The Old Perfect Dark Probably Isn't Similar To The New One

In all the conversations I've had about 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Xbox's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Summer Game Fest showcase (and given how much of a hit it was, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:I've had a lot), there has been a recurring theme. Someone has said "the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Perfect Dark trailer 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:looked good, didn't it?", and I smiled and nodded, but my eye twitched a bit. Because yes, sure. It looked like a very good trailer for a very good video game. But I'm not sure that video game is Perfect Dark. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Now t🥀hat the original is coming to Switch, maybe people will figure that out.

I don't like to gatekeep games. Many of the classics I love these days are games I got into late based off new entries in the series causing me to backtrack to a goldmine, or through recommendations from friends. It doesn't matter whether you played Perfect Dark back when I did in the early '00s, or if you just played it last week. If you like it, you're a fan. Case closed. But many of the people impressed by the trailer weren't really fans - they'd never played the game before, and just saw a trailer they liked and thus became interested. That's how most people get into video games.

The Perfect Dark Trailer Divisive For Fans, But Popular With Newcomers

It's not even something I think needs to change. The trailer was far better than I expected, given we'd constantly heard news that꧙ the game was in a terrible state, as well as in an attempt to recoup funds. Coming out with a pretty impresꦺsive tech-led FPS trailer was a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:bold statement of dissent aga🥂inst the rumour mill. Ultimately, everyone liking it and me being unsure is a better outcome than everyone dismissing it and me being the lone voice saying 'hey now, let's give it a chance'. But I hope people give the original Perfect Dark a chance now.

The subreddit for the game, the most obvious port of call to find hardcore fans, is divided. Some are naturally excited that Perfect Dark has been one of the hits of the showcase, and can see the vision with this new modern direction. Others, the skeptics like myself, struggle to see much Perfect Dark in here at all besides Joanna's name and the mention of Carrington.

Carrington appears to be the villain here, but as it's a reboot of the first game, my guess is the story has been retooled to have Joanna defect from DataDyne and work for Carrington, with this trailer focussing mainly on the opening sections.

Also, and this is not as trivial as it seems, Joanna is British again. She was made American in Perfect Dark Zero, apparently having always been designed as American but with no Yank on hand to voice her originally. However𒆙, fans had already fallen in love with the original Joanna Dark and did not take kindly to this ovꦍerseas interloper, vastly preferring her voice in the original. Thankfully, this new Perfect Dark reinstates a British Joanna.

Should You Play The Original Perfect Dark Before The New One?

perfect dark screenshot showing Joanna aiming her taser

This all brings us to a conundrum for new fans enticed by the trailer. Do you play the old games in preparation for the new one? But the answer isn't so simple. From a story perspective, it's a pretty simple 'no'. The upcoming title is a reboot for the series, so it will be a fresh start narratively speaking. After two decades away and therefore the bulk of players being total rookies, that's the right call from Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative.

From a gameplay perspective? I'm also tempted to say 'no'. It's very clear that the new game is going to assume zero knowledge on a player's behalf and so there won't be any mechanics from the originals you'll be expected to remember and carry over into Joanna's upcoming adventure. It also seems like a fairly substantial departure from the original gameplay, so getting used to how the game works probably isn't necessary and might even be prohibitive.

I have no doubts that the new game will come with more options, given the improvements made to development technology, but it will struggle to beat the nostalgia-tinted memories I have of the game. New players won't be dealing with nostalgia, but assuming my memories hold up just a little, if you play the originals and fantasise about how a new game could tweak them, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment - the trailer doesn't offer improvements so much as it throws the whole approach out for something slicker but maybe, just maybe, a little less Joanna Dark.

Then there's the ol' 'should I play it because it's good', to which I offer a loud and echoing 'yes'. It's been a while since I played it myself, so mileage may vary on how much it holds up, but it's always been one of my favourite games of that era and I'd love people to check it out. But only if they're checking it out for the experience of playing a forgotten classic. If it's a proxy to playing the new game, I'm doubtful they have as much in common as you might expect.

Perfect Dark coming to Switch Online is a good thing, but it might also be a bad thing. What do I know? Play it if you want, just don't expect to get the sum of the equation 'Xbox trailer minus 20 years' when you boot it up. Play it for you now, not for you in the future.