Perfect Dark Zero

One thing that baffled me when I started to play PDZ was why couldn’t I jump? It seems the jump was substituted for other action moves, including the all famous roll. The camera angle changes to third person when Joanna rolls, making her a hard target for fire, this was particularly helpful against rapid fire weapons. The other addition to the game is the “back -up against the wall and peer around the corner” move, used in games such as GUN; it basically allows you to stay hidden before you start firing around the corner.

The story is terrible; the only way it can be described is as a hybrid of various books, movies and other games, with a scantly clad Joanna stuck in there somewhere to spice it up a bit. Arrows are used to point you towards your objectives, which is great because sometimes I would be lost without them, other times I hated them, it is personal preference whether you think these are a helpful addition or not. The controls are smooth and everything can be done very easily, it is simple to learn and you will get the hang of it very quickly.

In multiplayer this game really shines, all the standard multiplayer game modes are present: deathmatch, capture the flag, etc. With support for up to 32 players over Xbox live, you won’t tire of this game’s multiplayer mode for a long time. Perfect Dark Zero’s multi-player is so much fun, whether you play it online or with a friend.

The music fit’s the game well, while there is nothing particularly memorable it fits the theme perfectly. The sound effects are realistic, and there are some nice ideas, from the upbeat tunes when the alarm has been sounded to hearing Joanna’s heart beat when she is low on health. Unfortunately the beginning of the game is let down by poor voice acting, the characters consistently making annoying one liners, which really aren’t very funny. Joanna’s British accent has been replaced with a more Westernized accent, which is disappointing to see considering the game is British and so is Joanna.

The Final Word

There are some moments in Perfect Dark Zero which I could easily give full marks to, but there are also unfortunate let downs which drag the game down.  Perfect Dark Zero is a game you can pick up and play, you are put straight into the action from the beginning, and the action doesn’t stop until the last minute. While the single player can be considered a bit of a let down the multiplayer mode makes up for it. The game is a good comeback for Rare, and provides the perfect introduction to a new console.