Perfect Dark Zero Review

Joanna returns after a long hiatus!

Before Perfect Dark Zero, the last time we saw Joanna Dark in action was the original Perfect Dark. This game saw many forms on many different platforms and in the end one must ask: was the development time really worth it?

You might have a love/hate relationship with the Perfect Dark Zero engine, dubbed the Hydro engine. The environments looks gorgeous and you won’t need an HD set to appreciate the environments, but the character models lack greatly. There is no detail on the faces and they seem cartoon-like. At the same time, in certain shots (like the one pictured) the graphics on the characters really seem to stand out. The engine is really put to the test in multiplayer. Unless a bunch of people team up on you and keep shooting rockets at your screen, you won’t notice any slow down. This is pretty remarkable considering the online supports up 32 players in huge environments.

Like all Rare games, the soundtrack to the game is simply amazing.  We even have some clips below that you can download to sample if you're interested. The Dolby mix is also quite incredible and really does your sound system justice. One thing I really don’t understand is why there are so many groans coming from your character when he or she gets shot, which at times can annoy you.  This is especially true in multiplayer matches, where you come across it much more often than single player. 

At first glance the gameplay seems very linear, however if you decide you want to go your own way you can find a ton of ways to get around or into certain situations. Example: on the second mission you are at a dock, you have to get to point X. Initially you'll notice only one way to get there, but if you explore you can find at least four other ways to get to point X. Throughout the game you will find several of these optional paths.

The multiplayer apect of the game is also pretty strong supporting 1-4 players locally, about 16 bots, or 32 players online. The bots in the game are customizable in terms of how many you want and the challenge they present.  The A.I. is some of the best I have seen recently and keeps offline multiplayer entertaining. Additionally you can make squads, which if you're looking to build a fully human game, will come in handy. The bots can be added/removed as players join/leave matches, ensuring constant carnage.