I played more Perfect Dark.

I'm sorry, but (especially compared to Goldeneye) this game just isn't very good.

The graphics scream, "We just learned light sourcing on the N64 and will use it every chance we get!" The only time the screen isn't covered with lots of dots of bright lights (which annoy my eyes), it's too dark.

So, I think the first stage I beat tonight was the one where you have to destroy a Cetan (some alien race) ship. For the first part of the stage, you have to use an IR viewing device to see enemies that would otherwise be cloaked. Does this add anything to the game? I'd have to say no. The enemies might as well have been visible. Since they're not, you just turn on the IR (there's no strategic considerations to not using it), which just makes the screen turn red. The game has other annoying visual effects. For example, in one stage you have to use night vision, but you have to turn it off when you're in bright light. Once again, going to a menu and turning off or on night vision is not 1) fun 2) challenging 3) anything else that could be considered worthwhile.

This stage has something else which is so irritating, I can't believe anyone at Rare could have thought it was a good idea. You're given Elvis's (the alien's) weapon. When you press the R button to go into aiming mode, the whole screen gets blurry, so that it's almost impossible to see what you're aiming at. I imagine the intention behind this was to make the weapon seem more alien, but the way they did it just sucks.


Despite all these complaints, I also beat this stage on my first try.


As I recall, the next stage takes place at the Carrington Institute. This stage is slightly better than the others I have experienced lately. For one thing, it doesn't have much that could be considered mazelike. For another, I died in it a few times before I was successful. Still, compared to the great levels at the end of Goldeneye, this one is pathetic.

The next stage (which I haven't beaten yet. However, I did get close in my so far one and only try) really annoyed me. There was one part that seemed sort of mazelike, but it also seemed sort of small. I eventually convinced myself that I was indeed just circling around, seeing the same part of the stage over and over, and that I therefore was seeing all of the stage that was currently available. Well, sort of. I then realized there must have been a somewhat hidden path in the only part of the stage where there could have been a hidden path. I then found it shortly thereafter. I was getting pretty annoyed with that part of the stage, but, who knows, maybe it would have been an example of frustration being redeemed with the satisfaction of success... if only I wasn't sick to death of mazelike stages in this game!

Seriously, the variety of the stages in this game sucks compared to Goldeneye. And so does the design of the levels themselves. That one area 51 stage I mentioned was probably the only one I've experienced where it seemed like much thought was put into placement of enemies. For the most part, I can't think of any examples where it makes any difference where an enemy is in the location where it is, rather than another one. I mean, remember that part in Control? Where, right after Natalyia opens the door, and then there are all those enemies off that corridor? And they're armed with grenades? And it's tricky to go around the corner there and kill those enemies before they kill you? Goldeneye was loaded with moments like that, but I can't think of anything that good in Perfect Dark.
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