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Just as the month was ending, the gaming company Rare, released its long awaited title for the Nintendo 64, Perfect Dark. After playing some multi-player and solo games I thought I would give a quick review of the game for those of you that are on the fence about whether or not to get it.
The game requires the Nintendo 64-expansion pack to run all the features that are listed on the box, so you might want to pay the extra $30 and purchase one, as that is the only way to get into the storyline part of the game. Once you put it in and start playing, you will find that it was worth it. The graphics in the game are outstanding for a Nintendo 64 game. Rare really used the expansion pack to its full potential and you will see it on the screen. The characters look more human than in Rare's other first-person shooter, Goldeneye, and it does not suffer from the slowing down that Goldeneye sometimes suffered from. Plus, there are extended cinema scenes that show the progression of the story. The game was given a M rating because of the fact that instead of just having a red spot on the bad guy where you shot him, there is an actual red spot on the wall or window where you shot that bad guy, and instead of fading away after a point, the bodies stay on the screen.
The sound has grown leaps and bounds from Goldeneye. Instead of the occasional grunt if you shoot a bad guy, they say actual phrases such as, "She got me" or "Hey you!" or "Target sighted." Along with the cinema scenes, they have an audio track that explains what's going on in the story. The voices are different and distinct so you can identify which character is which. The music is okay, but is not bad enough to turn off the sound on your television, and for me I just tune it out after a certain point.
The controls are pretty much the same as Goldeneye. The control stick moves your character and helps in aiming your weapon, the `Z' button fires your weapon or activates your special item, `B' opens doors and the `C ` arrows help in movement and aiming as well. The one thing I like about it though, instead of having to hit the `A' button repeatedly until you get to the weapon that you want, what you can do is press and hold the `A' button until a sort of selection menu comes up and then you highlight what you need with the control stick and it instantly brings that weapon or special item up.
The game itself is more complex than Goldeneye. Much like Goldeneye, there are three difficulty levels to each mission in the main game, but the objectives in each level are vary tough to complete even on the basic setting. For example, if you do not go through the fifth mission a certain way, then you will fail every time until you can do it the right way. I love the challenge of each level and I have already gone back to play numerous levels for the fun of it.
The weapons in the game just make the ones in Goldeneye look pretty tame. They have two modes of operation; the first is a general shooting mode that will allow you to shoot one at a time or multiple rounds depending on what kind of weapon it is. The second mode is some type of special feature distinct for that weapon. If you have a pistol or revolver in this mode then you will pistol-whip them. Some of the other weapons have grenade launchers, automated weapon gun mode (like the century guns from the movie `Aliens'), a threat identifier and lots more. My favorite so far it the Laptop Gun that converts into the automated gun mode that when you throw it down it'll lock on to someone as long as it has ammo. It's great in multi-player mode because of its surprise factor.
The multi-player part of the game has, much like the graphics and sound, been expanded. Not only are there new levels for you to play with. You only start with about four or five levels, but as you play more combat simulation levels against the computer, you will get more weapons and levels for you to play in. A vary interesting new feature to multiplayer games are the addition of up to eight simulants or "sims" that are computer controlled players that have different personalities. They can be anything from Peaceful to Suicidal, and all have special quirks. For example, the PeaceSim runs around the battlefield taking weapons from all the players. It's really annoying to play with them, but if you keep them at a distance and kill him, then you will hit a jackpot of weapons. The only drawback is that if you have three or more human players and a lot of Sims going around, the game has a tendency to slow down and weapons can be somewhat hard to find.
Overall, if you are a first person shooter fan, or want a fun game that you can play with friends I would recommend Perfect Dark. Its rating of `M' is perfectly justified because of the violence factor and the fact that there is some profanity in the game. The story is fun and original, and is probably going to be one of the most memorable games for the Nintendo 64 for a number of years to come.
[Disagree? Want to tell me to `Shove it with Walnuts' about Perfect Dark? Love the game as much as I do? Feel free to e-mail me at the address above.]
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