Perfect Dark Zero for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I loved the original Perfect Dark. Everything built on the Goldeneye engine was great, and co-op play made Perfect Dark, well, perfect. So I was excited when I learned one of the launch titles for the 360 was going to be the prequel. Screenshots released before the 360 launch made me even more excited. Joanna looks great! That gun is firing a grenade! Is that a laptop gun in the background?
I was looking forward to what I hoped would be the next-gen Halo. After playing through the campaign, spending some time with co-op, and a bit of multiplayer, I can tell you this: Halo it isn't.
It looks great. From the light in the subway tunnels to Joanna's nail polish, it looks beautiful. The weapons all look great, foliage hangs naturally, and guards have details on their uniforms.
Gameplay is solid without being too hectic. All movement has an otherworldly sort of slo-mo effect, making it strange at first, but you get used to it. There is no jump button; mashing the A button makes Joanna roll to avoid fire. Also, there are moments when you can duck behind cover. It's an excuse to check out Joanna in third-person, but it can help keep you alive.
The solo campaign is pretty weak. Levels are confusing so the game has arrows on the ground to tell you where to go. The story is shoddy - the only things pressing you forward are the arrows. There are a lot of weapons, all with 2 and some with 3 functions. In order to carry those weapons to a future level you have to find the weapon and keep it till the end of that level. Co-op is similar, only with a buddy, which makes for some fun crossfire situations.
Multiplayer is excellent. Xbox Live supports 16 players online (you can add 16 bots as well) and adjusts the map according to how many people are playing. You can even load the maps alone just to get the lay of the land.
Though it didn't live up to the hype, PDZ is a great game. Play through it with a buddy, then pop online for some multiplayer. It's worth your time.

this game is beautiful and has great guns and features. the story mode is a little weak but worth a playthrough the 13 large levels . The best part is ONLINE co-op throught the whole game over live which is sweet as you both have to work together and work it out no other game has done this so its cool. The online is great NO LAG AT ALL tons of players 32, and tons of gametypes to pick they only offer 6 maps now but soon more will be available th DL. This game is preety DARN good but its not a total FPS its also got a adventure feel like tombraider its a sweet game and i bought it from gamefly after i got it home i recommend this game you may like it also

Perfect Dark Zero had high expectations. after its release a lot of people were disappointed, not me. Well actually I was disappointed by a couple of things like the story being shallow and some of the single player levels were repetitive. In one mission you're supposed to escort a scientist to safe room to talk, it always seemed like I was going down the same hall over and over again. Although the online multiplayer was fun, the bot matches weren't nearly as fun. For the most part though PDZ is a fun FPS with great graphics, a pretty fun single player campaign, and an awesome online multiplayer game.

8/10

PDZ is a awesome game to own on the 360.
The story mode is fun, and you can play co-op on it, through live and on one system. BTW Co-op = FTW
Also the xbl part is VERY fun, i really enjoy a good game of infection (aka zombies from Halo 2).
The downside to this game is the cut scenes in one player, they really look bad compared to the gameplay which is gorgeous. Sound is good and replay value is HUGE!!! Be sure to check this game out!

This is definitely a must play! Single player is well thought out and challenging (but not unbeatable) with plenty of replayability. Some of the movie scenes dialogue and animations seem funny, but hey we usually watch them once and then skip them the rest of the time anyway. The high point for me is definitely Co-op missions over xboxlive. Those looking for sheer multi- player madness, should probably stick with Halo or another FPS mostly because of a lack of options and quantity of maps. Even with some unique darkop modes and changing environments (which are visually impressive) you'll find replayability somewhat less than other FPS.
Also some may experience some difficulty in the transition from another FPS to PDZ. Its a different type of shooter altogether.

Things I'd change or add

less reflective and light textures
customizable controller settings
more reactive control on zoom
More maps and game modes, more vehicles
More stealth options aka (splinter cell)
Less dependency on headshots for a kill (particularly in missions)
Option to add other gadgets collected within missions (ie threat dectors, xray, and nightvison goggles)

In summary, I'm enjoying PDZ for what it is, miss some of the things it isn't, and am looking forward to Halo3 later this year. Another great RARE game.

Overall, this game is decent. The graphics leave the gamer feeling satisfied, but in no way blown away or even impressed. Gameplay graphics are decent, but the cutscenes do little to show off the 360's capabilities. The gameplay gets a little monotonous, with only a few changes in terms of driving vehicles, manning turrets, hacking, etc.. The taking cover feature is horrible, as you can't even move left or right behind your cover. Also, no blind firing to keep enemies at bay. Reloading is simple, but there's no jumping, and the rolling button is on the same hand as the movement stick, which makes it kinda awkward.
One great part of the game are the neat gadgets and weapons that are obtained. The ability to defeat some enemies greatly depends on which guns are initially chosen, and your strategies will also vary due to the weapons. The gun usage is wonderful and pretty realistic (in terms of the physics engine). Even with all this, the game leaves you wanting more. Even though the title is "Perfect Dark Zero", there's relatively little about the game that is gritty. I absolutely loved the club mission, as music was played, bartenders shot at you and innocent bystanders run around scared. What a great initial level. After that, it was all downhill for me. The whole game you can't help but wonder what the heck Joanna Dark does for a living, and how did she get all this training? Overall, I think it's above average gameplay, average graphics, and a poor storyline. It deserves a play through, but that's about it, definitely not replayable.

This game dominates online.period.

Perfect Dark Zero was one of the best launch titles for the Xbox 360. The game featured detailed next gen graphics and interesting weapons, but due to a rather weak campaign and constant comparisons to Halo this game never got the justice it deserves.
PDZ is not Halo, let's just get that out of the way up front...PDZ is not trying to be Halo so stop comparing the two games...

The Multiplayer is really what carries this title. There is tons of customization for the user and the addition of bots is always a welcome feature imho. The game runs pretty smooth at 30 FPS and doesn't slow down unless you have several explosions happening all at once on the screen. Multiplayer also gives you the option to play co-op through the campaign which is a huge plus...this was one aspect of FPS that I feel should be main stream in the next gen, being able to share the campaign with a friend via Xbox Live.

If you're looking for a good FPS with good multiplayer features then look no further than PDZ. However, if you're looking to find a story you can sink your teeth into look elsewhere...

Probably the best things about this game are the graphics and the level designs. although fairly linear, the levels have an expansive feel to them, and the lighting, textures, etc are gorgeous. They overdid the "wet" look on a lot of the textures, giving everything a look that's a little too shiny at times. Still, a beatiful game. There are also some fun gadgets to use, like the "Locktopus" and such, and a decent array of weapons.

on the downside - the character of Joanna Dark is about as convinving as Paris Hilton in an action movie. She has an annoying and immature voice, and is really not that interesting to play as at all. Also, the AI is really annoying (trying to be stealthy is nearly impossible, as any enemy looking in your general direction will instantly spot you no matter how stealthy you try to be), there is little destructibility in the environment, and enemies frequently bum-rush you too fast to effectively dispatch with conventional weapons. If I hadn't found the katana in an earlier level, I would have died much more often - the roll and slash technique becomes your best friend in this game. The complaint I have about this game is the same I have about Farcry - why do you have to shoot a full clip into every single bad guy to take them down? I hate games that make you too dependent on getting that headshot - especially when you're trying to get that headshot while 20 guys are shooting at your head! sometimes the time limits and mission objectives are just too difficult or too restrictive, killing a lot of the fun.

ultimately, the game is like the character it's named after - pretty to look at, but not much else going on upstairs.

This is the FPS to get right after G.R.A.W., its got a ton of guns, alot of variety in online gameplay, moreso than any other FPS out on the 360 to date, and the graphics are top notch. Everything about this game is great....except sometimes there are connection problems online at times. Definitely rent this game if you enjoyed the first PD, it adds greatly to the story and is a very well done sequel.

This game is awsome! First off, there are tons of weapons and each weapon has a cool secondary fire. SOme of the guns have grenade launchers in them, some have silencers, and then there are the guns that have bullets that can bounce off walls so you can shoot around corners. Almost every gun has scope too so you will never have to worry about not seeing your enemies from far. Even some of the pistols have a 4x zoom! The battles in story mode and online keep you on edge. You can get behind cover whenever you want. You can roll out of harms way if you are getting shot at. EVerything in the game is just so awsome... except for the story. the story is pretty lame. It all seems like it goes to fast and things just happen like right away and your like " what the H3JJ am i supposed to be doing?!?". But if you ever get lost in a mission, waypoint arrows magicly appear on the ground for you to follow. One of the things i got annoyed at was that somtimes you cant figure out where enemies are shooting you from. Like in this one jungle level, you can barely see anything let alone swarms of enemies coming at you. You'll just think you killed everyone then you start walking and boom you get shot at and your looking around and its just really hard to find enemies when you play on giant levels and there are sniper shooting at you from like 600 feet away! The story mode will probably take you 10 or so hours to omplete. But if your not happy with that you can take all teh action to XBOX Live and battle it out against other people. There are lots of modes to choose from (including Co-Op Live) and all the guns from story mode are in Online with all thier great features. The graphics in this game are just beautiful. You cant notice it from the first level, but when you get to the levels in the jungle or in the ruins in the desert, the graphics just look so crisp and clear youll feel like your in the game.
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
GRAPHICS: 10/10
STORY:7/10
DESIGN:9/10
OVERALL: 9.8/10

The original Perfect Dark on N64 is still one of my favorite FPS's of all time, way back in June 2000 when it was released. I had HUGE hopes for this sequel and just over five years later, my hopes were crushed and I was more than disappointed.

Perfect Dark Zero (PDZ) is a prequel to the N64 game, although they don't really share too much in common. You don't need to play either to get the story of either, especially considering PDZ's story is a confusing and disoriented and all around useless piece of junk.

Nearly all of the great things about the original are gone; the excellent voicework, the precise shooting, the fluid gameplay, fast movement, great level design, interesting story, memorable characters, sense of freedom, feeling of immersion and so on. Rare replaced Joanna's sophisticated English accent with an annoying American one, probably in an attempt to cater to a younger demographic. The level design is absolutely ATROCIOUS, so bad that Rare even had to put little blue arrows on the ground to guide you through their poorly designed levels. If you thought the Halo games had bad level designs, wait until you see this.

The shooting is slow, the aiming is awful and nearly impossible for any sense of accuracy, as compared to games like Halo and Call of Duty 2 where you have a great feeling of control. While the graphics look nice in spots, the overwhelming shine and terrible art style counter-act them. Nothing about this game is good, it looks, sounds and plays horribly.

Final verdict: Avoid like the plague, this is hands-down one of, if not THE worst first person shooter I've ever played. It's horrible to see this kind of junk come from Rare, who used to be so good, especially since their other launch game, Kameo is pretty good!

Such a very bad game, a disgrace to it's predecessor N64 version. I don't even know where to begin. The story is terrible, the game mechanics are bad, and the voice acting is cheesy enough to make you turn emo.

Overall look of the game is good. Graphics wise I would give it good reviews. However, the game play is quite slow. The button configuration starts off quite sketchy. The story line is amusing, although I didn't realize it was a prequal to the original for quite some time.

Multiplayer, from my limited experience, was a huge downfall from the 64 version. I would even compare the original multiplayer version to a more advanced version of 007 Golden Eye. Although Rare has yet to put out another hit such as this, the multiplayer just isn't the same and lacks that certain luster the originals had.

Overall decent game, but as a fan of the original I'm quite disappointed.

Well, Perfect Dark Zero had a nearly insurmountable task to achieve: live up to the amazing quality of the original Perfect Dark on the N64 ... it didn't.

The general flavor's been changed to something a bit more light-hearted, but it feels a bit forced. Additionally, the dialogue and voice actors come off more often as irritating/cliche than enjoyable (make that 90% of the time).

A number of the cooler weapons are back, and the environments look alright, but overall I can't recommend this to anyone. To be honest I just rented this since I was curious about the train wreck.

Keep in mind this is a 1st generation release game back from when the 360 was so in love with itself, but that is no excuse. This game is straight-up wierd! The art style is goofy, the level objectives are deceptively hidden, the story is nonsensicle and cliche`d. The only thing that really grew on me was the shooting action and blood spraying headshots, and that is after you get used to the playstyle and goofy, cheesey look of everything. You`ll hear enemy combatants spewing mentally challenged phrases like "Why I otta!" or "That smarts!". The absurdity knows no bounds, you`ll run into a set of wild west brothers on a space shuttle launchpad, and shoot enemies dressed looking like Nintendo`s Captain Falcon complete with yellow helmet-wings...? To add insult to injury, most of the Achievements are ridiculously hard to get (1,000 headshots, 1,000 sniper kills, 1,000 matches of X type game). If you played the original back on the Nintendo 64 (I still own mine!) you`ll be disappointed by this "update" to the series.

When this game came out I did not think that it would be like 100X better than the first one on the Nintendo64. The one on the 64 is such a classic but this Perfect Dark has huge improvements. Great graphics. Multi-player is really fun. And the best thing is the co-op. I love all games that you can beat with a friend and be both playing at the same time. I would recommend buying this game.

The online play in perfect dark zero is amazing. with so many different game types, weapons, and maps you wont ever get bored of it. it also has an awesome cover system and futuristic weapons and vehicles. this game is a great buy if you enjoy any shooting games.

there are some pretty low reviews for this game, cut the game some slack it was a freaking launch title and they didn't do half bad story okay, game play good, graphics good, and weapons and vehicles awesome, it has it's short comings but there are always things wrong with the first few game to come out for a system...i gave it a nine...my hate e-mail address is Walt230aJuno,com your message will not be read.

I boought this game half a year ago and even though I am kind of tired of it I still think it was a good game. The graphics were good and I like the cover ability and built in zombie game alot. The thing I did not like about it was when you get up close to an opponet the gameplay is kinda of frusterating. But I like this game to much to give it a lower rating.

This is a all around great game. single player is pretty good but the online Co-op is alot of fun. and the online deathmatch keeps you coming back fo more.

Joanna back and she is killing bad guys on the 360! The graphics are awesome and the game is really cool. The vehicles are a little wierd but the physics in the game are radical. I suggest this game for an immediate rent.
-Fatman

This is the worse 360 game I have played besides that flight game.
This games single player is so bad, the enemies are just plain dumb and the missions are just plain bad. The level design is so bad that they have to give you little arrows on the ground so you don't get lost, which I might add happens a lot.
The online is only slightly better, but still awful. No one dies online, you cant snipe to save your life because the crosshair moves so slow when zoomed in. It takes like 50 shots to kill someone unless you get them in the head, then its one. There is no aim assistance, and when most games have a slight one, like Halo. You can't hit the broad side of a barn.
The only good thing is it has good graphics and a sweet looking box if you got collectors edition.

I couldn't get into the game because of the slow paced action. It feels like Joana is a fat chick, she moves way too slow. The controls are also very awkward, I own the game and I'm still not used to them. The multiplayer is the best part about the game, but the slow paced action is still here. With Ghost Recon out now, there is no reason to even bother with this generic FPS. It honestly feels like the old N64 version, just with a really neat face job.