Perfect Dark Zero
When the first wave of Xbox 360 games, the launch titles, were announced, it was pretty much assumed that this game was going to be the 360’s Halo. The game was hyped up as the one that would sell the system and I remember Microsoft used this game as their feature in that overhyped and ultimately empty MTV special that aired just before the 2005 E3.
I haven’t played any of the previous games in the Perfect Dark series, so I can’t base this *review* of Perfect Dark Zero (PDZ) on anything other than this game. I suppose in terms of gameplay, I can compare it to Halo somewhat, so here goes…
I made it thru the training level and then the first level before I decided it wasn’t worth it. I say it wasn’t worth it not because of the game, but because the achievements just weren’t going to come. If you don’t know of what I speak, with the 360 generation of games Microsoft has added an achievements/gamer score feature. Each game should hand out 1000 points total and the developers/publishers have total control on how they are divied out. This feature is very similar to the system Bungie setup for Halo 2 where you scored points and leveled up on their web site, but this would also help you gain cred and match up to similar skilled players in multiplayer Halo 2 matches.
The short of this is I wasn’t gaining many points and I had already planned on playing thru the campaign with Ed via Xbox Live and the game’s co-op play. For completing this on the second hardest setting, we got a whopping 25 points on our profiles. He has slightly more as he did play thru the campaign solo for another 25 points. You can check out our gamer cards on-line. Ed is Mistah Plow and I am OB1. It’s just another way you can stalk us.
Most of this game’s achievements are gained via on-line play in deathmatches and other annoying wastes of time. I shouldn’t say it like that, but right now I am pretty down on jumping on-line and into a deathmatch because I find it tough to take. Putting up with screaming, whining and trash-talking punk-ass kids is not my idea of a good time. If it’s not that, it is some asshat my age who thinks it is fun to spawn camp all night. Help us all when it is a combo of the two. So, like Call of Duty 2 (CoD2), I did not indulge in any on-line multiplayer for this title.
As for the campaign, it was okay. It runs pretty much the same as the solo one from what I understand from Ed. There are a couple of maps that were real annoying and that we had to play thru several times. This was usually due to a loss of connection, a 360 freeze (usually mine) or simply because we couldn’t finish it and there is no save feature while in a mission.
This is a feature that is sorely lacking from on-line co-op games. The only one that did a good job of this was X-Men: Legends. At least PDZ provides the ability to pick up from a waypoint, usually in the middle of a level, if both players die. Of course, a couple times we I didn’t act quickly enough to click it before another menu loaded and we had to start the level over. This was especially maddening on the penultimate level which had been kicking our collective asses for a couple days.
Overall, there were a couple maps/levels that were pretty well done and others that were pretty ordinary. There were a few cool weapons, one that comes to mind is the laptop gun, but I found myself usually relying on the sub-machine gun. You drive a couple vehicles and these were well down. The hovercraft was fun, but the jump pack (think the yellow lifter exo-skeleton in Aliens crossed with a jet pack) was really cool. Wish we had more of that. Storywise, the game had a couple twists, but they weren’t necessarily shocking ones. I won’t spoil here as it is really not worth covering. Lastly, the graphics were good, but not quite as good as CoD2.
Things that weren’t cool about the game were the terrible achievement awards, the non-existent co-op save feature and an easy Boss Battle at the end. The penultimate level featured a serious case of enemy overkill similar to what I called a “German hose” in Call of Duty 2. Finally, the game seemed a bit short to me. I don’t recall how many hours Ed and I put into it.
So, if you are looking for a decent shooter to play while waiting for the good stuff this Fall, you should check out PDZ.
Posts ::
This post has 6 comments (now closed):
Ed
Fri :: 09 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 08.51 pm
What XBL needs is the ability to truly filter out the singing sophomores, the spawn-killing n00b haters, and the racist bastards that like to use the anonymity of online play to label me a n!ggah (if you’re gonna’ blast my heritage get it right beyotch, I’m a Canucklehead). They need to create a separate channel for people to sign into that is heavily moderated that allows for people who want to play together – to strategize – to really role play within these games. The online shooters have the ability to allow for some great strategic war plans – with a squad figuring out the right plan of attack and then executing it – with people stopping and waiting for their fellow man to perform some action that allows the others to proceed towards the objective – to revel in the love of a plan that comes together. Instead, we get every man for himself – guys jumping in Warthogs and splattering their fellow teammates and then jumping out and teabagging every last one of us – while we watch the countdown tick down in futility – meanwhile across the map, Alpha Team absconds with our flag for the nth straight time. Part of the reason Sean and I are so high on getting others (with broadbacd connections) to grab the 360 is so we can form our own squad – and at the very least – realize this dream of real teamwork through the creation of our own squad of digital war buddies. I’m sick of hanging with strangers who are patting me on the back one moment and slapping me upside the head with a plasma sword the next.
As for PDZ – it was a decent game that suffered the unfortunate position of being the 360 launch title. Because it was a sci-fi shooter published by Miscrosoft, everyone expected Halo 3. That’s a big weight to shoulder. Taken on its own – its a decent enough shooter that kills some time – but doesn’t necessarily tattoo itself upon my psyche. The interesting thing is, this seems to be Perfect Dark’s lot in life – as the original N64 title was Rare’s highly anticipated follow-up to Goldeneye. Once again, that original couldn’t match up to the hype of Goldeneye (clearly the best movie based game of all time).
One thing about shooters – if they don’t tell a decent story – they really lose me. I know it’s supposed to be about the twitch action – but I find that gets monotonous if I don’t care about why I’m blasting away a billion Covenant.
Think about this – for all those fanboys that crowed on and on about Halo 2’s abrupt ending – was it due to the fact that they wanted another level to blast through or were they pissed to be left hanging. That game delivered its fair share of levels (and challenge if you started on Heroic like I did). I think everyone was so steamed because they wanted to know what happens next. That’s half the reason I get chills in watching the Halo 3 teaser.
If I want mindless twitch shooting, I’ll fire up Geometry Wars.
Ed
Fri :: 09 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 08.52 pm
News Flash
We have a convert. Mook picked up his 360 today – a gift by one of his companies’ sales weasels for skipping my son and daughter’s birthday party.
Now we just have to get him broadband.
Sean
Fri :: 09 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 08.59 pm
Holy Crap Batman! That’s a full-blown blog post in my comments. You need to copy and paste that into a post for your own blog and let the magical ping do its thing…
Three problems with Mook:
1. He doesn’t like shooters, so he’s of no use to us.
2. He’ll never spring for broadband. He’s too cheap.
3. Is he even still our friend?
Joe
Sat :: 10 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 09.23 am
Saw your stuff about X-Box shooters, and I thought you may be interested in something I found in my search for online crap…
Halo 3 Ending leaked…
http://halo3ending.ytmnd.com/
The Ed Zone » Blog Archive » Game On
Sat :: 10 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 09.38 am
[…] As for Sean’s comments on Perfect Dark Zero – it was a decent game that suffered the unfortunate position of being the 360 launch title. Because it was a sci-fi shooter published by Microsoft, everyone expected Halo 3. That’s a big weight to shoulder. Taken on its own, its a decent enough shooter that kills some time, but doesn’t necessarily tattoo itself upon my psyche. The interesting thing is, this seems to be Perfect Dark’s lot in life, as the original N64 title was Rare’s highly anticipated follow-up to Goldeneye. Once again, that original couldn’t match up to the hype of Goldeneye (clearly the best movie based game of all time). […]
Sean
Sun :: 11 :: Jun :: 2006 :: 11.47 pm
@Joe – Crap is right. That ytmnd.com is filled with crap. To steal Ed’s line about it from last night, “it is for people that YouTube won’t take, and they take anything.”