E3: Perfect Dark N64 for Xbox Live

By Robert Purchese Published 3 June, 2009

This winter, says Major Nelson.

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has announced that the original Perfect Dark will be released on Xbox Live Arcade this winter.

His Twitter says the N64 game will be playable in 1080p and that we'll see a free theme added to Live Marketplace today so we can celebrate.

Developed by Rare, Perfect Dark earned top marks back in 2000, and is remembered by many as a spiritual successor to the iconic GoldenEye 007.

That was followed five years later by Perfect Dark Zero on Xbox 360, a launch title that underwhelmed given the surrounding expectation.

Perfect Dark follows Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie revamps for XBLA, neither of which has been particularly good. They're highly priced too at 1200 Microsoft Points (GBP 10.20 / EUR 14.40).

Rare has otherwise been quiet, as we've been left to guess at what full-scale project the team is tackling, despite heavy Killer Instinct hints in the past. Whatever the game it'll need to sell well, as, despite critical acclaim, Viva Pinata and its sequel didn't.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (38) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andywilkie35 #1 3 years ago

    Fuuuuuucking yes, still the best multiplayer FPS I've played

  • muscleblade #2 3 years ago

    My favourite game of all time. Im afraid time hasnt been kind to it though. Elvis (the alien) rock!

  • asharkman #3 3 years ago

    God, the thought of shooting that alien in the head over and over and over and over again brings a shiver to my spine......
    Goldeneye anyone?.............

  • Moggo #4 3 years ago

    YES.YES.YES.YES.YES!

    I just marked out at home, haha.

  • MORZTAN #5 3 years ago

    Perfect Dark was indeed Perfect.

    A buddy of mine have put full 4 weeks of gametime into the multiplacer. 40.000 headshots at 2 million bullets fired, if I remember correctly.

    Truly the best multiplayer experience ever. Nothing has ever come close.

  • kinky_mong #6 3 years ago

    Good to hear, but I'm worried it will be very dated now.

    Give us a new Killer Instinct or Blast Corps guys! For the latter ask Volition nicely if you can use the Red Faction engine for the building destruction.

  • kebab1701 #7 3 years ago

    Yes!! Instant Buy ... If it's been ported so that it uses both sticks for movement and has high res textures then it should be brilliant.

  • DoctorZoidberg #8 3 years ago

    Great news.

    I wonder if 'Rob Purchase' could perhaps of included even more Rare hate tone?

  • ZuluHero #9 3 years ago

    Nothing has ever come close? erm.. Goldeneye? :p

    I really hope the framerate has been improved PD was a game that really caused headaches with so much detail crammed in and i would hope for live co-op.

    That is all really.
    Edited by 1 at 03/06/09 @ 09:26

  • javvyman #10 3 years ago

    Writer's a bit a of a rare hater isn't he?

  • Toothball #11 3 years ago

    Perfect Dark started out wonderfully. That trio of levels where you broke in through the roof, robbed the basement lab then escaped via the roof again was really well put together. But then it turned weird with all those alien ships and things. Still pretty good, but I think I'll leave this one on the N64.

    Still interested in the Banjo games though. £10 doesn't really seem like too much at all for those.
    Edited by 1 at 03/06/09 @ 09:28

  • coolbritannia #12 3 years ago

    OMG MEGATON!

  • booner #13 3 years ago

    Instant buy, just need Goldeneye now :D

  • GiarcYekrub #14 3 years ago

    Roll on Blast Corps

  • jmg123 #15 3 years ago

    Never Liked PD as much as goldeneye. But if they were to release goldeneye then it would be the straw that breaks the camels back and I would purchase a 360 (maybe as well as a few 360 exclusives that I want to play at some point)

  • Tomo #16 3 years ago

    If the frame rate is stable then it'll have aged absolutely fine. That's pretty much the only thing which irritates me about it and Goldeneye.

    Awesome news of ultimate win.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #17 3 years ago

    I am quite intrigued by what this will be like. By rights, a good conversion would run at 60fps in high resolution, with post-halo twin analogue controls. It'll be like we're seeing the game Rare though they were making.

    This could well be very good. I might actually persevere with it if it's freed of the single-figure framerate and n64 controller faff.

  • Mr_Bogus #18 3 years ago

    Excited for this :)

    Hi-res, good framerate and cheese wedges please!

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #19 3 years ago

    This AND Monkey Island.

    ALL IS GOOD IN THE WORLD.

    And especially on XBLA.

  • gourry #20 3 years ago

    Will definately be keeping an eye on this - both this and Goldeneye wasted many of my teenage nights with friends.

    Agree that maybe this is one that should remain in the past - improved textures and framerate are all very well but it would change the games orignal feel considerably. They would get bonus points if they reintroduced the feature that was originally canned to allow you to scan a persons face via webcam (i think the idea was to use the gameboy with cam back in the day) and use it in the game.
    Edited by 2 at 03/06/09 @ 11:14

  • GiarcYekrub #21 3 years ago

    Shadow Complex looks good too

  • DarthInsinuate #22 3 years ago

    I believe they'll be going for a direct 100% conversion to avoid angering the hardcore fans. They'll even simulate the awful frame-rate, because that was the game's greatest charm, obviously.

  • Darren #23 3 years ago

    I never got to play Perfect Dark outside of a glitchy PC emulator so I'm looking forward to this. Another Rare classic to join Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie on XBLA. Can we have Jet Force Gemini next please?

  • Nova5lag #24 3 years ago

    Best news of E3.

  • BBIAJ #25 3 years ago

    XBLMP confirms that the framerate is now "silkier".

  • septimus #26 3 years ago

    Goldeneye please. Goldeneye > Perfect Dark (memories wise anyway).

    Oh yes, Killer Instinct as well please.
    Edited by 1 at 03/06/09 @ 11:49

  • peterfll #27 3 years ago

    Excellent, I loved the original and I think it helds up quite well, I gave it a go a couple of years back on my old N64.

    Jet Force Gemini + Blast Corps please.

  • jot027 #28 3 years ago

    So many happy hours spent shooting shit through walls.

    It takes me back

  • Quickstick4 #29 3 years ago

    Who says that Viva Pinata didn't sell well? has M$ come out with the sales numbers? Cause 3/5 people I know with an xbox own Viva Pinata.

  • MyPointIs #30 3 years ago

    What the hell does 'this winter' mean now?

    Because if it turns its just a subtle way of saying next year ... I will be pissed off!

    And you won't like me when I'm angry.

  • Frumper #31 3 years ago

    I think this points to a Goldeneye version not being released due to all the licensing issues. While PD is a great game, it doesn't have a historical audience as wide as Goldeneyes and you would really expect a conversion of GE to come first. :(
    Edited by 1 at 03/06/09 @ 13:44

  • muscleblade #32 3 years ago

    I loved the Area 51 Alien bits.

  • dr_faulk #33 3 years ago

    STOP COCKING ABOUT AND GIVE US GOLDENEYE!!!!

  • Quickstick4 #34 3 years ago

    Ive been thinking about this since it came up: Why weren't EG there? Or any other journalists? No screen shots? nothing, just a twitter announcement? has EG been caught with its pants down? If it was a booth, i hope you get some screen shots pronto.

  • mcbain23 #35 3 years ago

    RCP_120 FTW

  • TwinFire #36 3 years ago

    I bought a 360 for PDZ at launch, sold it 6 months later.
    Ill be buying a 360 again now. Microsoft are doing a great job with Xbox Live. :)

  • Benraiben2k #37 2 years ago

    "But then it turned weird with all those alien ships and things " - Well it is a sci-fi shooter... :-P
    As for worries of it being "dated", well, Rare have updated the game somewhat as you can see. Gameplay wise...nah, that wont be dated either, I enjoy the gameplay like it is, and mainly why a lot of new FPS games just don't appeal.

  • Dr_Wadd #38 2 years ago

    I second peterfll, we need Blast Corps on XBLA, or better still, a whole new Blast Corps. There is a lot of potential there for co-op play if they introduce vehicles that work together.