Anniversary: Perfect Dark, Another N64 Rare Classic, Turns 25

Rare had a heck of a run on the Nintendo 64, and today we’re celebrating the anniversary of yet another of the studio’s classics — Perfect Dark.

Joanna Dark made her debut on Nintendo’s 64-bit console on 22nd May 2000 in North America, with a European release following in June. Today, it ranks as the studio’s highest-rated game on Metacritic still.

While the series has seen its ups and downs over the years (via Game Boy Color and Xbox 360 prequels), the original remains beloved still thanks to its excellent gameplay and multiplayer, brilliant visuals, and healthy challenge. It was, in many ways, a refinement over Rare’s previous iconic shooter, GoldenEye 007. Some even Joanna’s adventure to Bond’s — look, it’s a tough call! We won’t judge.

Oh, and thanks to Retronauts for reminding us that the events of the game happened… two years ago. How are we still alive?

While the series has been pretty quiet for a while, you can at least celebrate today’s anniversary by booting up the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack release for a quick round of multiplayer with friends.

But we are getting a reboot of the game (not on Switch or Switch 2, as of yet) sometime soon from developer The Initiative. Revealed back in 2020 at The Game Awards, Perfect Dark made a reappearance during Microsoft’s Showcase at Summer Game Fest 2024.

And for an extensive look at the history of Perfect Dark, including interviews with the people who worked on the game, you should check out our feature on the game which we published for its 20th anniversary, written by contributor and friend of the site James Batchelor.

Are you a Perfect Dark fan? Are you excited for the reboot? Or do you think it’s better than GoldenEye? Vote in our poll below and celebrate this game in the comments.