If you're not a big Pokemon fan, Perfect Dark will be an unexpected
pleasure for the N64 gamer. For the once mighty empire of Nintendo, which
conquered the known world of gaming, has been overrun by marauding barbarians.
For us cartridge-based gamers, the stream of new games have been reduced to a
pathetic trickle. Basically, our little black box has snuffed it. Almost.
For, like the occupation of Gaul during the time of Asterix, there is still a
gaggle of feisty villagers holding out against the imperial might of Sony.
The village's name is Twycross, set deep in the heart of the English
countryside. Here 200 designers, programmers and, er, other people, fight on
under the banner of Rare software.
'Rare' is a good name too, because the last decent game they produced was the
undisputed first-person shooter classic 'Goldeneye'. That was in 1997, and
it's been a flipping long wait, not helped by the fact that Rare kept delaying
release, 'just to make it really, really, good' or whatever.
THE NAME IS DARK, JOANNA DARK...
The year is 2023 and Uberbabe Joanna Dark, (sadly not as sexy as Ms. Croft,
my geek brethren) is code-named 'Perfect Dark' because she's such an ace
recruit. Some Scottish geezer sends her off to do battle with the mighty
Datadyne Corporation. This is because they're getting a bit matey with aliens.
That, all boiled down, is the plot.
MAKE MY GAME RARE, PLEASE, WAITER
Was it worth the wait? Yes and no. No doubt most Nintendo magazines will be
giving it ten out of ten because they are so grateful for a half-decent game.
The unavoidable fact remains that it's Goldeneye 2, and a safe sequel like
this can never quite recapture the magic of the original.
It uses the same graphics engine, and while the graphics are marginally
improved, there are no quantum leaps here. This is despite the mandatory
'Expansion Pak' that you have to buy for twenty notes extra - without it, Rare
explains, you can only play 35% of the game!
The audio is now in Dolby Surround, and the game sports a 16:9; the sort of
nice little enhancement you can expect from this game.
THEY DIE LIKE SO MANY PATHETIC ANTS, THESE HUMANS
The gameplay has improved in some respects: you now get a training centre (a
la 'Tomb Raider 2') and the gadgets and guns are more fun: my favourite was
the flying SpyCam, which you can launch into small holes.
The AI of the opponents has not improved, though, - the jumpsuited goons are
still as easy to kill as in 'Goldeneye' (how they danced to the deadly tune
of my machine-gun - Oh lordy).
The Solo missions are identical in format to Goldeneye; nine large missions
are divided into sub-missions and there are three levels of difficulty.
The easiest level now seems easier than 'Goldeneye' and the hardest seems
harder. Essentially, you either have to kill people or find things. The level
designs are inspired, and there's less emphasis on stealth than in Goldeneye,
concentrating on all out fragging. Machine guns are particularly satisfying
with the Rumble Pak. Sometimes there is dialogue to help you when you near an
objective, but generally the game leaves you to figure things out on your
own (embarrassingly, I got stuck in the training section at one point)
GAMING WITH CHUMS
There are three multiplayer options: combat simulator (1-4 player deathmatch),
co-operative play and a counter-operative game. The combat simulator
resembles the classic Bond deathmatch, but expanded.
Now, up to 8 computer players can participate against 1-4 human players.
Plain old deathmatching is also an option. The new co-operative and
counter-operative modes are two-player games that take place in the solo
levels. In co-operative mode, two players can team up on any level that's been
completed in the Solo Missions. The counter-operative is just the opposite: a
human player takes over as the bad guys on each level. As the enemies fall,
the other player switches to the next closest baddie that's still breathing.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
Hundreds of nice little tweaks illustrate the care 'Rare' has invested in
'Perfect Dark'. You can now pistol-whip opponents with your pistol if bullets
have run out. Walls get bloodstained if you murder people near them.
Sadly, nice touches don't make a game that deserves the title 'classic'. But
it's damn good, nonetheless, even if it is, like texture-mapped computer
characters, a little dead behind the eyes.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
TWO CHEERS FOR RARE
MAKE MY GAME RARE, PLEASE, WAITER
GAMING WITH CHUMS