It’s almost a shame that certain games, no matter how different they may be, end up being compared with one another. That’s exactly the case when it comes to Perfect Dark Zero and Halo, mainly because they are both first-person shooters and secondly, due to the fact they are launch titles for their respective consoles. News flash: Perfect Dark Zero IS NOT Halo, nor does it try to be. Once you get that notion into your head, then you’ll be better suited to actually enjoy everything that PDZ has to offer.


Rare’s foray into the Xbox 360 realm of first-person shooters begins with a game that shares more similarities with their heralded N64 shooter, Goldeneye 007 than it does with Bungie’s crowned jewel. Perfect Dark Zero brings to the table a nice mixture of the tried-and-true FPS formula, along with a few true “next-gen” features that you’d expect from a first-party Xbox 360 launch title. And while it might not necessarily be the must-have game that everyone was hoping for, it isn’t all that far from it.

For those gamers that managed to play through the 2000 N64 classic, Perfect Dark, much of the feel found in this prequel will obviously seem familiar. That’s right, PDZ acts as a precursor to the heroine, one Ms. Joanna Dark, becoming the polished super agent found in Perfect Dark. In her Xbox 360 debut, Jo decides to take up the family biz of bounty hunting, although she is rough around the edges and needs time to hone her skills. Under the tutelage of her father, Jack, Joanna strives to maximize her amazing, and deadly, potential.


Gameplay

Much like Joanna, Perfect Dark Zero isn’t just all good looks – it packs some serious punch. Every aspect of gameplay is covered: single-player campaign, co-op campaign, and multiplayer action, both on and offline. The game is split up into two major components: Missions and Combat Arena. The Mission mode is where you’ll take Jo through the rigors of being a gun for hire. The story spans 13 missions in total and there are four difficultly levels to choose from, although the fourth and most challenging one (Dark Agent) won’t be available until you beat the game on Perfect Agent difficulty. The higher difficulty levels don’t simply tweak the enemy numbers and AI; additional objectives are added as well. This, coupled with difficulty-specific achievements, extends the replay value of PDZ tremendously.

As a bounty hunter/agent on the rise, the objective of each mission is about what you’d expect: retrieval, elimination, and sabotage. For the most part, gameplay is varied enough so throughout your 10 hour or so journey (on Secret Agent difficulty), things don’t get overly repetitive. Somehow dishing out headshots never gets repetitive for me. Stealth is kept to a minimum for the most part. Boss battles are part of the mix, something you don’t see too much of in the genre anymore. As mentioned previously, PDZ feels much like Rare’s previous shooters and so expect a very free-flowing experience in general.

PDZ is about as pick-up-and-play as an FPS can get. Even newbies can get up and running in no time, plus the onscreen help and objective waypoints assist when there is confusion. Waypoints can be turned off in the options menu for those that don’t want their hand held through the mission. The environments are large enough and, while you might not want to use a waypoint, it’s nice to fall back on – especially in the jungle.

Vehicle combat is included, but on a very limited scale. Taking control of the hovercraft and jetpac is a nice diversion from the primarily straightforward shooter gameplay, but there simply isn’t much of it in the Mission mode.

Weapons, on the other hand, are plentiful and fun to tool around with. Each one takes up a specific number of inventory slots (of which you have 4), which ensures you can’t tote the likes of a Sniper Rifle and a Superdragon at the same time. The standard P9P is arguably one of the better weapons in the game, but there are many reasons to continually swap. Sometimes it may be situational, while others a matter of preference. There are over 20 weapons in total, including SMGs, pistols, and close quarter weapons like the shotgun and Viblade.

No secret agent would be complete without a nice selection of gadgets. In PDZ, a few gadgets execute a form of mini-game. Obviously, these are simple diversions and not meant to take much of your time. The best one is the Demo Kit, which acts almost like a puzzle mini-game. Other equipment, such as the CamSpy and AudioScope, become available to aid Jo in specific mission objectives.

We experience mix reaction on the enemy AI side of things. They do tend to vary their tactics (some will rush you, others will use cover), but some foes don’t mind standing out in the open either. And boy, can they take some rounds! Unless you score a headshot, expect these baddies to take 4-5 direct hits before toppling. The standard FPS explosive barrels are conveniently spread throughout most of the missions – not exactly the most original concept. PDZ is about average when it comes to difficulty. Most of the challenge comes from understanding the objectives more so than dealing with the opposition. Obviously, those looking to test their skills (and insanity) will want to play through on Perfect or Dark Agent.

In the end, the plot of the Mission mode just didn’t grab us. The cut-scenes were minimal and everything felt a bit chopped up. Even the “dramatic” moments we felt no connection with. When mentioning PDZ with the likes of the Halo series, story-wise it doesn’t match up.

Having the option to play through the entire campaign cooperatively (split screen, System Link, and Xbox Live) is one of PDZ’s best features. It is definitely strongest in missions like Rooftop Escape where each player will take a completely different route through the level. Many times, it plays much like any other FPS that offers co-op play, by throwing additional challenges and enemies at you, and including tweaked versions of mission objectives. A few of the boss battles are a bit more exciting (and easier) with two players, and yes, there vehicle scenarios with pilot/gunner situations – sound familiar?


All in all, co-op play is extremely satisfying, especially if each of you have a separate screen. It ran without a hitch in our Xbox Live tests and there are co-op specific achievements that you’ll be able to earn as well. Split-screen play wasn’t as satisfying, but is still a nice option for the Xbox Live-impaired. If only Rare could have added a few more missions that fully took advantage of the feature.

Multiplayer:

The short Mission mode is remedied by the fact that there is so much multiplayer goodness to go around. No matter if you’re looking for some 4 player split-screen action, heading to a LAN party, or want to participate in mammoth 32 player battles on Xbox Live, PDZ is ready, willing, and able.

There are two main types of game modes in PDZ: DeathMatch and DarkOps. The DeathMatch game types are the typical ones found in most FPS, including Killcount (standard deathmatch), Capture the Flag, and so on. In DeathMatch nearly everything can be customized, including weapon sets, number of players, implementation of Bots, etc. It’s nice to have the game automatically even out teams with Bots, if desired. With multiple AI skill levels, these Bots can kick some ass. Even having a bunch of human controlled players taking on one Dark Agent Bot can be a rush. The environments do scale to accommodate the number of players, so don’t worry about being trapped on a map and never seeing an enemy for the entire round.

DarkOps game types are round-based and play out similarly to Counter-Strike in that you’ll have the ability to purchase weapons with credits attainted in combat. Performing stellar acts of play can reward you more credits, while shooting a teammate can cost you some. What makes DarkOps intriguing is the extra sense of strategy, even before hitting the battlefield. The cost of weapons means you’ll need to budget properly – don’t wanna be left bringing a pistol to an SMG fight.

Here’s a short overview of each game type within both the DeathMatch and DarkOps game multiplayer modes:

DeathMatch Game Modes:

Killcount – free-for all, player with the most kills wins.
Team Killcount – the team with the most kills wins.
Capture the Flag – grab the flag from the enemy base and return it to your base.
Territorial Gains – take and hold objective points to win the match.


DarkOps Game Modes:

Eradication – team-based combat, the last team with any members alive wins the match.
Onslaught – one team attacks, the other defends. The team that stays alive the longest wins.
Infection – free-for-all. Most players start off uninfected. As they die, they become infected and attempt to spread their disease to the remaining players. Uninfected gets points if they survive the round. Infected scores points if they wipe out all uninfected players.
Sabotage – team-based game. One team attempts to defend properties, while the opposing team tries to destroy them. The team that causes the most damage wins.

We were surprised by how smooth the framerate stayed, even in the larger multiplayer matches. Yes, there are some stutters, but nothing that detracted from well-rounded play. While we applaud Rare for including options like Bots and scaling maps, most of the game modes aren’t very original. That’s not saying they aren’t fun, it’s just you’ve probably played them before.

With no ability to jump (ala Halo 2), expect gamers to get roll crazy online. It is the best way to avoid fire, and it is a bit funny to see 32 players constantly rolling out of danger.

PDZ is a first-person shooter, so don’t expect too many surprises on the control side of things, although now having the easily accessible bumper buttons assures that Microsoft’s consoles remain superior in this genre. This is how a next-gen FPS should feel - Noxzema smooth.


Here’s the complete breakdown for the FPS nuts:

Left thumbstick – move, crouch (click)
Right thumbstick – look around

Left trigger – aim/zoom
Right trigger – primary fire
Left bumper – dive (with left stick to determine direction)
Right bumper – secondary fire
D-pad – unarmed mode (up), drop weapon (down), switch to gadget (left/right)
A button – action
B button – melee attack
X button – reload
Y button – weapon swap


First things, first – be sure to adjust the look sensitivity from the get-go, or you’ll find targeting enemies a tad slow. The vast majority of Jo’s actions come off without a hitch, except for the disarm move (up on the D-pad + RB), which can take some time to master. The cover mode works well, although the points that you can butt up to aren’t always accommodating. Often I’d be in the heat of battle, move near a corner and press A, but Jo wouldn’t move to cover right away. There is some trial and error before you learn exactly where Jo should be placed prior to executing cover mode.

The weapon swap system I found very easy to use, and while the game doesn’t force you to acquire new weapons, you’ll want to anyway. I don’t care how many inventory slots the Shockwave rifle takes up, it’s a killer piece of hardware.

Much like in the rest of the game, the number of control options that Rare provides is fantastic. Cover and Crouch mode can be toggled or held via a button press, the left and right sticks can be swapped for lefties, and there are plenty of sensitivity settings to tweak. If the default isn’t to your liking, then PDZ will find a way to work with you.

Collector’s Edition Extras:

While Perfect Dark Zero retails for $49.99, there is a Limited Collector’s Edition also available for $59.99, but it’s hard to justify the extra cash on the limited bonus content. The tin case (similar to the Halo 2 CE) is probably the best aspect, unless you really are dying for PDZ gamer icons or theme for your Xbox 360 dashboard. The concept art slide shows are nice for Joanna Dark lovers, but with no documentaries or other goodies; it just comes off a little half-hearted.

Overall Gameplay Impressions:

The main thing that sticks with you after playing through Perfect Dark Zero, is how good it feels. The framerate is butter, the controls (after you boost the look sensitivity) are fantastic, and overall has that “wow” factor that Goldeneye had back in the day. Of course, FPS games have come along way since 1997, and, in some areas, PDZ doesn’t blow you away. Some gamers might even feel that it is sluggish when compared with the likes of QUAKE 4 or even Halo 2. The AI can be questionable at times, but this improves as you try the Perfect and Dark agent levels. We did experience one freeze-up during play, but didn’t come across it again. To each his own, but PDZ is still one of the best FPS options gamers have for the Xbox 360 launch.

The Mission mode, while enjoyable (especially cooperatively), doesn’t have a strong enough story to keep you connected. You’ll play through the missions more so to complete the game, rather than due to your interest in plot progression. The dialogue is pretty bad, and the characters aren’t that appealing. Sure, Jo looks good in her black leather cat suit, but she still doesn’t come off as a badass. Is it me, or does Jack Dark look like the main character in Ubisoft’s XIII?

Multiplayer will be looked at as the real draw for PDZ. The game modes are well-rounded to please everyone from Halo fans to Counter-Strike gamers. Rare really went overboard on the options in order to accommodate nearly every multiplayer situation. Some may complain about the overall number of maps, but the variants should be more than enough for anyone.

he visuals of PDZ are a love/hate situation. On one hand, the environments are brilliant – they are diverse, wide-spanning, excellently detailed, and vibrant. Then, you have the characters. The art style is obviously intended to appeal to more than just North American hardcore gamers, because those are exactly the folks that are gonna hate it. Joanna looks like she came from a Gwen Stefani concert for most of the game, and there is nothing that really connects you with the character. All models have an exaggerated appearance that almost appears shaped out of clay. The lip synch seems to be off kilter as well – some characters don’t even appear to move their mouths.

The animations are sweet, especially as enemies violently thrust back and forth as bullets rip through their bodies. Jo’s movements obviously got a lot of attention – everything from reloading, to climbing ladders, to using zip lines. Special visual effects, like the motion blur when quickly turning about the environment gives PDZ that real next-gen look.

The framerate stays solid at 30fps throughout the majority of the game, aside from some of the vehicle battles. With PDZ using just about every mapping technique currently available in computer modeling, it’s easy to see why the Xbox 360 and an HDTV are a match made in heaven.


Audio

One of the real strong points of PDZ is the 5.1 presentation. All 360 games have been impressive in this area, but when it comes to FPS games, it can really make a difference in gameplay. Not having radar in many missions, it’s nice to pick up on an enemy’s position simply by hearing the direction of the gunfire. The spatial sound is top-notch. The Jungle Storm mission again pops into mind as you’ll need to rely on sound (well, and the RCP-90’s secondary function) to find foes amongst the foliage. We did notice, however, that as we passed through the plant life, they did not cast sound.

We know that PDZ overall scope is supposed to be somewhat light-hearted as far as FPS games go, but the dialogue is more grating than entertaining. The script itself is dismal, but the delivery of the voice actors doesn’t help. Chandra is especially annoying, and unfortunately there aren’t many characters that I didn’t want to shoot.

The soundtrack sounds almost like it should be in a James Bond game, but it fits for the most part. Some tracks sound like they were taken from 70’s porn, while others (like in Mission 10) strike a more appropriate balance.

So is Perfect Dark Zero what Halo was for the Xbox? Nope. That shouldn’t discourage Xbox 360 owners from picking up a copy on day one, however, simply because it is still one of the best shooters on the console – especially in the multiplayer arena. The Mission mode is on the short side of the stick, but thanks to co-op play and a myriad of multiplayer options (online and off), PDZ can be mentioned in the same breath as Rare’s previous batch of stellar shooters. We look forward to plenty of playtime with Ms. Dark, and so should you.

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