.

Sure, some see video games as a regression of adulthoood, but I say get yourself a console and start playing. So don’t grow up, and play some games!