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[mokeyjoe]

When I used to play this a decade ago, I remember thinking the Perfect Dark levels were pale imitations of the glorious Goldeneye levels. Now? I'm not so sure that's true. I'm not going to insult the GE levels, but the PD levels are just really well designed. They are large without being confusing, with lots of branching pathways and hidden nooks to make sure you learn the ins and outs before you become a master. Grid and Relic are particularly well made, doing a perfect job of funneling players into certain large-scale battles while still making quick strikes fun in the narrow hallways.

This game is so good!

Yeah, Facility/Felicity is a particularly bad level. So many choke points and dead ends. It's a chunk of the single player level and it's not designed for multi at all. However, its unbalanced nature can make it fun sometimes.

Temple is just a bit dull IMO, but Complex holds up well. The PD levels are better designed. The whole game is sort of based around camping, but because there are multiple entrances and exits to everywhere, as well as windows and holes in the floor etc, it's always possible to dislodge a camper, once you know the levels you can sneak up on someone really well. It plays best with no radar I reckon.

I know what you mean about the corridors and cover. It tends to lead to fights that are more close and personal. If Halo and CoD feel like war movies then I always thought the multiplayer in PD feels more like the gun fight at the end of Heat. Certainly it's best played while staying in cover, hiding behind columns and hugging the walls, you're a sitting duck running around out in the open.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Is the Training Room achievement glitched for anyone else?

I have all but two weapons Golded and no achievement. It may have something to do with me unlocking the Golden Magnum through a random playlist than through a challenge or campaign mission.

Would suck if true cause I don't have much interest in The Duel(uggghhh) or some of the later challenges.

Had some fun multiplayer games last night. Though in all honesty "Classic" game modes can get fucked. They all boil down to getting a hold of the horrendously broken RCPTnumber whatever. Plus I've seen enough Felicity to last at least half a life-time.

 

[Grimm Fandango]

Speaking of the training room, can someone remind me how you get weapons through the door? I think you had to stand between the door frame or something; the method is totally in the back of my mind gathering dust.

 

[Kujo]

Is the Training Room achievement glitched for anyone else?

Seems that way:

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=216086

 

[Diablohead]

Speaking of the training room, can someone remind me how you get weapons through the door? I think you had to stand between the door frame or something; the method is totally in the back of my mind gathering dust.

Isn't that something they would fix in this version?

 

[Socreges]

I'm not wondering if this game is worth the $10, but if it's worth the time...

Not many people have been saying that they've actually been having a good time (I've only skinned the thread). It sounds like there's a novelty to playing a revamped PD, but I haven't heard much positive otherwise.

You guys finding the single-player to be fun? A bit boring? Just frustrating given the old mechanics (something I won't mind as long as the game is fun)?

 

[Sanic]

I'm not wondering if this game is worth the $10, but if it's worth the time...

Not many people have been saying that they've actually been having a good time (I've only skinned the thread). It sounds like there's a novelty to playing a revamped PD, but I haven't heard much positive otherwise.

You guys finding the single-player to be fun? A bit boring? Just frustrating given the old mechanics (something I won't mind as long as the game is fun)?

I said this earlier in the thread, but I think the game is just about good, with no nostalgia factored in. I would say that, unless you're some cliche CoD nut (for a lack of a better term) you'll get ten dollars of enjoyment ouf of it. You just can't go into it with the frame of mind that is it going to be exactley like a modern shooter. It's definatley something different if you've only ever played more recent shooters, but I think that's a good thing.

 

[DieNgamers]

I'm not wondering if this game is worth the $10, but if it's worth the time...

Not many people have been saying that they've actually been having a good time (I've only skinned the thread). It sounds like there's a novelty to playing a revamped PD, but I haven't heard much positive otherwise.

You guys finding the single-player to be fun? A bit boring? Just frustrating given the old mechanics (something I won't mind as long as the game is fun)?

You have obviously skinned the thread wrong. :lol I'm biased because it's one of my favourite (not only FPS) games of all time and it still holds up. The others seem to have good fun as well. Imo it's still worth 60 bucks, period.

 

[Socreges]

Obviously I should have been skimming the thread, whereas before I was skinning it. Skinning the thread was not helpful at all.

 

[DieNgamers]

Yep, much better idea.

 

[Sanic]

Obviously I should have been skimming the thread, whereas before I was skinning it. Skinning the thread was not helpful at all.

:lol I missed what you said about not caring about the price. Do you enjoy first person shooters in general? Play more than Cod and Halo? If so you'll get something out of this.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I can't get into this at the moment. I was a huge Goldeneye obsessive, but sold my N64 by the time PD came out, so I never played it originally.

Although I can recognise it's a lot like Goldeneye in many ways, which is cool, I don't have the nostalgic love for it which means I'm only recognising obtuse, antiquated gameplay design.

HOWEVER, I do think I can easily grow to love it. I'm just not going to play it half an hour a night like I originally planned, and just have a solid week of it or so in the summer. I probably put hundreds of hours into Goldeneye between trying to do it on 00 Agent and the multiplayer, so I really do want to love this too.

 

[Manus]

God, the Avenger and AR34 gold gun challenge is so frustrating.

 

[mokeyjoe]

I'm not wondering if this game is worth the $10, but if it's worth the time...

Not many people have been saying that they've actually been having a good time (I've only skinned the thread). It sounds like there's a novelty to playing a revamped PD, but I haven't heard much positive otherwise.

You guys finding the single-player to be fun? A bit boring? Just frustrating given the old mechanics (something I won't mind as long as the game is fun)?

Most people are really enjoying it, but have some niggles (controls, lag etc) and people tend to be quicker to post negatives rather than just 'I like this game'.

The single player is better than I remember it to be. It's frustrating at first because the levels and objectives can be confusing. But once you get the hang of the levels it's incredibly addictive. The multiplayer is just ok in matchmaking as many of the options are locked out, but it's fantastic if you can get some matches with friends going.

It's the most fun I've had with an FPS for 10 years. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed others, but I usually like being taken along for the ride and don't go back to them. I find this much more satisfying overall and it keeps me playing and replaying.

 

[Cday]

Jeez, the ending is sooo lame

 

[strikeselect]

You guys finding the single-player to be fun? A bit boring? Just frustrating given the old mechanics (something I won't mind as long as the game is fun)?

I LOVE the Perfect Dark story mode. LOVE it. The open ended nature of the level design and the lack of hand holding are two things that I absolutely adore.

Modern shooter campaigns leave me feeling wholly unsatisfied with the linear paths and predictable gameplay scenarios. They all funnel you down one path and highlight exactly where you need to go so the game can activate the next cutscene/dialogue.

PD is so different and that's why it's one of the few single player campaigns I can play OVER and OVER again. I can start up a story mode level just to screw around and torture some guards, I can start up a level to speedrun, to use the cheats, etc. etc. The game gives you objectives, drops you in the level and lets you do them however you want. The open ended nature of the levels combined with PD's excellent gunplay, enemy reactions and animations, variety of weapons and gameplay styles (stealth or full out assault) make it an experience that's yet to be replicated today.

I'm obviously biased but in my humble opinion the versatility and replayability of Perfect Dark's story mode is still unmatched.

 

[DiabolicalBagel]

God, the Avenger and AR34 gold gun challenge is so frustrating.

Didn't have a problem with the K7 but the AR34 certainly proved itself an annoyance.
Slayer gold is the worst though. God damn I hate it.

 

[InvincibleAgent]

Jeez, the ending is sooo lame

The ending credits are so awesome though

At least they were in the original... They didn't change them, did they?

 

[Milpool]

Slayer gold is the worst though. God damn I hate it.

Did you have the problem where rockets wouldn't explode? I did, both from hitting the ground and triggering it myself, same thing happened in the grenade medals, sometimes they'd just fall through the floor and not explode. I managed to come up with a system which seems to work everytime for the slayer; fire the first rocket before the countdown finishes and fly it into the ground below the first target and it should destroy 2, fire the second rocket just before the timer hits 9 seconds, and the third just after the timer passes 20 seconds. Make sure to hold forwards on the analog so the rockets go at full speed and you should always destroy 2 targets at a time.

 

[RdN]

Can't stop playing this game.. But I have to say, I completely suck on the Campaign.. I spent more than an hour trying to pass the 2nd level on Perfect Agent and failed. :lol

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

Me too. Was kinda expecting Banjo to be the Deal of the Week at least. I'd buy Banjo in an instant at 800.

You should buy it in an instant at 1200. It's odd that the Banjo games are 1200, and Perfect Dark is 800, but that doesn't make the Banjo games overpriced. They're both well worth 1200 points each.

 

[Cripplegate]

I'm obviously biased but in my humble opinion the versatility and replayability of Perfect Dark's story mode is still unmatched.

I'm a little over half way through the campaign now (just played through the first part of the Pelagic II) and share your sentiments. I'm enjoying it a lot.

I understand those who say it was ahead of its time. Playing it again after all these years is blowing my mind. Not simply because of the variety and amount of content and customization in its multiplayer component, but the design of its campaign as well. Where has the genre really gone since this game? Nowhere, or nowhere significant in the context of contemporary trends.

Like I just failed the Pelagic II mission because I told a noncombatant to shut down the ship's GPS and tracking systems, and then another noncombatant called him a traitor, pulled a gun and shot him in the head. Blew my mind (didn't even remember that part). I haven't been surprised like that in a while, and it's just a small example of the game's dynamic approach to objectives and outcomes; there's also the aforementioned escape sequence in Area 51, where you can end the level sooner by having Jonathan open the hangar door. Or other examples like placing a remote mine in Chicago and then remembering which door it was when escaping with the AI personality in the subsequent level. Something like that is small, but it's significant. The game offers a degree of openness and approachability, with a lot of player choice, while also being tight and focused, each level itself tending to be rather small in scope.

And that scope is not a design limitation, even if some things are arguably endemic to the hardware. The game strikes a nice balance between exploration (I spent at least twenty minutes going through the Pelagic II again, finding objectives and making plans on how to approach them) and intense, immediate action and replayability (exploration and preperation leads to speed runs, etc.). It's a game that thinks big and small, its scope an asset. It's a good reminder, in a way, of how Perfect Dark Zero failed , and I'm not even speaking from a position of someone who hates PD0 (though I think it's evident that it overlooks some important aspects of PD's design and mechanics as they were a product of earlier technology and hardware).

 

[AndyMoogle]

God, the Avenger and AR34 gold gun challenge is so frustrating.

Double crouch with the AR34 and just sit on the right side.

 

[InvincibleAgent]

another noncombatant called him a traitor, pulled a gun and shot him in the head. Blew my mind (didn't even remember that part)

Yeah, that objective is only on Perfect Agent. You gotta spot the killer and shoot him before he shoots your helper.

 

[DiabolicalBagel]

Did you have the problem where rockets wouldn't explode? I did, both from hitting the ground and triggering it myself, same thing happened in the grenade medals, sometimes they'd just fall through the floor and not explode. I managed to come up with a system which seems to work everytime for the slayer; fire the first rocket before the countdown finishes and fly it into the ground below the first target and it should destroy 2, fire the second rocket just before the timer hits 9 seconds, and the third just after the timer passes 20 seconds. Make sure to hold forwards on the analog so the rockets go at full speed and you should always destroy 2 targets at a time.

I sure did have that issue, both of them infact. Thanks for the tips but I've already completed it, with a lot of frustration and luck I got there.

 

[Reknoc]

Speaking of the training room, can someone remind me how you get weapons through the door? I think you had to stand between the door frame or something; the method is totally in the back of my mind gathering dust.

I think you have to push the hovercrate from the Hanger to the training room and put it between the door.

 

[Mr Sandman]

God, the Avenger and AR34 gold gun challenge is so frustrating.

Both were easy for me. Crouch and use the secondary mode for the AR.

When doing the K7, hip firing does a three round burst. Each target needs ten iirc, so click the trigger three times, then zoom in and click it once (to fire 1 bullet).

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

there's also the aforementioned escape sequence in Area 51, where you can end the level sooner by having Jonathan open the hangar door.

I've always loved how

Spoiler

if you escape by yourself and let Jonathan leave with Elvis, Jonathan shows up in the CI Defense mission near the end of the game. But if you leave with Elvis and force Jonathan to escape by himself, he presumably dies and doesn't appear in CI Defense.

 

[Sp3eD]

I think you have to push the hovercrate from the Hanger to the training room and put it between the door.

Yep you are correct, this is now the only way to do this. In PD N64 you used to be able to hit the start button when you were just in the doorway to bring up the Gun Training menu allowing you to use your body. In PD XBLA you now have to go to the terminal to do it thus you won't be able to get to the door in time.

For bonus awesome keep training door along with the wood main door open and fire a slayer guided rocket out it. Fly it around the complex and see how far you can get

 

[Grimm Fandango]

Yep you are correct, this is now the only way to do this. In PD N64 you used to be able to hit the start button when you were just in the doorway to bring up the Gun Training menu allowing you to use your body. In PD XBLA you now have to go to the terminal to do it thus you won't be able to get to the door in time.

I friggin' knew it. I was trying to push start inside the frame but I couldn't start the round. Then it made me think I did something different in the N64 version but guess not.

For bonus awesome keep training door along with the wood main door open and fire a slayer guided rocket out it. Fly it around the complex and see how far you can get

Heh totally did that in the original. The hallway to the outside area was too hard for me to continue past.

 

[Oreoleo]

For bonus awesome keep training door along with the wood main door open and fire a slayer guided rocket out it. Fly it around the complex and see how far you can get

I remember doing this back in the day to find the piece of cheese outside on the roof of the CI

 

[devilhawk]

Was it just me or did the auto aim really not want to lock on to the crystals behind the skedar leader? Makes the last level a ton more difficult when you have little ammo.

 

[peppermints]

Really enjoyed how the demo felt.

They totally nailed the atmosphere of the 64 version.

One question: Any idea when or if this will show up on the Amazon XBLA store?

 

[Oreoleo]

One question: Any idea when or if this will show up on the Amazon XBLA store?

Looking at it right now, the newest releases on their store is CoD1 and Madden Arcade so there's very little indicating it will show up there at all.

 

[RadarScope1]

The demo sure is short. Not much to go on for those of us who didn't play it the first time around...

 

[Sp3eD]

Was it just me or did the auto aim really not want to lock on to the crystals behind the skedar leader? Makes the last level a ton more difficult when you have little ammo.

From playing the 64 version recently, I don't remember it locking onto them at all on agent in that game either.

I always had the problem of it wanting to lock onto the skedar king guy instead of shooting the crystals. I now just hold the aim button when shooting at them.

The demo sure is short. Not much to go on for those of us who didn't play it the first time around...

Remember that the solo level they give you has access to all 3 difficulty levels which change the game drastically. Playing Agent vs Perfect Agent is almost like playing completely different levels. It also gives you 3 multiplayer challenges along with a multi game on 1 set of options. That's quite a bit.

 

[Mr Sandman]

F*** the achievements in this game. Got all bronze, didn't work. Going for The Duel's crown, got all three head shots two different times, didn't give me crap. Ugh. At least I got the badass Elvis doll.

 

[ThaddeusMcGee]

From playing the 64 version recently, I don't remember it locking onto them at all on agent in that game either.

I always had the problem of it wanting to lock onto the skedar king guy instead of shooting the crystals. I now just hold the aim button when shooting at them.

Yeah I did the same thing. It took a few tries though. The precise aiming is the only thing about this whole deal I have an issue with, though it's a small issue. I think with more playtime I'll get the hang of it, but those analog sticks are so sensitive it makes frivolous headshots

Spoiler

and that last boss fight

pretty difficult.

 

[Oreoleo]

Yeah I did the same thing. It took a few tries though. The precise aiming is the only thing about this whole deal I have an issue with, though it's a small issue. I think with more playtime I'll get the hang of it, but those analog sticks are so sensitive it makes frivolous headshots

Spoiler

and that last boss fight

pretty difficult.

Also my solitary complaint about the game. Would be nice if there were separate sensitivities for 'look' and 'aim.'

 

[devilhawk]

The last mission on perfect is all sorts or cheap. I've had random mission failures. Sticky grenades which have seemingly bounced off 12 feet, a phoenix pickup with one bullet, and an obelisk that doesn't want to blow up. Aggravating.

Edit: Even more fun. I just fired a grenade into the rock to expose the ladder up the chasm (canyon) and it just disappeared. I fired a second and it blew up exposing the ladder. It also gave me a mission failure. WTF.

Bonus edit: I learned you can un-fail a mission. The game doesn't realize the phoenix can blow up walls.

 

[Dr Zhivago]

I can see now why the terminals in the Institute are unlocked from the start - the game doesn't load your save data until you select the 'play game' option, so it doesn't know where you're up to. Presumably this also means you won't get the alternate title screen after you finish the game

Also, the lighting seems a bit off in places - in quite a few cutscenes the characters are virtually unlit.

 

[Shafto]

For the final Boss, I find turning off Auto Aim is the only way to keep any momentum going. Sooooooo much easier.

Final level question: Can you blow up ALL of the pillars, including the big one up the stairs, with the Devastator? I've not had any luck with that one, meaning I can't get the Phoenix more often than i'd like.

 

[Mr_Guillotine]

For the final Boss, I find turning off Auto Aim is the only way to keep any momentum going. Sooooooo much easier.

Final level question: Can you blow up ALL of the pillars, including the big one up the stairs, with the Devastator? I've not had any luck with that one, meaning I can't get the Phoenix more often than i'd like.

As long as you use the other target markers you're given, yes. I do it on every run through that level for the double Phoenix. For the higher pillar you might have to switch to another weapon and shoot the sticky bomb to make sure you get it, you have to stick it pretty close to the top.

 

[Gen X]

Presumably this also means you won't get the alternate title screen after you finish the game

WHA WHA WHAAAAAAAAAAT? Hope that's not the case. I loved the alternative title screen and music.


I can't put this game down. I'll play a bit, walk away, go back and blitz thru a level on Agent trying to nail some times, put it down, go back play on Perfect Agent etc etc. Can't get over the value for money this game is offers. And yes, I paid $150NZ for it back in June 2000 as well.

I also wholeheartedly agree with Cripplegates and Cerrius' comments above. Hit the nail.

 

[Rlan]

The main problem I've had playing this game is the objects I have to mess with - they're not obvious enough for me anymore. Even doors don't look like doors, I got lost in the first level because I didn't find the double doors leading to the two women.

And in the new world of brutal melee attacks how am I meant to know I can pistol whip her to get the medallion without failing the mission? :lol

In the second level you'd have no idea that you have to hit two separate terminals to both hack and turn on the cleaning robots, or even that you should be able to interact with them. Again, got lost because I didn't realize there was a second door in the final room to turn off the experiments.

If this game was done anew there would be A) a schematic map of the complex and B) some headgear telling me "do this here!"

 

[Shafto]

As long as you use the other target markers you're given, yes. I do it on every run through that level for the double Phoenix. For the higher pillar you might have to switch to another weapon and shoot the sticky bomb to make sure you get it, you have to stick it pretty close to the top.

Your tips made my first Perfect Agent run go hitch free!

Skedar King?

SHITE KING MAIR LIKE.

 

[Mr_Guillotine]

Your tips made my first Perfect Agent run go hitch free!

Skedar King?

SHITE KING MAIR LIKE.

The double phoenix with explosive ammo make him so easy.:lol

Congrats.

 

[Dan Yo]

I'm guessing achievements don't work if you use cheats?

Do you get anything for completing the campaign on co-op? Perfect agent co-op?

 

[Cobra84]

I'm guessing achievements don't work if you use cheats?

Do you get anything for completing the campaign on co-op? Perfect agent co-op?

No, cheats are still pointless.

Nothing, not even the game completion achievements.

 

[nightez]

I love this old school gaming. You really have to learn the levels and all the enemy positions to succeed.


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