On This Day in Nintendo History: Perfect Dark

Today, we take a journey back in time to May 22, 2000, to celebrate the North American release of the iconic first-person shooter game, Perfect Dark, on Nintendo 64​1​. Developed and published by Rare, Perfect Dark was a game that pushed the boundaries of its time, presenting a technologically advanced title that required an Expansion Pak to access its campaign mode and most of its multiplayer features​2​.

The Game

The premise of Perfect Dark revolves around Joanna Dark, an agent of the Carrington Institute research center, as she attempts to thwart an extraterrestrial conspiracy led by the rival corporation, dataDyne​3​. The game is played from a first-person perspective and does not have a jump ability. Players interact with the environment using a single context-sensitive button, which can activate computers, operate lifts, and open doors​4​.

Players can carry an unlimited number of weapons, ranging from handguns to assault rifles, rocket launchers, and even combat knives. Each weapon also has a secondary function enabling an alternate fire mode or granting players special abilities. For instance, the secondary function of the K7 Avenger assault rifle detects threats like explosive devices. Players can even dual-wield some weapons, one in each hand​5​.

Health is a critical factor in Perfect Dark. Players have a certain amount of health that decreases when attacked by opponents. Although there are no health recovery items in the game, players can pick up shields that provide a secondary health bar. Damage in combat is location-based, with a shot to the torso causing more damage than a shot to a limb​6​.

Perfect Dark offers a robust training system in the game’s home level, including a shooting range where players can test their proficiency with the game’s weapons in individual challenges. As players complete levels, they gradually unlock information about the game’s locations and characters​7​.

A Successor of GoldenEye 007

Perfect Dark is often viewed as a spiritual successor to Rare’s 1997 first-person shooter, GoldenEye 007. The game shares many features with its predecessor and runs on an upgraded version of the same game engine. It was also led by GoldenEye 007 director, Martin Hollis, for the first fourteen months of its nearly three-year development cycle before he left Rare to pursue other interests​8​.

Reception and Legacy

Upon its release, Perfect Dark received critical acclaim and sold relatively well, ultimately joining Nintendo’s “Player’s Choice” game selection. Critics widely praised its graphics, artificial intelligence, and an array of multiplayer options, although some criticized its inconsistent frame rate​9​.

The game was honored with the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Moving Images Award for 2000 and the Golden Satellite Award for Best Interactive Product in 2001. It is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. Perfect Dark was also supplemented by a Game Boy Color counterpart, which allowed some gameplay options to be unlocked via a Transfer Pak. In 2010, a remastered version of Perfect Dark, featuring enhanced graphics and online multiplayer, was released​10​.

Today, as we commemorate the release of Perfect Dark, we not only celebrate a game but a landmark in gaming history. The impact and influence of Perfect Dark can still be seen in the first-person shooter genre, making it a timeless classic that will always have a special place in the annals of Nintendo history.

Trivia and Notable Achievements

Perfect Dark’s development journey was not without its share of changes and challenges. Originally, the core development team from GoldenEye 007, including Martin Hollis, David Doak, Karl Hilton, Steve Ellis, and Graeme Norgate, was on board for the development of Perfect Dark. However, due to disagreements with Rare, many of these individuals left the company and established Free Radical Design, leading to their absence from the final game’s credits.

Interestingly, Perfect Dark holds a unique record among Nintendo’s repertoire of games. It is the most-acclaimed game with an “M” (Mature) rating from the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) to be released on a Nintendo platform, as per Metacritic.

Not only did it earn accolades, but it also dominated sales charts. Perfect Dark is the Nintendo 64’s best-selling game with that rating, selling a whopping 2.52 million copies. This success further solidified its status as a landmark title in Nintendo’s history.

These trivia bits highlight the behind-the-scenes changes and challenges that shaped Perfect Dark, as well as the significant achievements it made in the gaming industry. It is these elements that contribute to the game’s enduring legacy and its revered status among gamers worldwide.