It has been a long time coming, with some identity issues (platform hopping) along the way, but Perfect Dark Zero has finally found a home on Microsoft's Xbox 360 - as a launch title, no less. Will the fans of Perfect Dark be happy with the direction developers Rare have taken their super-spy heroine? Does it acheive its potential as a rumoured Halo-killer? We take a walk in Joanna Dark's shoes to find out.
First off, Perfect Dark Zero is not Halo. A pretender to the throne, yes, and one that on the surface bears all the hallmarks of a worthy successor. But once the finery has been stripped away we discover it is more akin to a distant cousin, rather than a young and innovative heir apparent. In all fairness it's important to keep in mind that PD0 was never intended to be a straight FPS title. Sure, there are plenty of guns-a-blazing encounters to be had, but stealth tactics and nifty spy gadgets play quite a large role in the game's make-up. It is, after all, a prequel to Perfect Dark, the super stealth shooter for the N64.
You can choose to play through the mission-based campaign either solo or in multiplayer co-op mode, both locally and on Xbox Live. Immediately you commence the game you are greeted by one of the better sound tracks we have heard for a while. Coupled with the slick intro video it feels more like the opening sequence to a TV show, rather than a game.
In single-player mode you take on the role of Jo Dark, who several years prior to becoming an agent for the Carrington Institute, worked as a bounty hunter for her father Jack. After completing the initial mission you can select from a limited amount weaponary from the armoury prior to the next mission, along with several spy gadgets - each activated by a mini-game, to help you pick locks, hack into computer terminals, or set off a controlled explosion. We found to our annoyance that weapons picked up in previous missions were not carried through into the next mission unless we happened to be using them when the mission ended.
The learning curve is steep, with players being launched almost immediately into the action and having to come to grips with controls and functions whilst on the move. However this baptism by fire is balanced by the game's three difficulty levels - the easiest of which is very forgiving of indecisive movement and poor aim. Additionally, audio instruction from team co-ordinator Chandra provides heads-up information, while the appearance of idiot-proof directional arrows and waypoints will assist gamers that usually depend on maps. In saying this, rather than a measured increase in difficulty, the game quickly becomes very tough - even at the lowest difficulty setting. Some of the early missions can become an exercise in frustration, with too many enemies popping out of the woodwork.
PD0 really puts your co-ordination skills to the test, employing all of the controller buttons, triggers and sticks. Basically, if you can push, swivel or move it in anyway, there's a corresponding function in the game (Halo fans will feel right at home!). It takes a while to become acquainted with the various functions - particularly because all of the weapons have secondary and sometimes tertiary modes, but after a while it becomes second nature. Controls themselves are reasonably straightforward and happily there is an option to reverse the axis of the thumb controls, as should be considered mandatory and part of Rare's series since the original GoldenEye 007.
The controller's right-hand shoulder button is used to access a weapon's secondary functions, which can be anything from adding a silencer to your weapon to inducing psychosis in an enemy target, causing him to go postal on his buddies. A number of stealth and evasive maneuvres are available to Joanna, including a stylish duck 'n' roll move and the ability to shoot from cover.
The camera shifts into third person perspective when these moves are employed. Additionally you have the ability to crouch but once again, this time inexcusably, there is no ability to jump. That's right, you are very much a 'lead foot' in this game, with heights being accessed by ladders, stairs, elevators and zip lines. The latter is quite cool to watch, however we felt the lack of jumping is both frustrating and poor game design. There is no map in the game as such, but a radar system that shows you the general location of friends and foes. Plus the directional arrows mentioned earlier appear on the floor to guide your way, should you take too long or stray from the objective.
Players have four available weapons slots in their inventory, but this doesn't mean you can carry four weapons. Each weapon type takes up a certain amount of slots: one for pistols, with bulkier weapons taking up two or three slots... and remember, the more she carries, the slower Agent Dark moves.
The selection of weapons on offer is enough to make your mouth water, however some are variations of a theme while others lack the utility or punch you would expect. To place some limitation on the sniper rifle when you engage zoom on the scope, it moves off centre to your target. This is understandable to ensure the rifle does not dominate multiplayer games, however the zoom function is so powerful you tend to lose all sense of where your target is.
