Customer Reviews

Perfect Dark Zero

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

I know, this game is old, I picked it up at launch. But after seeing it under the "recommended for you" category on Amazon, I felt compelled to warn others to NOT buy this game.

As a person who LOVED Perfect Dark 64, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by this game. I cannot describe what a totally different game it is. I'm not sure if Rare lost their talent, but man- it is different, and NOT in a good way. This game has frustratingly poor level design- it's laughable. It's so bad that if you don't move for five seconds, arrows light up on the ground to send you in the right direction. That should NOT be necessary. The plot is pretty cliched- it's not helped that it's a prequel, but it IS thoroughly predictable, particularly towards the end. Of course, Carringtonn makes an appearance- with a thick Scottish accent not present in Perfect Dark 64 in any form whatsover.

Online play is extremely mediocre too.

Avoid this game. It's not worth $20.

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.

Seriously, this game on any system, not just the 360, is not fun to control and there's no feeling of accomplishment when you pass each mission. The feel of the character during movement and shooting is inexcusably remedial, very slow, very tedious to aim, and like others said it takes far to much effort to drop 1 guy.
The game reminds me of a poor man's Red Faction 2 for XBOX with noticeably better graphics, but as far as 360 goes, the other 6 games I currently own surpass PDZ in the graphics department.

So the reason for my title is that for those who game this game 5 stars...where exactly are you standards? I can think of at least a dozen shooters off the top of my head for the regular XBOX that I'd rather be playing than PDZ, and Doom 3 in my opinion has better grahpics than this game. Halo, Halo 2, Doom 3, Project Snowblind, Mace Griffin...the list goes on and on, and obviously Quake 4 and COD 2 for the 360 trump this game.

Do yourself a favor, even if you love spy-type storylines and you're in need of a shooter, rent it first and you'll see what I mean. It's maybe worth 10 bucks when the price comes down, but definitely not worth 40-50, and most definitely not a launch console seller.

I know everyone has their own opinion, but giving this game 5 stars, even if your basing it on the so-called innovation this game brings (which it doesn't), you skew the standard of a shooter so far in the wrong direction it baffles me.

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.

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.

In November 2005 the XBOX 360 was launched and "Perfect Dark Zero" was one of the first games released for the console.Its certainly not perfect or one of the better XBOX 360 games but its a good game to say the least.This sequel to the original Perfect Dark video game "Perfect Dark 64" is as good but this second Perfect Dark is pretty much on its own.The game suffers from some major gameplay flaws but still manages to be entertaining.

I think the first point to discuss has to be the changes made to Joanna Dark,talk about a character getting physical changes,she`s been redesigned kind of like Lara Croft from Tom Raider,whatever they did they changed her a lot.I can only suppose they changed her physical appearance for male gamers,yet this has to be one of the most incredible changes made for one character.

You play as Joanna Dark,a special agent born in 2000 living in a futuristic world.Evil is everywhere you need to destroy it,a kind of comon storyline for today`s types of video games and one that frankly isn`t terrible.Still you can`t define a game by its storyline!What you do is basicly:follow the arrows,kill the bad guys,press this and that,go here,go there,do this and that,shoot this and that...way too repetitive,with few exceptions however as some times you will have to play your special agent role at full capacity,not to be seen and such tasks.

The gameplay is like the average FPS shooter,with few exceptions.The controls really screw up this game it would have been way better had the publisher taken the time to really make the most of out the controls,wich unfortunatly isn`t the case here.You can`t jump,and that sucks!Your character or any other characters,moves too slow,you actually run but you know that it could have been faster,so it makes a slower gamer that is a great pain.Besides that the controls are pretty average,shoot,reload,pick up a weapon,move,cover,climb are controls that are much like other games and there is no surprise on the gameplay.The scope you have with some guns is very effective and convenient to use the way it was set up.

The visuals are really good,even after a few years they still look beautifull after all that time.Its not the prettiest game ever but i think anyone should be satisfied with the graphics.The explosions,guns,characters and enviroments were are greatly designed,that is one thing they did very well for this game.Really good visuals.

Story mode is not exactly great,its below average actually,as repetitive as it gets for a game.The tasks they want you to complete are not any fun,theyre just kind of a pain and really boring.It will take a few hours but not more than 10 hours to complete,when its over you will be glad,be assured!

Perfect Dark Zero online is really good and fun,as it is normaly is for each mindless FPS.Its always a great deal of satisfaction to kill someone online,the game is better recomended its online and multiplayer modes than the story mode.Its classic you just pick your favourite map and guns sets and from there you can adjust teams,the number of bots,the modes and everything to your liking.

A great thing about PDZ is the amount of guns and weapons you can choose from,there a lot and each has uniques abilities and second uses,one gun can make a clone of you,the other can shoot bombs,its nice and different to see such secondary uses in a game.

Overral its not one of the better XBOX 360 games but everyone should at least try it once,some will like the game a lot and will buy.It really depends of your style of games and how you deal with the lower points of the games such as the gameplay,but everyone should like it online and multiplayer,wich are the best parts of the game.Had the controls and gameplay been changed for more convenient ones,this game would have killed.

Pros:
This is one of the best games I have ever played in the 25 years I have been playing video games; it is so much fun! The graphics are amazing on any television, and they are photo realistic when you play the game on an HDTV. The 5.1 audio is also amazing; it literally is a tool that helps you play the game. You can locate enemies in better ways thanks to the high-quality 5.1 sound, because you can hear their voices or their steps or their guns in certain speakers at certain times; it really is incredible to have sound be such a huge factor in gameplay!

The background music is also excellent. Perfect Dark Zero is the first videogame I ever bought the soundtrack to. When you hear the song, "Limelight," which plays at a nightclub you are at in one of the early stages, then you will know what I am talking about! The bass pumps out the sound as if you are at a real nightclub, and when you get closer to the building, it is as if you are really there! This is something you will love about the way Xbox 360 uses 5.1 audio!

The gameplay difficulty is also another factor that is excellent, because you can set what sort of difficulty you want it to be at based on what sort of agent you are. I like the way that you have a technical person that your character Joanna Dark is working with named Chandra; she guides you to your location if you take too long doing something and clearly don't know where to go next. This makes it so you don't end up wasting time going back and forth over and over like you do in some of those other games on other systems. This game also has multiplayer and online capabilities that are very nice, especially the online features!

The controls can be adjusted, too; that way, you can have your controller do whatever you want. I personally changed the way the character moves so that Perfect Dark Zero played much more like Halo. The default analog controls are based on the control setup of the original Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64, which is something that I do not like very much. I believe that many of the negative reviews for Perfect Dark Zero focused on the control setup and the way that it wasn't as good as Halo. However, the controls of Perfect Dark Zero can easily be adjusted by using the Options menu. Perfect Dark Zero's left and right analog stick controls can be identical to those of Halo if you just make one change in the Options menu. So I went to the Options screen and changed it so the right analog stick moves the characters head up, down, left, and right so it is easy to coordinate where you are looking. I also changed the controls so the left analog stick causes Joanna Dark to move forward and backward and strafe left and right. I believe that this should have been the default control, because it allows anyone familiar with a first person shooter like Halo to instantly be familiar with the controls in Perfect Dark Zero. Thankfully, this is an easy adjustment to make, and it is a great overall control adjustment feature that I highly recommend!

Cons:
I have nothing to complain about this game! Under normal conditions, I would say that the only thing to complain about would be that the game had to come to an end, but the fact that you can play this game online with so many other people makes it so you always get replay value out of this game! Plus, you can go back to earlier levels with more advanced weapons and gadgets that you got in later stages and beat up on those bad guys and examine new places in very fun ways! The only potential bad thing about Perfect Dark Zero is that the default controls are based on the control scheme from Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64 rather than the control scheme from Halo on the Xbox. Thankfully, this can be corrected in the Options menu. There were probably people who didn't give Perfect Dark Zero the full chance it deserved, because the default controls make it more difficult to coordinate where you are going and what you are looking at. Hopefully, the programmers at Rare will change the default controls of the next Perfect Dark videogame so they are like the controls of Halo on the Xbox rather than the controls of Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64.

Comments:
My personal comment would be for people who haven't played this game yet: If you really want to play a fun game that is meant to be fun for the player while taking advantage of graphics, sound, action, humor, and online features all at the same time, then you should at least rent this game! I recommend that you go to the Options screen and change the control setup so it is like Halo on the Xbox rather than Perfect Dark Zero on the Nintendo 64. This is a game that will really make a great gift for anyone! I highly recommend getting the Limited Collector's Edition of the game if you can still find it, because it only costs $10 more at most places, and it comes with some nice things, such as a bonus DVD.

Also, the writers in this game did such an excellent job with the way that the script is designed. The level of humor in this game is absolutely amazing. For example, one of the weapons you use, called, "the Laptop," makes the quick note that it uses Windows 2020. Another funny thing is the way you can listen to people in the game; I have spent lots of time just listening to people talk in the game. Listening to this one guy talk on his cell phone with his wife is absolutely amazing! The voices of the enemies are excellent; they are very nicely done.

Overall, I think that anyone will like this game. If you have an HDTV and a 5.1 audio system, then you will be absolutely amazed with what you see and hear. The graphics on a normal television are still far superior to anything else produced on any other system, and if you don't have a 5.1 sound system, then the stereo sound is still great, just not as great as the true 5.1 element that would have brought in a new element of gameplay. I believe that everyone with an Xbox 360 should at least give this game a try, because I can't imagine anyone not liking it. This game will only be available to play on the Xbox 360, which means that if you don't have one, then this is the sort of game that you would want to get when you do buy your Xbox 360. I hope that everyone who plays this game enjoys it! :-)

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. (...).

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.