Game news Was Perfect Dark Zero really that bad?
The famous spy Joanna Dark surely did not expect to find herself unemployed so long after the publication of the second part of her adventures. “Zero” is the subtitle given by Rare to this prequel released at the launch of the Xbox 360. It is also the rating attributed by a certain number of players to the epic of the young heroine. Qualified as “Project Snowblind-like”, “software unworthy of 360” or even “waste” by the specialized press, Perfect Dark Zero has been strongly criticized. Well Named ?
A story of perspective
This article is an opinion piece, it is by nature subjective. The opinion of the author is personal and is not representative of that of the rest of JV’s editorial staff.
You only live twice
It is sometimes funny to see how certain memories do not stick to reality. This is the case with everything related to the release of Perfect Dark Zero. Ask around if the Rare signed game is good or bad. It’s a safe bet that your interlocutors will answer you in unison that it’s a title to forget, before a cheerful laron adds only “anyway, Rare, it’s over since Microsoft bought the studio”. The French press has not been kind to the new adventures of Joanna Dark. We assigned it a 11/20while Gamekult gave a 6/10 and that Console+ granted a more generous 14/20. This may have contributed to this impression that PDZ is brackish. Generally speaking, when it was released at the end of 2005 in the United States and Europe, the reviews were far from rave reviews. Yet its Metacritic stands at 81/100, which is not nearly as catastrophic as we might have imagined. After all, it’s the same average as A Plague Tale Innocence, Splatoon, Condemned, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Tearaway Unfolded or even Hellblade, which are far from being considered failures.
The spy who attracted me
What played against Perfect Dark Zero rests on the hopes raised by its endless development that came to nothing”what” on a rather classic FPS. It is true that the founding episode released on Nintendo 64 had turned his little world upside down, to the point of appearing in the Metacritic top 15 of the best games of all time. It was this critical and commercial acclaim that motivated the British developer to produce a sequel for the GameCube, before Microsoft’s takeover of the studio transformed it into the launch title for the Xbox 360. Often referred to as a futuristic GoldenEye, the first Perfect Dark wowed us with its quirky weapons, large levels teeming with detail, and fun gadgets like the deployable mini-camera. It is above all its multiplayer, both extremely complete and avant-garde, which has placed Rare’s software in the FPS pantheon. on consoles. The huge promotional campaign organized by Microsoft, which went so far as to offer an interview with Joanna Dark (we are indeed talking about a 3D model) in the lines of FHM magazine, surely contributed to the general disappointment of some of the fans when the final product arrived.
hot and cold
The criticisms made of Perfect Dark Zero are numerous. The new design of the heroine, both realistic and a little more “manga” according to the wish of Kev Bayliss and Wil Overton of Rare, is considered too sexy, even missed. The scenario is compared to that of a Z series, the slowness of the heroine is pointed out, the infiltration sequences are described as frustrating and the artificial intelligence is strongly criticized. The not often clear objectives and the great difficulty of the adventure (even in Normal) did not help to restore the image of this prequel. I will not contradict these admonitions which are objectively correct. So, is it better to forget it definitively, this Perfect Dark Zero? Well no.
If we remove the rather pretty graphics for the time, despite unfortunate modeling of the various protagonists and the shine effect on most textures, Rare was able to inject some very interesting ideas into its little protege. The first that comes to mind comes from its cooperation mode where the paths of the players separate. In the second level of the game for example, a user wanders on the roofs with a sniper while his comrade infiltrates the buildings, thus creating amusing interactions. Like a certain Halo, the campaign of Perfect Dark Zero shows the best of itself only from the moment when two users discover together the levels of the epic. The two missions taking place in South America (Storm and Surveillance) remain a bad memory even 17 years after the release of the game. They alone can explain all the anger of the press against PDZ, because of a really badly dosed difficulty and a simplistic level design.
In terms of maneuverability, the double sticks provide flexibility. Rare has also implemented a dodging roll and cover system that causes Joanna to slam herself into the terrain, allowing her to aim and fire via a third-person view.. It is clear that it worked quite well. Since we are talking about weapons, those of PDZ are numerous, varied, and off the beaten track. We are not in a Turok, but it is good to be able to equip yourself with the Psychosis Gun, the RCP-90, the SuperDragon, the Hawk Boomerang or even the Viblade to wreak havoc on enemy lines. The software from the British studio also includes passages on board two vehicles in order to bring a little more variety to the situations, with the Jetpack and the Hovercraft. Finally, the multiplayer mode allowed up to 32 players to compete simultaneously on different game modes, a high number compared to what the competition offered in 2005 on consoles. Unfortunately, it is now impossible to play games online, the servers having closed.
Crying old school
Whether in its menus (sponsored by Samsung), in its structure, in certain choices on the maneuverability side (impossibility of jumping, slowing down in the event of a shot), in artificial intelligence (with enemies capable of hitting the target despite a hundred meters away), in its checkpoint system (only one per level, in the middle of the latter), Perfect Dark Zero was already targeting an old-school audience at a time when the general public was beginning to seek new sensations. Although it seems to leave the player the choice to take sustained action when it suits him, PDZ should be played by favoring the soft method. The tactic must absolutely be favored when possible, otherwise the experience will be transformed into an infamous porridge of frustration directly injected intravenously. Yes, like in the first Perfect Dark, but you have to believe that this game design was better on Nintendo 64 than on Xbox 360.
Despite the ideas put on the table by Rare for a possible sequel, Microsoft will leave Joanna Dark in the closet for a good bunch of years. It was not until the Game Awards 2020 that the development of a new episode was unveiled, this time directed by The Initiative. If it amply deserves its reputation as a title living in the imposing shadow of its founding component, Perfect Dark Zero is not the video game waste that we tend to present too much. If you approach it as an old-school FPS where the strictly nag aspect should not be privileged, then it will have arguments to make you have a good time, especially in local cooperation. As a reminder, the game is available in the Rare Replay compilation.