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[IbizaPocholo]

Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond

"We had a lot of ideas, and lots of clever people working out how to do them"

www.nintendolife.com

In the summer of 2000 – that's 20 years ago this month – Rare presented its answer: Perfect Dark, a sci-fi spy shooter centred around an alien conspiracy. It delivered a cool, competent heroine, a single-player campaign bursting with ambitious ideas, and the most comprehensive multiplayer experience on the Nintendo 64. To this day, it stands as Rare’s highest-rated game on Metacritic, achieving an average score of 97. So how did the team not only follow, but surpass GoldenEye 007? For Martin Hollis, the game’s director for the first half of development, the crucial decision was stepping away from Britain's most famous fictional secret agent.

“The first question was, ‘Did we want to do another Bond game?’ and Nintendo actually offered that option but that was very easily dispatched,” Hollis tells us. “I personally wasn’t interested in doing another game in that universe, we’d spent enough time – three years, essentially – in the Bond universe for my taste."

Check the link for the full story

 

[h00ters]

Played this almost every day from launch until 2006 when the 360 came out here and we made the jump to PDZ.

 

[Moses85]

I still love this Game. Absolutely a GOAT

 

[93xfan]

Played this almost every day from launch until 2006 when the 360 came out here and we made the jump to PDZ.

I love the N64 version remaster on Xbox. Really enjoy this game having a good frame rate

 

[nkarafo]

This game did some impressive things at the time. Like how you could shoot the weapon off the enemies hands. And their random reactions afterwards (they would either pull a pistol, try to grab the dropped weapon, run away or surrender).

Also, this game still has the best reload animations ever. Those Martian weapon animations man.

 

[Deleted member 775630]

Great memories with this game. Having to buy that extra module for the N64 to run it, and then playing it all day long with Limp Bizkit running in the background.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

I'm going to guess that it has aged well, but I'm legitimately curious, what has aged well about the game, and what hasn't?

 

[MilkLizard]

The 360 remaster is legit. Definitive version of the game and still worth every penny. It‘s one of those cases where the remaster is actually how you remember the game and not how it really was.

 

[Naibel]

The graphics were very impressive for an N64 game, with mandatory use of the Expansion Pack. But like Golden Eye, it aged pretty badly due to its piss poor framerate, blurry image and single-stick controls. I played it a few years ago and I stopped at the second mission, the game ran so freakingly bad. Damn shame, the core of the game is still very solid.

The Xbox 360 remaster fixes all of that and is the version to play.

 

[chriskun]

Have very fond memories of playing 4 player split screen mp on my friends trampoline until 6 am....on a 13” tv lol!

 

[Dr.D00p]

I might try a play through of the original when they add resolution upscaling to the newly rewritten cycle accurate software N64 core in RetroArch.

I really can't take the low-res N64 visuals thesedays, too hard on the eyes.

 

[Breakage]

I tried it when I briefly had an N64, but I couldn't get into it. The visuals were unbearable, even back then. (I felt the same way about GoldenEye. too.)
It has a cool name though.

 

[Moses85]

I tried it when I briefly had an N64, but I couldn't get into it. The visuals were unbearable, even back then. (I felt the same way about GoldenEye. too.)
It has a cool name though.

WTF?? The visuals were unbearable?

 

[Breakage]

WTF?? The visuals were unbearable?

Yeah, I thought the graphics were bad. I didn't play it on launch. It was a couple of years after it came out.
I only briefly owned an N64, so I was not used to its distinctive low-res visuals.

 

[Moses85]

Yeah, I thought the graphics were bad. I didn't play it on launch. It was a couple of years after it came out.
I only briefly owned an N64, so I was not used to its distinctive low-res visuals.

The games visuals were top notch. It requires the expansion pack. Only the framerate was a mess (from time to time)

 

[Breakage]

The games visuals were top notch. It requires the expansion pack. Only the framerate was a mess (from time to time)
[/QUOTE

Perfect Dark's art direction is good, but I remember finding the visuals blurry and unpleasant. I think N64 visuals are something you either like or don't like.
I put up with it to complete Ocarina of Time and then went back to my PlayStation.

 

[h00ters]

The games visuals were top notch. It requires the expansion pack. Only the framerate was a mess (from time to time)

4 player with the full suite of bots. With explosives only. The game was borderline unplayable.

Also, in the article posted by the OP, they mention that the first million shipped with a game breaking bug that would lock the game when trying to play a particular challenge in 4 player. Glad to know my copy was one of those first 1 million....

 

[JLB]

perfect dark was pf those game i couldnt enjoy because i was young and with no money. I rather enjoyed perfect dark so much.

 

[The ninja farmer]

One of the finest n64 moments.

Lost many hours to the multiplayer 2 mates and the rest filled with bots

Good times

Oh and best gun collection of the generation. So many fine choices (taking a cue from goldeneye and then really running with the more insane concepts)

 

[EightBit Man]

Perfect Dark: the oral history of an N64 classic

Delays, technical problems and walkouts over money and crunch could have killed Rare's spiritual sequel to GoldenEye. 20 years later, Perfect Dark's creators re

www.eurogamer.net

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

I never really appreciated this game when it first came out. I can't remember why. Just never got into it, not nearly as much as I was into GoldenEye.

Maybe it will get a remake treatment one day and I can give it another shot. I guess there's a PC port I could try, too, right?

 

[IbizaPocholo]