This isn't anything special, but still grabs you and really feels like a solid, first person adventure!
There's a plot pushing Perfect Dark Zero forward but it's hardly of any concern, insane capitalist searching for an artifact, and what not. Because it's the action that's the main focus. Joanna begins each area with a set of objectives, a couple of gadgets and a gun or two. The weapon roster is extensive and it's further augmented by the fact each weapon has a secondary fire mode, some of which are very creative. Most of the weapons make a satisfying punch and impact on targets with the kind of explosiveness you'd expect, while the sniper guns offer a rewarding death from afar feeling. The levels and mission objectives are structured in such a way that you'll have to use a mix of weapons and because Joanna can only carry a strict limit of weapons, difficult weapon choices are par for the course. Each level is suitably sprawling but the design is occasionally haphazard to the point where you're not sure where to go next. Anticipating this Rare has included helpful "This Way, Dumb Ass!" arrows that appear when the game thinks you're lost. It doesn't completely eliminate the feeling of frustration though because you'll still manage to meander a lot. Another source of frustration are instances of tria and error progression in the same vein of old adventure games where one slip up meant death. At least with adventure games you could save anywhere, Perfect Dark Zero has only a checkpoint system, with checkpoints separated by great chunks of game, so if Joanna dies it can mean getting sent well back of where she bought it. I almost game up on the 4th Mission due to this frustrating limitation. The mission starts with a slow jog through an open area populated by snipers and roving guards, then a dash across the top of a wall also populated by guards, then attempt to bluff your way into through a security door. That's where the trial and error process starts because if you guess wrong on the response to open the door the area fills with guards. Muck it up again and the mission can't proceed. At an average of 15 minutes to get to that point after I've picked my way through the level only to have to start over again and again, the fun started to wane.
The AI opposition is in the same range as most other first person shooter titles, the slightest noise will bring every enemy within a mile down on you, enemies standing side by side won't acknowledge their buddy getting sniped, but they'll also behave with some intelligence by taking cover and waiting for you to get closer. However, most enemies are easily dispatched from cover. Joanna can pretty much use anything as cover, which allows her to take aim without exposing herself to danger. She can also roll out of harms way in a cinematic, third person dive that looks amazing, like the rest of the gameplay! It makes things tougher for the enemy AI but they always have numbers on their side so it's fair. The graphics and overall framerate of Perfect Dark Zero remain steady most of the time. Most of the scenery won't bring tears of graphical joy to your eyes but it is good and the animation can be fun to watch. Still, on a HD screen, Perfect Dark Zero is a good showcase of the possibilities of what the 360 is capable of. But if you really go looking for flaws you'll find them. My favorite are waterfalls that will actually display bullet holes. Suprisingly, the music is realy cool. Although music kicks in a certain climatic moments to heighten the tension, which is does quite well, I can't hum any of the music tracks, either. But non the less, it's a solid soundtrack. Perfect Dark Zero's first person shooter competition on the 360 is Halo 3 and any Call Of Duty title, and it falls directly between the two, no match for Call of Duty 4's cinematic approach but better than the familiar feeling of Halo 3. If you love first person shooter adventures, Perfect Dark Zero should get your attention.
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Good Points: Good graphics to grab your attention, solid sound and gameplay, good, brutal gameplay, some fun moments and some awesome stealthy elements.
Bad Points: Repeative, lack of checkpoints, some obvious glitches, some frame rate and bug issues, just your average first person shooter!