Perfect Encounter
By Alex McLain
Perfect Dark was the true sequel to the original GoldenEye, crafted at Rare® by virtually the same development team. It gave us Joanna "Perfect Dark," the perfect agent for the future, who was just as cool and even more deadly than James Bond. Her aim was dead-on, her gadgets were slick, and her quips were as witty as 007's.
She proved herself again and again as she uncovered a massive conspiracy, battled all manner of minions, befriended an alien named Elvis, matched wits with Mr. Blonde, and generally saved the world in a manner befitting a globe-trotting black-ops agent. But motives were mysterious.
Perfect Dark Zero™; is the sequel in real time, but in game terms, it's a prequel. You meet younger Joanna before she's had her first run-in with the Carrington Institute, and guide her through her first adventures as she becomes the perfect agent we know. This early look at her career should offer some explanation of her abilities. After all, Joanna is still very young in the original Perfect Dark, yet she's already an agent to be reckoned with. How is she so adept at such a young age? Is her training at the Carrington Institute a marvel of technique, or does her background offer some insight into her abilities? We may also discover the roots of her connection to Daniel Carrington, the absurdly wealthy but good-hearted head of the Carrington Institute, who works for the greater good by using his agents and equipment to wage his own war against the DataDyne Corporation.
We know so little of Joanna's past, and it makes sense for Rare to go back to the beginning of her journey. By the end of Perfect Dark Zero, you will undoubtedly gain some new insight into the quintessential perfect agent we all know and love.
Spy-Thriller Seeks Cool Ride
Beyond the questions of character origin, there is the job of invigorating the first-person shooter (FPS) genre for the next generation of gaming. Thea original Perfect Dark did a phenomenal job of creating a believable high-tech and near-future setting. You felt like a super-agent with all your gadgets, secondary fire options, and crack-shot abilities.
But since then, we've seen a variety of improvements to the FPS genre. Chief among these is the introduction of vehicles. What could be more appropriate than Joanna's own set of wheels? Nothing feels better than power-sliding around corners in a tricked-out motorcycle, leaving tracks of steaming rubber as you open fire with a submachine gun. And nothing is more atmospheric than gliding through the air in a jetpack, zigzagging your way through ground fire and missile strikes to infiltrate an enemy installation.
The End of the Cavernous Map
In an online multiplayer game, you become partial to maps. Trouble is, you can often play those maps only during specific situations. Large overland maps are great, but only if a large crew is playing. And when too many players get on the map in a tight-quartered affair, it's just chaos.
Now imagine a favorite map that changes according to the number of people playing. Perfect Dark Zero's scalable map expands itself to accommodate a larger crowd, or closes off sections to create a more intimate arena for a smaller number of players.
All the Little Things
And the list of improvements continues. Think of your favorite weapons from Perfect Dark, and add secondary fire options for every gun. Imagine the new high-tech environments displayed in high definition, the aural experience that crashes around you in surround sound, and the ability to take part in co-op play on System Link or Xbox Live™.
If ever there was a franchise to establish Xbox 360™, Perfect Dark Zero is the one to do it.
