Rare's seminal FPS Goldeneye 007 is one of the most well-known video games of all time. It regularly tops "best of" lists for video games in general, and is ALWAYS at or near the top when it comes to games strictly for the Nintendo 64. It's a great game, but there is another FPS on the Nintendo 64 that outdoes Goldeneye in every way possible.

Rare followed up Goldeneye with Perfect Dark in 2000 and had another hit on its hands. But 20 years later, the game doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. This is despite the general fan consensus that Perfect Dark is just plain better than Goldeneye.

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Nostalgia Never Dies

1997 was a year the gaming world would not soon forget. It was the year that one of the trailblazers for first-person shooters as a genre was released to the public. Goldeneye was already a movie that brought James Bond back into the limelight, and the video game tie in would do the same for first-person shooters as a genre.

The game was a staple for any gamer in the 90s, it helped popularize couch co-op (as many games on the N64 did) and cemented Team Deathmatch as a must-have game mode for the FPS genre. It did a great job translating the events of the movie into a coherent and fun single-player campaign and had plenty of bonus James Bond related easter eggs to find. It's almost impossible to downplay the significance of the game for the genre and gaming as a whole.

Sequels often don't live up to what they are based on, but even Goldeneye 007 stands in the shadow of what came next: the trials and tribulations of one Joanna Dark.

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Dark Successor

A screenshot of gameplay from N64's Perfect Dark

Three years after Goldeneye 007 changed the game for FPS, Rare decided to go even further. That's where Perfect Dark comes into play. Rare lost out on the bid for the next James Bond tie-in game, Tomorrow Never Dies, to EA. So instead, they took the engine that was used to create the world of Goldeneye and expanded it and enhanced it to be the basis for a brand new IP of their own creation. Perfect Dark is a spiritual successor to Goldeneye in every way.

Working with a team double the size of the one behind Goldeneye, Rare poured their heart and soul into Perfect Dark. They knew they wouldn't have the licensed name to fall back on, so they would have to sell the game on it being purely amazing. Taking inspiration from famous works of fiction like Blade Runner and Judge Dredd, Perfect Dark is equal parts spy thriller and cyberpunk dreamscape. The story has perfect pacing that starts simply and escalates all the way to an alien invasion, all the while keeping a gritty and mature outlook on the FPS gameplay.

Utilizing the power of the Nintendo 64 expansion pack, Rare was able to ship the game bursting at the seams with content compared to Goldeneye. The upgrade in graphics is noticeable, and Perfect Dark is the best looking game on the system by a mile. The best part about Goldeneye, the multiplayer, is VASTLY expanded upon, featuring more levels, completely customizable game modes and even AI to fight with and against.

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The Winners Write History

So why is Perfect Dark always a footnote compared to Goldeneye? Nostalgia plays a significant factor. People remember Goldeneye as the big-name game and the trailblazer for the Nintendo 64. The firsts are often remembered fondly, even when there are better games that come after; just look at the hype behind Ocarina of Time vs. the superior sequel Majora's Mask. Perfect Dark also came close to the end of the lifecycle of the N64, so many people were moving on from the system, and the hype for Perfect Dark just didn't get a chance to simmer as it did for Goldeneye. Many gamers just didn't have the opportunity to play it.

Goldeneye 007 is still an amazing game, and nothing can take that away from it. Perfect Dark just had the benefits of a better engine, and a bigger team to come out with a superior game. Gamers need to cast nostalgia aside and recognize Perfect Dark for the masterpiece it is and place that crown on its head as the best FPS on the Nintendo 64.

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