Perfect Dark Zero

"It's Bad When A Next (/Current) Gen Launch Title Is Worse Than Games Released Ten Years Earlier"

I was after a multiplayer shooter for the 360, and this seemed like a reasonable choice, however, some words of warning, if you're after a good single player mode, don't look here, and if you're after an entertaining multiplayer mode, try timesplitters. It's not that this game is awful, but it's not very interesting, and doesn't really shine in any way.

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Storyline (4/10)
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I know there was one, but despite finishing it, I don't really remember much about it. Basically you play as a mercenary and you're stopping an evil organisation misusing a scientists work, as they want to use it for evil intentions. That's essentially it, it's a very generic storyline that has maybe one or two twists, but nothing you can't really be shocked or amazed by. It has a very big B-Movie feel to it in this respect, and in fact with storylines as bad as this, it's no wonder some people refuse to take games seriously. It's a prime example of a game that has been made without a proper firm storyline being agreed on, merely a lot of checkpoints and slight outline with the main plot badly placed over the top. They obviously intended to give reasons for why you go to each location, but in the game it seems that the only reason is you were either told to go, or it's where, despite all their hiding, you've managed to find the bad guys fled there.

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Gameplay (5/10)
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Problem I had as soon as I started playing this game; you move incredibly slowly. I have never played a game where you move slower, and the different weapons you equip change the speed at which you move, so it's possible to get even slower. It's a horrible feeling, it makes everything you do feel laboured and makes the already clunky controls feel worse than they actually are. What should be basic controls are seriously let down by the speed with which they're executed, it makes the whole game feel unresponsive, and really ruins the game play.

As mentioned, the story mode isn't very entertaining, and is more of a chore to sit through than anything else. While there are multiple difficulties to play the game on, there really isn't much point; there's no extra content, such as cut scenes or levels, and after finishing the game once there's no incentive to do so. The deathmatch modes can be split into two versions; one that has bots and one that doesn't. There's really only the bare minimum in terms of deathmatch variations on offer; capture the flag, killcount, team killcount, etc. To be honest, I found deathmatch a very frustrating experience for one reason; the AI is awful. The bots are incredibly badly programmed and will literally either run around in circles or at walls, or be able to sniper you from across the level with a generic pistol. When playing capture the flag, do not rely on the AI to do anything, I captured the enemy flag, but they had ours, so I waited at the base for them to capture the flag back while I picked off any attempts by the enemy to reclaim their flag. I waited about twenty minutes and the flag never reappeared. The version without bots is also crap; worst thing is it will load when only one player is playing, meaning you get to run around without anyone in the level. Even with other players in the game, there's just very little enjoyment to be had, and you'll quickly find yourself looking for a better multiplayer game.

Other problems include the zoom, instead of having a button for entering zoom, and then another for altering the zoom amount, or something similar, instead how much you zoom in is dependant on how hard you push down the trigger button. Result being that by the time you manage to actually get the zoom you want, the enemy has probably ran away, either that or they've killed you first. This makes sniping practically useless, and thus despite being told to use stealth in the game, it really is virtually impossible. You can't sneak about, enemies can see you from the other side of the level even if you're in the shadows, and biggest problem; for being a spy, they certainly don't make an effort to hide her bright, flame red hair, and her spy suits are really badly designed.

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Graphics (6/10)
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The graphics do their job well enough, but to be honest, for a next gen console, I really had higher expectations. They look like slightly polished PS2 graphics, which isn't exactly a bad thing, but considering you've spent so much money on the latest console, I think it's fair to expect something a bit better.

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Sound (5/10)
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I don't remember anything about the in game music, if anything it was probably bad, which was why I ended up playing my own music during the game, which isn't something I really like doing. The gun effects are alright, and the voice acting isn't terrible, but it's not great. The most annoying thing with the sounds, however, is the announcer; he's a lot louder than anything else in the game, and literally shouts everything he says, which would be alright except you get an announcement about once every two seconds, meaning you'll end up playing the game with the sound off. That really isn't something I think any game should make you want to do, and thus I really can't give many good comments as far as the sound quality is concerned.

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Summary(4/10)
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The graphics are shiny, but beneath that there's not a lot here. It's a very short game, unless you're going to play it through on all the difficulties, not that you'd want to considering the harsh control system. The multiplayer is extremely lacking, and the AI is pretty terrible, meaning that the feature is pointless because there's little fun to be had playing it. Overall, I have to say this game is a disappointment, not even considering this is a next gen game, I really can't recommend getting it, especially considering there are much better shooters out there, even ones that are ten years older.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/07