Activision’s biggest display at New York Comic-Con was its Goldeneye 007 demo center, a pair of fake living rooms with couches and HDTVs inviting gamers to try out the game in all its 4-player glory. I played a round to see if the new game could recapture the magic of frantic 90′s console shooter gaming. No online play, no cover mechanics, no teabagging, just frantic shooting.

The game mode was Golden Gun. I didn’t recognize the level, but it seemed to be a shipping yard or a depot, with multiple levels and objects to hide behind. I was Bond, remodeled as Daniel Craig instead of the original Pierce Brosnan. I had a Classic Controller, the tethered Wii remote sitting on my lap as I played.

It’s been some time since I was in a proper free-for-all game. Team Fortress 2 and Modern Warfare have gotten me so used to much more deliberate, team-based gameplay. Goldeneye was pure, frantic action, with everyone running around trying to shoot each other, wary of whoever had the Golden Gun that killed in a single shot. It felt simple. It felt pure. It felt right, and it reminded me of the days of playing my N64 in my parents’ living room.

I can’t speak to Goldeneye 007′s single player campaign, or if it builds on the then-revolutionary complexity of the original game’s mission objectives. I can’t say whether the game’s other multiplayer modes are as enjoyable. I can’t even say if the game’s particularly balanced, or if the multiplayer has lasting appeal in an age of persistent character levels and evolving equipment. I only played a single round, but it was a really fun round.

And for the record, I dominated, and got this rad Oddjob hat t-shirt for my victory.