Perfect Dark Zero

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 271 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 155 out of 271
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 271
  3. Negative: 52 out of 271
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  1. AdamB.
    Jul 12, 2006
    4
    Laughable storyline, cumbersome controls, confusing map layouts, unbalanced weapons, annoying multiplayer announcer, and uncanny-valley-quality character models reveal this title's obvious launch game heritage. It's graphics may be the game's one saving grace. For some tried and true multiplayer FPS action, do yourself a favor and play some high-res 360 Halo 2 or better Laughable storyline, cumbersome controls, confusing map layouts, unbalanced weapons, annoying multiplayer announcer, and uncanny-valley-quality character models reveal this title's obvious launch game heritage. It's graphics may be the game's one saving grace. For some tried and true multiplayer FPS action, do yourself a favor and play some high-res 360 Halo 2 or better yet, some old-school N64 Goldeneye.… Expand
  2. JohnM.
    Dec 22, 2005
    3
    An exceptionally poor game. I can't understand why people rate it so highly.
  3. wa2kool
    Mar 7, 2013
    4
    What was considered an impressive launch title is now a complete embarrassment to the 360's game library. It is literally the walking description of a polished turd shiny but still quite Gameplay mechanics are clunky and frustrating when it comes to combat. Character animation is hilariously bad, voice acting is atrocious and the execution of the story is so poor, you will have literallyWhat was considered an impressive launch title is now a complete embarrassment to the 360's game library. It is literally the walking description of a polished turd shiny but still quite Gameplay mechanics are clunky and frustrating when it comes to combat. Character animation is hilariously bad, voice acting is atrocious and the execution of the story is so poor, you will have literally no idea what you are doing in the campaign or why you are doing it. Multiplayer is probably the only redeeming feature of this game. It feels old-school (in a positive sense) and can be entertaining but the general gameplay problems from the campaign are sadly carried into this mode.

    Graphics: 7/10
    Gameplay: 4/10
    Features: 6/10

    Perfect Dark Zero is a soulless, confusing and frustrating experience from start to finish. There is no problem in other people liking this game, I just personally thought it was a huge letdown, given the brilliance of it's predecessor.    … Expand
  4. Sharpshooter188
    Nov 1, 2017
    4
    Storyline is kind of a joke. EXCEEDINGLY BAD aiming and in an fps game that is huge. Things have a cool sleek look to them which is nice. But some things shimmer that shouldn't. I would say maybe pick it up for a couple of bucks if you are bored. Past that I would say just download Perfect Dark 64 from the xbl arcade.
  5. looney
    Nov 28, 2005
    3
    Good game but graphicly this is no improvment over the last gen consols apart from being a little smoother this can be done on the xbox and ps2 with no problems. personally i should have just saved my money and brought a decent graphics card for my pc
  6. JohnF.
    Dec 5, 2005
    2
    A lame-a.s letdown. The "legendary game developer Rare" are a bunch of people hired in the aftermath of the Microsoft buyout - all the talented people left the company when Nintendo left the picture. And so this game, yet again, proves. Its a painfully dull catastrophe that has clearly been rushed to make the 360 launch date. A little more time could have made it competent. Right now, its A lame-a.s letdown. The "legendary game developer Rare" are a bunch of people hired in the aftermath of the Microsoft buyout - all the talented people left the company when Nintendo left the picture. And so this game, yet again, proves. Its a painfully dull catastrophe that has clearly been rushed to make the 360 launch date. A little more time could have made it competent. Right now, its almost unplayable. Videogames are not meant to be this dull.… Expand
  7. phantajisto
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    Decent enough attempt at a launch title back in 2005 but only of historical interest now. It looks and feels very last-gen, but you could pick it up for 2 quid and blast through the campaign in a weekend.
  8. arostislavna
    Oct 5, 2017
    2
    To stay away from making a review about how Microsoft killed Rare, I'm just going to give out points why I gave it a low score.

    Awful title/ending songs (Essentially all the licensed music in this game was made for strippers, or porn stars. ("Pearl Necklace" Seriously?) With that aside, everything that made the old Goldeneye modded to Perfect Dark engine is gone, the character models    To stay away from making a review about how Microsoft killed Rare, I'm just going to give out points why I gave it a low score.

    Awful title/ending songs (Essentially all the licensed music in this game was made for strippers, or porn stars. ("Pearl Necklace" Seriously?)

    With that aside, everything that made the old Goldeneye modded to Perfect Dark engine is gone, the character models turned into cartoon characters, and a campy story. Essentially you can tell it definitely was a launch title.

    I do enjoy the story regarding the combat simulator, how Jo was recruited by the Carrington Institute, and of course messing around in multiplayer.

    Unfortunately, that is just about all I enjoy from this game.    … Expand
  9. BulletTimeTails
    Jun 25, 2020
    0
    I hate this game and i wouldn´t wish this game even to my worst enemy,clunky contols, laughable voice acting, forgetabble story, characters from the original game are butchered and worst of all, killed the franchise. Don´t even bother with this game, Perfect Dark Zero is nothing but a franchise killer made for a quick buck.
  10. ChewySmokey
    Aug 27, 2010
    2
    I thought it was a horrible game and I was kicking myself for paying over $80 for the special edition when it came out. The graphics feel last-gen and are sickeningly waxy looking, the character models are as realistic as mannequins and the AI is some of the stupidest I've seen in a long time. The story wasn't all that interesting at all. The controls a little frustrating at first, butI thought it was a horrible game and I was kicking myself for paying over $80 for the special edition when it came out. The graphics feel last-gen and are sickeningly waxy looking, the character models are as realistic as mannequins and the AI is some of the stupidest I've seen in a long time. The story wasn't all that interesting at all. The controls a little frustrating at first, but they can be mastered with relative patience. As for the multiplayer is pretty crazy, but there are a lot of things missing from the original that are really missed in this prequel (most noticeably, the choice of character models to choose from has gone from dozens to four). I am still scratching my head as to how this sorry excuse of a game got so much good reviews as it did, I'm guessing new-console hype had a big part in it.… Expand
  11. JohnH.
    Apr 9, 2006
    4
    The one-player mode is utterly pointless. Finish it for the Gamerpoints, if you dare. Multiplayer is ok, though somewhat poorly balanced. The graphics are pretty lame, and split screen yields very choppy frame rates. Do not buy.
  12. JamesH.
    Mar 3, 2006
    3
    The plot (like the character models in this game) is painfully thin. The lack of a convincing narrative is not this game's biggest failing however. For starters, the weapon balancing is out. It takes too many bullets to kill people normally so headshots are vital. The aforementioned skeletal character models and very poor reticule control means that such headshots are extremely tough The plot (like the character models in this game) is painfully thin. The lack of a convincing narrative is not this game's biggest failing however. For starters, the weapon balancing is out. It takes too many bullets to kill people normally so headshots are vital. The aforementioned skeletal character models and very poor reticule control means that such headshots are extremely tough and happen to randomly to be satisfying. The result is that more often than not, multiplayer shootouts become ridiculous twitchy strafe contests resulting in empty clips and clumsy melee kills to finish with. The environments in the game are sparse and unconvincing with a paucity of the kind of detail needed to create a convincing atmosphere. The single player levels are unimaginatively designed and often lack clear direction as to where to go next. This would not be a problem if the game wasn't set up for such an uninteresting linear run and gun mechanic with strict mission objectives (failure of which often results in beginning the level over). All in all this is a horrible FPS and you would be far better off saving your pennies for CoD2 or GRAW.… Expand
  13. Ravenous
    Aug 3, 2011
    0
    Basically they completely gutted the original Perfect Dark, removing most of your options, totally changing the story (Joanna was originally a British secret agent, now she is an American teeny-bopper), and essentially making one of the worst shooters of all-time.

    Nothing is done well in this game. The campaign is terribly cheesy and is never fun (and has one of the lamest bosses ever),    Basically they completely gutted the original Perfect Dark, removing most of your options, totally changing the story (Joanna was originally a British secret agent, now she is an American teeny-bopper), and essentially making one of the worst shooters of all-time.

    Nothing is done well in this game. The campaign is terribly cheesy and is never fun (and has one of the lamest bosses ever), and the multiplayer is just plain terrible. They make your character run extremely slow (opposite of OPD), they remove most of the weapons that were available in PD, and they remove virtually all of the customization options for setting up multiplayer matches.

    There is honestly nothing good that can be said about this game. It was a disaster of epic proportions.

    This game ranks #1 on my list of most disappointing games of all-time, and that's against some stiff competition.    … Expand
  14. AnonymousMC
    Oct 16, 2009
    1
    Oh my god. This game is HORRENDOUS. Please, do NOT buy it. I mean, I got it for 7 bucks and I feel ripped off. The gameplay is stiff, the controls suck, the graphics look horrible and the design is terrible. Rare, you have destroyed one of the greatest games in history with this...this thing.
  15. Broyax
    Feb 14, 2020
    1
    Quelle constance remarquable plusieurs années plus tard que de proposer une suite aussi mauvaise que le "jeu" original ! ce n'est pas si rare de voir ça cela dit mais le développeur dont on reconnaît ici bien la patte a démoulé un bon gros paquet mais à la différence du premier, bien mieux emballé !

    Car techniquement, le jeu était une sorte de vitrine pour la 360 et tant d'années après,    Quelle constance remarquable plusieurs années plus tard que de proposer une suite aussi mauvaise que le "jeu" original ! ce n'est pas si rare de voir ça cela dit mais le développeur dont on reconnaît ici bien la patte a démoulé un bon gros paquet mais à la différence du premier, bien mieux emballé !

    Car techniquement, le jeu était une sorte de vitrine pour la 360 et tant d'années après, c'est-à-dire présentement près de 15 ans plus tard (!) il brille encore à cet égard, surtout sur la Xbox One X qui le fait tourner en 4K, ni plus ni moins ! via bien sûr le programme de rétro-compatibilité initié par Microsoft depuis quelques années déjà.

    Pour un jeu de 2005 donc, c'est encore pas mal du tout... hélas, ce sera bien tout ce qu'on pourra en tirer ou en dire sans le piétiner jusqu'à en voir la trame... car Perfect Dark reste trop fidèle à lui-même et à la daube très imparfaite malgré quelques **** progrès sans doute...

    On ne peut toujours pas sauvegarder durant une mission et la prise en main reste désagréable ; l'imprécision est horrible et permanente, la maniabilité est détestable avec toujours cette impression de déplacements caoutchouteux. Les combats sont rapidement ridicules, presque aussi ridicules que dans le précédent Perfect Daube ; l'infiltration est impraticable et reste un voeu pieux.

    Les situations que l'on rencontre dans ce vague jeu sont de toute façon grotesques et tout-à-fait à l'image de cette caricature ambulante d'univers de vague SF de supermarché, tel un reliquat d'un vieux bac à soldes ignoré et abandonné de tous.

    Cela étant, on ne pouvait espérer autre chose de la part de Rare, le développeur incapable très coutumier du fait.    … Expand
  16. AnonymousMC
    Nov 30, 2005
    2
    WTf when Pepole carry gunns It doesnt slow dem down, this JunK of a Game!! I dont even Know why I boght this XboX all the games are No good, but This Is the Worst One! The Inter face ishorrible and doesNt make any sense! It is Not worth Getting. Contols are all Screwy
  17. AnonymousMC
    Sep 9, 2007
    2
    It's ust a horrible game. Embarrasing to think the original was one of the best games ever, and they come up with this turd. I wasted £10.. yes, £10 in purchasing this mess.

    Be smart and pay more for Gears of War (94 score), Bioshock (96 score), or Halo 3 when it comes out. They are all overrated but much better than Perfect Dark Zero.
  18. B-Bog
    Mar 10, 2021
    4
    Wtf is this? They managed to turn one of the greatest games on the N64 into just another generic FPS with this sequel. Joanna Dark looks like a cheap prostitute, none of the characters have any personality whatsoever, the missions are boring, the music, which was stellar in the original, is now reduced to forgettable drivel, the amazing atmosphere is completely gone, the story seems to beWtf is this? They managed to turn one of the greatest games on the N64 into just another generic FPS with this sequel. Joanna Dark looks like a cheap prostitute, none of the characters have any personality whatsoever, the missions are boring, the music, which was stellar in the original, is now reduced to forgettable drivel, the amazing atmosphere is completely gone, the story seems to be basically non-existent as there is no context for any of your actions ... I mean, I could go on.

    This game stands as an example for the games Rare put out under Microsoft and many games in the 360 era in general, in that it lacks any originality, charm, and soul.    … Expand
  19. M300
    Jan 20, 2019
    2
    Surprisingly RARE made a bad game.

    Lack of personality, overly standard gameplay with forgettable enemies and environments. It is like RARE took what made PD excellent and abandoned that. Graphically it looks like the entire place was covered in oil. Terrible over use of bloom and HDR along with that awfup motiin blur when panning the camera... It is awful. Not helped by slow    Surprisingly RARE made a bad game.

    Lack of personality, overly standard gameplay with forgettable enemies and environments.

    It is like RARE took what made PD excellent and abandoned that.
    Graphically it looks like the entire place was covered in oil. Terrible over use of bloom and HDR along with that awfup motiin blur when panning the camera... It is awful.

    Not helped by slow dull controls which have no feel or immersion.
    A chore to play.

    Music was good. It gets a 2.

    If you want thr magic of those N64 classics Timesplitters is the closest thing and was on previous generation hardware running better, looking better, immersive and fun.    … Expand
  20. JoeKester
    Apr 13, 2023
    3
    When I was younger, my dad's friend loaned us his N64 for a few days while they were on vacation. During that span, my younger brother and I played no game more than the OG Perfect Dark. It was endless amounts of multiplayer fun, and parting with it was not sweet, just sorrow.
    Now, when I saw another Perfect Dark game, I had to try it out. It was 3 dollars, so I had low expectations.
    But    When I was younger, my dad's friend loaned us his N64 for a few days while they were on vacation. During that span, my younger brother and I played no game more than the OG Perfect Dark. It was endless amounts of multiplayer fun, and parting with it was not sweet, just sorrow.
    Now, when I saw another Perfect Dark game, I had to try it out. It was 3 dollars, so I had low expectations.
    But man, was I let down anyways.
    This game is incredibly generic, compared to the original Perfect Dark that had things that I don't see in even modern video games. If you like first person shooters, then you might get some enjoyment out of this game, as it is well-made for what it is. However, this is just too basic and boring too keep me entertained.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2005
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2005
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Talk Xbox
    97
    From the fantastic gameplay to the gorgeous graphics to the incredible amount of replay value, every gamer should experience this game. It features every multiplayer option you could want, and the feature list reads like a multiplayer gamer's wet dream.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpot
    90
    This awesome, high-tech first-person shooter champions the Xbox 360 with its excellent assortment of single- and multiplayer game types, as well as its incredible good looks and dynamic, intense action.
    Read full review
  3. TeamXbox
    88
    The co-op mode shows flashes of brilliance, and the number of options provided for online play is astounding. The core game plays much like any other FPS – a VERY pretty one at that.
    Read full review
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