Genre Video game soundtrack Label Nintendo of America | Length 138:42 | |
Released 15 November 2000 (2000-11-15) | ||
Perfect Dark is a science fiction video game franchise developed by Rare. The music of the Perfect Dark series primarily includes albums based on the soundtracks from the video games Perfect Dark and Perfect Dark Zero. The first soundtrack, titled Perfect Dark: Dual CD Soundtrack, was composed by Grant Kirkhope and published by Nintendo of America in 2000, while the second soundtrack, Perfect Dark Zero Original Soundtrack, was composed by David Clynick and produced by Nile Rodgers in 2005.
Contents
Perfect Dark: Dual CD Soundtrack
Perfect Dark: Dual CD Soundtrack is a double soundtrack album that features the complete score of the Nintendo 64 video game Perfect Dark. It was published by Nintendo of America and released on November 15, 2000 exclusively through Nintendo Power magazine. The soundtrack was originally being composed by Graeme Norgate, who previously penned the music of GoldenEye 007 (1997), but he left Rare to work at Free Radical Design in 1998. It was then decided that Grant Kirkhope would be the main composer. The tracks "dataDyne Central: Defection", which plays during the first mission in the game, and "Area 51: Escape" became the only pieces written by Norgate. Other tracks such as "Enter the Dark" were composed by David Clynick as Kirkhope was busy working for Donkey Kong 64 (1999) and Banjo-Tooie (2000).
Kenny Peeples of Soundtrack Central enjoyed the album, saying that it features "a nice moody blend of techno, hip-hop, and rock musical styles. This score gives you a sense of espionage, stealth, action, and suspense. Each track fits its in-game situation perfectly". Similarly, Chris of Square Enix Music Online gave the soundtrack a rating of 9 out of 10, commenting, "Although it has been surpassed in recent years in terms of production values and dramatic underscoring, very few scores offer such rich and interactive complements to the [game]".
Perfect Dark Zero Original Soundtrack
Perfect Dark Zero Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album that features a selection of music from the Xbox 360 video game Perfect Dark Zero. It was composed by David Clynick, produced by Nile Rodgers and released on November 8, 2005 by Sumthing Else Music Works. The soundtrack covers a wide variety of musical genres, including techno, groove, dance, and emo, although the soundtrack as a whole is primarily a mix of hypnotic sci-fi soundscapes. The album also contains two tracks by eclectic rock band MorissonPoe, used in the game's intro cutscene and credits, and one track by DJs Kepi and Kat, used as the nightclub theme.
IGN reviewer Spence D. did not enjoy the soundtrack and gave the album a rating of 4 out of 10, concluding: "If this is what the music of the future is supposed to sound like, well then I'm happy to live in the past". In contrast, Spike TV nominated the album for Best Original Score in their 2005 Video Game Awards show, but it lost to the music of We Love Katamari.