Each theme sets the scene for every level magnificently, with a tone setting the atmosphere just right. The music is by far one of the crowning achievements of the game, with more than 40 tracks used. Each character has their own unique voice and subsequent personality - on a Nintendo console this feature almost makes it feel like watching a movie.

The voices are very clear and convincingly portrayed. Perfect Dark however has broken that boundary and features fully-spoken dialogue within the game as well as all the cutscenes. Many N64 games don't use spoken dialogue, they simply utilise on-screen subtitle text. The sound effects are remarkably realistic and very lifelike, such as guns discharging and the patter of footsteps on different surfaces. The audio in Perfect Dark is some of the best the Nintendo 64 has to offer. Overall, the graphics in this game are marvelous to look at - top class for the N64 generation. The lens flare effect with the sun and many other lighting effects really give the game added polish, especially in alien environments - how often do you see lens flares crossing from three suns? It's also the little touches that count - like when you shoot out a light bulb, sparks occasionally fly from it and rooms become darker if you pop too many lights. The textures used for skins and geometry are highly detailed and varied - you won't see any repetitive environments and very few recycled areas.ĭespite the large amount of data the game loads in each level, the engine runs smoothly in almost any situation, with the frame rate only dropping when a major number of characters are on-screen. All the models including characters, weapons and objects are beautifully rendered and rich in colour, although it does look rather odd when a character is speaking and their mouth doesn't move!Įach weapon features its own visible reload animation which looks and works great, unlike in Goldeneye where the weapon simply dropped out the screen and then returned, ready to fire. The graphical system gives it exceptional 3D quality, pushing the N64 literally to its limits. It clearly shows that Rare have expanded, upgraded and improved Goldeneye's engine for Perfect Dark.

Perfect dark n64