Rare made the console first-person shooter a reality with GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. Sure, there were shooters on console before GoldenEye, but none were anywhere near as entertaining. The follow-up to GoldenEye was Perfect Dark, which was ahead of its time, and even with the optional RAM Expansion Pak, it still had trouble running on the Nintendo 64. Fast forward a few years and Rare starts work on Perfect Dark Zero for the GameCube, but then gets purchased by Microsoft and shifts development to the Xbox. However, with the game still a little ways off, and Halo 2 ready to go, PD Zero gets bumped to an Xbox 360 launch window title. Now, we finally have Perfect Dark Zero coming to a Microsoft console near you, and from what we've played, it's looking good.

When we first saw the title at the Electronic Entertainment Expo several months ago it was still a bit early. Rare only had access to alpha kits for a short period of time, and many were skeptical of what the finished product would play like. The Tokyo Game Show came and went with no sign of Perfect Dark Zero, and rumors of a pending delay began to spread. Even the original 50 player Xbox Live multiplayer feature was cut down to 32 players.

However, at X05 and a recent Microsoft event in San Francisco and New York, Perfect Dark Zero made a shining recovery and looks extremely good. There is one thing to note before we get into our hands-on impressions though. Many believe that Microsoft is positioning Perfect Dark as a Halo replacement. If you go into Perfect Dark looking for Halo 3, you won't find it. If you go into PD Zero looking for a solid first-person shooter with exceptional multiplayer through co-op or competitive play, then you'll find that Rare delivers a "perfect" gem.

The main thing future Xbox 360 owners have been wondering about when it comes to Perfect Dark Zero is the graphical presentation, so we'll start there. Does the game look next generation? Absolutely. Does the look like a launch title, and should be expect better from Rare in 2006 or 2007? Absolutely. But looking like a launch title is not at all a bad thing. It simply means that we know the Xbox 360 is capable of more, but Perfect Dark Zero does a great job of showing you the tip of the iceberg.

One of the first things you'll notice about PDZ is Joanna Dark's fingernails. These are the most perfect in-game fingernails we've ever seen. We were almost afraid to go into combat, worrying that we might break a nail. The reload animations were also extremely detailed and some of the best we've seen in a first-person shooter. It made reload several times just to see it again. The environments are very detailed with a flare all their own, and while we feel Kameo has the graphical edge at this stage, Perfect Dark looks very good.

Moving on to the gameplay, when we first entered the game, we were given the option to customize our weapons. Four slots are available, with each weapon taking up a different number of slots. A pistol took up one slot, while a rocket launcher took up three. This allows for an added element of strategy and should allow players to get into long debates about what arsenal works best.

All of the weaponry in the game has a primary and secondary function, and we were told that some weapons will have a tertiary function as well, although we didn't actually play with any that did. Some of the secondary functions that we played around with were a zoom function and a silencer, but the functions will vary quite a bit depending on the weapons you choose.

The multiplayer as fast-paced and fun, but the real highlight was the little touches that Rare has included here. As we blasted away at our enemies, little bits of armor would fly off. We're not talking about a random animation of armor flying off either, the armor came from the exact point where our shots hit. It was little things like this that really start to set PD Zero apart from other first-person shooters and really make it look next generation.

Some may be wondering if Perfect Dark Zero will make launch. Honestly, it looked polished enough to be completed in time for launch, but it wouldn't surprise us if Rare wanted to add a bit more to the game and push it back a few weeks. Either way, once PDZ hits, Halo fans can stop complaining and play this outstanding shooter for themselves. We'll have more on the adventures of Joanna Dark in the coming weeks.