Back in the year 2000, Nintendo published a title from Rare, developers of Goldeneye 007, that became the staple of FPS games from then on.  Nowadays, an FPS game on console has become the norm, but back in 2000, the genre reigned supreme on PC.  Goldeneye 007 was a very good first attempt, but it wasn’t until Perfect Dark’s release that we could see how fun an FPS could play on a console with its original and lengthy campaign, and insane amount of customization in its multiplayer mode.

After years of speculation, Perfect Dark has finally returned to this current generation of consoles on the Xbox LIVE Arcade.  The question is: Can a game that was released 10 years ago still be fun?

In Perfect Dark you play as one of the Carrington Institute’s top agent, Joanna Dark.  As Joanna Dark, it’s your mission to infiltrate the Carrington Institute’s rival corporation, dataDyne, who is attempting to sabotage the Carrington Institute.  The single-player campaign features 17 missions and for the most part has been untouched.  There are no new campaigns, nor new objectives to tackle.  Instead, Perfect Dark’s single-player campaign is a carbon copy of the N64 campaign.  The only addition is online leaderboards, which allows players to compare their completion times with their friends and others over Xbox LIVE.

The first thing you’ll notice when you start Perfect Dark is its new HD graphics.  The game supports 1080p running at a constant 60fps and its pretty impressive considering the source material.  Character models look less blocky from their N64 days due to the updated graphics, but their faces still have a pasted on look.  Enemies react to you as they originally did in the N64 version, ducking, rolling, and hiding behind cover as they try to take you out.  Perfect Dark certainly shows its age through the character animations and its audio.  The sound quality, music & voice acting sound like they’re straight from the N64 version, which isn’t too pleasing when Perfect Dark’s MIDI-like soundtrack is blaring through your 5.1 surround sound system.

There are 3 different control schemes in Perfect Dark that will please most FPS gamers.  There’s the original Perfect Dark control scheme, as well as two control schemes based on Call of Duty & Halo control schemes.  If you’re a fan of either title, then you’ll easily get a hang of these control schemes.  The auto-aim also makes its return from the N64 version, which I found to be helpful as turning it off can leave you to rely on aiming with the Left Trigger, which can be more miss than hit at times.  Overall, the controls translate very well on the Xbox 360 controller.

One of the major updates to this title is the ability to play over Xbox LIVE.  Up to 8 players can play through various multiplayer modes across all of the original Perfect Dark multiplayer maps.  All of the customization you remember from the N64 title are all here.  Want to play a deathmatch game with Rocket Launchers for 5 minutes with no radar? How about a one-hit kill game with fast movement and no weapons?  It’s all there and ready for you.  Aside from being able to play online, you can still play with 4 players on one console, just how we all experienced it in the original Perfect Dark.

If you’re the kind of person who prefers to play with your friends instead of against, two-player co-op is available both through split-screen and over Xbox LIVE which the entire campaign can be played through.  There’s also a “Counter Op” mode which puts one player in the role of Joanna Dark, while the other assumes the role of enemies to attempt to stop her from carrying out her missions.

FINAL THOUGHT: Nostalgia certainly carries Perfect Dark on the Xbox 360 a long way. Everything you loved about Perfect Dark is here, along with some very nice enhancements to its graphics and support for online play.  When you factor in its price (800 MS Points / $10), it’s easily recommendable given how many hours of play are possible in Perfect Dark.  Those who never played Perfect Dark might not get its appeal, but that’s alright, because this is a game that’s specifically directed at those of us who used to play Perfect Dark until 4 in the morning with our friends while trying to keep the noise down less we get a whoopin’.

8.5/10

Related posts:

1. Xbox 360 DLC Review: Gears of War 2 ‘Dark Corners’ Map Pack With the release of the Dark Corners Map Pack...
2. Review: Aliens vs. Predator When I think of Aliens vs. Predator, I think...
3. Microsoft Cuts Off Original Xbox Titles From Xbox LIVE on Apr. 15th Do you hear that?  It’s the voice of millions...

It looks like one of the Xbox’s heavy hitters, Crackdown 2, has just received an official release date.  July 6th is when you can expect to get back into Pacific City to assume the role of the Agent once again.

Along with today’s release date reveal, a new ViDoc titled ‘Fun with Friends’ was released focusing on how Crackdown 2 improves on the co-op from Crackdown to support 4-player co-op.  Developer Ruffian Games promises a more seamless drop-in / drop-out multiplayer co-op experience.  Aside from the improvements to co-op, Crackdown 2 will also support 16 player online multiplayer games across 3 different game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, & Rocket Tag, which judging by the video looks like it plays similar to Halo’s ‘Oddball’.

Related posts:

1. E3 2009: Crackdown 2 Announced; 2010 Release Date A sequel for Microsoft’s hugely popular Crackdown was announced...
2. Battlefield 1943 Hitting XBLA On July 8; PSN On July 9 If you’re as big a Battlefield fan as we...
3. Relive The Feel Of Classic Arcades When Microsoft’s ‘Xbox Game Room’ Releases in Spring ‘10 Today marks the official first day of CES, but...

Just a word to the wise from everyone here at PerezStart.com:  when buying a 360 ask for the list of different bundles they have in stock, unless of course you have an undying love for Kung-Fu Panda.

Source

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Dropping Prices For Xbox 360 Elite & Pro This Weekend If you’ve been in the market for an Xbox...
2. Xbox 360 & PS3 Versions of Final Fantasy XIII Revealed To Have Differences Whenever a new Final Fantasy title is released on...
3. Microsoft Announces New Game Of The Year Xbox 360 Bundle If you’ve been holding out on getting an Xbox 360,...

Hopefully you all have kept your copies of Halo 3: ODST in tact as Halo: Reach’s May 3rd multiplayer beta is fast approaching.  A trailer showcasing some of the awesomeness we’ll soon be experiencing in the beta has recently hit the net by way of one of the last places I’d expect: a Taiwanese gaming site.

In the video, you’ll see some new game modes, new attacks, and even a jet-pack or two.  Only two more months until we all get to experience the next evolution in the Halo series.  Two long, long months.

Related posts:

1. E3 2009: Schedule of Events, Microsoft Monday… Halo:Reach? Good Morning PerezStart.com followers and welcome to E3 week....
2. Sgt. Johnson Joins The FireFight In Halo 3: ODST Did you ever want to fight as the bad-ass...
3. Realtime Worlds Now Accepting Applications For APB Beta If you’ve always wanted to be in a heated...

Some fresh downloadable content from Gearbox Software is now available for everybody’s favourite cell-shaded sci-fi shooter, Borderlands. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx brags new enemies, bosses, missions, guns, and landscapes. As expected, the level cap has been bumped up, but by a very curious amount: 11, making the new cap level 61. There’s also a new vehicle that looks like some kind of ATV or Jeep. Personally, I just wrapped The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, and am sniffing around Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, but considering the reviews I’ve read were less than stellar, I may just skip it and go right to Knoxx. The general consensus about this DLC so far is that it is the biggest and hardest to date.

Those who have maxed out their characters in Borderlands will be happy to pick up The Secret Armory of General Knoxx for the extra levels-worth of loot and gameplay – you can grab it from Steam for $9.99.

Video trailer after the jump!

Related posts:

1. Borderlands to Raise Level Cap in Next DLC What, you’ve already blasted through The Zombie Island of Dr....
2. Video: ClapTrap Gives Us A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Borderlands With the release date of Borderlands slowly approaching us...
3. LucasArts To Playthrough Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition LIVE! [UPDATE] During E3, one of the biggest surprises to come...

When I think of Aliens vs. Predator, I think of a battle between two alien species who are on completely different sides of the spectrum.  On one hand, you have the Aliens, with their unmatched superiority in numbers, speed, and ferocity.  On the other hand, Predators are the perfect assassin.  They can camouflage themselves while using various vision modes in order to pick out their opponent from its surroundings.  It seems like no matter what, they always seem to be pitted against one another, and it usually makes for an entertaining experience.

Aliens vs Predator allows you to play as one of three species: Marines, Aliens, or Predators.  Each species’ single-player campaign revolves around the same story, but told through a different perspective with each species having their own mission to complete.  The 3 species have their pros and cons in terms of how they control, their abilities, and their mobility through the game world.  Marines rely heavily on different arms that can be picked up throughout their campaign and sonar to track movement in dark areas, Aliens use the darkness to their advantage to sneak up on unsuspecting enemies, and Predators have the ability to use camouflage and a variety of lethal weapons.

Each species definitely has their shortcomings as well, such as the Marine’s flashlight being too weak when navigating through dark spaces, or how easily disoriented the player can become when navigating across walls and ceilings as an Alien, and this is where the game’s single-player campaign can get hard to handle when playing each campaign separately.  I understand their shortcomings were necessary to keep each species balanced, but continually trying to adapt to each species can be frustrating.  Upon finishing a chapter, Aliens Vs. Predator allows you to change to another species’ campaign, but I found this feature made the overall story harder to keep track of.

Both the Marines & Predator campaigns offered a good variety of missions and delivered a story I’m sure Aliens vs Predator faithfuls would understand, but the Aliens campaign felt like a complete waste of time.  Its mission structure was, for the most part, go to point ‘x’, kill everyone in point ‘x’, rinse, repeat.  Granted, the Aliens campaign is shorter than the other two, but going through 6 chapters of this same kind of mission structure can get old very quick.

To be fair, there are some good moments during Aliens vs Predator. The brutality of the Aliens & Predator kills are some of the most gruesome I’ve seen in a game.  Heads are ripped off, bodies impaled, and spines removed all with very little effort and remorse.  What made it more brutal was seeing your enemy’s face up-close during these gruesome acts.  Needless to say, they didn’t look too happy during these moments.  Graphically, Aliens vs. Predator doesn’t disappoint either as character models are very well detailed and its dark environments keeps players on their toes, especially during the Marine campaign as their vision is greatly limited in comparison to the Aliens’ & Predators’.

Aliens vs Predator’s multiplayer seems to make more sense than what I experienced in the single-player campaign.  In fact, it almost feels like the only real reason a single-player mode was even included was to help players learn the intricacies of each species in order to compete online.  The multiplayer mode allows you to play as either of the 3 species in multiple deathmatch modes, which makes things interesting due to neither one of the 3 species were more powerful than the other.  Things get more interesting when it’s a team based multiplayer mode as having a team of at least one of the 3 species working together can make things quite challenging for the opposing team.

FINAL THOUGHT: Aliens vs. Predator will not satisfy fans of the FPS genre.  The single-player campaign does not tell an engaging story and each species’ shortcomings doesn’t make this game particularly enjoyable to play through. The multiplayer has some fun moments, especially when the 3 species are working together, but it isn’t enough to deem this a title I would recommend.

Related posts:

1. Review: Wolfenstein id Software’s beloved Wolfenstein franchise went on a pretty...
2. Review: Battlefield 1943 At E3 2009, EA & DICE revealed they were...
3. Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum Superhero video games are one of those things that...

Earlier this month, SEGA revealed they are working on another Sonic game, this time focusing on Sonic’s classic gameplay elements that we all grew up loving.  Even though it seems this will be the definitive Sonic game fans have been waiting years for, Sonic fans still can’t help but feel caution given how promising previous Sonic games looked, only to not live up to expectations.

It seems we could all breathe a little sigh of relief as the SEGA Community Manager ‘RubyEclipse’ revealed on the official SEGA forums the original Senior Level Designer for Sonic 3 is working on Sonic 4.

So, is it just Dimps? Just Sonic Team? The answer is a bit of both: Yes, Dimps is working on the game. But there’s actually more to it than just that: at the same time, we also have members of Sonic Team, including the original senior level designer from Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the SEGA Genesis working alongside them. It is most definitely a partnership, and the result of this teamwork is something many of us are excited for.

So it seems SEGA is putting all of their efforts into Sonic 4, which hopefully will be something beneficial for the gaming community as we’ve all become extremely jaded when it comes to new Sonic games.  Although, it looks like Sonic 4 could finally break the streak of bad Sonic games if all goes according to plan.

source

Related posts:

1. SEGA Announces Sonic the Hedgehog 4 SEGA officially announced the next sequel in the Sonic...
2. Review: The Beatles: Rock Band In Oct. 2008, Harmonix revealed a bomb-shell of an...
3. Review: Battlefield 1943 At E3 2009, EA & DICE revealed they were...

Hey, you! Have you been on the fence on buying Darksiders, even though it’s currently sitting pretty with an average review score of 82?  Well, you’re in luck as THQ has announced they’ll be offering a demo of Darksiders for both the PS3 & Xbox 360 next week.

The Darksiders demo will feature approx. 90 minutes of gameplay from the first dungeon in the game, the Twilight Cathedral.  Expect a lot of hacking-n-slashing, puzzle solving, and War speaking in a mono tone, grumbly voice.  David Adams, GM of Vigil Games, had the following to say in regards to offering this 90 minute taste of Darksiders.

“We are really pumped to be bringing a playable demo for Darksiders to Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. We really wanted to give gamers a true idea of the variety of gameplay that the game offers and so rather than just making a standard 20-minute demo version of the first few levels, we decided to give away this massive level and reveal the true essence of the game.”

So now you have no reason to NOT at least try Darksiders.  It’s got everything a gamer wants out of a game.  Puzzles, big swords, and cybernetic angels that shoot laser cannons.

Related posts:

1. Bionic Commando Multiplayer Demo ‘Swinging’ To You Soon! See what I did there with the subject? I...
2. Lost Planet 2 Demo With 4 Player Co-Op Coming Soon We spoke about Lost Planet 2 a couple of...
3. Square-Enix Announces Final Fantasy XIII Releasing March 9, 2010 Square-Enix officially announced today the release date for their...

Do you hear that?  It’s the voice of millions of Halo 2 players crying out in unison, then suddenly silenced.  That’s exactly what will happen come April 15th when Microsoft flips the switch to cease Xbox LIVE service to all original Xbox titles.

In an open letter on the Gamerscore Blog, General Manager for Xbox LIVE Marc Whitten says the decision was not one that was taken lightly, but was necessary for the benefit of the Xbox LIVE service.  With some of the upcoming Xbox LIVE changes, original Xbox titles were found to be incompatible with them.

Given how massive Xbox LIVE is and how it continues to evolve, this news isn’t surprising to me.  Cutting off original Xbox titles from the Xbox LIVE service will hopefully make the service that much better.  One thing I can think of that would be a suitable update would be the limited number of friends an Xbox LIVE account can have in their friend’s list.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Gives Limited-Time Offer For Xbox LIVE Silver Members If you’re an Xbox LIVE Silver member, you might...
2. First Wave of Xbox 360 Games On Demand Go Live; Ditches Microsoft Points System It seems that Microsoft has finally pulled the switch...
3. Relive The Feel Of Classic Arcades When Microsoft’s ‘Xbox Game Room’ Releases in Spring ‘10 Today marks the official first day of CES, but...

SEGA officially announced the next sequel in the Sonic the Hedgehog series with Sonic the Hedgehog 4.  The first trailer for the game was revealed on GameSpot last night and it’s very telling.  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is dropping the 2D sprite graphics for a more HD-friendly 3D look, but it looks like it will keep the gameplay elements that we all know and love.

The title is set to be released this summer on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation Network, and WiiWare as a downloadable title.  ’Episode 1′ in the title leads us to believe SEGA has future DLC plans for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 for future episodes in the series.

Related posts:

1. You Can Stop Panicking; Sonic 3 Level Designer Will Be Working on Sonic 4 Earlier this month, SEGA revealed they are working on...
2. Battlefield 1943 Hitting XBLA On July 8; PSN On July 9 If you’re as big a Battlefield fan as we...
3. Call of Duty: Classic Hitting PSN & XBLA This Week! If you’re like me, you’ve been spending an insane...