Of course, the actual designs of areas haven’t been altered and so some of the environments appear slightly empty and simplistic because that is how the N64 maps appeared but again this is vital to make it feel as close to the original as possible. The level textures and lighting have also been massively improved. Yet, this is exactly what most Perfect Dark fans would have wanted – any major changes to how it would have played or looked would have altered it too much to be unrecognisable. As well as that, their faces are static and so when they are talking there is zero movement from the mouth which in HD is even more unnerving. But, crucially the actual animations haven’t been touched so character hands still move in that rigid blocky way, making it appear charmingly awkward when they are typing or gesturing emphatically. This has meant even the central characters have been recast which is slightly jarring if you have been familiar with the original models but most look similar enough that it’s not an issue. Character models have changed for every character and all look so much more defined than the comically angular and stretched faces used in the original. With the updated visuals, cleaner textures and true widescreen support, it looks fantastic. The hi-res models now look so much cleaner and less awkward than the blocky N64 version characters Of course, even with the game on Microsoft’s Game Pass service I unfortunately haven’t been able to play any of the online modes recently so this will mostly cover the single-player content a shame but expected when the game is nearly 12 years old. That choice meant they were able to work in the online connectivity easier with their own engine so it massively paid off. The ambition of the team fittingly matched the original Rare developers with the decision to create their own engine instead of simply emulating the N64 game underneath some high-res textures. It’s quite remarkable how the team were able to walk the tightrope of catering to the look and feel of the original game but also have it work with modern controls and standards. For this review, I have been playing it on the Xbox One as part of the Rare Replay package and I can still appreciate the work they did on this remake. Initially released in 2010 as an Xbox 360 Live Arcade digital release by 4J – they also did the HD remasters of Rare’s Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie for the service – it received critical acclaim for its balancing act of feeling like the original game but also modernised with online connectivity, achievements, leaderboards, a revised game engine and higher resolution graphics. I evangelised in supreme detail the reasons for this in the retro review last week and so this will be purely a summation of my thoughts on what the Scottish-based porting studio were able to improve on the original. Now, full disclosure here – growing up, Perfect Dark for the N64 has always been my answer when asked what my favourite game was. So, in this particular section, I will take the time to play a game of the past which could range from the NES era all the way to the Xbox 360/PS3 generation and share my thoughts with a rating out of five.ĤJ Studio’s HD remaster is a faithful perfection of the Nintendo 64 classic first-person spy shooter and contains many subtle improvements over the base game that any fan of the original should definitely experience. In fact, I am definitely guilty of spending many hours playing the old timers as much as the shiny new stuff. And, sometimes you simply want to delve into an old favourite or a series you have heard great things about but never played. There are so many games to choose from these days and different platforms that it can be overwhelming deciding where to start. Grab your remastered FarSight and Laptop Guns – we have some more PerfectSims to kill The HD remaster is the definitive way to kill those dataDyne goons
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