Perfect Dark Zero Limited Collector's Edition
Perfect Dark Zero is one of several first-person shooters available for the Xbox 360 at launch. You play the part of Joanna Dark, a character best described as a redheaded Sydney Bristow. In fact, in many ways this game is like playing an episode of Alias directed by John Woo. Though the single-player missions aren't quite as riveting as Call of Duty 2, and you might not find yourself going back to play it on Xbox Live as much as Project Gotham Racing 3, the total package of Perfect Dark Zero might just make it the launch title to own.
Gameplay:
The number one thing Perfect Dark Zero has going for it is its sense of style. From the well-designed levels to the original techno beats to the smack talked by your enemies, I found it easy to become immersed in the world of Joanna Dark.
The controls are standard for a first-person shooter with one exception: in the default settings, left and right on the L-stick turn left and right while left and right on the R-stick strafe left and right, an homage to the original Perfect Dark. Fortunately, if you don't want to make the adjustment you can change the control scheme from the settings menu. A nice element in the controls is that the L-bumper causes your character to dive and roll, bringing some grace to shootouts at short range. Another nice touch is the pressure sensitive zoom when aiming with the L-trigger - very useful when your enemy has a lot of cover. The R bumper uses your secondary weapon, but what I love is that if you have no secondary weapon you throw clips of ammo. Pressing A in certain areas allows you to "take cover" behind some objects, but this was poorly executed as I often found myself on the same side of a wall as my enemies as I was looking in the opposite direction.
The single player levels are fun and varied, but extremely linear. If you ever deviate from the path where your mission leads you, a trail flashes on the ground to guide you toward your objective. The enemy AI is adequate, though disappointing when compared to that of Call of Duty 2 and Halo 2, where the enemies constantly use cover and suppressing fire to their advantage. Here the enemies aren't quite as active and won't aggressively pursue. The plot is standard cloak and dagger; with little continuity between levels the game feels episodic. It features three difficulty levels, and you can finish the game in 10-15 hours. The single-player levels can be played cooperatively with split-screen, system link, or online, and there are a number of unlockables, so there is replay value to be had apart from the multiplayer mode.
Multiplayer mode is stacked with the types of options you'd expect from a first-party launch pillar. There are the standard free-for-all and capture the flag modes, along with a territorial gain mode. These are under the Deathmatch menu, but also under the Dark Ops menu there are four turn-based games: three team-based and one free-for-all, where you can purchase weapons, armor, gadgets, and vehicles in a system reminiscent of Counter-Strike. Bots behave similar to actual players, though they aren't used for Dark Ops modes, so it isn't necessary to go on Xbox live to have an exciting deathmatch. Playing on Xbox Live is fantastic, with up to 32 players, but be warned: about once every 10 seconds you'll hear the phrase "If this were Halo…" from a dying fanboy. A minor complaint is that there is no indication which character is talking online; it would have eliminated some confusion if a speaker icon appeared over the head of a talking character.
Graphics:
The production values in Perfect Dark Zero are top-notch. The environments are detailed and diverse, the weapons are absolutely gorgeous (particularly in HD), and the lighting effects provide another level of realism. Details such as pieces of armor that shatter off of enemies and muzzle fire truly stand out. There are snow, jungle, and desert levels, but when you play the futuristic ones featuring brighter palettes you remember you're playing a next-gen console. The cutscenes blend seamlessly into the gameplay, although they don't stand out. My one complaint is with the character models of the enemies, which tend to look stiff and emotionless.
Audio:
Best use of audio in a video game period. Throughout most of the first level, which consists of walking through a corridor, I found most of the music and effects to be derivative. However, then I got out into the open and found myself ducking the bullets I sensed flying by me from a symphony of metallic pings, scattered around all 360 degrees. As soon as you walk into the nightclub on the next level, the soundtrack improves dramatically and the game really starts to feel like an episode of Alias. The bosses often engage you in witty repartee, to which you can respond with the D pad. If you're clever enough you can stun them, making for a fun mini-game. Walking on snow sounds so perfect it puts every snow level in every prior video game to shame. Some of the techno beats on the more exciting levels stayed with me long after I put down the controller. The voice acting doesn't stand out but is passable. In all facets but especially in terms of the effects, Rare really took advantage of the Dolby Digital sound.
Conclusion:
Included in the Limited Collector's Edition is a disc of bonus content, a comic book with some backstory, and possibly the coolest box ever. I found the bonus material disappointing, not that I was expecting a lot. There are slideshows of concept art, a mediocre theme for the Xbox 360, a decent array of gamer pics to use with your profile, a trailer for Kameo, and an excerpt from Perfect Dark: Initial Vector, currently the 35,535 best selling book on Amazon.com. I did have high hopes for the theme, but it features only two backgrounds for the four windows, which makes it worthless. Also, to navigate the bonus disc you must use the controller, the remote won't work. But the box is far too hot not to recommend spending $10 more on the Collector's Edition, similar to the metallic Halo 2 box featuring fully colored pictures of the heroine with a smoking gun on the front and a Blade Runner-esque skyline on the back.
The number one knock on this game is that it isn't Halo or Goldeneye, but let's focus on what this game is: an engaging, futuristic first-person shooter for Microsoft's latest flagship console. Unless you can't stand FPSs and never go on Xbox Live, there's no reason for Xbox 360 owners not to own this game. I stop short of making this part of the Collector's Series because it isn't a must-play for people who don't own the system, largely because it doesn't advance the genre, like Halo, Halo 2, and Escape from Butcher Bay. Overall, though, Perfect Dark Zero comes Highly Recommended.