If you’re a seasoned player you cannot call yourself a true gamer without having played the Rare N64 classic, Perfect Dark. It really was the next Doom and is now the latest title to get a facelift and be resold on XBLA. So a decade later, is this still a must-own gem or is it mission over for Joanna Dark?
From the moment that familiar music kicked in a wash of good memories came flooding back. For those who didn’t play it first time out, Perfect Dark is a FPS in which you play secret agent Joanna Dark. With a plot that was… insane and didn’t really need the greys in it (no, I’m not kidding) there was gameplay that ranged from challenging with a long list of objectives to basically time trials on the more basic levels. The difference with this game is that when it came out with its bots capability in multiplayer it became an obsession that many people hung on to for years.
The first thing that stands out has got to be the reworked graphics. The game looks so sharp and clean, and this really gives the game a different feel, albeit a more arcadey one. The only issue this seems to bring up, although frankly I laughed out loud, is that the once blurred acting now makes most characters look like robots or Thunderbirds. Still, even if you don’t find it amusing it is a small part of the game so it’s not going to give you any headaches.
An issue that many people, including myself, struggled with originally was the controls. Although the N64 controller was… unique and quirky, it was so radically different that remembering how to pull off the array of spy gadgets and secondary modes on weapons could be a tiresome exercise until the game had been completed. However, despite some controls being a bit fussy the new layout does mean that you’re far less likely to kill yourself or throw away a weapon. The only remaining issue to me is the inaccuracy of the disarm move, which I would have like to have seen with a slight intelligence of its own. Still, with the general manouvering improved do not be put off by your memories of those blasted C buttons.
Although a lot of the issues have been ironed out there are still a fair amount of clipping issues to be found which may be slightly off-putting for those new to the game, but for the rest of us it’s simply a stern reminder of how far games have come.
Thankfully the achievements are all doable with a little perseverance, although Perfect Agent basically started the trend for ultra-hard mode! There’s no “complete 50 co-op missions” or anything equally time consuming which means you’re left to enjoy the game in peace as completing the game to a decent level will give you most of the points.
Perfect Dark still comes with all the original modes, including co-op, counter-operative, simulations and the oh-so-fun shooting range challenges (I’m not being sarcastic, I really do enjoy them) but doesn’t really offer anything new and unexpected. The story mode, despite the strange twists, really is incredibly replayable from a gameplay aspect and I certainly enjoyed diving straight back in after all these years. You certainly get your money’s worth with this game but it is like previous revamped Rare titles in as much as you get what you got originally. This, for most people, won’t be an issue however.
They've REALLY outdone themselves on the graphics clean up making it all shiny and new!
It's time for the competitive among us to make their mark on the leaderboards.
Gaming News 24/7
