Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360, 2005)

This awesome, high-tech first-person shooter champions the Xbox 360 with its excellent assortment of single- and multiplayer game types, as well as its incredible good looks and dynamic, intense action.
The Good: Awesome presentation, featuring cutting-edge graphics and sound; delicious assortment of high-powered near-future weapons; excellent cooperative mission mode lets you play split screen or online; lots of multiplayer options, including some clever twists on familiar themes; one of the best original soundtracks this year.
The Bad: Characters can look ugly up close, plus some other minor graphical glitches; some missions are frustrating, especially since you can't save midmission; pretty weak storyline is incidental to all the action.
It's tempting to try to put Perfect Dark Zero in perspective by spending a lot of time on topics other than what makes it such a terrific action game. One of the highest-profile Xbox 360 launch titles, this near-future first-person shooter is the long-awaited sequel to a highly acclaimed Nintendo 64 hit, and it happens to be one of the biggest games to be released by veteran developer Rare since its well-publicized acquisition by Microsoft several years ago. Perfect Dark Zero's sci-fi theme, together with the circumstances surrounding its release, also means it's destined to be compared to Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that defined the Xbox (so yeah, no pressure). But let's stick to the point: Perfect Dark Zero's stunning presentation, excellent assortment of believable weapons, exciting tactical firefights, and fully featured single- and multiplayer components combine to make it easily one of the best first-person shooters this year and one of your best options in the Xbox 360's starting lineup. Despite some minor shortcomings, the game is still a tour de force for the Xbox 360, and it's just a thrilling experience that pushes the already-extremely competitive first-person shooter category still further forward.

Perfect Dark Zero is finally here and it's amazing.
You don't need to be familiar with Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64 to easily get into Perfect Dark Zero, starring the spunky red-haired hired gun, Joanna Dark. Though she and her dad are technically bounty hunters, the game has got more of a high-tech superspy feel to it, from the futuristic weapons to the fancy gadgets you'll get to use. Perfect Dark Zero's story spans more than a dozen big missions, and may be optionally played through cooperatively with a friend. The campaign is longer than average at about 12 hours, and its multiple difficulty settings, unlockable weapons, and the outstanding co-op mode should keep you coming back to it after you reach the conclusion the first time. Perfect Dark Zero also features a "combat arena" mode that contains most of its multiplayer options, some of which may be played with and against computer-controlled bots in addition to (or instead of) other human players. There's a wide assortment of different modes supporting up to 32 players online, including conventional free-for-all and capture-the-flag modes, as well as some great Counter-Strike-inspired team-based match types. In short, this is big game with a lot to it.

It's tempting to try to put Perfect Dark Zero in perspective by spending a lot of time on topics other than what makes it such a terrific action game. One of the highest-profile Xbox 360 launch titles, this near-future first-person shooter is the long-awaited sequel to a highly acclaimed Nintendo 64 hit, and it happens to be one of the biggest games to be released by veteran developer Rare since its well-publicized acquisition by Microsoft several years ago. Perfect Dark Zero's sci-fi theme, together with the circumstances surrounding its release, also means it's destined to be compared to Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that defined the Xbox (so yeah, no pressure). But let's stick to the point: Perfect Dark Zero's stunning presentation, excellent assortment of believable weapons, exciting tactical firefights, and fully featured single- and multiplayer components combine to make it easily one of the best first-person shooters this year and one of your best options in the Xbox 360's starting lineup. Despite some minor shortcomings, the game is still a tour de force for the Xbox 360, and it's just a thrilling experience that pushes the already-extremely competitive first-person shooter category still further forward.

Perfect Dark Zero's winning combination of pure run-and-gun action and tactical realism is also captured in the well-designed health system, which lets you soak up a good amount of damage but doesn't let you get cocky about it. Each time you're shot in succession, your health drops just as you'd expect, though Joanna can take a surprising amount of punishment at the normal difficulty setting. If you avoid taking any more damage for a couple of seconds, your health meter instantly jumps back up. This seems like Halo's recharging energy shields at first, but the difference is your maximum health gradually gets depleted the more damage you take. So, typically, the later into a mission you are, the more carefully you'll need to tread.



Expect serious resistance during the game's missions, which are even more fun if you play them cooperatively.

That's especially true since you'll often have to start a mission over from the very beginning (or maybe from a checkpoint halfway through) if you're killed or otherwise fail. You can't just quick-save your progress after every few steps like you can in many shooters. There are a couple of missions that are demanding of some trial and error, where the lack of an in-mission save feature might be frustrating (there's one particularly punishing late-game mission that forces you to complete your objective in a certain amount of time or start over). But this design choice mostly just forces you to stay on your toes, and it also helps extend the length of the story mode without feeling cheap. If you do find yourself stuck, thankfully you can adjust the difficulty independently for each mission.

The story missions offer a lot of variety, both in terms of mission objectives and tactical situations. You'll experience plenty of up-close, in-your-face shoot-outs that are perfect for shotguns and high-powered pistols, not to mention melee attacks. But the game also packs in lots of medium- and long-range shooting, sometimes pitting you against surprisingly large numbers of entrenched foes. There's some hacking, lock-picking, and demolitions thrown in there for good measure, each involving its own quick little minigame.

Personal review:
This game is great! The graphics are outstanding. Controls are typical FPS, minus the ability to "bunny hop" and irritate your on-line opponents, although you do have realistic dodge/dive moves (this is a plus). The weapon selection is good, although a few of the secondary weapon modes are very strange combinations - a shotgun with a radar function? It would have made more sense to add additional gadgetst to pickup and keep the weapons more logical ...

For new players, the ability to see waypoints and an on-screen arrow guiding you to your next task is a welcome addition. It will keep you from mindlessly wandering some of the larger boards.

Computer AI is decent - but this is definitely not a war strategy game, so don't expect too many coordinated attacks. The use of vehicles is great. The ability to use zip lines and slide down ladders makes moving around some of the boards a lot more fun. Basically, pick this game up NOW!

Game description and overview:
Joanna Dark returns in the Xbox 360-exclusive Perfect Dark Zero, the prequel to the international award-winning and multimillion-selling first-person shooter Perfect Dark from famed game developer Rare Ltd. A secret war has begun between shadowy corporations bent on world domination. Joanna Dark and her father, Jack, are caught up in the fight for the planet's future. A routine bounty hunting mission rips open a global conspiracy that will change Joanna's destiny—forever.

Players must guide Joanna Dark on her journey to become the Perfect Agent. Featuring a compelling and captivating story, Perfect Dark Zero plunges players into a world of corporate espionage and conspiracy. Perfect Dark Zero merges the excitement and intrigue of its predecessor with revolutionary game design, online play and amazing graphics to deliver an experience that defines next-generation gaming and entertainment.

Engrossing single-player action. Brought to life in startling high- definition, Perfect Dark Zero challenges players to guide Joanna Dark on her journey to become the Perfect Agent. A fully interactive world, beautiful graphics and breathtaking special effects combine with Xbox Live functionality to provide players with a one-of-a-kind, single-player experience.

• Gripping, action-packed story line. Players assume the role of Perfect Agent Joanna Dark in a gripping story set years before the original Perfect Dark, where the action in this sci-fi thriller centers on espionage, conspiracy and a mysterious global conflict.

• Unparalleled online play via Xbox Live. Perfect Dark Zero delivers unprecedented online action and flexibility, supporting upward of 50 players online. Perfect Dark Zero includes fully scalable environments and complete Xbox Live support with tournaments, rankings and more.

• Extraordinary variety of gameplay options. Players can choose between a story-driven single-player campaign and various multiplayer options including four-player split screen and two-player cooperative action for infinite replayability.

• Massive arsenal of weapons, gadgets and vehicles. Perfect Dark Zero features many of the classic weapons and gadgets from the original game, as well as countless additions. Combat-enabled vehicles including jetpacks, hovercrafts and motorcycles are also available to players in Perfect Dark Zero.

The Good
Awesome presentation, featuring cutting-edge graphics and sound Delicious assortment of high-powered near-future weapons Excellent cooperative mission mode lets you play split screen or online Lots of multiplayer options, including some clever twists on familiar themes One of the best original soundtracks this year.

The Bad
Characters can look ugly up close, plus some other minor graphical glitches Some missions are frustrating, especially since you can't save midmission Pretty weak storyline is incidental to all the action.

This is the first game we purchased when we bought our Xbox 360. Knowing almost nothing about modern video games at the time.. I think we made a solid choice.

Learning how the game works is fairly easy. When you start the game in story mode, there is a training mission (Level 0). Just complete this and you should know how to do just about everything needed to progress through the game.

Mission Mode (Story Mode):

Counting "Mission 0" - the training mission (which is required to be completed before you can move to the first real mission), there are 14 total missions in the game. The cinematics are entertaining and MOST of the missions are fun. Each mission will have Primary and Support (or secondary) objectives. Primary objectives are mandatory to complete the mission. Support objectives are helpful to you (in most cases) if you complete them. Your objectives may vary depending on the level of difficulty you are playing. The developers also added a secret difficulty setting - just complete the game on the Perfect Agent setting to unlock.

Missions can be completed solo or 2 people can use the co-op mode and do it together. If you prefer co-op mode and have nobody to play with, you can do the co-op over Xbox Live.

While the game is fun, 14 total missions are a bit much for my taste. It seems to drag on a bit and - at times - may feel like it is NEVER going to end.

The Combat Arena (Multiplayer Modes):

There are quite a few options when it comes to the multiplayer modes in this game. You to know that you do not need an Xbox live acct to enjoy multiplayer game play. (Which is lacking in some other games)

You can play locally - just create a came with some Bots (or computer players) and go to town. You can customize just about everything from the guns available in the game to the intelligence (or lack of) of the computer bots.

I have a SUPER fast connection and I seem to be "bumped" out of Xbox live games frequently. I'm not sure if this is a glitch in the programming or a less than stellar connection from the host, but it just seems shaky to me. I usually create my own came - with a few bots - and allow other people to jump in and join the fun.

Ranked matches are an option, however, I cannot recall ever being able to get one started.

Achievements:

There are tons of achievements available - some mission mode related and some require multiplayer skills. Thankfully, none of the multiplayer achievements require ranked match play (or Xbox live play). The one thing I do not like about the achievements in this game is that you will need to replay the game on various difficulty settings to acquire them all.

Language:

There is some foul language (mostly in the background) so it may offend some players - or the parents of some players. To be honest, I did not even notice the language until about half way through the game - just to focused on getting the job done I guess.

Bottom Line: Most will find this game to be a blast. (Certainly turned my 4-year-old daughter into a gamer - and, yes, me too). Trying to complete the game can (at times) feel like a never ending quest, but with so many variations on the multiplayer game play, it should keep you entertained for a good long while. This game is well worth the purchase price and it is one I am happy to have in my Xbox Library.

My Xbox Live ID is SKOOT2006 - if you enjoy a good game with friendly people, please feel free to send us a friend request.