Perfect Tips

Perfect Dark Zero achieves a rare balance between fan-service for the hardcore gamer and accessibility to the more casual among us. Anyone can play and anyone can succeed, but everyone could use a little assistance now and again. Keep the following tips in mind to help sharpen your strategy.

Analog Scope
Don't forget that the zoom-in function on guns that support it (use the left trigger) is analog. There's no need to crank down on the trigger. Just pull gently down until you can clearly see your target. Otherwise your aim will move too slowly and you won't have good peripheral vision.

That's cover. Use it often.

Secondary Fire
Every weapon sports an alternative output. Make sure you know (and experiment with) each gun's secondary fire option. You'll often find immediate applications (remember, each gun is placed in a level for a purpose) for them. For example, you may find an assault rifle with a silencer, but if don't realize it's there you'll call undue attention to yourself and make things oh so much more difficult for you.

The levels and missions are designed
with intelligent tactics in mind.

Smack From Behind
Taking a page from Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, PDZ lets you do tremendous damage with melee attacks from behind. These attacks may not provide an instant kill, but they're a great tool for staying stealthy or starting combat.

Damn Spider-Bots
You encounter these buggers right from the get go, and you'll likely wonder just what causes them to explode. Here's a tip: You do! Shoot them once to knock them over, shoot them again to stop them cold, but tag them a third or fourth time and you're in for the pain. They can also explode on contact, so steer clear, soldier.

Don't shoot them too much.

End the Level Right
If you pick up a new weapon that's to your liking (the laptop gun or shotgun, for instance), try finishing the level with that new gun as part of your arsenal. If you succeed in doing so, you'll get to carry that newfound weapon into the next level.

Stop, Drop, and Roll
Ducking and dodging with the left bumper (left shoulder button) can work wonders in avoiding the buckets of bullets being spewed your way, but it's even more valuable when trying to avoid gunfire from an automated sentry gun or fellow human being in a competitive match on Xbox Live®. Use this ability and use it often. There's just no reason not to make hitting you as difficult as possible.

Constant Cover
Perfect Dark Zero may offer up some stunning and frantic combat scenarios, but the levels and missions are designed with intelligent tactics in mind (especially on the Perfect and Dark Agent difficulty levels). If you pay attention, you'll find opportunities for cover in nearly every area. Use these as often as you can. After all, you can still aim and shoot from behind cover, and, while you expose a part of your body, you still provide a far smaller target to your enemy.

Exploding barrels. Always good strategy.

The Standards
Every first-person shooter (FPS) comes stocked with the standards of the genre, and PDZ includes a couple of the true classics.

• Red barrels: Yes they're there, and yes they explode, so aim well and send your enemies flying as you blow them sky high.
• Headshots: One bullet to the naked noggin and you'll have a dead enemy on your hands. For those with armored helmets and masks, one shot should knock the armor off and the next will put them down.

Now get out there and start practicing. You'll be a Perfect Agent in no time.

Article by Alex McLain