Perfect Dark

Summary

Genre: Shooter
Number of players: 1-4
Rumble Pak: Yes
Controller Pak: Yes
Expansion Pak: Optional

Review

Perfect Dark was one eagerly anticipated game. A sequel - of sorts - to the hugely popular Goldeneye, Perfect Dark takes the highly-acclaimed Goldeneye engine and then cranks it up several notches.

Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter which follows the adventures of secret agent Joanna Dark, taking place over 20 years in the future. There are plenty of conspiracies, alien encounters and sinister organisations, but most importantly there's plenty of good old shooting action. Goldeneye was successful because it was clearly extremely well-designed, with a terrific combat system and perfectly thought-out levels. So does Perfect Dark live up to this lofty reputation?


Gameplay: The short answer is that it meets and even exceeds the standard of Goldeneye. While the gameplay is undoubtedly based on that of Goldeneye, it is far smoother and more refined. The aiming system of Goldeneye - where your weapons didn't fire at the centre of the screen, but could be directed anywhere in your field of view by pressing and holding the R button to bring up an aiming sight - is carried over to Perfect Dark, and it's still as easy to use and effective as ever. Indeed, it's even more accurate, since the targetting cursor more clearly indicates the exact spot your bullet will hit, as well as turning red when it's actually over an enemy.

The aiming system is all well and good, but in a first-person shooter, it's all down to the weapons themselves. Well, mostly. And Perfect Dark doesn't disappoint. There are a gigantic number of weapons, and they are highly varied. There are your standard pistols, like the standard Falcon 2, which can come with a silencer or a magnifying scope, and the DY357 Magnum; there are automatic weapons of varying strength and magazine, like the AR34 Assault Rifle and the K7 Avenger; and there are your rocket and grenade launchers. However, the coolest weapons are the alien guns, such as the Phoenix pistol, which fires explosive shells; the Slayer rocket launcher which fires rockets which can be guided by the player; and the coolest of them all, the FarSight gun, which allows you to see - and shoot - through solid walls. If that wasn't enough, every single one of these weapons comes with a 'secondary mode', which can dramatically change the weapon's function. For instance, you can use the Falcon 2 to pistol-whip enemies instead of shooting them; you can get the FarSight to automatically track the nearest enemy; you can have the Cyclone gun empty all of its 50-round magazine in a couple of seconds; and you can turn your Dragon machine gun into a proximity mine, which looks just like a standard gun. This all adds up to weapons which are seriously cool, and add to the gameplay experience considerably.

The game's levels are as well-designed as Goldeneye's were, and are set across many varied areas. There are plenty of areas where sneaking around and peeking around corners are essential, but there are plenty more where the only way to get through a room is to go in all guns blazing. The variety is also compounded by the number of different challenges you are required to complete, some of which even requiring you to use your brain to solve some puzzles. As in Goldeneye, each level can be completed on one of three difficulty settings - Agent, Special Agent and Perfect Agent - with each increase in difficulty being marked by additional objectives, more enemies and even new areas to explore.

Multiplayer mode - which will be discussed in more depth later on in this review - is also great fun, and plays like a dream. In addition to the regular multiplayer mode, there are two other modes that you can play with another person - co-operative and counter-operative modes. The co-op mode is what you'd expect - two players tackling the levels side-by-side. But not literally side-by-side, since you can split up and travel independently through the levels. So what you do is up to you - you can stick together, covering each other's backs and completing the objectives together, or you can split up and infiltrate the level at different points, dividing the objectives between you. Co-op mode is great fun, but to be fair, it is a little choppy in play - but not unplayable, and the sacrifice is well worth it.

Counter-op mode is different - one player attempts to play through the single-player missions, while the other player has the task of stopping him. The counter-operative takes charge of one enemy in the level, with the standard enemy health - in other words, usually dying with one hit. If that enemy is killed, the counter-op takes control of another one. The other enemies are still computer-controlled, and the counter-op's player has possession of a 'suicide pill' to force the jump to another character should the first character get stuck anywhere. It's plenty of fun, and can be a real challenge for both players. It's also really original, and is a valuable addition to the game.

All in all, the game plays really, really well; even better than Goldeneye - and that's saying something.


Challenge: As mentioned, every one of the game's 17 main levels can be played on any one of the three different skill levels. In addition, there are four bonus levels which can be accessed by completing the game on each of the difficulty levels. The difficulty settings really do make a difference to both the game's challenge, and its replay value. In addition, the multiplayer mode provides almost limitless fun, with infinite replay value; the computer simulants can be pretty tough to beat.


Graphics: You aren't likely to see more realistic graphics in any N64 game, but Perfect Dark manages to look not only realistic but also detailed, varied and colouful. Character animation, too, is flawless, and you are completely convinced that the characters are real people. A number of cute graphical touches are evident too, such as the impressive weapon reload animations. All in all, a great-looking piece of software.


Sounds: Rare didn't cut back on the aural aspects of the game either. Each level's background music is excellent, and when the action really heats up, the tune changes to a far more hectic version, guaranteed to set the pulse racing. Other than the music, the sound effects are also great, with each weapon making a different firing sound, and Joanna's footsteps changing depending on what surface she's running on. Another terrific sound feature is the introduction of voice acting, with characters actually saying their lines rather than just text flashing up as in Goldeneye. Admittedly, due to the size restraints of the cartridge, the voices can occasionally be hard to hear, but turning on the subtitles eliminates all such problems. Good stuff.


Multiplayer: This is what it's all about! Multiplayer mode can be played by up to four people, and in addition you can add up to eight computer-controlled 'simulants' to the fray. That means that up to 12 characters can be running around the arenas at once - though with four players you really can't use more than four simulants or the jerkiness and low frame rate become prohibitively poor. The simulants are a great idea, and come in six difficulty levels: Meat, Easy, Normal, Hard, Perfect, and Dark. Also, you can set each sim's personality, such as the 'Feud Sim' who chooses one player and concentrates his attacks solely on that player; or the 'Peace Sim', who refuses to use guns and who will disarm opponents to stop them using weapons either; or even the 'Turtle Sim', who moves very slowly, but in compensation is equipped with a powerful shield to defend himself. The simulants can easily be as challenging as human opponents, although of course they can never replace the enjoyment of going up against your friends.

The weapons for each match can be selected from the full complement of Perfect Dark weapons, although preset sets of six are available if you don't want to hand-pick your six. In addition, there are a huge number of customisable options, ranging from turning on one-hit-kills, to changing the soundtrack. There are a large number of highly enjoyable modes to choose from, including King of the Hill; Hold the Briefcase; Hacker Central; and Capture the Case. Each mode has unique playing styles, and complements the standard deathmatches well.

One other multiplayer feature that should be mentioned is the multiplayer challenges mode. This mode can be played by up to four players, and pits the human players against a team of simulants in a variety of scenarios based on the multiplayer mode. If the humans win, they get access to more arenas, weapons or modes for the multiplayer game. This is a neat idea, and certainly encourages teamwork. Until one player makes an embarrassing mistake which results in the loss of the challenge.


Summing up: If you like Goldeneye, you'll love Perfect Dark. If you like multiplay, you'll love Perfect Dark. If you like games, you'll love Perfect Dark. So get Perfect Dark. Now.


Gamesmark: 98%


Reviewer: Maverik