12/19/05 >> Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360)
Genre: First-person Shooter
A short note before we begin: I don't play much multiplayer. I'm not one for fighting each other; I much prefer to play with someone. (Hence my preference for Big Team Battle in Halo 2's Xbox Live matchmaking, but that's an entirely different review.) So, I have not ventured far into the realm of the multiplayer Zero. I shall leave it out of this review for that reason.
Perfect Dark Zero is a prequel to the Nintendo 64's smash hit Perfect Dark, a first-person shooter made by Rare Software that teamed up with GoldenEye to show that the N64 had serious staying power to adult gamers. The mechanics, plot, and look of the original shooter were almost revolutionary, coming together to form an incredible game that bedazzled many. Zero, the prequel-sequel, is not the revolutionary genre-buster console-definer its predecessor was. No, Zero comes about in the golden age of the FPS - games like Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Doom, and Halo top the charts of popularity and review scores, while every kid and their grandma talks smack (and other mindless garbage) on Xbox Live. Does Perfect Dark Zero hold up when it has all these other shooters as well as the other game in its own series to compete with? The short answer is yes.
This game was released mid-November, before the console it is developed for was even available for purchase. This is a first-generation title of the next generation, and with no clear next step unlike past generations, it is hard to tell what to expect. The game is absolutely beautiful, all generational titles aside. The character models are cartoony yet clear, serving their purpose and not looking out of place while still giving the player something to chuckle at. The gun models, an essential part of any FPS, are absolutely gorgeous. Other games should take note of guns such as the Laptop and Jackal, their detail shown not only to the person behind the gun but any other players on screen as well.
The graphics have a few minor glitches. Occasionally, machinery will disappear before its (strikingly beautiful, mind) explosion appears. Cut-scenes look awkward, with characters still moving in jerky motions and with bad facial expressions. Other than the little things, the game stands out as gorgeous. Pictures, even video don't do it justice - this is a playing thing. Gameplay looks no different from cut-scene, and this is a feat never before achieved without the cut-scenes looking particularly bad.
Sound
Realistic gun sounds, various yet still appropriate music, skilled voice acting, oh my! I'll take it.
Presentation
Perfect Dark Zero has horrible writing. Absolutely atrocious. One of the characters, Jack Dark, tells an enemy at one point that he will be "[dropped] like a bad conversation". What, Rare? If you're going to use horrible expressions, at least let them be a reference to something. Anything. Aside from the bad dialogue, the game also suffers from a bit of an unexplained complex. You're thrown in with no explanation of what's going on and why it's happening. Little things such as how to get new weapons are never explained; you simply must figure it out. And there are no subtitles. This is a big no-no, especially for people with bad hearing such as myself.
Gameplay
Perfect Dark's gameplay is no revolutionary thing. You aim, you shoot, you dodge, you think. Rare has managed to keep things fresh, however, by incorporating the use of gadgets that each require a small mini-game to activate. None are very difficult, but they're a nice tiny diversion. Weapons in the game are balanced, and the lower two difficulties are forgiving towards wrong weapon choices. Objectives are clear most of the time, but occasionally you're stuck not know what to do. Part of this problem is the lack of subtitles.
The AI of your teammates is unbearably stupid. This is what drags the gameplay's score down - the fact that you want to shoot Jack Dark rather than the people you're supposed to knock off for him. Still, the gameplay holds up, never becoming overly frustrating and still having a challenge.
Overall/Miscellaneous
Co-operative play is a rare beauty in today's games. People like me that would rather cover a friend with sniper fire than aim the fire at said friend love it, and Perfect Dark does it better than any other game I've ever played. In the single-player game, there will be one lock on a door, you'll be able to active things on your own, and you are basically fine without assistance. In co-op, small things are changed so that you both must help each other. Some elevators cannot be turned on by the person riding, so the second player must activate it. Some doors require two people to open them. In a few missions, such as Mission 3, the second player takes over a character that was AI-controlled in the single-player campaign, which adds an entirely new layer to the same mission. Perfect Dark Zero co-op is the greatest thing to happen to FPSs since dual analog sticks.
Perfect Dark Zero's single player (and cooperative) campaign is a delightfully fun but sadly short romp through some of the genre's finest gaming. Little things like pop-in, bad clichés, and mediocre AI can be gotten over when the gaming's good, and the gaming is certainly great here. PD0 has set itself up as the killer app of the Xbox 360's launch, and it deserves the title. Being ten dollars cheaper than its peers helps as well.
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Game Score: 8.3
Reviewed By: Michael Nelson
