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Great Graphics, Great Lead Character, Fun Gameplay

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 66 / 74
Date: November 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Perfect Dark Zero is one of my favorite release titles for the XBox 360. The graphics are gorgeous, the main character (female!) has personality, and it's a good combo of shooting, stealth and puzzle solving.

We've been of course testing all of the release titles, but we keep coming back to Perfect Dark Zero just for sheer fun of gameplay.

First, the basic mission tree. You are Joanna Dark, daughter of a bounty hunter who follows in her father's footsteps. You're athletic, nimble, smart, and maybe a bit fool-hardy. The game is set in the future (Joanna was born in the year 2000) and you get an interesting mix of locales to explore as you take on your assignments.

The graphics in this game are simply GORGEOUS, as you might expect from the XBox 360. I highly recommend you play this on a HD TV - I've done screenshots comparing HD to low-def and the difference is rather impressive. The water ripples, the light plays off the rippling water, the rippling water reflects on the textured brick wall, you name it. You get red and blue lights shining down from the ceiling and the lights color their surroundings and even combine where they cross.

There are of course some amusing issues - this still isn't photo-realism of course. There are times that a red laser beam has slight "ripples" in it, for example. Still, the quality is far better than anything else on the market.

I suppose you could complain that Joanna goes running around in high-heeled boots and low-cut pants, but heck, I was impressed that her chest size was reasonably normal. Compared to most other video games out there, with their mostly-naked women with inflato-boobs, Joanna is quite demure!

The sound is aiming for a James Bond feel here. I think that is pretty clear from the intro credits. You get a boppy rock soundtrack through much of the game. The dialogue is reasonably well done, and you can't really say much about how gunshots sound. They sound like gunshots.

Gameplay is a mix between Splinter Cell and a FPS. There are times that being stealthy and quiet really pay off. There are other times that just running fast and blasting away will work. There are cool lockpick puzzles, too. I do get frustrated that you can't "jump" though. I'll see a nice, inviting open window at less than waist high, and I have to walk right by.

I have mixed feelings about co-op mode. On one hand it's fun to have two females working side by side and taking out the enemy. On the other hand, if one person decides to quit, it shuts down the whole mission. I really like it on other games where a person can pop in and out as necessary. This especially is helpful if a less experienced gamer is stuck and needs help just for a short while.

There's also deathmatch style gaming available, both on local gameplay and XBox Live. This lets you sneak around and head-shot your enemies with great glee.

We've played this for many hours and haven't noticed any problems with lag or crashing. There are certain moves that don't happen instantly - for example, when you shoot from cover, you have to wait for Joanna to "rise from a crouch" before she fires. This is quite realistic. The game also has cinematic sequences when things go into a Matrix-like slo-mo which seems to be in many current movies.

If you play this game on easy mode, you can probably zip through all the missions in a single very long gaming session (say 14-16 hours). The harder levels of difficulty are of course more challenging. Really, though, all single-player gameplay is is just a training mode to help you prepare for live gameplay. Once you've gotten your skills sharpened on the computer players, prepare to take on the real challenge, with real live opponents!

Highly recommended.

WOWOWOWOWOW

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 34
Date: November 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Wow. What a great game. If you are wanting to show off and showcase your new system. This is the game to do it. Kameo is good. THis is the best. Does it compare with Halo? Absolutely. The graphics are incredible. You will not have this kind of graphical experience on any current generation hardware. Only Xbox 360 can provide it. This game has a great co-op mode to play the whole game in either by split screen or by Xbox Live. This is no ordinary co-op either. Sometimes you don't even start in the same place on the level. the story is meh. But the action and the graphics and the gameplay more than make up for the story.

Bottom Line: Buy this game with your new XBOX 360. If you need two games, get this one and Kameo.

PDZ isn't anything like Perfect Dark 64 sadly..

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 20
Date: August 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In PDZ, you take up arms as Joanna Dark once more, except this time as a teenager and a bounty hunter with her pops Jack Dark. Once her father is killed by the evil corporation of dataDYNE on a mission, and a conspiracy begins to unfold around the same company, Joanna teams up with Carrington Institute to try and topple dataDyne...and to avenge her dad's death as well.

You see the world through Joanna's eyes as she runs around blowing away enemies with an assortment of weapons including a shotgun, the Superdragon, a "Shockwave" sniper rifle (remember the FarSight in the 64 game? Well this is the equivelent of it), the DY .357 magnum, and many more. You get to use turrets, hover crafts, and this mechanical walker thing with an M60 on it so that was cool too. You can use ziplines to get from one building to the next, and you can even press up against walls for cover and precise firing.

Lets talk a difference between this title and it's masterpiece of a predessor on the Nintendo 64. For starters, in Zero before you can do a stage you have to select your weapons and make sure you have enough space in the item slots for it. So in essence, you could really only carry one assault rifle and one SMG. That is VERY lame in my opinion - I don't play a first person shooter to manage inventory. Moving on, in order to unlock new weapons - say a CMP150 SMG that wasn't in your beginning inventory -for use in other stages, you must complete that level while having the CMP150 as one of your current weapons; WHICH means you must toss a weapon, take the CMP, and beat the level with it to have it for further use. Another lame idea. So if you are currently wondering, yes I am missing a bunch of weapons in my inventory. However, Perfect Dark 64 didn't have any of this and equaled out for a much better experience.

The multiplayer is somewhat redeeming, but still no match for PD64. You choose a level, how big it is, your weapon set, character/team, bots, and gametype and go at it. There are some interesting games like Infection or Hacking, but it's been done before. However, this game pretty much took out the in-depth character & bot customization process the 64 version had as well as being able to command your team, and in turn, lost a lot of points and was almost lackluster. Furthermore, you must actually beat the game to unlock all the bots, teams, and characters to get the most of the multiplayer - ahem, LAME!. However, it will still provide you with some fun if you and a couple of your friends are looking to just blow each other or some bots away. There is also a Co-Op mode which was pretty fun I'll admit.

I'm forced to admit, but this is the best looking game I have ever seen. Everything looks incredibly realistic, the lighting is superb, the characters look humanlike and move as fluid as one as well. The enviroments, be it vast jungles, dense cities, or huge mansions are truley breathtaking. Perfect Dark Zero definitley showed the power of the X-Box 360, and really set the standard for future games. HOWWWWWWWEVER, and this was inevitable to avoid on this review, was the fact that I despise what they did with Joanna Dark's look. She was never a punk rock chick, nor was she a supermodel - she was grotesque in the 64, she was british, she was something that could pass off as a secret agent... sigh, why Rare, why?

The music has it's ups and downs. Some songs, like when you are..grr..managing your inventory..are techno-esk and remind me of the glory days of PD64. Then there are the heavy metal / rock sections which help you get pumped up for a big battle. Then, there are the actual rave tunes which truley ruined it all for me. It was ridiculous and didn't help the overall atmosphere of the game at all. The voice acting was good for the most part, except Jack Dark who was just annoying.

The ending was flat out bad, but from what I have seen recently, most games are. You destroy the main villian/CEO of dataDYNE (can't remember his name at the moment) who underwent some transformation and became something that reminded me of a Dragon Ball Z character with the kamahamaha blasts and super strength. Anyway, you kill him, and officially join Carrington Institute - hence setting the stage for Perfect Dark 64... not worth it in the least bit.

And I'm not going to lie - this game is hard, and then incredibly harder on other parts such as the Jungle stage. The good news? It's short, with a mere 13 missions.

With all the hype surrounding this game, and with the memory of how awesome the first game was, I'm actually really dissapointed in the overall experience I had. Perfect Dark Zero had it's moments of decently intense firefights and pretty good multiplayer, but for the most part it was just a run of the mill FPS - albeit with excellent graphics. I suggest a rental, nothing more.

...Also, in the club mission, if you look around at the videos on the wall...they are the from Windows Media Player. It was Microsoft's own little plug, just like in Condemned.

Good shooter, not as good as original.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

What I am disappointed with mostly is that they did not include the endlessly enjoyable challenges that came with the original. Pre set programs that you alone, or with 1, 2, or 3 other friends, had to fight through. These ranged from deathmatches, to king of the hill, to protecting civilians, to upload the briefcase. I can't remember how many challenges there were, but I do remember having a difficult time with challenge 18. These are sorely missed on the 360 version.
However, they do allow one person to play multiplayer. By choosing how many computer "bots" play in your deathmatch you can still have multiplayer fun without needing to get all your friends together. You can have up to 15 bots in any scenario. You can have them all against you or you can make the teams even, it's really up to you.
The one downside to multiplayer is there aren't nearly enough maps. Maybe if I beat the game on super crazy agent it will unlock some, but having only beat on regular agent it hasn't unlocked anything.

The campaign is also fun, albeit short lived. With only 13 missions the game is over right when you're starting to feel in the thick of it all. I'm glad to see that they decided to bring back the laptop gun, that made things easier.
I've read a lot of reviews telling how bad the story actually is. While it is not a great story it did not take anything away from how fun the game actually is.
I can't even remember the story that went along with the first one, so I don't believe it was that memorable either. I do believe there were aliens involved with the first one.

This is a fun game, and with it now at 20 bucks, it's also a steal.

Dull, irritating, predictable. A crying shame.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a HUGE FPS fan, and have played nearly every major game in this genre since the original Castle Wolfenstein - and while not a fan of console versions of what essentially is a genre best left in the PC arena, the original Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64 was a spanker of a game.

I was thrilled when I read that a sequel was to be released, and rushed out to buy it, fondly remembering those late-nate PD gaming sessions, now to be converted into HD glory, with more features and thrills.

I tried so hard to like this game, I really did. However, beyond the hype and opinions of those who have never experienced what a great FPS should be like, here are the facts of life.

1 - Awkward aiming. Unlike most console shooters, PDZ requires near-perfect aiming - there is not much aim-correction for using the pad, and you play the whole game thinking 'I wish I had a mouse and WSAD keys..', which seems what the enemy must have, because they have less than no trouble getting headshot after headshot on you.

2 - Crap storyline. Cheesy, dull, terrible dialogue. Only the youngest of gamers would be excited with any story-based content on offer. The stereotypes are on display and proud of their corny lines, reciting them with sarcastic gusto. Cut scenes soon are skipped.

3 - 'No jump' feature. Sounds silly, especially as the original didn't have a jump button, but with the new levels and their detailed environments, you might find yourself screaming at the TV when your hard-earned skin-of-your-teeth cinematic escape is marred by clipping an inch of your leg on a small rock and taking a busload of fire in the process.

4 - bipolar AI. Enemies and friends alike switch moods between deciding to be tripping, hobbling cannon fodder to head-shot assassins. There is no feel of realism, no sense of game world stability, and the game never levels out between ridiculously easy and so hard the only way to move around a level is to perpetually roll.

5 - Rolling\Cover. On that note, the 3rd person feature is a waste of time. The 'roll' feature, presumably, exists to help one stylistically evade the enemy's fire, but you never seem quick enough to dodge the bullets well enough. On harder modes, you'll find the only way to conserve health is to become this constant gymnastic ball, pausing only to inevitably take damage while you return fire. The 'cover' feature is awfull, and exists only on selected scenery - little help when you actually NEED it. It generally feels like a useless addition for the game-enhancing-cinema-style-experience ethos that designers really ought to dump. The problem is that it has a split second pause before taking effect - and that you have to be perfectly in position to do so. One problem of this is if you do it in the wrong place, you actually expose yourself to the enemy and face the opposite way - a hail of enemy fire later and you're frustrated meat. Lastly, once you're actually in cover, you have a second's window to lean out, aim, and get off at a maximum 2 shots before the guy you're shooting at clocks you.. and don't forget the 2 or so guys coming around you to mash you up in close combat. After a few of these situations, you'll be using this feature rarely.

6 - Dull multiplayer. I'm sorry but it's true. PDZ multiplayer feels half-paced and as an afterthought. There are a handful of options compared to the pages of game customisation the original had - eg. slow time, game modes, etc.. None of this for PDZ.

7 - No innovation whatsoever. Now THIS is the area I wanted the game to shine in, excusing the rest of its problems. Sadly, its a bog-standard affair that never excites and thrills the way its predecessor did.

There are other things I could mention, but honestly, the list goes on. Graphics are NOT the be-all end all, and I never experienced one moment of genuine excitement at the gameplay or game world. It does not immerse the play the way, say, Condemned does, having you gripping the controller in real thrill.

All in all, roll on Halo 3.

Great older game for the 360

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As times goes on, game companies are using more and more of the potential for the XBox 360. As one of the first FPS games for the 360 the graphics are hard to compare to some of the new games but overall this is a solid title that offers are good bit of fun. I would probably have given the game 3 stars a year ago but since it's an older games with a correspondingly reduced price, it is definately worth a buy.

Old School game, new school graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

For console gamers, FPSs used to not be in high demand. People couldn't adequately transition it to the console market and we received nothing but shoddy ports usually of awesome games on the PC. Then came a company named Rare and two breakthrough games, Golden Eye and, later, Perfect Dark. Both of them were made expressly for the console and worked wonders in getting a new market of people interested in FPSs.

Now, we finally have a follow up in Perfect Dark Zero, after having heard whispers of it back on the Gamecube, the Xbox and now finally the 360. I wanted to get a review out as soon as possible but decided early on I would give it more time before I made my final decision. I'm glad I did.

The game doesn't give you the best of first impressions. The graphics are mostly impressive, but the level design in the first level is pretty boring. It wasn't until the frantic pace of the 3rd level that I started thinking the game was interesting. PDZ is a mixed bag of good and bad things. There are times the single player portion frustrated me to no end. In a couple levels where you have a companion, like when you are on the rooftops and your father is below, the game is a pain in the arse. Having to not only protect yourself but baby-sit your father was incredibly frustrating. Why a game that relies on using coverfire would put a character that not only doesn't use cover but also stands in front of the enemy fire is beyond me.

What further aggravates some of the frustrations is the save feature. The game requires you to beat each mission without dying. Sure, there are some checkpoints filtered throughout each level but should you die, you start the checkpoint without any of the secondary missions completed, even if you completed them prior to dying. A minor problem? Not so if one of the secondary missions allows you to have better weapons later in the mission. It requires you to never die. I'm not even certain why they would include a checkpoint if it doesn't save your progress.

The level design is also a mixed bag of great, exciting gameplay and shoddy design. For every awesome level there is at least one that you will go "meh" at. Trying to be stealthy can also be a problem. I have played and love games like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell and understand the concept of being hidden. This game doesn't have a great stealth system. In levels where you are encouraged to be stealthy, I found it easiest to just go in guns blazing because chances are someone will pull an alarm or see you regardless of how well you "hide."

The multiplayer is terrific in my opinion. 32 people are able to play at once and you can have some fantastic games going. Can't find a lot of people but want to play more than with a couple people online? No problem, add some bots. The bots in this game are difficult and at higher difficulty levels will make you work for your kills. Its fun making a team of players versus bots. The customization of the matches also hearkens back to the original Perfect Dark. There are a million and one ways to manipulate the online experience. Its terrific.

Some problems do remain, however. I find that aiming is a bit more loose than what I'm used to and like. Its sometimes hard to get a good shot and I've found I get more headshots in this game by accident than on purpose. The individual balancing of the guns is a bit off, as well. Some of the best settings to use, I've found, is the heavy weapon settings that give you machine guns and other spray type weapons. Using the sniper function of non-automatic guns is a pain, but you can be unstoppable with the power of a zoomed in Super Dragon. In the same way, pistols will always been weaker in games than an automatic weapon but sometimes it gets frustrating unloading clip after clip and not killing someone due to the bullets not doing much damage and the very loose aiming. Stick with a machine gun setting, it will ramp up the game's enjoyment a ton.

One old school gaming mechanic I don't like very much is the lack of a jumping ability. Its not noticeable in the single player mission very much, but some of the multiplayer levels feel nerfed without that ability. In the Desert level with the roofs that are close to one another, I want to be able to jump from one to the other.

The graphics is both are usually very stunning. There's a lot happening, the blur in the screen when you turn is handled well and the game is very shiny. The physics engine is...interesting. Seeing dead bodies try to do the splits post-life can be morbidly funny. Watching them twist, roll end in very...weird...positions is a sad example of an engine that needed a little more fine-tuning.

Perfect Dark Zero is a mixed bag. On one hand, I'm not too fond of the single-player campaign (although playing it in Co-op online is a stroke of genius that needs to be used more often and makes it more enjoyable) but I really like the multiplayer. The other big FPS released is Call of Duty 2 and it is a better experience than PDZ for me...if they could fix their multiplayer search/pary functions. As it is, if you want to play with friends online and not a lot of nameless people, PDZ is better equipped to do so a lot easier and without heart ache at this point in time.

A Sweet Game, Heres the info.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Perfect Dark Zero is divided into two catagories:

SOLO MODE:
This mode is the normal mode featured in all FPSs. It is really fun at the begining. Later on when the gameplay wheres off you get mad at the horrible story. Trust me if you are getting this game for a great story (like half-life 2) don't get it for this. The weapons are SWEET! They all have a secondary functions and some even have a third functions. The primary function is shooting bullets (like I had to tell you). The secondary funtions can be like a grenade launcher or something odd like caltrops (a ninja weapon). The third functions aren't usually weapons. They are like a flashlight, night vision, or a silencer. This game only has two vehicles but they are good ones. You will mostly use these in multiplayer and only a couple times in single player. The first vehicle is a jet pack. YEAH A JET PACK! IT IS SO FUN! When you first get in it you will be like a mech walker and you can walk around the battlefield in the jet pack. If you press RB than the legs fold into wings and you hover. Then the longer you hold LT the higher you go. When you stop holding LT you drop. When your in the air you go faster but your dual machine guns are pretty inaccurate. When your on the ground you go slower but your guns are more accurate. The second vehicle is the hovertank. It is a giant hover craft (its about the size of five warthogs), it can hold a driver, gunner, and some passengers. The turret is a machine gun but can be excanged for good weapons you have such as the plasma rifle or rocket launcher. There are four difficultly settings for single player. There is agent, secret agent, perfect agent, and if you beat it on perfect agent you unlock dark agent. The single player is only about 10-13 hours long in secret agent. If your only looking to get it for the single player you better be really into it or just rent this one over the weekend.

MULTIPLAYER:

This is were Perfect Dark shines. If your having a sleepover this is the game to rent. WARNING: IF YOU RENT THIS AT A SLEEPOVER YOU WILL NOT SLEEP! As you might remember with HALO 2 you can't really play multiplayer unless you have Xbox Live or 4 willing friends over. With Perfect Dark Zero you can add up to sixteen bots! Bots are computer controlled players. If you are playing offline and have four friends over your can have up to 20 players offline! The bots difficulty is just like single player. Agent bots are like verusing total noobs. Secret Agent is like verusing your friend whose played it about 5-10 times at your house. Perfect Agent bots are like verusing people who are is good as you. This is the setting you put it on if you want intense close battles. Dark Agent is the setting if you want to get owned. These bot are unbeatable. There are six maps but each have 3 sections. You can only choose one section per game so it is like there a 18 maps. You can choose the small section 2-6 people. The medium 8-16 or large 20-32. Yeah I said 32 because online you can have 32 players in one match. If you have xbox like get this game. There are two catagories of multiplayer games. One is Death match and the other is dark ops. Bots can only play in the deathmatch games. The deathmatch games are basic. They are Killcount, Team Killcount (Killcount is the same as slayer), Capture the flag and Territories (Like from Halo 2). These games are all the same as in other FPSs. The Dark Ops games (The funner games but also the games bots can't play in) are Onslaught, Eradication, Sabotage, and Infection. Onslaught is where there is an attacking team and a defending team. The defending team has one life and the attacking has unlimited. The attacking team only has a pistol and has to go to the defending teams base to kill them. The defending team has one life but can "Purchase" their weopon with "credits" they start and earn buy getting kills or staying alive. The teams switch and then the team with the most amount of time stayed alive wins. In eradication everybody has on life and they can purchase their weapon. Last team standing wins. In Sabotage both teams have unlimited lives and the attacking teams destroys property and the defiending team defends it. Then they switch. The team with the most amount of properties damage wins. Infection is essentially Halo 2's zombies. The game starts of with two infect player who are walking, shooting skellitons. They have a pistol. The uninfected players get to buy their weapons. If an uninfected player dies from an infected on they become infected. Last player uninfected wins.
If you want a great all around game get Perfect Dark Zero.

Gameplay: Very fun and enjoyable 9.5

Graphics: Great on a HDTV, things can be to shiny though 9.0

Sound: Great bullets and rickoshaying sounds 9.5

Presentation: Cool Menu and lots of options 9.5

Lasting Appeal: Single Player 8.0
Single and Offline Multiplayer 9.0
Single, Offline, and Online Multiplayer 9.8

Total: (Not an Average) 9.5

Perfect Dark Zero (XBox 360)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have a confession to make. I never played the original Perfect Dark. So, unlike many of you reading this review today, I'm coming to the series virgin, in a sense. I don't know how it stacks up to the original, but I suspect those of you who played the original obsessively enough to care probably already know how the two compare. This review, then, is more suited for folks like me (besides, I'm sure any 360 owners we have on staff who are familiar with both games will be more than happy to chime in on their blogs.

So here's the skinny: Perfect Dark Zero is, as the title suggests, the prequel to the Perfect Dark loved and honored by N64 owners. Initially scheduled for release on the original Xbox PD Zero instead finds itself as the showcase first-party release for the launch of Xbox 360, If that sounds like a daunting position in which to be, it is: flash back four years, and that was where Bungie's Halo found itself.

The difference between then and now is that Halo was expected to shoulder Microsoft's hopes and dreams for the platform ultimately for several months - and some would say years, as Halo remained a top seller up until the day Halo 2 hit store shelves. :Perfect Dark Zero doesn't necessarily suffer from that curse, thanks to a couple of third party titles: Call of Duty 2 and Condemned: Criminal Oirigns.

On the other hand, though, while Perfect Dark may not shoulder the exact same burden for Microsoft that Halo did, its release is certainly a hold-your-breath moment for Rare, which didn't exactly wow gamers with Grabbed By The Ghoulies. Essentially, PD Zero and Kameo are relevancy tests for Rare: was Microsoft's money well spent in acquiring the studio, or did Nintendo maximize a declinng investment?

Let's put it this way; Rare didn't knock one completely out of the park here, as one might have hoped and expected given the development time put into the game, but Zero doesn't have any truly glaring weaknesses, either. The worst that can be said about any facet of the game is that they play it safe as frequently as they take a chance on something new.I won't spend much time on the story. Partly, this is because I don't want to spoil anything, but it's partly also because the story really isn't the strength of the game.

Despite the futuristic setting and vague technopunk feel to the game, this really isn't Deus Ex; which is to say, you aren't playing the game to find out what happens next. That's just an ancillary benefit.

Rather, if you're interested in Perfect Dark Zero, you're probably mostly focused on the online multiplayer. The single-player/co-op campaign has some bearing on this, because the controls are basically identical, but beyond "how easy is it to control Joanna," that's probably the extent of relevancy for the offline campaign.

For the most part, the answer to that is "pretty easy." I had some difficulty with some of the gadgets, as the on-screen prompts aren't always the clearest. Many times, when you're using the spycam or the electronic hacking device, you're going to be doing so from memory. When you first play the game, there will be some trial and error involved until you get it right. After that, it's all old hat.

One thing PDZ does that even Halo 2 only imperfectly captured is the ability to lug around an impressive arsenal. While Halo 2 allowed you to carry and use two weapons simultaneously, PDZ takes that a step further. Weapons are divided into classes, with certain weapons being easier to carry than others. You can, for example, carry four pistols - the idea being you can dual-wield two of them, or use one at a time, and switch between the two types of pistols as necessity demands.

If heavier firepower is your forte, that's okay; Jo can still carry the big stuff, but you aren't going to see her toting a machine gun in each hand, or a rocket launcher, say. Such weapons will basically take up two slots. In addition to weapons, you also have access to various gadgets, such as a weapon-equipped flying spycam that you can use to disable guards or non-sentient obstacles along the way. These have their own compartments in inventory, so while you are limited in the number you can carry, your weapons loadout doesn't affect your gadgets, nor do your gadgets affect your weapons loadout.

As you'd expect, any of the weapons can be used to bludgeon some poor sap in melee combat if you get close enough to warrant it, but ideally, if you're toting a gun around, the enemy getting that close means that you're probably a crappy shot.

Anyway. Back to brass tacks. For the most part, Jo's movement when packing iron feels natural and is reasonably easy to use. The exception is the shift from first- to third-person when using an inanimate object for cover. It's more difficult to line up your shot if you're trying to take somebody out from cover, which simply gives your opponents more time to try to put a bullet through your eye. This won't be as big a deal in single-player (unless you're on the higher difficulties), but when you face off against people online who have insane FPS skills, it can be a hindrance.

By pulling back into third-person, it's possible that an obstacle will block what would otherwise be an unobstructed view had the camera remained in the first-person perspective. You can sometimes correct this by using the scope on a properly equipped weapon...but that offers a profile for a vigilant enemy to take out.

Maybe the most interesting thing Rare has done here is their damage representation. As with Halo, if you're taking damage, but can find cover for a few seconds, you'll recover your full life bar, similar to the shields in Halo. The difference is, not all damage is created equal. Some is superficial, and you can recover fully from it, but there are some types of damage - notably melee - that wil decrease the length of your bar. So while you're recovering the bar you've got, it's conceivable that you could have a progressively shorter life bar if you're taking too much damage.

The online gameplay modes are an odd hybrid of classic FPS multiplayer modes and nods to Counter-Strike. The "Deathmatch" play types are basically what you'd expect - deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture-the-flag, and so forth. The twist here is that you can play with bots in the game, and you can set the difficulty level anywhere from "doddering old man" on up to "They will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"

There's also a "Dark-Ops" mode, which uses the CS-inspired money system to equip your avatar prior to each firefight. It's worth noting, though, that the system isn't always available. In "Infected" mode, for example, only the human players at the start of a round can buy new armor and weapons. The infected players, displayed as skeletons, have to make do with what they can scrounge or steal. Additionally, the team Dark-Ops modes seem to award the cash based on team performance, allowing a newer player the ability to properly equip him or herself without falling perennially behind the 8-ball by playing more skilled opponents. Whether this was also true of CS, I don't know, but it's new to me.

Visually, Perfect Dark Zero is impressive. I don't know if I'd call it the best-looking game on Xbox 360 of the launch titles; Call of Duty 2 looks damned good, and Project Gotham Racing 3 is a stunner as well. Still, with the exception of minor slowdown in particularly furious firefights, Rare delivered a game that easilylives up to its billing for the 360 launch. A standard caveat that I'm going to get out of the way now, so I'm not repeating myself ad nauseum in future reviews: the game looks great in standard definition, but if you have an HDTV-capable set, it's going to look that much better.

Minor flaws: when playing online, it can be difficult to tell friend from foe, except by using the reticle of one's weapon. Some of the death animations stretch the limits of believability somewhat, but then, so does the idea that you're in a combat simulator which uses your DNA to create foes for other combatants-in-training.

The voice acting gets cheesy at times, but it's mostly pretty good. Even for the parts that aren't, the excellence of the soundtrack makes up for it, and the sounds of combat are top-notch as well.

On the whole, I'd summarize Perfect Dark Zero like this: it's a solid, entertaining FPS that holds its own offline, and manages to do things differently enough online that you can still have a blast even if you're getting routinely beaten down. If you've got actual skill at such games, it's going to be that much better.

Perfect Dark Zero isn't the best Xbox 360 game. It's not even the best Xbox 360 shooter. That said, you really can't go wrong with it, either. (...).

Awful storyline is made up for in great graphics and a lot of fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I understand why there are so many mixed reviews on this game but I have to ask a majority of gamers who own this game, did you have fun? I think the game was fun and the graphics were pretty great as well. The single player storyline was kind of stupid and was hard to follow and the multiplayer is not top notch but is sure to offer hours of enjoyment. This game might not have been as great as the old N-64 version but it sure is good enough to at least rent! I'm looking forward to a sequel soon.

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