Perfect Dark

With stellar solo and multiplayer action, there are more things to try here than in a stroll through Amsterdam.

It's a stunning achievement by any measure and stands as one of those rare products that delivers more than you paid for.

No longer are those shooting at you simple targets in a practice range. These guys are smart, evil and ready to battle. Enemies will work together to cover each other, they’ll roll under your gunfire, hide behind corners and even shoot the gun right out of your hands.

This is the best action game on the Nintendo 64 and a great follow-up to "GoldenEye."

Though it is not without its flaws, "Perfect Dark" is the best game yet for the N64 and among the most fun console games ever produced.

From superior graphics, which really showcase the capacity of the N64 Expansion Pak, to Dolby Surround Sound, to seemingly unlimited playability potential, "Perfect Dark" is the game of choice for N64 owners.

Oh yea, oh yea, glory hallelujah -- this is the game we've waited so long for.

Magnificent. Until now, GoldenEye was arguably the best reason for gamers over the age of 16 to own a Nintendo 64. No longer.

If "GoldenEye" is a bull's-eye, Perfect Dark hits somewhere in the lungs. [Jan 2004, p.189]

The new cast of characters created for Perfect Dark is grossly inadequate when compared to the ones from GoldenEye. The lead player-controlled protagonist, Joanna Dark, exhibits few emotions beyond being clueless and bland.

With Joanna Dark, "Perfect Dark's" heroine, Rare succeeds over Bond, the spy at the top of his game, by matching him with somebody who would likely prefer him on the bottom.

So there's no doubt in anyone's mind... there is not now, nor will there ever be a nude code for Joanna Dark. Go get a girlfriend!

With all the gadgets and alternative goals thrown in, "Perfect Dark" is more than just a straight-up blastfest; It's a futuristic spy-thriller that also happens to be the best multiplayer shooter on the console market.

Its scope and complexity is lightyears ahead of the competition and it sets a benchmark that many, possibly even Rare itself, will struggle to reach in the years to come.

Yes, Rare should have made the gameplay a little more original, pumped up the enemy AI, and definitely fixed the save system. But they gave the people what they wanted, and in that respect they've done a terrific job. There's so much to explore, kill, blow up and maim in this game that it offers hours and hours of bullet-riddled excitement.

It's still by far the finest crafted game of its ilk on the N64 and it positively oozes class from every pore.

Beyond the visual feast and a plethora of features and options, Perfect Dark is a soup of gameplay genius beefy enough to eat with a fork!

The number of things that you can unlock in the game is simply staggering.

There are some nasty frame rate problems at times, which is mostly the factor that keep this from an A grade, but don't let that stop you from picking up Rare's latest.

The framerate trouble brought the graphics down to 9.9, and even framerate problems you won't even notice most of the time because this game is so much fun.

There are as many different reasons for the gamer to go to bed thinking of simulants, or any of the friends that have been hiding behind walls and popping a cap in your ass with the farsight, as there are peanuts in the box.

Joanna looks good and she knows it, with spectacular Ram-pak enhanced graphics.

Rare's intelligent 3D shooter features amazing graphics, loads of in-game options, a cooperative mode, a counter-operative mode, extensive bot setups, and a the most well-rounded multiplayer mode ever to grace Nintendo 64.

Cool options such as friend/foe identification and threat readings, plus the best graphics ever on an N64 game.

Absolutely brilliant.

It’s multiplayer is, by far, the best on Nintendo 64. The Single Player is epic and addicting.

So damn close to perfect that it makes me want to cry tears of joy.

Perfect in every way. Except for the manual, which I've burnt along with every other first person shooter in the office games cupboard: there's no point in keeping either now.