PDZ�s multiplayer is enjoyable, whether you�re playing Deathmatch or CTF, or any other multiplayer mode. While the game is fun online�especially split screen with guests�there are only 6 maps, and half of them just aren�t interesting to play. None of these maps have the charm of other Xbox shooters in recent years. On the plus side, this game does feature 32 players, as well as 15 bots. The bots are very smart�much brighter than their single player counterparts for whatever reason�and are a great addition that many other shooters leave out. Every map can be scaled, too: the sizes range from huge, to fricking huge.
Co-op is easily this game�s best feature. Split screen is fun if you have another controller, but this game also supports co-op through Xbox Live. It helps that it�s not just two Joanna Darks shooting together either. You actually have to cooperate and do objectives differently than you would by yourself. It�s possible that you may not even meet up with each other until the end of the level.
Visually, Perfect Dark Zero impresses and disappoints. The game is certainly a good launch title in that it is essentially a tech-demo showing exactly what the Xbox 360 can do. Normal mapping, parallax mapping, motion blur, and pretty much anything else you would consider �next-gen.� That�s all fine, but why is every single object in the game covered in ice? Everything is way too shiny for its own good. It�s almost as if one of the game�s artists discovered a new mapping technique and just went crazy with it. My guns are shiny? That�s fine, they are supposed to be. Bricks? Okay, maybe it rained. We�re in the desert? Oh�
And then there are the characters, which look like plastic. It�s hard to imagine them looking much worse, with their atrocious textures and their cartoon-like appearance. It makes no sense to have animated characters in a realistic looking world, but that is what happened. For this reason, PDZ�s art style is awful, despite having some really impressive visuals otherwise. The framerate maintains thirty frames per second. Multiplayer matches run much slower sometimes, particularly in split-screen in larger maps.
The music in this game is awesome. The weapons sound crisp and angry, especially the Jackal sniper rifle. The voice acting is unintentionally hilarious, especially that of the game�s Asian characters, who fall into every stereotype imaginable. Did I mention that the announcer in multiplayer is the most amusing one ever? He sounds like a crazy car salesman who gets overly enthusiastic with every team kill. �TEEEAM KILLER!� It�s also fun to hear the conversations and voice overs from the game�s AI, which consist of some of the funniest one-liners I�ve heard since Far Cry (PC).
Perhaps my biggest complaint with Perfect Dark Zero is its controls. I simply cannot play this game properly due to its awful analog sensitivity, which I never can get �just right� because it�s either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. Sniping in this game is a nightmare because your target simply moves faster than you can aim while zoomed in. You actually have to zoom out in order to move it faster, which shouldn�t happen. There also isn�t enough aim assist in the game. Sure, people criticize games like Halo 2 where the aim assist is generous, but for console games, you must have that assistance. We�re not talking keyboard and mouse here, where it�s not needed. First person shooters especially need good controls for console games, or they�re just too frustrating to play. Perfect Dark Zero demonstrates what not to do with console shooter control schemes.
So if you�re expecting a killer-app, must-own game you will be very disappointed. There have just been so many advancements in the FPS genre lately with F.E.A.R. or Far Cry that it detracts from this game�s more dated approach. This game has just been in development for so long that it actually suffers. Had this game came out a couple years ago, I think it would have had a more significant impact on me. Rare is still not completely there; maybe a few more games and we can see them make some more masterpieces. And here�s to hoping that the next Perfect Dark can compare to the utter brilliance of the original.
That said, PDZ is an entertaining shooter that stays close to the roots of its predecessor. The core shooting action in this game is top-notch and is certainly polished, especially when you factor in the huge single player maps and all the weapons available. If you want a FPS that is a little bit old school and excels in blowing bad guys away, this game is what you want. It�s certainly no system seller, but if you do want an Xbox 360, this is one of the system�s better games so far. If you�re tired of other first person shooters and want a new online experience, you might as well give it a try.
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