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Review

Perfect Dark

8.0

Format Xbox Live Arcade

Developer Rare

Publisher Microsoft

Genre First Person Shooter

16-Mar-2010 Multiplayer's just as perfect in 2010

8 Comments

Perfect Dark was a first-person shooter ahead of its time. Not many modern FPS games can claim to include full campaign co-op, splitscreen multiplayer, counter-op and enough customisation options to sell a standalone title.

But this generous Rare-made shooter from the year 2000 managed it, which is why it manages to crossover to Xbox Live Arcade with hardly any wrinkles showing.

Built by largely the same team that made smash hit GoldenEye, PD's premise expectedly includes its fair share of Bond-isms. You play as Joanna Dark, a so called "perfect" government agent with a British accent (which strangely disappeared in Xbox 360's PD Zero). When Joanna discovers a multinational corporation is up to no good, her investigation unravels a conspiracy that involves secret labs, Bladerunner-esque Chicago streets and erm, aliens.

Even though it's been nearly ten years, Rare's game still delivers an entertaining few hours, with a succession of interesting set pieces and varied environments that - just like GoldenEye - feel like believable locations. Enemy AI isn't quite as sophisticated as we remember, and it's terribly easy to get lost searching for under- briefed mission objectives, but the number of improvements in the XBLA version go a long way in making up for this.

For one, the terrible framerate from N64 version is finally, thankfully a thing of the past - reason enough to hand over Microsoft Points. Visuals too have been tuned up, but the highest praise should go towards the updated control scheme - which somehow manages to recreate the feel of the original, while implementing the dual stick setup now demanded from the shooter genre. Movement and aiming across two sticks feels responsive (with help from some generous auto aim), while the quick weapon select menu from the original has been granted its own button for convenience.

Golden Girl
What elevates this to must-buy status, though, is its excellent multiplayer modes. As mentioned, the amount of options, modes and depth present in the splitscreen showdowns is colossal, and now you can take all of the same scenarios and arenas onto Xbox Live with support for up to eight players.

Across PD's solid map roster (which although featuring the odd dud, also includes GoldenEye arenas) and modes, it's really not difficult to have a fun time. Though there's no support for 32 man rocket-feats and recordable videos, online Perfect Dark is still a tactical and entertaining experience and has already built the foundations of a bustling community.

A lot of credit has to go to the brilliantly imaginative weapon roster, which includes rifles that can be laid down as mines, camera-controlled rockets and a laptop that turns into a sub-machine gun (and can be lobbed on the wall as a remote turret). Every weapon carries its own unique secondary function but if you're feeling particularly nostalgic, you can even dig out the old GoldenEye weapons, which are fully included.

The wrinkles are almost entirely showing on the single-player side, with clunky animation and AI being the worst offenders. But for fans of the original the chance to revisit a favourite in new HD clothing - and take it online - is no-doubt one that should be jumped at, and newcomers will also likely discover a surprisingly deep deathmatch game that's still relevant in 2010.

OXM Staff