Perfect Dark improves upon the core Goldeneye gameplay and makes it a must own for the N64.
The story is set in the future, where a secret agent named Joanna Dark is sent on a mission from her superior from Carrington Institute to investigate the mysterious acts of dataDyne and their partnership with a rival alien race. As the plot progresses it shows that it really isn't anything terribly original, but works well nonetheless.
Fans of Goldeneye will instantly get right into the game's mechanics. The controls are still spot-on and simple to use and the overall gameplay is still a blast. You'll be shooting a lot of enemies as well as pulling off various missions. The higher the difficulty, the more missions that need to be accomplished. Throughout the game you will come across a wide variety of immensely satisfying weapons like that of it's predecessor. Weapons range from pistols, to sniper rifles, to machine guns, rocket launchers, and plenty more. Like Goldeneye you can unlock various cheat codes and having the Transfer Pak with the Game Boy Color Perfect Dark game can unlock a few more extras.
The enemy AI in Perfect Dark is actually an improvement over it's predecessor. The enemies can actually cooperate with each other a little more and can take cover when necessary. The can also put up much more of a challenge on higher difficulties and have better accuracy. The AI still has its stupid moments, but they are not that common. Perfect Dark even introduces a Co-op campaign, which is a great addition, and adds plenty of multiplayer options and it's just as fun, if not even more fun, than Goldeneye's multiplayer.
The game also features a more refined game engine it's successor used and it simply looks fantastic. There is a great variety of futuristic locations with exceptional amounts of detail. The character models, while blocky, still look good and have pretty decent animations. The only thing that mars the visuals is the frequent framerate issues whenever things get too hectic on screen. The electronic-styled music suits the game nicely and the voice acting is surprisingly good and clear.
To sum things up:
PROS:
-Great visuals
-Same excellent control and gameplay of Goldeneye
-Great music
-Good voice acting
-Great multiplayer features
-Co-op campaign
-Nice unlockables
CONS:
-Story isn't terribly original
-Frequent frame-rate slowdowns
Flaws aside, this game is still simply a masterpiece in FPS gaming. The game's campaign, multiplayer, and various extras make this a more refined, and possibly better, version of Goldeneye. For N64 owners and fans of Goldeneye and FPS gaming, this is a must-own.