Perfect Dark Zero
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| Perfect Dark Zero | |
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| Developer(s) | Rare |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Designer(s) | Chris Tilston, Dale Murchie, Duncan Botwood, Ross Bullimore |
| Series | Perfect Dark series |
| Engine | Hydracore |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release date | NA November 18, 2005 PAL December 2, 2005 JPN December 10, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, Action, Stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature CERO: 15+ PEGI: 16+ OFLC: MA 15+ BBFC: 15 OFLC (NZ): R16+ |
| Media | DVD-DL |
| Input methods | Gamepad |
Perfect Dark Zero is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. It was released as a launch title in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan.
With respect to storyline, Perfect Dark Zero is a prequel to the successful Nintendo 64 game Perfect Dark, made in 2000. Zero takes place in the year 2020, predating the original Perfect Dark's storyline by three years. Two sequel novels have been released so far, Initial Vector and Second Front, which continue the story of Joanna Dark.
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[edit] Development
Rare's two N64 first-person shooters, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, received strong acclaim from critics and players, and demand for another title in the Perfect Dark franchise was high. Development of Perfect Dark Zero began on the Nintendo GameCube. At the time, Nintendo had a 49% stake in Rare, making Rare a Nintendo second-party developer. The game made a small appearance at Spaceworld 2000, an event exclusive to Nintendo. But apart from the confirmation that it was in development,[1] few official announcements were made. Perfect Dark Zero, along with several other Rare games, was intended to be finished in time for the Gamecube's launch, but for unknown reasons did not.
In September 2002, Rare Ltd was purchased by Microsoft.[2] Around the same time, Rare released several images of Joanna Dark, the protagonist of the Perfect Dark games. The "cartoony" style of these pictures incited speculation that the final game — then intended for the original Xbox — would employ a less realistic graphical style than the original game; possibly an anime like cel-shading technique, (Rare had hired UK Manga artist Wil Overton to work with them, after seeing an anime-like image of the Original Perfect Dark game he had created for the cover of N64 Magazine.)
Development of the title was later transferred to the Xbox 360. Perfect Dark Zero's senior designer Chris Tilston (also one of the project leads for the game) later revealed that the Xbox version was "about twelve months away" from completion when the switch occurred.[3]
In 2005, one of the rewards in the OurColony viral marketing campaign for Microsoft's next Xbox video game console was an image of Joanna Dark.[4] At the official unveiling of the Xbox 360 on May 12, 2005, it was revealed that Perfect Dark Zero would be a launch title for the new system in the fall of 2005.[5] The game's development has therefore spanned three platforms: the Nintendo GameCube, the Microsoft Xbox and the Xbox 360.
[edit] Limited Collector's Edition
Zero was released in two forms: the standard version and a "Limited Collector's Edition." The collector's edition features a second disc of content, a black metal game case, images of the staff and most of the testers which gave a glimpse behind the scenes at Rare, a comic booklet set in the Perfect Dark universe, which sets the scene for the game, and one of nine holographic collectible cards.[6]
[edit] Soundtrack
The official game's soundtrack was produced by Nile Rodgers through his Sumthing Else Music Works label, whose past credits include the soundtracks for Halo:Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 2, Vol. 2: Original Soundtrack, among many others. The original score was composed and arranged by David Clynick. Additional songs include Kepi and Kat's "Limelight", a popular club favorite, as well as two songs by Nile Rodgers protéges MorissonPoe entitled Glitter Girl *Evil Side* (the game's opening number), and Pearl Necklace (the game's closing credits).
[edit] Story
The story is set in 2020, three years prior to the events of the original game. Joanna Dark is a bounty hunter working with her father Jack and her friend Chandra. On Joanna's first mission, they rescue a scientist named Zeigler from the hands of a Triad crime lord: Killian. Zeigler uses a neurodrive to implant information into Jack's mind. Jack gets captured by a megacorporation known as 'dataDyne, and Jo rescues her father, only for Jack to die at the hands of Mai-Hem, whose father, Zhang Li, is dataDyne's founder. Jo is then sent on a mission to find Dr. Eustace Caroll, who then uses the same neurodrive technology to extract any memory of the words her father said concerning Ziegler's secrets. Dr. Caroll is then killed by Chandra, who is secretly working for Zhang Li. Jo joins the Carrington Institute and infiltrates a mining operation in an ancient Peruvian Temple where she discovers the conspiracy.
Zhang Li and Mai-Hem are searching for an ancient artifact, which acts as a power-source for the Graal, a device which endows individuals with superhuman powers, hinted to have been built by the Maians, extraterrestrials encountered in Perfect Dark Zero's sequel. Traveling to Africa, Jo rescues prisoners including Jonathan and several other Carrington boys, before running into Mai-Hem again. Jo avenges her father's death and kills Mai-Hem and the party is air-lifted out. The Carrington Institute plans an offensive on dataDyne forces with the battle taking place on a large bridge. Jo infiltrates an arena and faces off against Zhang Li, on the Graal after he dispatches Chandra. Defeating the seemingly invincible power-hungry genius, Jo is met by Jonathan and Daniel Carrington. When Jo asks, "How did I do, Boss?" Carrington replies: "Perfect."
[edit] Multiplayer
In Perfect Dark Zero there are two versions of multiplayer, and within each version are four different game modes.
[edit] DeathMatch
This is a standard gametype where players spawn in rooms, collect weapons, and continue to the actual map. Weapons are also available on the map itself. Bots are included in all DeathMatch game modes.
- Killcount: This is a free-for-all where the winner is the player that achieves the most kills.
- Team Killcount: A team based version of Killcount where the team with the most kills wins.
- Capture the Flag: A team-only match. Each team tries to grab the enemy’s flag and return it to their base. The winning team is the one with the most flags captured.
- Territorial Gains: A team-only match. The goal is to capture and hold several neutral hills until they generate points. The team with the most territories held is the winner.
[edit] DarkOps
This is a round-based, team-only gametype that was heavily inspired by the popular PC FPS Counter-Strike. It is generally slower-paced, and is more tactical than DeathMatch. Weapons must be purchased from a player's stock of credits. Credits are earned by killing enemies and obtaining objectives. Bots were implemented in an update on May 4, 2006.
- Eradication: A team-only game. Teams take turns trying to eliminate each other. The team that stays alive the longest, or that kills the other team while still living wins.
- Onslaught: A team-only game. Teams take turns defending and attacking a base. The defenders get one life (but can be revived), and can purchase weapons. The attackers have unlimited lives, but have basic weapons (choice of a Falcon, CMP 150 and a DEF-12 Shotgun). The team that holds the base the longest wins.
- Infection: A free-for-all game. Players start as either infected or uninfected. When a player dies, they become infected. If the uninfected stay alive for the duration of the round, only they get points. If the infected eliminate them, then only they get points. The player with the most points overall is the winner. (This can seem like a team game as uninfected huddle in a room to survive, or as infected team up to eliminate them).
- Sabotage: A team-only game. Teams take turns attacking and defending certain pieces of property on the map. The team that destroys the most property or eliminates the other team wins.
[edit] Xbox Live
Perfect Dark Zero has full support for the Xbox Live service. Any of the multiplayer modes can be played online with player counts up to 32 players. You can either choose to play a ranked Deathmatch or DarkOps, where you will be matched with players using a system called "TrueSkill Matchmaking", or you may choose a player match where you can choose your game from a list of player hosted games. These games can be highly customized and can include bots.
The multiplayer is different from many games using the Xbox live online system, due to the fact it uses a Peer-to-peer network as stated in Rares 'scribes', August 30 2007.[7] This means (theoretically) any game could last forever due to the fact the host only sets the weapons and map.
[edit] Maps
There are ten maps in Perfect Dark Zero. Each map has two variants; the only change is the placement of the bases. Most of the maps are large ones, ideal for 32 players at once, with small variants for 4-16 player games.
On June 7, 2006, Rare released "Perfect Dark Zero Map Pack One" to Xbox Live Marketplace. It cost 500 MS (Microsoft points) and contained four new maps to add to the game's original six. The map pack contains only one variant, instead of two.
A second map pack was released for Xbox Live Gold Members free of charge on November 1, 2006. A week later, it was also made available for Xbox Live Silver Members. The second map pack included two multiplayer arenas that were from the original N64 Perfect Dark.
On October 31, 2006, Rare announced that a special platinum edition of Perfect Dark Zero would be released, which would include the first map pack and two additional maps (the latter available to download for free on the Xbox Live Marketplace). The two new maps are updated versions of two maps from the game's predecessors; Perfect Dark and GoldenEye 007. The pack was released on the November 1, 2006 for Gold Members and on the November 8, 2006 for Silver Members.
[edit] Updates
On May 3, 2006 an auto-update was made available via Xbox Live, responsible for fixing some bugs in the game. This included code to prevent an ongoing problem where players could walk through the air, a map-exiting glitch and also to prevent an issue where the plasma/rocket weapons could make use of rapid fire. The update also included eight new bot types.
[edit] Future Updates
Rare had announced plans to make the multiplayer feature matches of up to 50 people, an upgrade from the current 32 player limit. As of May 2008 this update has not been released, and it is questionable whether Rare will still release this update 2 years into the game's life. [1] To further decrease the chance of this happening Rare had once stated during an interview that having 50 to 64 players was possible on the Xbox 360, but in turn it would degrade the quality of the game. [2]
[edit] Reception
Perfect Dark Zero received mixed, albeit positive, reviews from many reputable reviewers. It got a 9.0 at GameSpot, which claims that it "champions the Xbox 360 with its excellent assortment of single- and multiplayer game types, as well as its incredible good looks and dynamic, intense action". IGN gave the game an 8.4. Game Informer gave the game a 7, and reviewed it under the tagline "Don't believe the hype". 1Up.com gave the game an 8.1. Metacritic's review average for the game was 81% based on 75 reviews, and Gamerankings's review average was also 85%, based on 95 reviews.
IGN.com reports that Perfect Dark Zero has sold over a million copies.[8]
Perfect Dark Zero was one of the first games to be re-released under the "Platinum Hits" list.
[edit] Website
Perfect Dark Zero's official website (PerfectDarkZero.com) was taken down on March 19, 2008.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ "Ken Lobb on Perfect Dark sequel". Retrieved 7 February 2006.
- ^ "Microsoft Acquires Video Game Powerhouse Rare Ltd." Retrieved 23 November 2005.
- ^ "Miss Dynamite" Originally published in Edge issue 155 (November 2005). Online version retrieved 23 November 2005.
- ^ IGN: Ourcolony Update 5.10.05. Retrieved 7 February 2006.
- ^ "Microsoft confirms Perfect Dark Zero, others for Xbox 360". Retrieved 7 February 2006.
- ^ "Joanna Dark To Infiltrate Xbox 360". Retrieved 7 February 2006.
- ^ http://www.rareware.co.uk/extras/scribes/30aug07/index.html
- ^ Hilary Goldstein. Perfect Dark Even More Perfect. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
- ^ Perfect Dark Zero - default (official game site). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-03-04. “After a long and fruitful run, we'll be taking this site offline on Wednesday, March 19. We would like to thank the many faithful fans of Joanna Dark who came by and shared their time and enthusiasm with us. For your further PDZ needs, we recommend the Xbox.com game detail page and their PDZ forums.
Signing off.”
[edit] External links
- Perfect Dark Zero game detail page on Xbox.com
- Perfect Dark Zero Limited Edition game detail page on Xbox.com
- Official Soundtrack site
- Perfect Dark Zero on the Xbox.com forums
- Perfect Dark Zero website directory at the Open Directory Project.
- Perfect Dark Zero at MobyGames
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