Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64, Xbox 360)/Version Differences

This is a sub-page of Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64, Xbox 360).

To do: The XBLA version of Perfect Dark is a remaster. Aside from 4J Studios changing the code, none of it was remade, and it should NOT be classified as a remake. The data for the XBLA remaster cannot be extracted (for now). See if the Nintendo Switch Online version introduced any changes or oddities.

Regional Differences

European

North American	European

Both the North American and European releases are both called version 8.7 final on the start up screen. The European version does have some differences besides the PAL conversion, however. First off, the text on this screen was made brighter.

North American/Japanese	European

The resolution used for most of the game has been changed from 320x218@60Hz to 320x264@50Hz. As can be seen in the comparison shot, only the HUD elements take advantage of the higher resolution - Joanna's field of view is simply stretched vertically.

North American	European

Similarly, Hi-Res mode has been changed from 640x218 to 448x264.

When walking around the Carrington Institute, some hint text pops up the first time Joanna approaches an elevator, terminal, hovercrate, and hoverbike. This text was intended to appear in the North American version, but the action block used by Carrington's tour of the Institute makes it impossible to see under reasonable circumstances. In the North American version, it is set up to display every time Joanna approaches one of these objects.

North American	European

In the North American version, there is a mistake in Carrington Villa's briefing on Special Agent: Both "Eliminate Rooftop Snipers" and "Activate Wind Generator" are given as objective two. This was fixed in the European and Japanese versions. The comparison here also points out another change: The European version leaves more space between each line of text, but the size of the menu hasn't been increased, meaning less text fits on-screen at once.

Japanese

To do: At least one more screenshot needs to be re-uploaded with the Angrylion plugin. Also, Transfer Pak support may be removed or inaccessible as the GBC game was not released in Japan.

European	Japanese

The Japanese release is JPN version 8.9 final. A new trademark line has also been added to this screen. The Japanese version retains the European version's changes, with the exception of the resolution and refresh rate, but also introduces plenty of its own.

International	Japanese

In line with the "red and black" marketing the game received in Japan, the Nintendo 64 "N" logo turns into a blood red "pd" instead of blue and gray.

International	Japanese

The title screen background is also red. The title logo used in the other versions is drawn in the background, with a new black katakana logo in the foreground, and red copies of this new logo resizing and glowing behind it.

International	Japanese

At Nintendo of Japan's request, Joanna Dark now has an improved face texture (that bears a closer resemblance to the face of the Joanna used in the CGI renders in promotional material) in the Japanese version. Similar texture changes do not extend to any other character in the game - not even Joanna's sister, Velvet.

(Source: Nintendo Power (Legends of Localization))

On the subject of siblings, Jonathan's surname is no longer given in The Duel's briefing.

International	Japanese

This version removes the blood splatter when characters are shot and the pools of blood that emerge from dead characters. There is still a subtle blood stain applied to characters' bodies where they have been shot and dead bodies fade out shortly after they hit the ground, exactly like GoldenEye. This also helps free up memory, and the game runs slightly smoother as a result.

(Source: Schnittberichte)

Shields have been added to many missions on Perfect Agent difficulty, making them easier.

International	Japanese

The Combat Knife has been removed from the game. It is not available to choose in the Combat Simulator, and the All Guns in Solo cheat doesn't grant it. Joanna begins the Attack Ship mission with a Falcon 2 instead.

All spoken dialogue is still in English, so cutscene subtitles have been enabled by default.

N64 Expansion Pak™ Not Detected

International	Japan
	N/A

When the international versions of Perfect Dark are started without the N64 Expansion Pak (model NUS-007), the player is treated to the so-called "Small but Perfect Menu" with limited playability. Up to two players can play, the solo missions, co-op and counter-op are not available, and adjustable settings are limited to music and sound volume, sound output, and visual aspect ratio. The Japanese version, on the other hand, freezes on a black screen bearing a message when starting if the Expansion Pak is not detected, making the game unplayable unless the Expansion Pak is installed. The message itself predictably says, "This game requires a memory expansion pack. Please consult the game's instruction booklet for more information."

Revision Differences

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: A different explanation was provided: https://github.com/n64decomp/perfect_dark/blob/master/docs/challenge7bug.md

A 1.1 release was made in North America, mainly to fix a devastating memory overflow bug which was triggered by simulants entering the ducts in the Warehouse arena. This would overwrite the cartridge's EEPROM save with random garbage, even if a Controller Pak was being used for saving, and could render the game unable to pass the title screen. The version number of the start up screen has not been changed from NTSC version 8.7.

(Memory overflow information: zoinkity)

North America v1.0	North America v1.1, Europe and Japan

This revision also fixes a bug where Trent Easton did not appear in Crash Site's outro when viewed through the cinema menu.

Xbox 360 Differences

The Xbox LIVE Arcade version is a mostly faithful port of the North American Nintendo 64 game. Some minor changes have been made, however.

• The game can now run in up to 1080p and maintains a 60 FPS framerate most of the time.
• Textures have been replaced with higher resolution equivalents.
• Character, weapon, and other object models have been replaced with higher polygon count variants. The new character heads and faces are not faithful to the originals, and the same applies to the weapons, textures, etc.
• Most level backgrounds have not received any updates, however new skyboxes have been created for several of them, and the city surrounding the Lucerne Tower has been remodeled.
• Audio samples use higher quality versions of the original source material.
  • It should also be noted that the game's music is somewhat altered. This is noticeable throughout much of the game. Maian Tears is perhaps the best example.
• The rotating Nintendo logo in the title sequence has been replaced by a Microsoft Game Studios logo. The Nintendo 64 "N" logo has been replaced by a 4J Studios logo, which transitions to the blue and silver Pd logo.
• Button prompts are now shown at the bottom of the screen when navigating menus.
• Achievements, crowns, awards, and online leaderboards have been added to the game.
  • A new menu is present to check these, which also contains a How To Play option, which is an in-game manual. The original Options menu is now in this menu, under Settings.
• The original eight control schemes have been replaced by three new control schemes, which mimic the original X.2 control schemes, and the controls used by the Halo and Call of Duty franchises.
  • Activate and reload now have separate button assignments instead of sharing one.
  • Functions that originally required button combinations or holding a button, such as crouching or using a weapon's secondary fire mode, have been given their own buttons.
    • As a result of this, the sniper rifle's secondary function, crouch, has been removed. It was not possible to crouch with the normal button combination while using the sniper rifle in the Nintendo 64 game.
  • The Back button can now be used to check objective status while in a mission and scores while in a Combat Simulator game. The Start button now opens the menu in the Combat Simulator.
• Combat Simulator, Co-Op, and Counter-Op games can now be played over Xbox LIVE Arcade.
  • All Combat Simulator arenas, game modes, weapons, simulants, and characters are unlocked automatically, rather than being earned by completing challenges.
  • The classic weapons from GoldenEye are now available to use in the Combat Simulator.
  • Only certain heads are intended to be used with certain bodies, for example, only Joanna and Velvet's heads can be used with Joanna's bodies. It's possible to bypass this restriction by holding RB while selecting a new body - this will keep the previously selected head.
  • Jonathan has been given a character body. It's identical to the Area 51 Guard.
  • Agent 4 from Crackdown 2 can be selected in the Combat Simulator if a save from that game is present.
• The Head Roll Control Option is now disabled by default.
• An optional new HUD element has been added, which shows whether the player is standing or crouched. It can be disabled in the Display menu.
• The cheats which could originally be unlocked by inserting the Game Boy Color version of Perfect Dark into a Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak are now unlocked by the presence of a Perfect Dark Zero save.
• The DK Mode cheat has been renamed "Monkey Mode".
• The N-Bomb has been renamed "N-Grenade".

Title Update

The title update released on May 7, 2010 restored some original Nintendo 64 behavior which was lost in the initial release of the port.

• A new Advanced Control Options menu has been added with the following options:
  • SouthPaw - Swaps the functionality of the analog sticks.
  • Legacy - Movement and turning are now on one analog stick, while strafing and look up/down are on the other, as was the case with the X.1 and X.3 control schemes in the Nintendo 64 version.
  • Swap Triggers - Self-explanatory, makes the left trigger fire and the right trigger enter aim mode.
  • Secondary Fire Reset - Defaults to on. When on, weapons will always reset to their primary fire after death or when changing missions. When off, weapons will stay on whichever function had been selected.
  • Lock Sight - The standard "target" crosshair never moves from the center of the screen, even when Head Roll is enabled. This has no effect on the aim mode crosshair, which still moves in the direction the stick is pressed.
  • Aim Sensitivity - A slider allowing the sensitivity of the aim mode crosshair to be adjusted.
• A Gamma slider has been added to the Video menu.
• The quick menu for selecting weapons can now be navigated with either stick.
• A Player Handicap option is now available for local Combat Simulator games, as was the case in the Nintendo 64 version.
• Both players now get credit for completing Co-Op missions over Xbox LIVE, rather than just the host player.
• All primary players now get credit for completing Challenges over Xbox LIVE.
• Both players now get credit for completing Counter-Op missions if Joanna completes the mission.
• The "Tools of the Trade", "Who Needs Enemies?" and "How's That For Starters?" achievements have been fixed and unlock for all players under the proper circumstances.
• The duration of explosions was increased and Laptop Gun sentry performance tweaked to better match the Nintendo 64 version.