Its perfect, even in the dark (Perfect Dark (N64))

Member Name: nednod

Product:	Perfect Dark (N64)
Date:	04/08/01 (290 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great graphics, Great Multiplayer, Great everything

Disadvantages: none

Perfect Dark was one of the most hyped up games for the N64 ever. And did it disappoint, definitely not. It has to be the or one of the best games ever created for the N64. You just have to look at the box to realise its a good game, it may of taken a while to create but it was worth every second.

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Training
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First of all, you should do some training. You aren't forced into doing this but it lets you get used to the controls and some of the things that will be used in the single player missions.

Your first training assignment gives you a few tasks to do with the gadgets that will be used in the missions, these gadgets are:

Camspy: Let?s you go into places that you usually can't get to, it can also take photos of anything that you need it to.

X-Ray Scanner: Allows you to see through walls letting you see gaurds and solid shapes. It also finds hidden items.

Data Uplink: Allows you to hack into any computer.

Night Vision: Provides a crystal clear monochrome image in low light enviroments.

IR Scanner: A different type of night vision that lets you see in any light, so even if you think you can see everything in one area the IR Scanner might reveal something.

ECM Mine: A portable electronic device that which can jam any communications device.

Door Decoder: A code-breaking gadget which can open any electronic lock.

Cloaking device: Allows you to become invisible for 30 seconds letting you sneak past anything.

The second training assignment gives you a feel of the control. You are needed to move around a room going under and around laser to reach buttons that are needed to be pressed, however, these buttons are placed on the ceiling, on the wall or on the floor forcing you to look up or crouch down.

The third training assignment is combat training. Here you?
ll be against some unarmed combat challenges which will test your skills at moving around.

The fourth and final training assignment is the shooting range. Now this lets you choose from any of these guns that will be used in the missions:

Falcon 2: The equivalent of Bonds standard PP7, however, it has a second function of pistol whip, this knocks out your opponents. You activate the second function by holding down B for a few seconds.

Falcon 2(Silenced): The same as the Falcon 2 but with a silencer on the end allowing you to kill people without any other guards noticing.

Falcon 2(Scope): Another one like the Falcon 2, this time with a scope on the end allowing you to kill people from a distance.

Magsec 4: This fires single shots or you can put it on its second function and it will fire an instant burst of three bullets.

Mauler: This gun will be attained nearing the later levels, its an alien gun which fires single shots or a second function of a charge up shot which will kill most victims in one shot.

Phoenix: Another alien gun which fires single shots, its second function fire explosive shells, this is very effective if there?s lots of people chasing you.

Dy357 Magnum: This magnum is a very powerful usually killing your enemies in one shot. However, this gun takes along time to get ready in between shots and its second function is pistol whip.

Dy357-Lx: The same as the golden gun in Bond, killing people in one shot, its second function is pistol whip.

CMP150: The basic machine gun usually carried by the enemy, its second function is follow lock-on, so by holding down R and passing the sight over the enemies , the gun will memorise up to four targets and take them out in the order specified.

Cyclone: Another machine gun, however this gun can have 50 bullets in magazine where as the CMP150 holds 30 bullets in one magazine.

Callisto NTG: Another machine gun, but
this times its an alien one. The bullets in it will kill people much easier when put on its second function.

RC-P120: The descendant of Goldeneyes RC-P90, except much, much better. The magazine carries 120 bullets, and you?ll need them for the second function is a cloaking device, this will eat up your ammo when you activate it.

Laptop gun: Transforms from an innocent PC into a lethal machine gun. Its one of the best guns available, and its second function is a sentry gun which lets you deploy it on a wall and it will wreak havoc on any passing enemies.

Dragon: Yet another machine gun, but this time turns into a proximity mine when thrown as a second function.

SuperDragon: Like the standard Dragon except this one, when put on second function, changes into a grenade launcher.

K7 Avenger: Another machine gun, yet this one is much more powerful, however it only holds 25 bullets in one magazine.

AR34: What a surprise, another machine gun, however this time it has a scope on allowing you kill groups of men from a distance.

Shotgun: One of the most powerful guns on Perfect Dark, its second function lets you fire two bullets in one pull of the trigger, however it probably take more time than any other weapon to reload.

Reaper: A two handed alien weapon. Discharges its 200 shot magazine in seconds and its wildly inaccurate, but with that rate of fire and a grinder function, its perfect for causing havoc in busy rooms.

Sniper Rifle: This gun lets you see as far as the eye can see close up. Its long range accuracy makes it perfect for killing people from a distance but its terrible for close range combat.

Farsight XR-20: Another alien gun, but this has to be the best one. Letting you see and shoot through walls its great if you like to hide then kill people from there.

Devastator: One of the three different types of Rocket launchers, this one fires highly explosive grenades. No
t as powerful as the other two, but can hold more Grenades.

Rocket Launcher: A standard rocket launcher with a great reload animation and a lock-on-target as a second function.

Slayer: The final rocket launcher and what a treat. This can either fire rockets like a normal rocket launcher or it can be a self controlled rocket- you have a tiny camera in the front of the rocket letting you see where its going and at the same time controlling it.

Combat Knife: 10 knives that you can either throw at the enemy or for hand to hand combat, try to slash the enemy.

Crossbow: A standard crossbow, fire arrows at enemy killing them. The one bad thing about it is that it takes along time to reload.

Tranquilliser: This gun is held by the enemies nearer the later levels. It make the opposition dizzy or you can have it on lethal injection, however, you need to be close to the enemy for it to work.

Grenade: These can either explode on impact or you can put it on its second function of proximity pinball- it bounces round then explodes when someone comes near it.

Timed mine: Throw them on a wall and after a few seconds it will explode.

Proximity Mine: Throw them on a wall and if something comes near it, bang, it will explode.

Remote Mine: Throw them on the wall and then you can blow them up when you want.

With these guns you are asked to shoot at targets, sometimes moving, sometimes still.
If you hit the bulls eye of these targets you get 10 points, hitting around the bull?s eye gives you 5 points. You need to hit the bulls eye as much as possible because you need to get a certain number of points before the timer runs out. You may also be asked to destroy a certain amount of the targets. If you complete these you get rewarded with a medal, there?s three different medals to collect (gold, silver and bronze) for each gun and if you get gold on enough of them you get a Goldeneye gun to use
as a cheat on levels that you?ve already completed.

However, you don?t have to complete any of these training missions to go on to single player though, it does help you get used to the controls, guns and gadgets that you?ll use in single player missions.

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Single Player Missions
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In the single player mode there are many different characters, here are a few of them:

Joanna Dark- The agent: The star graduate from the Carrington Institutes academy. After setting new records in her training exams, the golden girl became the natural choice to lead the operation to infiltrate the Datadyne HQ. If anyone can succeed where others have failed, it?s Ms Dark.

Cassandra de Vries- The Bad Girl: The head of Datadyne. Cassandra?s so determined to outdo The Carrington Institute that she copied the neat CI logo from the institutes lobby, turned it into a massive DD and stuck on the roof of her skyscraper.

The Maians- Good aliens- With the world of the future heading for ruin, they?ve decided to take action.

The Skedar- Evil aliens- Sworn enemies of the Maians the Skedar wear massive warrior suits making them a truly frightening sight.

Your first assignment is to find a rescue Dr Carroll. You are dropped on top of the Datadyne skyscraper and told to get down to the lift, this is where you take over. With the controls just the same as Goldeneye it doesn?t take long for you to start killing some evil Datadyne guards.

There are 17 different missions all in all with 3 bonus missions once you?ve completed it on agent, for it isn?t just a load of missions and you?ve completed it, you still have to complete it on secret and perfect agent to properly complete the whole game.

============================================== ====Co-operative
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This function allows you and a friend to do the single player missions. Your friend will be Joanna?s sister and plays the same as Joanna herself. Everything about it is the same as single player apart from you have a friend helping you.

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Counter-operative
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This is another two player function but this time your friend will be one of the baddies trying to kill you. If your friend dies they will come back as a different bad guy, if you die, your friend win, the objective is to complete the mission with out your friend killing you.

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Challenges
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This option can be played with 1 to 4 players and it puts you and your friends against a computer team in:

Combat: Kill the opposition without them killing you. You have to get a certain amount of kills to win.

King of the Hill: Get to the area that?s been lighted up green, this will be marked on your radar, stay there 30 seconds without being killed. If you do this you get 1 point, the winner at the end of the time limit is the person with the most points.

Hold the briefcase: Find the briefcase indicated on your map, hold it for as long as possible with out being killed. You get a point for every 30 seconds holing the briefcase, the winner at the end of the time limit is the one with the most points.

Hacker Central: Find the data uplink indicated on the map then get to the computer. Start downloading information, you get 1 point for every 30 seconds of downloading, the winner is the person with the most points at the end of the time limit.

There are 30 challenges in all, each one getting a bit more harder as you get nearer to the last missions. After completing these challenges you will get extra things in multiplayer like; Char
acters, Levels, Guns and more simulants to go against.

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Multiplayer
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Perfect Dark has to have one of the greatest multiplayers ever. With from 1 to 4 players and anything from 1-8 simulants to go on your team or against you. There?s loads of different levels, even some classic Goldeneye levels to play on. You can choose from 1 to 1000 kills needed to win the level, the time limit, the handicaps (how strong they are) of the players in it, the characters the players are, the guns and what type of multiplayer mode you want it to be(see challenges).

============================================== ====Overall
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With such stunning graphics and so many things to do, Perfect Dark has to be the best game for the N64. It costs £50 and you do need an expansion pack, but I would pay £200 for. I recommend this to everybody that has an N64 and if you don?t have an N64 get one and get this.

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