Relive Perfect Dark: A comparison of Perfect Dark and Halo 2
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TWO NOTES: 1. Both of the games featured in this are rated M for Mature. There are no screenshots, so there is nothing offensive here.
2. Despite what this article says, the best way to avoid the hype and price of Halo 2 is to simply not buy anything. You can save your money for other
games, like Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which is only rated T. This is useful for those who want to buy a good shooting game, without buying an Xbox or Halo.
It could also be an eye opener for those who will spend a lot of money on Halo 2 this holiday season.
Created by Josh-November 9th, 2004

Halo 2 is considered to be one of the best FPS (First-Person Shooting) games ever. Halo: Combat Evolved was a smash hit
in sales and in quality for the Xbox. It later hit the PC, but it didn't stand up to the original Xbox game. The only thing the
original was missing was online support. Well, that's probably the only significant improvement over the first when it
comes to Halo 2. Either way, Halo 2 is a very good game. However, only owners of the Xbox will be able to enjoy Halo 2.
And even as Halo cam out in November of 2001, still the greatest FPS game ever was overlooked.
Well, not exactly. This game was hailed by many critics as one of the best games ever; the true "Goldeneye". I don't care
how original Goldeneye is, Perfect Dark is definitely better. I truly think that Perfect Dark is the best FPS game ever, and
possibly the greatest N64 game, next to Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64. This game can easily be bought for as much
as $5 sealed. That's right, they made so many, that nowadays, getting a sealed copy isn't too hard, and it is so inexpensive!
The only thing you will need is an Expansion Pak, but that's it. This is a game where the demand was much less than the
supply. It's really kind of sad, because this game is so good!
On gamerankings.com, let's say we filter out reviews to only the main sites. Let's also assume that all games on this list
must have received 20 reviews or more. With those minor restrictions, we discover that Perfect Dark is in 13 place of best
game of all time! That's really good! You'll also notice that many other sites not included on the determining list also gave
high scores. Some examples of the high scores include a 9.6 from Nintendo Power. That's the highest score they ever gave!
And then IGN gives it a 9.8, nearly trailing a few other titles for first place. Gamespot gives it a 9.9! That's near perfect! If
you have never played this game, you do not know what you're missing!
But I know that you are thinking of the age. It is 4 years old, and there are some issues that may be something newer
gamers are not used to seeing, or don't want to have to face by going back to an old system. Well, we're going t go through
the five categories and assure you that it works fine!

Sound

Come on, it's Dolby Surround sound to start. It is mixed so well, and the game definitely draws you into the world. Never
before has a game succeeded so well in such a minor area such as audio. The music is amazingly tense, the voice acting is
phenomenal, and the sounds are purely entertaining. Don't even think that this isn't up to today's standards.

Control

This is probably the only problem, simply because a second control stick is replaced by buttons. I don't think this is a big
deal, because if you can hold a control stick, you can certainly hold down two buttons, or maybe just one depending on the
situation. Cycling through weapons is easily done by pressing A, or holding A, and then selecting. The gadgets you use
work fluidly with the game, and don't mess up anything. Every other control is standard for FPS games. If you're used to
Goldeneye, you should have no problem adjusting here.

Graphics

Well, for Nintendo 64 these are absolutely incredible. Even to today's standards, it's great! There's also an optional
widescreen and cinema mode. The cinema mode may cut the screen off a bit too much, but it's still interesting. The
widescreen is definitely cool. You can also switch off the high-res mode if you want a better framerate, but I think the
framerate is a small sacrifice for the superior graphics. If you're worried about the framerate, don't, because it hardly
ever seems slow when you're really into the game.

Replay

Don't even ask! Why do you need online service that you have to pay for, when you can just put in simulants. The game
has 'bots' that are surprisingly smart, and you can have up to 8 at once. So that means you can have four players plus four
simulants. This can lead to a slower framerate, but it is however, a minor sacrifice. You can play the 16 missions on four
difficulty levels. The first one is pretty easy, but the other three are really challenging. There's also a 2P co-operative
mode, so that you can have a separate file for when a second friend is around. There's also the unique 2P
counter-operative mode. It is more of a just-for-fun mode, because you won't unlock anything.

Design

Once again, not much needs to be said. Come one, up to 12 players at once. That's great. Online is more of a desire to play
against somebody that's real. Why pay money for that, when playing against a smart computer is just as enjoyable?
Anyway, the design is flawless. This is like living the best action movie you could think of. This is easily the most
enjoyable game ever made. The storyline is flawless. The play mechanics are perfect. Honestly, whenever I think about
this game, I am just astounded. You have to get this game.

So let's compare the costs of the two. There are several ways we can analyze this, so read all of them and decide which one
best suits your situation.
Debate 1-Best possible experience, without owning anything prior
Perfect Dark

Game cost-at most=$10, at least=$3
System cost-(Nintendo 64) at most=$20, at least=$10
3 additional controllers-at most=$30, at least=$15
Expansion Pak-at most=$20, at least=$15
4 Rumble Paks-at most=$20, at least=$12
8 batteries for Rumble Paks-at most=$8, at least=$4
TOTAL-Price Range=$108-$59
Halo 2

Game cost-at most=$55, at least=$50
System cost-(Xbox) at most=$150, at least=$100
3 additional controllers-at most=$100, at least=$45
One year Xbox LIVE service-at most=$60, at least=$40
TOTAL-Price Range=$365-$235
WINNER-PERFECT DARK: Even if we compare the highest price for Perfect Dark's maximum experience, Xbox's
maximum experience is almost twice as much, and it really depends on if you are buying new or used. One year Xbox
LIVE service is comparable to the one year of Rumble Pak battery life. Let's move on to Debate 2...
Debate 2-Best possible experience, owning the system already.
Halo 2

Game cost-at most=$55, at least=$50
3 additional controllers-at most=$100, at least=$45
One year Xbox LIVE service-at most=$60, at least=$40
TOTAL-Price Range=$215-$135
Perfect Dark

Game cost-at most=$10, at least=$3
3 additional controllers-at most=$30, at least=$15
Expansion Pak-at most=$20, at least=$15
4 Rumble Paks-at most=$20, at least=$12
8 batteries for Rumble Paks-at most=$8, at least=$4
TOTAL-Price Range=$88-$49
WINNER-PERFECT DARK: This one is bit closer, but even if you already owned the system, the price is cut for both. Still,
the price is lower for the stuff required for Perfect Dark.
Debate 3-Least possible experience, owning the system already.
Perfect Dark

Game cost-at most=$10, at least=$3
TOTAL-Price Range=$10-$3
Halo 2

Game cost-at most=$55, at least=$50
TOTAL-Price Range=$55-$50
WINNER-PERFECT DARK: Perfect Dark is simply cheaper, but the age doesn't degrade the quality.
Overall, Perfect Dark beats any price of Halo 2. If we analyzed Debate 3 with systems included, it would be even more sad
to see how much money you are giving to just one game. If you believe that all that extra money is worth it, then go
ahead. Halo 2 will be the most played video game this holiday season, but Perfect Dark will still reign and satisfy. The
critics and scores speak for themselves. The costs speak for themselves. Now you speak for yourself. You can go along
with the crowd and pay that much money, or you can save it, and still enjoy one of the best games!

And if you think I am focusing too much on the past, of just on Perfect Dark, just think about Metroid Prime 2: Echoes!