Perfect Dark

Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Rare

Genre(s): Action, First-Person Shooter

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: May 22, 2000

Summary

Special operative Joanna Dark flips the script on the predictable plots of first-person shooters, with a twisting storyline where aliens are allies and trust is a luxury which you can't afford. Players control Ms. Dark, who earned the nickname Perfect after graduating with top honors from the Carrington Institute. The action begins in the year 2023, when Joanna receives a distress signal from a troubled scientist held hostage in the heart of a monolithic corporation called dataDyne. Joanna's first mission is to infiltrate the heavily guarded corporate headquarters, and soon she finds herself in the epicenter of an intergalactic conspiracy set to explode. We don't want to spoil the surprises that pop up along the way, but it's safe to say that throughout her adventure Joann discovers the corrosive effect power and greed have on the human psyche. As an extra bonus, she's also a crucial player in a massive war between two alien species. Each stage of Perfect Dark can be played in one of three difficulty levels: Agent, Secret Agent or Perfect Agent. In addition to pumping up enemy AI in higher difficulty levels, players have to complete increasingly complex tasks. [Nintendo]

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What The Critics Said

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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 90 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael S gave it a10:
Classic shooter that, despite imperfections even for its time, did an astounding job of blowing Goldeneye clean out of the water. I don't think I've ever been so excited about one video game, and I'm sure I never will be again.

Joe T. gave it a10:
The undisputed, best ever FPS game ever. I am playing it right now, almost 10 years on. Nothing will ever touch this game in any way, shape or form. Unless they remake it, and I'm not talking about Perfect Dark Zero. What a poor, poor attempt. This is second to Ocarina of Time, on my Best Games of All Time list. Thank you Rare.

Ryan gave it a10:
Ah, Perfect Dark... It isn't the perfect game, but then again, what is? Nothing is ever perfect; things may be built upon. But for what Rare could achieve in game design at the time, it was, and should be, considered perfect. The frames per second lag with a lot of action, but really, that's the only offsetting thing about the game. Everything else is flawless, from the vast aresenal of weapons, all of which sport secondary functions that may even completely revolutionize said weapon, to the vast amount of challenge and unlockables there are in the game. And of course, the multiplayer is not to be missed. The AI is so advanced that you won't just be trying to win multiplayer matches against 'em - you'll be hoping just to get one kill in against them! The name of the game says it all. It's just a shame that more people didn't get to play it, as it was released near the end of the N64's "lifespan". I count myself lucky as I am among those. Get the game if you still can, as it is the best first-person shooter I've played to date, and it is unlikely that fact will change anytime soon!

PD}Paul K. of the Perfect Dark Elite Clan (cod) gave it a10:
This is definitely the best shooter for the Nintendo 64 system. An honorable mention is Goldeneye 007, but Perfect Dark is a far and distant FIRST! If u are a gamer and u already have done everything there is to do in Goldeneye, there is none more superior than Perfect Dark. Not even the PC has FPS that rival the ideas of this great shooter! It came too late in the N64 life cycle but if u want competition and skill, look no further. This is complex. It has the type of weapons YOU didn't know u wanted. Each weapon has a secondary function. On consoles, this was the height of FPS, then the industry started over with hype and the unrevolutionary Halo. U could disarm enemy's and shoot them with it! A lot of people only want minimal gameplay in their games so they immediately give Goldeneye the nod. i like Goldeneye, but i also keep it real because overall i like FPS games in general. Features (for its time): -Many CREATIVE AND DIVERSE weapons -Bots -Limitless CUSTOMIZABLE multiplayer (with humans or bots) Bots can have customizable personalities, teams, and difficulties Custom Tracks (from the game) in MP Create teams of 4 -Player Creation -Better Stats -No Invisible Guardrails -Nice Graphics -Single Player Story Of Epic Movie Material -Co-Op (with human or bot) -Counter Op in story mode (how many games do that?) -Great MUSIC!! -Great strategy -Hidden Levels (SP and MP) -Voiceovers and animations for the enemies -Actual Blood -Made by one of the greatest companies of all time ('RARE' -donkey kong country, killer instinct, rc pro am, marble madness, starfox GC, goldeneye 007, conkers bfd [another excellent game actually made for the N64], and others i forget) by the way, Perfect Dark Zero is NOT Perfect Dark!! This is NOT a rip off of Goldeneye! The only similarities are the engine and structure of the game (ex: doom3, quake 4). How can RareWare rip off their own product? They wanted to do a lot of this at the time of GE007 but 007 is its own licence so they waited to put it in their own product. Result is something that came late in the systems life and never got its deserved credit for giving u more than ANY modern FPS to date (3/17/09) The reviewer Eric S. has absolutely no idea and it shows. Also Eric, this game is great with friends.

Tiago J gave it a10:
One of the best FPS ever released! One of the best multiplayer modes in a console. One of the best graphics in its decade. Simply perfect! The game I've spent more time in all my life.

Max B gave it a10:
There's a reason this game is called Perfect Dark - it is both. The plot isn't worth a damn, and character development is frankly shameful, but the controls, visuals, sound and feel of the game are just unmatched by anything else on the N64, and in this gamer's opinion, any other platform to date. This is how a shooter should be done. Timeless. Many people are talking about the possibility of this game appearing on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade - this idea is frankly repugnant to me (despite owning an Xbox 360) - those Halo fanboys don't deserve this kind of brilliance.

Tom W gave it a5:
This game would be legendary, if it weren't for the horrid, horrid framerates. As such, its depressing because its awesomeness is matched only by the frustration of trying to actually play it. At the start of Level 2 where you have to snipe, things get down to 5 frames per sec. That is bullshit.

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