The plot (like the character models in this game) is painfully thin. The lack of a convincing narrative is not this game's biggest failing however. For starters, the weapon balancing is out. It takes too many bullets to kill people normally so headshots are vital. The aforementioned skeletal character models and very poor reticule control means that such headshots are extremely tough and happen to randomly to be satisfying. The result is that more often than not, multiplayer shootouts become ridiculous twitchy strafe contests resulting in empty clips and clumsy melee kills to finish with. The environments in the game are sparse and unconvincing with a paucity of the kind of detail needed to create a convincing atmosphere. The single player levels are unimaginatively designed and often lack clear direction as to where to go next. This would not be a problem if the game wasn't set up for such an uninteresting linear run and gun mechanic with strict mission objectives (failure of which often results in beginning the level over). All in all this is a horrible FPS and you would be far better off saving your pennies for CoD2 or GRAW.… Expand

Good game but graphicly this is no improvment over the last gen consols apart from being a little smoother this can be done on the xbox and ps2 with no problems. personally i should have just saved my money and brought a decent graphics card for my pc

It wouldn't be a good game in the previous generation, so in this... it's painfull. The problem with the graphics, it's not thei cartoonish feel, but a over-glow look, enemies do look like sick manequins, everything, but i mean everythinf shines (!!!). Difficulty goes up and down like a roller-coster. Story is so childish, that I couldn't compreend nothing beyond Joana against some multinational, but..., but..., why ? what ? Voice acting is no doubt the worst part of the game, it's beyond description. Multiplayer is the only thing that's so-so, not a big a deal, like some people say (not a Halo comparable, not for a long shot!). Enemies take forever to kill - everyone tries to do headshots, the whole game gravitates arround head-shots (everyone uses a helmet...). Poor, poor game. CoD2 doesn't deserve to be compared with this mess!… Expand

Laughable storyline, cumbersome controls, confusing map layouts, unbalanced weapons, annoying multiplayer announcer, and uncanny-valley-quality character models reveal this title's obvious launch game heritage. It's graphics may be the game's one saving grace. For some tried and true multiplayer FPS action, do yourself a favor and play some high-res 360 Halo 2 or better yet, some old-school N64 Goldeneye.… Expand

An exceptionally poor game. I can't understand why people rate it so highly.

A lame-a.s letdown. The "legendary game developer Rare" are a bunch of people hired in the aftermath of the Microsoft buyout - all the talented people left the company when Nintendo left the picture. And so this game, yet again, proves. Its a painfully dull catastrophe that has clearly been rushed to make the 360 launch date. A little more time could have made it competent. Right now, its almost unplayable. Videogames are not meant to be this dull.… Expand

I thought it was a horrible game and I was kicking myself for paying over $80 for the special edition when it came out. The graphics feel last-gen and are sickeningly waxy looking, the character models are as realistic as mannequins and the AI is some of the stupidest I've seen in a long time. The story wasn't all that interesting at all. The controls a little frustrating at first, but they can be mastered with relative patience. As for the multiplayer is pretty crazy, but there are a lot of things missing from the original that are really missed in this prequel (most noticeably, the choice of character models to choose from has gone from dozens to four). I am still scratching my head as to how this sorry excuse of a game got so much good reviews as it did, I'm guessing new-console hype had a big part in it.… Expand

Overall a good game but has many problems. Career mode frustrated me, graphics are just OK compared to other 360 games. Online play is hit and miss, sometimes it'll be great fun, other times you'll have connection problems or it'll be extremely boring. There are lots of other far better games than this. This is one of the weakest first person shooters on 360.

I started playing this game and to be honest I didn't like it. My interest in this game is not in the single player but in the multiplayer side of the game and I found that it wasn't the straight forward shooter that I had hoped for. Sure the levels are big, but any bots even when they where on different teams always seemed to be grouped together and show little interest in killing each other anytime i was near them. Not only that but they seemed rediculously hard to kill, and wouldn't stop rolling so they were right in front of me making them very difficult to kill. But I continued to play, learning to smack them in the face if they got to close and roll out of the way myself. I started to duck for cover behing walls etc. The better I got a this the more I could sneek about and be a slient assin. Basically these new roll and cover, and pistol whipping features, actually make the game. Instead of being a rehash of the point and shoots of the past it has a new game play style, this coupled with the massive level is going to make for some gret gaming fun.… Expand

Fun, nice graphics, and interesting prequel storyline. The game suffers from being somewhat short however, and finding the enemies in some of the levels can be REALLY annoying. some of the weapons are... forgettable, some seem like clones of others, and some are pretty cool. multiplayer kicks ass, and the inclusion of bots is a definite plus when you really have nothing else to do.

Better than most reviews it's getting. It's cartoony visuals and physics and overall feel seem to be a problem for a lot of people .Next-gen doesn't have to be realistic there are other styles too. Multiplayer is probably the best on 360 at the moment. And the single player campaign is a grower with good scalable difficulty. Unless halo 2, for you, is the be all and end all of FPS, and all games must emulate its successes, this game is highly recommended.… Expand

It's really simple - if you want an immersive fps for the 360 to play OFFLINE then get call of duty 2. If you want a great multiplyer game to play ONLINE (or offline with bots) get perfect dark zero. The single player of pdz isn't great, but online it ROCKS!

Dont listen to anything but excellent reports about this game! Its Great! XBox Live is better than playing story mode though!

Generally brilliant, although the graphical style feels overly filtered. The multiplayer is astoundingly good, and it has a wide variety of configurable features. However, the single player campaign is largely uninteresting and it pales in comparisson to the outstanding original.

The multiplayer is really smooth and it has a story moder co-op for once wich isn't a load of toss. Let's get one thing straight the origial was better tahn this one and this game can't replace halo.

well this game is great. i think if u have a 360 u must get this. the online is amazing. the only problem u will probably encounter is the campaign (voice acting sucks, level designs get worse)

Looney is an idiot. The graphics are NOT possible on PS2 or Xbox by a long shot. The game runs smooth with hardly any slowdown (some durring the cinematics, but it's a cinematic who cares?!?) /Singleplayer/ This game is NOT worth buying if your going to be playing it by your self. The true brilliance of this game is done though its multiplayer and if your not going to make use of it don't even bother with this game get Call of Duty 2 instead. This games singleplayer missions aren't worth the 50 bucks. //Co-Op// The game provides a decent co-op expirience. The levels are not all great, but they're all decent especially when playing with a friend. It's just plain fun to play vs your friend in arena mode too with all the options you get (you can even put on bots). ///Live/// Live is where the game really shines. There are so many options to choose from that it never gets boring. This game will be popular on Live till Halo3 comes you can be sure of it. ---Overall--- Singleplayer missions are all fun though the story and cinematics are stupid. There is also replayability because higher difficulties give you new objectives. The game has a great ending too (not going to spoil it but lets just say you fight a really strong dude). Co-op is where the games missions shine though and I only reccomend getting this game if you have friends to play through it with you. If you have friends arena mode can be fun too with how many options you get. Live is amazing on this game and is by far its best feature. Its very easy and fast to get in a game and there are always lots of people to play with. The game runs great. There are many different weapons with cool secondary functions to use throughout the game and the levels are all great. Don't listen to idiots who tell you the graphics aren't good, because they are and there's no way Xbox or PS2 could run this game. In this one dessert level you can see for MILES and MILES and there is no fog or anything at all! +++THIS IS A GOOD GAME GO OUT AND BUY IT IF YOU HAVE 2 CONTROLERS+ AND FRIENDS+++… Expand

This is a very good game. Impressive visuals, realistic gun modles, great sound and an AMAZING soundtrack. The solo missions are great, not perfect, but unfourtunatly, the story is weak. But thats not saying it isnt fun. The multiplayer is great, with a ton of modes for you to play around with. All in all, this is the game you should buy along with your shiny new Xbox 360. Thank-you Rare.

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the first Pefect Dark game on the Nintendo 64. I was hooked and thrilled to learn that PDZ would be the big game for the xbox 360. It is not a bad game, but it doesn't compare to the original and I think that RARE missed their opportunity to make this game all it could be. I just can't get excited about this game, so it gets a 6 from me. Ho-Hum shooter.… Expand

As a single player game, PDZ merits a 5. The game is much clumsier than another FPS release for the 360, Call of Duty 2. The graphics are incredible in spots (especially textures on asphalt, etc), but cartoony and washed out in other areas. It's got a good soundtrack overall. As a multiplayer game, it rates a 10. It's incredibly fun on X-Box Live and not bad if you're logged off, playing with bots. I would probably rent before purchasing unless you plan to use it almost exclusively for multiplayer.… Expand

I can't believe that this game hasn't received more attention than it has. I put off playing this game because I have been led to believe it's nothing special. What a load! This is the best online game ever. It is better than Halo in nearly every way (online at least). and plays like a dream. It is much more challenging and finesse-oriented than Halo and there are no online glitches to speak of. It plays like a dream. The capture the flag games are epic. Snipers take up covered positions and troopers battle across the landscape while jetpack-wielding warriors dog fight and strafe overhead. You capture spawnpoints on the battlefield ala' "Star Wars: Battlefront" to improve your team's position on the field and make your endless suicidal runs at the enemy flag more likely to succeed. The battles over these spawnpoints alone can be unbelievably intense. The weapons are all extremely well-balanced and have fantastic secondary features. This is the one must-own xbox live title. The story mode is also great and very challenging, and most levels are worthy of replaying again and again. Fans of "Goldeneye" from the old N64 days will fall in love with this game. Buy it!… Expand

For all of you book readers out there who expect a perfect ending to every story, did you ever think there might leave you asking questions for a reason? I thought the single player kept my attention very well and if you didn't know already, the missions are more in depth on the harder difficulties. the multiplayer is really good and all my friends love this game.

Certianly not up to the orginal, but still a great romp for any shooter fan.

Juss tha multi player...needs 2 have no amor....and also..should be more missions....bad ass game....when is another perfect dark game coming out.

WTf when Pepole carry gunns It doesnt slow dem down, this JunK of a Game!! I dont even Know why I boght this XboX all the games are No good, but This Is the Worst One! The Inter face ishorrible and doesNt make any sense! It is Not worth Getting. Contols are all Screwy

looks good but I was disappointed to the enemy A.I., combat isn't on the level it should be. Another game that makes Halo better

Just digging this game - maybe not perfect - but close to that Halo feel! In Live - just the best since H2! Thank you Rare for this gem.

the game is beautiful, and the multiplayer kicks ass. the greatest 360 game from launch.

I just couldn't get into this game. I rented it as soon as my Rogers location had it, and both the single-player and multiplayer failed to capture my attention, which is really rare. (no pun intended). I wasn't expecting a HALO clone, but somehow, this game needs something more... like development time. I played Quake 4 longer than this game by far, and I wasn't terribly impressed with it either (though I liked it's visuals MUCH more, as well as 1p gamplay).… Expand

Pretty nice game. If you liked the first one, you will probably like this one. Single player is fun, but can be beaten in a short period of time. Co-op is really fun to play, and can be played online or on the same console. Multiplayer is pretty fun as well, online and offline. Computer controlled players add to the fun.

This is a great shooter, solo missions are forgetable, but the multiplayer and live is great.

The game is fine. It is basicly the same thing as James Bond. The online play is killer. The campains are alright. The fact is that the dead bodies bounce to much, and the thing that makes me give it this score the most is that you can't jump. Get Call of Duty First.

The controls on this game are a little clunky but easy to get used to. The weapons available are very diverse, but you eventually get to a point where you use the same weapons over and over. The game is so chock full of assualt rifles with scopes that you pretty much get the point that the game wants you to use that. It's a good coop game, but single player lacks the emersiveness of playing with a friend. The enemies are dumb as rocks and give themselves away far before they should. If one of your friends owns the game, play some split screen with them and them decide if you want to spend the money on it.… Expand

3 levels into the game. And it compares nothing to the original, they kept the same sound effects, same everything. AI is absolutly moronic. The music in this game is just TERRIBLE, it's a lame 80's techno. Gameplay seems incomplete and graphics are for Xbox not 360. Rent, don't buy.

2 years is a long time in console game design, so after reading all the great reviews for this game I probably should not have been surprised that it was not as good as I thought it would have been, after finally playing it 2 years after its release. Don't get me wrong, the game WAS enjoyable, and I am sure that at the time of release it would have been a "must have" game, but when comparing it to other shooters on the 360 this is no longer the case. The game has many good things going for it including; solid story, variety of locations, good length, number of different weapons, co-op play and multiplayer. Infact it is the multiplayer that is not only the best part of this game but also one of the best of any game I have played. The number of different game types (ie. deathmatch, capture the flag etc) is huge and the number of maps available is fantastic, but the best aspect is that apart from the normal online multiplayer you can also play offline against computer controlled opponents, which is a great way to practice for online by getting use to the different maps and weapons available. So what is bad about this game ? ... the answer is nothing really except for the fact that it feels a little slow and dated when compared to recently released shooters. The good news is that you can now buy this game really cheap, so if you don't go into it expecting to play a AAA game then you should enjoy it.… Expand

Weak single player game, strong mulitiplayer! Being a massive fan of the original the single player game is a HUGE let down, but if youve got a few mates or even Live... There are some classic multiplayer moments.

It's ust a horrible game. Embarrasing to think the original was one of the best games ever, and they come up with this turd. I wasted £10.. yes, £10 in purchasing this mess. Be smart and pay more for Gears of War (94 score), Bioshock (96 score), or Halo 3 when it comes out. They are all overrated but much better than Perfect Dark Zero.

This game has a peculiar campaign. While the graphics shine and the levels are creatively designed, the story is the most lackluster piece of crap i've ever crossed, but you scratch this. The gameplay rocks, the scifi elements add shine, and the multiplayer rocks, and is one of the best games on the 360.

II loved the original, N64 Perfect Dark. Oddly, despite having "better" artificial intelligence, snazzier gadgets, and prettier graphics, this game...feels plastic and hollow compared to the original. The missions aren't compelling, the gameplay and gun fights are not fluid and fun, and the presentation is way overdone - it's literally too flashy and busy for its own good. It's been years since Rare lost its touch as excellent game makers...looks like it is still gone...… Expand

Oh my god. This game is HORRENDOUS. Please, do NOT buy it. I mean, I got it for 7 bucks and I feel ripped off. The gameplay is stiff, the controls suck, the graphics look horrible and the design is terrible. Rare, you have destroyed one of the greatest games in history with this...this thing.

First time i played this i hated it....second time i played it, i hated it. this game takes some getting used to but it is so much fun when you do. Graphics are from 2006 but good for its time and multiplayer is a blast. I bought it for $7.99 at gamestop. WELL WORTH IT

It may be rehashed, but at least it looks nice...

After paying $399 for an Xbox 360 and $60 for PDZ, I expected a certain level of realism. Instead I got shot while hiding behind heavy foliage and recovered health like bullets were made out of water. While the graphics are pretty, it is next to impossible to ascertain where gun fire is coming from or how in the hell distant enemies using hand guns could possibly hit you. Basically when you enter each room you know an enemy is there because he has already shot you five times (not to worry your bare flesh seems resistant to heavy fire) and they say the same 3 annoying phrases over and over again. If you’re a trigger happy Neanderthal you will love PDZ. If your looking for any semblance of realism look elsewhere.… Expand

Awesome game. better than halo. graphics are spectacular.

PDZ is really a great game, but it does have it's downs. Many of the gripes I, and most others, have with the game aren't so much complains as... "why on earth did they do that?" kind of comments. The cut scenes, for instance, run at a BREAKNECK pace. Dialogue lines almost overlap it's edited so quickly. And the why of it is ocmpletely indescernable. Also, several of the so called professional voice actors speak with fake accents that aren't even bad enough to be funny. They're just annoying. If you can overlook bizzare points such as this, the game winds up being brilliant. Combat is fun, and the levels and graphics are amazing. The 360 is put to great use by having levels with longrage visibility so high that you might get sniped from clear across the level. The bots are also smart enough that you can have fun playing multiplayer and never get online. My brother and I signed up to take on 4 bots by ourselvs on the normal difficulty level and got creamed. We had to take it down to three just to hold our own. The single player missions are fun and have you using your head to figure out what to do and where to go.Some people call this confusing, but those people tend to want games to tell them what to do rather than even putting themselves in the place of the cahrachter and using simple logic. The sound in the game is great, and very atmospheric. The game has the best club scene in any videogame ever. There's really no reason not to buy perfect dark unless you're one of those, sorry, dummies, who are looking for realism. If you want realism buy Call of Duty. If you want a smart, stylized, actoin game that is not light on challenge and rewards solid play strategies, do not hesitate to pick up the game.… Expand

this is the first flagship for the 360- the only good game besides quake that will be released in 05'

Beautiful to look at but hiding underneath the gloss is just an average shooter that play like 'XIII'. The solo game is very frustrating. It's hard to know where enemy fire is coming from , the enemies seem to be bulletproof, the voices are horrible, enemies look like they're in Judas Priest for some reason and the mission briefing is as pointless as it is confusing. Worst of all, you just don't care. Maybe the online experience is where the real fun is.Forget spending £50 on this game and buy Halflife 2 instead. This game should be embarrased to call itself a RARE title...… Expand

This game is awsome. The only thing keeping me from giving this game a ten is the extremely hard gameplay. It takes quite a bit of practice. But an awsome game none the less.

The music and voice acting are crap, the action's merely sorta exciting and for some reason I can't connect to the server to play on Live. Very unimpressed. COD2 is much more satisfying...I'd recommend a rental in case you need to be convinced that it doesn't live up to the hype (some people seem to enjoy it, which makes no sense to me whatsoever), or just go buy COD2.

When Rare were churning out a large proportion of the N64's only real adult games (Conker's Bad Fur Day, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark), as well as other wider-audience ones, they were revolutionary. Since moving away from Nintendo, they have failed to up with the pace of modern gaming and games like this are now so average they really aren't worth looking into - what a shame. There are better games out there for this console, seen as just about every other game for the Xbox 360 is a first person shoot-em-up, it a difficult market to compete in.… Expand

Considering that this is a launch title, it is quite an impresive game. Though it offers nothing new from the run and gun fps titles to breach recent more current gen consoles, it has that graphical flair and approach people will be attached to; based simply upon the fact its a new system, new games, and we are all for it. As a stand alone title, Perfect dark Zero really does not dissappoint. i was afraid people would be taken aback by the mediocre reviews, and their impressionable minds would follow what the more justified opinions say. PDZ is very respectable, as a shooter and as a launch game. The action is fierce, and though the AI lacks, it is by no means awful. Naturally, the graphics are stunning. yes, the game could exist on original xbox with ease, and people look at PDZ as a rushed title with no reason to exist. Undoubtedly it was rushed, but it succeeds in tight controls melding with the perfect controller; stunning visuals; and such. The single player story is short and incoherent plot-wise, but I expect the majority will purchase this based on the online experience which can be obtained. I will be quite honest, I have never played PDZ online, but I can only assume it is mildly better than the actual death match mode. Split-screen is fun as hell, and the game is sol solid. Though it fails to excel in any one portion, it does everything decent. A rounded game, and at launch; it should be the most we expect.… Expand

It isn't my favorite game Syphon Filter 3 will beat everything in my book for a story but this game is awesome. The gameplay is great and the storyline is amazing!

This game is beautiful, with great gameplay,innovation with weapons and gadgets, multiplayer, co-op you name it. (except for single player story) this game has it all.

I have been playing this game since launch and it is just a blast. Great music, AMAZING graphics. The sound in the game is top-notch, and pretty smart AI. This is a must game for someone looking for a great FPS. One of the best FPS i've played in a long time. Thanks Rare.

I can't imagine anyone who was a N64 Bond fan not liking this game. After the 1st couple levels I wasn't that impressed. But after playing through the next 7 levels, I've fallen in love with this game. Bond 007 was one of my favorite games of all time (Tecmo Super Bowl; Ms. Pac Man; etc), and this game brings back old memories. A very fun game. Thanks, Rare!!!

Online Experience is Flawless but it hurts in single player where is that, been there done that feeling.

Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360 is a very solid sequel and champions the new Xbox's graphical capabilities. Story mode is decent, but multiplayer is where the game shines, especially when you have a few friends. Multiplayer options include up to 16 bots at four difficulty levels, six expansive levels, and a sweet array of weaponry. If you have a Xbox 360, make sure to buy this game.

Basically they completely gutted the original Perfect Dark, removing most of your options, totally changing the story (Joanna was originally a British secret agent, now she is an American teeny-bopper), and essentially making one of the worst shooters of all-time. Nothing is done well in this game. The campaign is terribly cheesy and is never fun (and has one of the lamest bosses ever), and the multiplayer is just plain terrible. They make your character run extremely slow (opposite of OPD), they remove most of the weapons that were available in PD, and they remove virtually all of the customization options for setting up multiplayer matches. There is honestly nothing good that can be said about this game. It was a disaster of epic proportions. This game ranks #1 on my list of most disappointing games of all-time, and that's against some stiff competition.… Expand

Great Game tho it can be a bit hard in some places unless you are on the lowest level, graphics are mostly amazing except for some of the faux anime faces on Joanna and some other people. Controls are good and the only real complaint i have is how short the game is with only like six levels but there is a lot of replay value since there is different stuff in the harder levels even after you beat the game.… Expand

Decent enough attempt at a launch title back in 2005 but only of historical interest now. It looks and feels very last-gen, but you could pick it up for 2 quid and blast through the campaign in a weekend.

Story: 6 Characters: 7 Graphics: 8 Setting: 9 Multiplayer: 7 Soundtrack: 6 Audio: 7 Gameplay: 8 Re-Playability Value: 8 Fun Factor: 8 Score: 7.4/10 = B