Perfect Dark Zero is fun for awhile, but the great graphics can't hide the fact that its gameplay feels out-dated.
First, the graphics. The environments certainly impress, as this game has some of the best ground and wall textures I've ever seen in a videogame, as well as this neat little blur effect whenever you turn fast. This makes the game feel slick and smooth and actually hides most of the framerate slowdowns. But there is one aspect that mars these otherwise excellent graphics: the character models. This game has the worst character models I've ever seen. They look like playdough! Simply atrocious. Other than that blatant and obvious flaw, the game's graphics are top notch.
The sound is another story. The weapons all sound great, the richocheting bullets sound just peachy, buy the voice acting is total garbage. This certainly takes cheesy to the next level. Even as you are playing, the enemies will scream out lines such as, "she shot me!" "he was my friend!" "she has a gun!"(in the middle of a firefight, after the guy was shot 2-3 times)""is that all you got?""shoot the b****!"" and other ingenious phrases. The cutscenes are no better.
The gameplay is, for the most part, well handled. It plays just like any other first person shooter. But the A.I. is terrible and it is not uncommon, at the end of a firefight, to find 20 bodies in a neat little pile in front of you. They sometimes (on rare instances) take cover, but for the most part they just run right at you. Shooting them is very satisfying, thanks to the satisfying dying animations and excellent weapon effects, but that considered, the game isn't really a leap gameplay-wise. They tried to add something new to the mix by adding a cover system. It works well and all, but is pretty useless because the enemies just run right at you, behind your cover, forcing you to exit it to shoot them. Also, and this makes the game extremely frustrating, the only checkpoint between the long missions is halfway through, so if you are a minute away from the end and die, you have to start about half an hour back in the level. Very frustrating, indeed.
Value-wise, the game is sound. The single player campaign is long enough, and the multiplayer is very fun, indeed. There are plenty of options and modes for multiplayer and the game has a solid online community.
Overall, Perfect Dark Zero fails to impress, but it entertains and it is a good rental.