E134: Perfect Dark

Released towards the end of the Nintendo 64’s lifespan in 2000, Perfect Dark was the culmination of several years of FPS development on consoles. After Rare released Goldeneye in 1997, they wanted to take another spin at the formula, but this time with an original IP. Enter Perfect Dark, featuring many of the cornerstones of FPS design that defined Goldeneye, but far more refined.

The game featured more varied level design, a ridiculous selection of weapons, improved enemy AI (with a wider range of reactions to damage) and more advanced scripting. No longer tied down to realism, Rare was free to throw in sci-fi weapons and surreal alien environments. And this extended to the story as well, which went to some absolutely wild places.

But for all its improvements upon Goldeneye, is there a fatal flaw at the heart of N64 FPS design? Or is it just an awkward middle child, playing in the shadows of both the PC behemoths and the specter of Halo?

On this episode, we discuss:

Level Design

• Perfect Dark retains the mission structure of Goldeneye, with multiple objectives set in short and sharp missions. Do the improved and better explained mission objectives bring a clarity to the mission design that Goldeneye lacked, or is it still confusing and incoherent?

Guns

• Perfect Dark has an absolute plethora of weapons, from guided rocket launchers to wallhack alien sniper rifles. Does its wide variety of weapons provide a deep and replayable moment to moment gameplay experience, or is it undone by its identity as a hitscan FPS?

Enemies

• Most of the enemies you face in Perfect Dark are regular humans, who die in a single headshot. What does the game do to add challenge and variety to the FPS hitscanning experience of clicking on heads, and is it way too easy with a mouse and keyboard?

We answer these questions and many more on the 134th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Perfect Dark OST: Grant Kirkhope

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What was your favourite level in Perfect Dark? Are there any indie FPS games coming out (or already out) that are evocative of its design? Did you find there was anything at all remotely redeeming about the story? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

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