Beat That Backlog

In the beginning, there was Goldeneye 007, and it was good. The year was 1997, and console shooters were formless and empty. Thus Rare said “Let there be objectives.” And so it was. And Rare blessed the players with free will, so that they may try to beat the game with stealth, or fail their objectives should they fall into the clutches of temptation. And ye, up to four players could rock each other’s asses off in intense multiplayer. And so they did, destroying many college grades and sleep schedules in their wake.

Then in 2001, there was Halo: Combat Evolved, and it was also good. For Bungie had given form to a new world, a vast playground teeming with green valleys and icy canyons. And they filled these wondrous spaces with many exotic vehicles, like the Pelicans that flew through the sky, and the Warthogs that wandered the earth. And Bungie fashioned a friend for the player to game with, and he was named “Player 2”, and they endured many frustrating levels of Legendary mode together. And when their friends came over to play with them, they enjoyed many sleepless nights of the best multiplayer gaming had ever seen.

The rest, as they say, is history. However, snuggled between the releases of these two goliath masterpieces was Perfect Dark, the much-beloved spiritual successor to Goldeneye. Back in 2000, this cult classic title glided in on the dying breath of the Nintendo 64’s lifecycle. Though technically superior to its iconic predecessor in almost every way, its late release guaranteed it would soon be overshadowed. It had barely a year to make an in impact before the launch of the next generation of consoles, and with them the cataclysmic arrival of Halo.
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