Multiplayer Party in the Dark

By Luke Judge

When Xbox 360™ hits shelves, Perfect Dark Zero™ will be waiting for it. Rare's return to the mysterious and dangerous world of corporate super-spy and perfect agent Joanna Dark has been much anticipated, and gamers are just as hungry for the multiplayer madness that Perfect Dark Zero promises. Although some details may change before the final release, our sneak peek indicates that PDZ will be worth the wait.

The Perfect Rumble
Count on a major multiplayer component for Perfect Dark Zero. The first game raised the bar for first-person shooter multiplayer action, and this latest version promises to maintain the tradition. Along with four-player split-screen action and co-op campaigns, Perfect Dark Zero includes several online modes of play. On Xbox Live, you can join one of these battles or start your own.

Size Does Matter
One of the best features is the scalable maps, which expand or contract to fit the size of your match. If you've only got a few people in an environment that can support many more, certain portions of the map will be inaccessible.

Check Out the Arsenal
You can also expect more of the sweet weaponry that helped make the original Perfect Dark so much fun. Classic weapons like the Magnum, Reaper, Falcon, Crossbow, and N-bomb are all strong candidates for a comeback, and laptop gun is already confirmed. This little gem looks just like a briefcase until you unfold it into a powerful machine gun. In multiplayer, it's especially useful for its secondary fire function, which allows you to plant it in the ground or on a wall, where it acts as a sentry and fires on any enemies who come into range. It's a portable turret that you can position precisely where it'll do the most good.

Vehicles will be a part of the Perfect Dark Zero multiplayer experience, as well. Joanna will climb aboard motorcycles and hovercraft, but for my money, the most spectacular vehicle is the jetpack. Strapping on this beauty gives you short, fast bursts of controlled flight that create all kinds of opportunities. Take the highest possible ground for sniper duty, hop over barriers to surprise your enemies, or simply swoop down on opponents like a bird of prey.

We'll have more details on Perfect Dark Zero and its extensive multiplayer components as they become available.