Perfect Dark N64

NOTE: originally sent this to SBK, but thought it made a decent write-up so sharing it here too.

Picked up Perfect Dark. Originally played it eons ago before I had a brain, playing it now really put into perspective how badly the hobby shifted in the wrong direction. Missions are open-ended in how you tackle objectives (and failing them doesn't mean game-over, you can still play on and do the rest, though you won't unlock the next mission by doing so). Many objectives have hidden ways of accomplishing them. I.e. there's a mission where you have to hack a taxi to create a diversion, but instead you can find a hidden (remember secrets??) bomb and plant that instead, which is way faster. Objectives and starting locations also change depending on the difficulty mode and how you completed the previous mission at times (for example starting you in a far worse position if you took the easy-exit the last mission). Playing on Easy the first mission only has "reach the elevator" as objective, while on Hard there's a laundrylist.

Enemies and weapons are the star though. Every weapon has two firing modes and they are all distinct and useful. Enemies are insanely responsive for a N64 game. Every limb has unique pre-determined reactions and influences. Shoot the arm and they cannot use their gun anymore and will instead go into melee-mode to kick you. Shoot the gun out of their hand and they will swap to a side-arm (which means you can get that as well when you kill them, more ammo); or if they don't have one they'll pick up weapons lying around or go melee. Headshots are OHKO, but tricky to land. Leg shots stagger, nutshots definitely stagger. It's very well designed. Note: playing on the Xbox 360 remaster, which is just a reskin.

Surprised by the plethora of content too. Speedrunning chapters unlocks cheats, there's a fully fledged campaign co-op mode, a counter-coop (where one player is the stage's AI), and you can even do coop with a bot if you're lonely. Multiplayer has bots too and even custom-challenge maps with specific objectives (nearly 30 of them). The content of this game defies logic. There's even unlockable missions and a shooting gallery with a ranking system. In a console shooter from the early 2000s.

How the fuck does a N64 game have more hit reactions than any souls game combined…… man playing bloodborne made me appreciate enemy hit reactions in games much more and I feel like squidward seeing people do these crazy hit states on enemy’s while I’m stuck with “Hitstun, rare knock back and visceral state and trip state for specific enemy’s”.

I was never really interested, but your notes are making me reconsider this. Really sounds like it would be worth trying.

>how
Not as surprising when the focus for modern/HD games isn't on the game-y elements.

I'd definitely give it a go if you can. Should add that the Xbox version is by FAR superior technically, as it has a stable 60fps while the N64 version struggles to maintain even 10fps at times.

Game also has some great weapons. There's a Tranquilizer gun for non-lethal takedowns, but its alternative fire is a melee attack that empties an entire clip into the target for a OHKO (kill). There's a gun that can be deployed as a sentry. A gun that shoots and sees through walls. So much fun to be had.

>Xbox version is the better version
I see that my torture for not owning an Xbox continues.

Jokes aside, duly noted. I wonder if an emulator can't still improve on this.

>lethal vs non-lethal talk
Interesting to see this come up in a game like this. And just when, for the past weeks, I've been seeing MGS related stuff (mostly text) pretty much daily.

Anyway, is it safe to assume that the tranquilizer is more cost effective for taking out an opp?

>gun that can be deployed as a sentry
Reminds me a bit of Mega Man Legends 2. Curious about how this game executes this mechanic.

> xbox haunts you
The game is also available through other methods on other systems like PC, with M&K support if you catch my drift. Though I will say the game isn't meant to be played with accuracy, it's very arcadey and more about 'what you shoot with' than 'how well you shoot with it' if you know what I mean.

> lethal vs non lethal
Note that it barely matters in this game, there isn't a reward/punishment for it for the most part. There's one NPC that if you let live will open a secret area in another mission, otherwise it's more a matter of efficiency. Many weapons are also locked per stage (though with cheats you can access them in other levels).

> sentry gun
Basically the LaptopGun (that's the name) has an alternative fire where you throw it away and it sticks to the first surface it touches. Then it will auto-aim kill everything in sight. It uses up ammo though, so it can run dry.

Stupid analysis but in a way does this games weapons mirror the trick weapon system of bloodborne?

What is your obession with Bloodborn in relation to this game haha

It'd more call it the progenitor of the two-option weapons from future shooters. Main fireing mode + something funky.

Another classic I've been meaning to play, only ever heard great things about it.

>Funky Alt-Fires
Was Blood the first to do this? Earliest example I can think of.

I think BLOOD was at the for front there definitely.

> secondary
One very interesting one here is the melee's secondary mode, DISARM. It's a melee attack, but deals less damage but instead disarms the enemy and takes their weapon. There are quite a few weapons that you'll never be able to get otherwise. This immediately changes the enemy's state, some will grab for their sidearm, others will flee or charge at you for melee. Incredibly versatile move.

For example there's a miniboss later in the game that you have to damage a bit before he runs away, but you can also bumrush him and disarm him, which makes him immediately run away since he has no sidearm.

>obsession with bloodborne
I have been wanting to play games with an actual fun combat system that’s why.

Ninja Gaiden beckons once again, so does Sifu, ZoE2, GoWclassic, ShinobiPS2, Urban Reign, Chaos Legion, DMC1, DMC3 - plenty to play instead of going through a game you dislike.

Sounds really fun.

Also, is Perfect Dark Zero any good? I've got german copy laying around.

I tried it since I got it with Rare Replay and did one level, it feels very rough to play, and generally I hear it's not a good game.

Aside from Perfect Dark, I'm also interested in Goldeneye and the TimeSplitters games. The first mission of TimeSplitters 2 is very fun.

Not sure what would be the best way to play Goldeneye, and if for Perfect Dark the fan made PC port or the 360 version is better.

Okay, so Perfect Dark's key strenghts are its open levels, multiple objectives, responsive enemies and creative weapons. Perfect Dark Zero has typical shooter weapons, lineair levels, literal arrows glowing on the ground on where to go, no secrets, and ragdoll enemies: it is garbage of the highest degree. Hard to imagine it was made by the same team.

> GoldenEye
I'd say go for Perfect Dark of the two. GoldenEye has fun multiplayer, but the singleplayer campaign isn't that great imo in comparison to PD. Best way to play GE is any pc fanport I'd say.

> Perfect Dark
Tomato tomato, the PC fanport is great and has the original visuals, while the 360 version runs flawless and has a few extras (shooting gallery).

> Timesplitters
Goated series.

Very interesting, from your description it looks like PD took inspiration from Thief (objectives changing with difficulty), and also from immersive sims in general.

Since I already have the 360 remaster of Perfect Dark I guess I'll just go for that version. As for Goldeneye, maybe I'll go for the leaked 360 release as it works great on Xenia.

I'm almost sure that the people who made Perfect Dark went on to make TimeSplitters, so Perfect Dark Zero probably wasn't made by the same team.

Do TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect also have creative weapons with secondary fire modes like in Perfect Dark?

Can't speak for T2 as that's way too long ago. Future Perfect is pretty fun and has some great weapons, but since you timejump a lot it's often "pistol gun" and "machine gun gun" with a different cool skin / shoot effect.

> TimeSplitters 2
Absolutely loved this game as a kid, still play through it every so often now. Most weapons do have alt-fire modes, but PD may have it beat for creativity. A few examples from memory:
- Assault rifle with an undermounted grenade launcher as the alt-fire
- A triple barrelled rocket launcher, the alt fire allows you to fire all 3 barrels at the same time but the rockets don't fire in a straight line (trading accuracy for damage/blast radius)
- The lasergun is a semi-auto rifle, the alt-fire allows you to create a laser shield that will protect part of your body , but your energy (ammo) constantly drains while in use
- The alt-fire for both shotguns allows you to fire two back-to-back shots, you'll get through your ammo faster but almost no reason not to use this AFAIK
- The grenade launcher fires grenades that detonate over time, as expected, but the alt-fire launches a flaming projectile that will ignite any enemy it touches, which overrides their AI instantly and makes them stop attacking while they take burn damage over time
- The minigun's default fire is slow as the barrel needs to spin up before firing. There is a heat gauge that fills up as you fire, and the gun will overheat if you fire for too long. The alt-fire will keep the barrel spinning constantly, which means the heat gauge will never fully empty, but you can instantly fire as soon as you pull the trigger

There will be others but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I should really give PD a try and compare it to TS2, they seem to have similar design philosophies.

Tried playing this on actual N64 hardware but damrn, the framerate is unbearable. Might look at emulation or the Xbox version if it's actually good.

Xbox version is how I played it, fantastic release honestly. Retains the original artstyle, great resolution and framerate while also adding a few extra pieces of content - one of 'those' rereleases that really knows what you want.