The Jump Feature Although GoldenEye didn't have a jump feature, many would like to see one in Perfect Dark. But would it really work? There are certain ways the jump feature would and wouldn't work in Perfect Dark. If you think back to when you played GoldenEye, you'd remember that in many cases you didn't have the flexibility you often needed to escape your enemies. In GoldenEye, you could not fall off ledges, and therefore you could not make a quick escape if you were being chased. Although not totally true, this, in some ways, made the game less "stealthy" and more of a running and shooting game. However, in Perfect Dark, you will have to carefully navigate your way around ramps and unprotected balconies, as this time you will fall off. With the ability to jump (or fall) off ledges, Joanna will definitely be a more lethal and stealthy secret agent. For example, if you think back to the Facility one-player mission, it would be extremely cool to be able to jump, or climb over the balcony that is outside the toilets. Imagine if your only weapon was a hunting knife, and you had to be especially quiet or you'd blow your cover. So, with the knife in one hand, you slowly climb (or jump) down the railing and land right behind one of the guards, and you slice his throat. A move like this would be brilliant, and could allow a lot more flexibility in the single and multiplayer game, and would allow you to be a much stealthier secret agent -- even better than Bond. However, it is important that Rare doesn't allow too much flexibility, as it will completely destroy the classic GoldenEye gameplay. If you think about it, 007 was good because it was an excellent first-person shooter, and without a jump button it focussed the game on clever shooting,

Specials Would a jump feature really work in a game like Perfect Dark? What do you think? What new movements or functions would you like to see in PD? (You can only vote once, but be sure to check as many boxes as you wish) A jump feature An action button A crawl Commando roll None of the above Current Results Related Links: Interview with Ducan Botwood Back to Features

The only way a jump feature could work in Perfect Dark, if it could work at all, is if it was automatic, or even like in Zelda, where you have an action button that could complete all moves like climb or jump, but would only work in specific areas. For example, if there was a ventilation duct like in GoldenEye's Complex level. To enter the vent, you could use a button such as the "A" button, which you wouldn't need if you were entering a vent. Another example would be if you need to climb up into a vent like in the Facility level. However, the problem with the action button is that it can sometimes slow the gameplay down.

The action button could probably work really well in some situations, but it is important that the player does not have too much freedom of movement, as this concentrates the skill on shooting and clever running.

Also on the topic of movement, the crouch mode was an excellent move in GoldenEye, but it looked crap and often did not seem right. For example, when you hide behind a box or something on multiplayer, you can not see over it, so you assume that your enemy cannot see or shoot you. But this was not the case. You head and shoulders actually stand right up above the box and therefore your enemy can shoot at you whilst you think your safe. This definitely needs to be fixed, and there's no doubt it will be.

Also, the crawl (or moving around whilst you're crouching) was very strange in GoldenEye 007, and is another aspect of movement that needs to be corrected for Perfect Dark. In the 007 multiplayer, instead of actually crawling, you are really only sliding around on your knees and it looks ridiculous. A real crawl would work excellently in this game, especially if you could get right down on the ground. It would be a great way to ambush friends, set up a nice little sniper spot or whatever. And whilst crawling, you should be able to use the Right C and Left C buttons (which were the "strafe" buttons in GoldenEye) to do like a quick, low commando roll. A move like this would completely outsmart your friends. Imagine in GoldenEye, if you rolled out of a room, and at the same time shot an enemy in the head. What an excellent move that would be…

All of these features would be pretty cool… but do we really need them? GoldenEye was a great game and those moves weren't included, so is it worth trying to fix something that was never wrong?