| Perfect Dark Zero | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Rare |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Chris Tilston |
| Producer(s) | Richard Cousins Lee Schuneman Chris Kimmell |
| Writer(s) | Dale Murchie |
| Composer(s) | David Clynick |
| Series | Perfect Dark |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Perfect Dark Zero is a first-person shooter developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released as a launch title for the Xbox 360 video game console in 2005. The game is part of the Perfect Dark series and a prequel to the original Perfect Dark. The story of the game follows Joanna Dark, a bounty hunter working with her father and a computer hacker, as she joins the Carrington Institute agency to prevent a rival corporation from gaining possession of an ancient artifact which endows individuals with superhuman powers.
Perfect Dark Zero features a campaign mode consisting of 14 missions that can be played solo or co-operatively, and a multiplayer mode where a maximum of 32 players can compete against each other in numerous types of deathmatch and objective-based games. Both the co-operative and multiplayer modes support split screen, system link, and the Xbox Live online service. The game was under development for five years and was originally intended to be released for the GameCube and later the Xbox. During development, several intended features were canceled so that the game could meet the Xbox 360 launch.
Upon release, Perfect Dark Zero sold more than one million copies worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its graphics and numerous multiplayer modes. However, some critics felt that the game did not meet expectations, criticising single-player aspects such as its story and voice acting. After its release, the game was supported with downloadable content, expanding its multiplayer mode with new maps and new types of computer-controlled bots. In 2015, the game was included in the Rare Replay video game compilation for Xbox One.