So, here it is. After six tortuous years in development – and having flirted with the GameCube and Xbox before settling on the 360 – Perfect Dark Zero is finally hitting stores in time for Christmas. But despite mercilessly teasing gamers for what seems like aeons, Rare’s much-delayed blaster isn’t the earth-shattering experience fans were hoping for.
While the game’s razor-sharp graphics are a fine demonstration of what the 360 is capable of – the sprawling worlds presented in a quirky, Manga-esque visual style that sets it apart from other shooting games vying for your cash this holiday season – PDZ doesn’t bring anything new to the hackneyed blasting genre, undermining it’s fabled reputation as an historic moment in video gaming and making you wonder what Rare was doing in its Tywcross fortress for over half a decade.
The Xbox Live multiplayer modes are by far the game’s most engaging option – and even the split-screen co-operative mode is more thrilling than the single player adventure – making PDZ a solid choice if you’re desperate for head-to-head carnage, but definitely not in the same league as Activision’s dynamite wartime blaster, Call Of Duty 2.