Joanna is Perfect
At A Glance
- Next-gen take on Rare's classic first-person shooter.
- Coop play with split-screen, system link, or Xbox Live.
- Expanding and contracting multiplayer map levels.
Perfect Dark came, it conquered, and it left an undying thirst for more. Since the last credit rolled on the first title, gamers have clamored for more of what many believe is the best all around first-person shooter (FPS) ever created on a console. It pushed the available hardware to its limits, it introduced loads of new gameplay ideas into the genre, and it did it all with the trademark polish we've come to expect from the geniuses at Rare®.
There is no doubting that Perfect Dark Zero™ is one of the flagship titles for the Xbox 360™ launch. Since Rare has turned its attention to all things Xbox®, hardcore Rare and FPS fans have been anticipating this oft-rumored title, and now that it's no longer theory but reality. It's time to reintroduce the wonder that is Perfect Dark.
Exploding barrels are back and better than ever.
For those not hip to the original, Perfect Dark was a FPS set in the not-too-distant future(2023). It starred Joanna "Perfect" Dark, as the superspy agent working for the mysterious Carrington Institute. It was a game filled with conspiracy, evil corporations, corrupted officials, and, of course, aliens.
Each mission is built with co-op in mind,
so good tactics and communication are required.
In game terms, Perfect Dark Zero is the prequel to the original. PDZ follows young Joanna even before she's had her first run in with the Carrington Institute. Guide her through her first adventures as she becomes the perfect agent we know from the original.
Setting, time period, and plot notwithstanding, perhaps the best way illustrate what to expect from PDZ is to look at the original and imagine how it translates to the Xbox 360 generation.
Spy-Thriller Needs a Cool Ride
The original Perfect Dark did a phenomenal job of creating a believable, high-tech "almost sci-fi" setting. You were a perfect agent with all your gadgets, secondary fire options, and crack-shot abilities. Since then there have been many improvements to the FPS genre.
Chief among these is the introduction of vehicles. Electronic Arts' James Bond games have worked this angle to great effect, and everyone smiles at the thought of their first moments behind the wheel of the Warthog in Halo®: Combat Evolved or Halo® 2.
What could be more appropriate then than Joanna getting her own set of wheels? What could be more fitting than a cutting edge jetpack? What's more atmospheric than gliding through the air in a jetpack, skittering around ground fire and missile strikes and infiltrating an enemy installation?
Every headshot is tracked.
No Bots Required
The ability to add and customize "bots" in a multiplayer match in the original was ingenious. After all, you could only play with four people, and split-screen at that. Bots allowed for more complicated strategies and epic battles. With Xbox Live®, replace the bots with real players.
Of course, a dozen or even two dozen people all going at it is impressive enough, but even then, you might want a bot or two to even things out. Believe me, with up to 32 simultaneous players supported, you'll have plenty of opportunity for target practice.
No Cavernous Maps
Play an online multiplayer in any game long enough, and you find yourself partial to a map or two. Trouble is, often you can play those maps only during specific situations. Large overland maps are great—if a large crew is playing. Conversely, tight-quartered affairs can be intense, but too many people in the map, and it's just chaos.
If ever there was a franchise to establish our next-generation
console, Perfect Dark Zero is the one to do it.
Imagine your favorite map dynamically changing according to how many people are playing. Imagine it expands itself to help accommodate a larger crowd, or even closes off extraneous sections to make for a more intimate match with a small number of players. Imagine all that, and you'll have a fair idea of how just one of Perfect Dark Zero's online features will work.
Truly Cooperative
The answer to co-op modes in most games is to stick another player in the level and let you battle it out with more enemies. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™ proved that a more thoughtful, strategic cooperative mode is more than possible, and Perfect Dark Zero takes that mold and applies to the FPS genre. Imagine:
- Picking off snipers from the rooftops as your buddy traverses dangerous ground below.
- Accessing the power to an elevator your partner can't get to.
- Unlocking doors from the other side so you can progress together.
- Providing covering fire as your friend flies across the level on a zip line.
Each mission in Perfect Dark Zero is built with co-op in mind, so good tactics and communication are required while each player tries to assist the other and meet their own objectives simultaneously.
That's the dual-wielding I like to see.
The Little Things
Now, all you Perfect Dark veterans can also imagine everything you loved about the original game created with the latest and greatest technology available. Imagine the look and feel of all your favorite weapons and all the secondary fire options available for every gun.
Think how now nice it will be to play co-op on system link or Xbox Live instead of split-screen. Imagine what high-tech environments you might find yourself in, and imagine the aural experience reflected in as near perfect a surround sound as you can fathom. Imagine every glorious texture displayed in 720 progressive scan and formatted by to 16x9 widescreen for televisions that support them.
If ever there was a franchise to establish our next-generation console, Perfect Dark Zero is the one to do it. The sequel to a best-selling and critically acclaimed FPS, from one of the most vaunted developers our industry has ever seen: that's quite a start. Those looking for the foundation of next-gen need look no further.
Article by Alex McLain
