Perfect Dark

The title isn't just my opinion; if you look at the best games of all time on Metacritic, Perfect Dark remains near the top with an average score of 97 and is the highest FPS on the list. But why was it so great, and does it hold up today? I argue that in many areas (obviously not controls, framerate, graphics, online play, or voice acting but in most others), even in a direct comparison it fares well with or even surpasses modern FPSs.

In terms of game modes, it has a campaign with three difficulty levels (done well, with increasing objectives in each one for new experiences) and an unlockable custom difficulty, a comprehensive multiplayer mode with customizable bots and so many options that it's divided into multiple categories, a challenge mode within MP that unlocks MP features and has its own weapon sets, and an explorable hub area that has optional training and information and offers more as you progress through the game. The player is always in control in terms of how to approach the game and control never being taken away during gameplay; you can jump into missions without tutorials, play MP with mostly recognizable weapons from the beginning, or play missions on any difficulty solo, co-op with a human or AI ally, or counter-op with another human.

The campaign has huge variety in its locations and objectives; objectives often require thought, exploration, and/or manual use of gadgets compared to modern FPSs where you follow a nav point and press an action button, clear all enemies, or defend against waves. One criticism with the campaign is that some areas will leave new players unsure of how to progress, especially if they don't read objective descriptions; however, although an extra optional help system would've been nice, these are mostly well-done with environmental, audio, and/or text clues with a few exceptions such as a hidden wall in the last segment of the first mission or finding an NPC in a late-game mission. Thankfully, players can continue playing if they fail an objective. There are no checkpoints, so dying or failing an objective means the mission segment has to be replayed from the beginning in order to complete it; but they're short enough that players can often beat them within a few minutes if they know what to do.

Another major strength of the campaign is the AI, which is also great in multiplayer. In missions, AI in its default state isn't aware of the player allowing for optional stealth, has a brief delay when alerted, and has a variety of potential actions in a given scenario. What really impresses me is how satisfying enemies are to shoot given that they react to being shot with potentially permanent damage such as limping. Over two decades later, and this still surpasses many modern FPSs where enemies barely flinch when shot and then continue shooting as if nothing had happened. Enemies also need to reload, sometimes have their guns jam, and can be disarmed by the player or by having their weapon shot. In multiplayer, bots have custom difficulties and even personality/behavior choices; bots on a player's team can also be given commands including objective-specific ones.

Admittedly, the story and storytelling are pretty minimal. Cutscenes and briefings mostly get the job done, but the main threat is largely hidden in a wall of text; it's vaguely alluded to in cutscenes, but it would've been nice to have more references to it. However, what's going on in the moment is conveyed to an acceptable degree in cutscenes. Players who want to fully understand the story will need to read mission briefings, objective descriptions (remember that higher difficulties add objectives), and the story summary.

Progressing through missions and completing time trials of missions unlock cheats. These can drastically change how the game plays and feels, and many of them can be used in any game mode. They might make missions easier or more difficult, although progression is locked while any cheat is activated regardless of whether or not it affects gameplay or enemies. In my opinion, Perfect Dark offers the most interesting kinds of unlockable extras: cheats, playable characters, and other gameplay-related features rather than artwork.

In FPSs, gunplay is very important; and it's great here. Hit detection is incredible, with players able to shoot rockets mid-flight and dropped explosives on the ground. Especially on the N64 version, guns and explosions feel and sound powerful. (The remaster added an echo effect and made explosions look like whisps instead of fireballs.) Almost all weapons also have a secondary function, with some of them really standing out as unique. Even your fists have a secondary function in all game modes: disarming, which is a gameplay mechanic very few (if any other) FPSs have. The gun lineup in this game is perhaps one of the best in any FPSs, with a few of its guns commonly appearing on "top guns/weapons of all time" lists.

Multiplayer has arena-style matches where all players spawn with nothing and find pickups on the map rather than choosing or customizing loadouts. Pickups have specific locations and respawn after a set time. Weapon sets determine what spawns and where; preset weapon sets tend to have a shield pickup and a signature weapon with other weapons as well, although players can create custom weapon sets. Challenges and preset games also have their own weapon sets. There are even unlockable options; and challenges unlock many characters including some with alternate outfits. Game modes don't have as much variety as in modern games, but there's enough variety here to keep things interesting, especially given the countless options that even let you choose which songs will play. Options are so vast that there's the option to save and load MP setups; as two examples of what's possible, I've created teams divided by factions and an RE-inspired mode with AI behavior and weapons that resemble those from the series. There's even a ranking system with medals.

The explorable hub area is where the main character works and offers training and information rooms. I love that there's no forced tutorial. Not only can players do tutorials if and when they want to, but there's even choice in terms of what order to do them in. Weapons that are picked up in any mode become available in the firing range in and multiplayer; and information is added to information rooms as players progress through the campaign. Being able to explore this area adds a sense of belonging as opposed to the Carrington Institute being a generic place you know nothing about.

The graphics and sound were amazing for their time, and the sound holds up surprisingly well today minus the voice acting. There are tons of audiovisual effects and details such as different sounds when walking on or punching different kinds of surfaces. Lights can be shot out, and dark areas are briefly illuminated with shots. The music is phenomenal and holds up extremely well. The voice acting was very impressive for its time especially on consoles but of course doesn't hold up to games from following generations. The pause menu opens almost instantly and is very responsive despite the various effects going on; in fact, the game's navigation is so fast that you can literally go from a mission to a multiplayer match or vice versa in less than a minute.

The biggest criticism of the original version, though, is probably the framerate, which reached unacceptable levels even for its time. This was mostly (but not entirely) fixed in the remaster. The remaster made many negative changes and baffling design decisions such as a large deadzone in the right stick, more convoluted menus especially in the 360 version, and unlocking too much from the start; but it does have some positives, such as dual stick support and added weapons in MP that were previously only available in the campaign. Playing the N64 version on "PC" with a mouse and keyboard might be the best setup.

In summary (with extra information as well), the following are features that are unique to Perfect Dark or rarely seen in other FPSs:

• A mode where you can train in and explore the place you work for

• Secondary functions for weapons that make them unique and add utility

• AI bots in multiplayer and in co-op

• A counter-op mode where a second player plays as enemies

• Split-screen multiplayer, co-op, and counter-op

• The ability to disarm other players, MP bots, and most mission enemies

• An emphasis on gadgets that you use manually

• Opportunities to be creative

• A puzzle-like mission design where you have to think and explore to progress and sometimes have more than one option in terms of how to approach things

• Certain actions that influence later missions

• Objectives that increase with difficulty level, offering playthroughs where you see something new each time

• You can keep playing if you fail an objective (for fun or practice)

• Enemies with individual alertness levels, resulting in optional stealth as opposed to dedicated stealth missions

• Highly advanced enemy reactions even to this day based on where they're shot

• The tendency to start with a pistol and find better weapons during the mission

• Equal spawns with weapon, shield, and other pickups in multiplayer

• AI commands including objective-related actions in multiplayer

• Customizable multiplayer bots where you can choose their model, difficulty, and behavior

• Tons of unlockables more interesting than artwork that can actually be used in missions and in offline multiplayer

• Countless options that let you personalize the experience ranging from HUD options to multiplayer music

• Cheats that can completely change how the game feels and plays

• Full control over your character at all times; no QTEs or other moments where control is taken away

• Control over what, when, and in what order you play in terms of the game's various modes

• Challenges, which when combined with the CI result in two extra modes outside of the campaign and multiplayer, not counting the CI training rooms, co-op, and counter-op separately

I recommend Perfect Dark to anyone willing to overlook the hardware limitations of its time. Feel free to explore the game's menus and modes in any order. I recommend starting missions on agent or on special agent at the highest since it's recommended to be familiar with a mission's layout and design before attempting perfect agent; this also allows for new objectives when replaying missions on a higher difficulty. If you get stuck and can't figure out how to progress even with the provided objective descriptions, there's nothing wrong with looking up the solution online. If you die or fail an objective, remember that it will likely only take a few minutes to get back to where you were; another idea if you get stuck is to use cheats to make it easier before a real run without cheats. I also recommend familiarizing yourself with the controls and making use of the quick menu and secondary functions. The multiplayer mode is also fun even if you don't have others to play with. After playing Perfect Dark, you might wonder why modern FPSs haven't continued many of its great ideas.