Those desperatly needing a FPS just to play around with, and nothing more, will get their needs in PDZ.
As a prequel, the game differs greatly from the first Perfect Dark releassed for the N64. Not only are characters different, but the characters from the N64 game look and act very different as well. Rareware was famous years ago for making successful and addictive console FPS for the N64, both of them being 007 GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Is this new FPS of theirs worthy of the classics? Let's find out.
The first mission of the game is basically a totorial half-way through, and you get used to the basics once you complete it. Most of the FPS levels take place at bases from all around the world (mostly in China and later in Africa). You'll go through hallway after hallway. You'll get some gaurds in the way, so you just shoot em down like in any FPS. There are some gadgets to use as well. Some of them are a return from the first game, such as the Camspy. You're also equiped with a hacker system which is used to open security infested doors, as well as a detonator, which you match lines from one place or another, to blow up walls.
It's pretty obvious that Halo influenced Rare to make some changes in their FPS formula. There are a couple vehecles to drive in the game, but no way near as much as the Halo games, but then again, it isn't a big deal. The vehecles here aren't very special anyways. When playing, your character is also equipped with a recharging system which heals you if you stay out of gunfire, much like Halo. You're also limited to a few weapons to carry for yourself. You can carry pistols, rifles, plasma guns, explosives, and others. You can also melee attack your enemies, very much like Halo. The Single Player Campaign is fun, but it does get repetitive after a while, and a couple of the missions aren't very saticfying.
The Multiplayer, or arena matches, is a lot of fun. Like the first Perfect Dark, you can customizes your weapons, the number of points, the levels, ect. The arenas here are a fairly large size, however there isn't much of a variety of levels at first. But the fun of the arenas, wether you play by yourself or with friends, is what really shows the spirit of the game. Doing matches on XBL makes things better surely. Downloads for new levels become available for making things fresh, which is a nice touch. Now despite the fun gameplay mentioned in this review, there are a couple flaws to go over.
Your character that's moved in PDZ is a little too slow paced. It's even slower than the first game. But you'll get used to it, since the game is still pretty fun. Another problem would have to be the lack of variety of weapons. As said before, most of the weapons are just pistols, rifles, and explosives. The first Perfect Dark had so much more weapons that were interesting to use. But these flaws are fairly minor, so it shouldm't effect your time with PDZ.
Graphics:
A very nice attempt on the Xbox 360's graphical power for next-gen. The envioronments are large, colourful and very detailed. Everything from the walls to the trees looks good. The frame rate holds up very well with little to no slowdowns. Some of the faces on the random character models are a little ugly though, so beware. Nevertheless, Rareware never dissapoints when it comes to graphics.
Sound:
Unfortunitly, the audio is a bit messed up here. The soundtrack is more Rock infested with some bits of techno thrown in. It lacks the spirit of the first Perfect Dark though, which mostly ends just suiting the action, rather then keeping the players interested with the music. The voice acting is very bad and annoying. The first Perfect Dark didn't have great voice acting ether, but in PDZ, the level of voice acting quallity drops down a few levels. Some of the voices are very annoying that you'll wish to turn them off, but sadly, there's no option to. The sound effects are standard and get the job done. The audio presented in PDZ just didn't grab my attension like the N64 game did.
Conclusion:
PDZ, despite the fun gameplay and some cool techniques, fails to live up to the FPS legends, such as Halo, Half-Life, the oringinal Perfect Dark, ect. You'll still have fun if you just want a FPS to play around with, but it will depend if you'll play this a lot. There's a good amount of replay value for those that want to complete the single player campaign in Agent, Secret Agent or Perfect Agent. Also, getting acheviements for your gamerscore takes time to accomplish. So PDZ is worth owning to FPS fans that have a 360.
Pros:
-Solid FPS gameplay
-Great graphics
-Very fun arena matches
Cons:
-Gameplay gets a bit repetitive in the single player mode
-Very annoying voice acting