The original Perfect Dark was so exquisitely crafted that a quick sequel would have been only natural. But developer Rare is not one to conform to standards, and sequel Perfect Dark Zero™ has been a long time coming. Now the wait is nearly over.
We can surely expect some serious first-person shooter innovation and straight-up excellent game design in PDZ. But what will the Xbox 360™ bring to the table?
Matchless Multiplayer Matches To reduce lag, multiplayer modes often strip out the visual bells and whistles that are standard in a single-player game. But the sheer power of the Xbox 360 has nipped this problem in the bud. PDZ's online experience looks to be as graphically dynamic as its single-player campaign. In the screen above, you can also see PDZ's ability to render the environment in a wholly different way on the fly. For example, the X-ray-like vision mode renders the environment in wholly different way on the fly, instantly modeling all the same geometry while seamlessly adapting the character models to skeletal structures. It's hard to hide when your opponents can see through walls.
Combine the stunning visuals with a dramatically upgraded player limit per match, and you can feel the power of the Xbox 360.
On a More Technical Front Parallax mapping, a new 3-D texturing technique, is used to great effect in PDZ, and the end result is breathtaking.
Using simple in-game geometry, the technique provides rich and realistic textures. Parallax mapping shows the effect of real-time lighting, giving items a more natural and hand-made look.
You may not notice every one of these little fine-tuned elements in the background, but it's certainly satisfying to single them out as we witness the next generation of gaming.
