Upon release,
Perfect Dark received critical acclaim from video game publications. The most praised aspects of the game were its graphics, artificial intelligence, and number of multiplayer options.
Gamespot claimed that, as a console first-person shooter,
Perfect Dark is "unparalleled", while
IGN journalist
Matt Casamassina remarked that its extensive features set the game apart from its peers. Similarly,
N64 Magazine described
Perfect Dark as "dauntingly huge", stating that it "takes everything that made its predecessor such an enduring favourite and does it bigger, better and more often.
Edge concluded that, although the game fails to be as revolutionary as its predecessor, it refines its "phenomenal gameplay while massively developing its multiplayer components."
Nintendo Power editors called the game "undeniably a work of art", suspenseful, "more compelling than most action movies and much deeper than any video game of its type."