Nominal jewel of the launch line-up until full details of 360’s emergence finally crystallised, the pressure on Perfect Dark Zero has to some extent been lifted by the consummate performer that is Project Gotham Racing 3 and the solid conversion of Call of Duty 2. It is PD0, however, that arguably has the most to prove out of all of the 360 titles released so far, representing not only the promise of a new generation of gaming but also of a company long written off by many. Frustratingly, Perfect Dark Zero is both a masterpiece and a crushing disappointment, a game that can and will be enjoyed by some as a revelation and cast aside by others as a shameful waste of money. At the very least, it’s a game that gets people talking, which is admittedly more than can be said for Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

First-person shooters have changed a great deal in the days since arguing that Goldeneye is the best FPS ever was still a credible position. Perfect Dark Zero embraces much of this evolution whilst simultaneously taking palpable steps backwards. The weapon-swapping, fixed inventory and recharging health mechanics are, like many FPSes recently, almost indistinguishable from the Halo system, while an expansive multiplayer suite proves a big draw. More on this later, but having practically defined our expectations of multiplayer FPS gaming on consoles with their N64 titles, Rare have more than ably risen to the challenges of the broadband age. And yet, rather than whisk the player through a continuous adventure peppered liberally with scripted set-pieces, the strict mission-based structure of Goldeneye and the original Perfect Dark has been retained, together with the various difficulty levels, a ludicrously overblown plotline delivered sledgehammer-style through cheese-laden cutscenes, and the return of the omnipresent PDA-themed front-end.

Part of the reason why many modern FPS games have jettisoned the illusion-shattering mission format is to do with the kind of story that they are telling. It wouldn’t make sense for Gordon Freeman to complete a certain task within City 17 then be unceremoniously wrenched back to a central command post and given a new set of missions from a woefully unfunny ethnocultural stereotype and the opportunity to resupply, for example. But Joanna Dark is at first a bounty hunter and then a secret agent, and so while slightly jarring initially given recent progress in the genre, the format so prevalent in third-person adventures like Splinter Cell and Hitman (where a character with a specific career is now seemingly more common) makes perfect sense.

In general, the feeling of being a secret agent deep in enemy territory is better realised here than in many similar games. Minor minigames that kick in when you use gadgets increase immersion without breaking the flow, and while ultimately fairly pointless, they at least make the inclusion of gadgets, a staple of secret agent lore, something more than a token gesture. More significantly, the addition of combat rolls and cover moves behind scenery, complete with seamless flick to third-person camera, are superb, cover in particular radically altering the way the game is played. And after all, as opposed to the likes of Half-Life 2, you are not playing an everyman, you are playing a living, breathing weapon and much respect must go to Rare for successfully giving players that extra degree of control over their avatar.

If at first the aiming seems a little unforgiving, the centre point of the crosshair being really rather small, it makes sense in the context of additions like cover. Shooting people with guns isn’t meant to be easy, "spray and pray" is not meant to work. Choose your shots well, get your aim right, and you’ll be suitably rewarded. It seems like hard work, no question, and when frustration mounts up it’s easy to cry “bad design”. The truth, in this respect at least, is anything but. PD0 is tough, but those suitably enthralled will keep trying, not just to finish the mission, but to better themselves, and to enjoy time and again the great firefights and the excellent atmosphere of many missions. Once the subtleties of control are mastered, once you find your favourite combination of weapons, once you get used to swapping between both weapons and fire modes, then Perfect Dark Zero’s sense of immersion and power steps up a notch.

The other pleasant advantage of the mission-based approach is the replayability and depth that many a modern FPS has been accused of lacking. In contrast, like Halo before it, Perfect Dark Zero is a game that you will still find yourself returning to long after the main modes have revealed all their surprises. PD0 is no ghost-train-duck-hunt. It is also not easy going. Each level is a kind of puzzle. Lightning reactions and a steady hand can get you through on the lower difficulty levels if you’re an FPS pro, but for the majority, and anyone on the more challenging settings, levels will take multiple attempts and each time increased awareness of the obstacles and the options will bring the end a little bit closer. And there genuinely are options. Perhaps the best example, a superb bridge assault towards the end of game can either be tackled head on, plenty enjoyable in its own way, or craftily sidestepped by taking to the bridge’s superstructure. The choice is always the player’s, exactly as it should be, and only enhances that sense of being unique on the battlefield, being the force that tips the balance, and being in control of the situation, rather than simply being led through a story that will only stop if you prove particularly inept.

Words cannot describe how frustrating it is, then, that so many cruel flaws prevail. Some levels are absolutely excellent. The aforementioned bridge assault, the storming of a Chinese temple, a tense rooftop sniper run, a sneaky nightclub infiltration and others prove to be a synergy of great level design and luscious visual and aural settings. Yet some disastrous misfires threaten to spoil the party. For a game that generally rewards cautious, considered play and thorough exploration, an ill-advised foray into tight time limits mixed with a maze-like Temple setting is disastrous all around, and a tendency for the more-sprawling levels to be practically unnavigable without the aid of waypoints points to wildly inconsistent level design, while boss battles are repetitive and overlong. Churlish as it seems to complain too loudly, given that there aren’t really any FPSes that similar criticisms can’t be levelled at, the AI leaves a considerable amount to be desired. Sidekicks are mostly useful but display a worrying tendency to walk into your line of fire, while enemies are sometimes entirely convincing, yet at other times painfully unobservant, failing to react when you drop their buddy who is standing right next to them. Far more damaging given the emphasis on replaying missions on high difficulties, enemies can also sometimes be incredible sharpshooters, killing you before you have even a hope of noting their location, an unfair and contrived way of raising the difficulty.

Similarly, and ironically given many superficial similarities to titles like Splinter Cell, stealth is frustratingly implemented. While non-detection is very rarely a necessary mission goal, like in previous Rare productions being spotted can lead to a de facto endgame, triggering seemingly endless waves of enemies. Frustrating even back in Goldeneye, the fact that we’ve had the likes of Metal Gear Solid and Thief since then make the fact that you have no way at all to gauge whether you are actually at risk of detection renders this element just plain broken. Crucially, however, many of these flaws are endemic in a genre still striving for perfection, rather than a particular failing of PD0, and even the game's more obvious omissions far from ruin a refreshingly challenging and engaging gameplay experience.

Of course, should the single-player campaign become tiresome or even exhausted, there is always the feast of multiplayer options available. The first point worthy of note is just how much content Rare have managed to cram onto the game disc. Not only do you get a full co-operative mode, playable either over Live or in splitscreen... not only do you get all the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag modes, again all playable over Live or in splitscreen, with or without bots... you also get the truly inspired Dark Ops modes. And yes, that is "modes" plural. Rather than just one round-based token gesture towards Counter-Strike, you get 4 different modes, all utilising currency systems for weapons purchase and other such online delights. While some modes stand out as obvious highlights, particularly Infection which is sure to become a staple of online games from now on, what matters most is that none, not a single one of the huge range of multiplayer options is obviously inferior. The second point is that it just works so well. Servers are stable and pleasantly lag-free, while the now-traditionally smooth implementation of Xbox Live standards makes getting into games painless. And should you be denied access to broadband, the bots provided a solid challenge, although sadly they are not quite smart enough to be an option for Dark Ops games. In many ways, improving as player numbers rise, it is this side of things where Perfect Dark Zero’s true potential reveals itself, representing one of the most purely enjoyable multiplayer experiences around.

As formulaic as it seems, some discussion of the technical side is probably necessary, especially on a high-profile launch game. While many would disagree, the original Perfect Dark was in some ways held back the limitations of the Nintendo64, occasionally stuttering when faced with unrealistic expectations. On 360, the problem goes the other way. The new hardware has been hyped as so powerful that PD0 can initially be a little disappointing. The front-end is super slick, textures are stunning, and levels are pleasingly expansive and bustling. Less encouragingly, character models and animation are noticeably last-gen, while the blatant overuse of bump-mapping leaves everything looking stupidly shiny. Light reflecting off your Falcon pistol is impressive, a brick path in the desert map that looks like it could blind someone not blessed with decent sunglasses is just laughable. On the sonic front, music and weapon effects are excellent, and Call of Duty 2-style battle-chatter (“She’s reloading!”) is pleasingly immersive, but voice acting is really rather weak, leaning worryingly toward caricature/racial stereotyping. Arguably, this is all in keeping with the overblown, ludicrous nature of the storyline, and certainly PD0 revels in its James Bond-style cheesiness. And why not indeed? Any excuse for a Scotsman in a bona fide kilt and a supervixen named Mai Hem, after all. However, less forgivable is that the story reaches for moments of high drama. Suffice it to say, there are toddlers likely to produce a script more Oscar-worthy than this, and Rare should have known where to draw the line.

So, returning to those launch day spotlights that must presumably have been feeling pretty hot. And understandably so. Perfect Dark Zero is both superb and a mess, a console FPS that feels fun, tactical, exciting all at the same time as feeling frustrating, backwards and in places amateurish. Key to getting the most out of the game is appreciating that this is not Halo 3 or Half-Life 3. Instead, it is Perfect Dark 2. Or better yet, Goldeneye 3. And what more could any of us have asked for? It’s certainly not perfect, but it was never going to be, and as such both Microsoft and Rare can breathe a sigh of relief. Frustrating as the flaws may be, they can’t change the fact that for the majority of the game, everything ticks over just fine, and when things click, as they do more frequently the more you get into its unique style, it can be nothing short of superb. Play it, enjoy it, come back to it, get better at it, discover its secrets, revel in a masterful multiplayer mode and rejoice in a Rare with plenty still to learn and a little less to prove, but nonetheless a Rare slowly regaining its form.