It has been almost 10 years since Nintendo 64 owners were spoiled with the release of Perfect Dark from Rare. It was praised as being a game unlike any other, near perfection. But looking back on the game, it was filled with flaws such as the frame rate that would plummet with more than two enemies on screen. So it is exciting to have played through an updated version of the game on XBLA that works out most of the kinks from the original release, along with the welcome addition of online multiplayer for all the modes including Co-op, Counter-op, and Combat Simulator. But let’s get this out the way now, the only piece of PD that has been updated is the visuals and frame rate which is great but there were definitely some other pieces of the game that could have benefited from a touch up. 4J studios played it safe and left the gameplay untouched keeping it true for those who loved the original release, which was most likely everyone who has ever touched an N64 controller. The solo campaign is of decent length; again it was untouched which is great and annoying at the same time.
Joanna still has a large collection of weapons at her disposal without any being added or changed, but where the campaign truly shows its age is the lack of clear objectives. It’s understandable that the game lacked a map and clear objectives in its original release, we were all used to trial and error gameplay, but the fact that these weren’t updated in any way is a little frustrating especially when you make it near the end of a mission and fail because some civilian ran through the war zone, or when you have 2 minutes to find a bomb in a level and no idea where it is. These moments annoy, but keep in mind this is an HD port, not a remake which was most likely for the best in order to preserve the game. Combat Simulator, a deathmatch style multiplayer and Counter Operative, a mode where you play as the villain throughout the various solo scenarios work the best for split-screen and online multiplayer, but Co-op suffers from not having been updated. The objectives for Co-op were developed with one player in mind, not two, so it can be awkward working through the campaign together especially with the trial and error objectives.
Even though the gameplay was left untouched, the game now runs smooth as silk which was one of the biggest frustrations when trying to play multiplayer on the original version of the game due to the massive drops in framerate. The drops are completely omitted, leaving you to finally enjoy the multiplayer in 60 frames per second. Perfect Dark for XBLA is a must download for fans of the original, the nostalgia alone will have you foaming at the mouth but the fact that the game now runs smoothly really helps the experience. Sure the gameplay feels dated, but odds are that those who are interested in this re-release aren’t looking for a groundbreaking FPS or massive updates to the campign, they are most likely looking for that feeling that they had in 2000, a feeling that this was the foundation for some great shooters and a pinnacle for its time. I can’t recommend PD enough for those looking to revisit the game, it is the version of the game Rare intended for N64 owners to experience in 2000 but lacked the technical prowess to achieve greater heights.
