Those who follow the progress of Rare's highly anticipated Perfect Dark know that the big, evil megacorporation our heroine Joanna must battle is DataDyne. Mind you, all that takes place far into the future, twenty-three years to be exact. Who knows if DataDyne exists today? Joanna Dark probably doesn't - after all, she was born sometime this year.

　　It is amusing that an actual web site for a DataDyne Corporation has been discovered. Is this DataDyne real or just a clever marketing ruse by Nintendo?

　　Looking at the site seems to reveal nothing. This DataDyne claims its mission is "to achieve or enhance dominant leadership, worldwide, in the existing or new private technological product categories in which we choose to compete" - which is about as vague a statement as you could ever make. More vague are the sweeping statements that can be found in the site's "Environment" and "Community" sections, where it even boast that it has a "Code of Ethics." Not much like the evil, uncontrollable, alien-exploiting corporation of Perfect Dark, is it?

　　Then again, something doesn't sit right about the site. Maybe it's the stock clip-art photos. Maybe it's the complete lack of detail on what DataDyne does or where its located, or the lack of contact details. Or maybe it's the somewhat peculiar "Careers" section. Under the list of "most common positions" within the organization, along with the usual suspects such as accounting, there are also positions open in:

　　astrophysicsballisticsgeneticsnuclear physiology

　　More proof required? Look no farther than a few lines down the page, where the employment process for employees includes the following steps:

　　Deoxyribonucleic Acid ExaminationSelf Defense Skills Evaluation

　　Self Defense? Perhaps to provide Perfect Dark's cannon fodder with a chance to fight back?

　　The further you dig into the DataDyne web site, the more dubious the "authenticity" of the site becomes. With a newly released password, you can get past the site's prominent restricted area. Entering the username JamesTann07 and the password 8CR31D29 will lead you to what appears to be the private account of James Tanner, an apparent DataDyne security officer. Included in Tanner's files is an urgent message regarding a breach of DataDyne security, in which an intruder broke into the facility... a female intruder, 5'8", with short cropped brown hair... suspiciously similar to Joanna Dark, that...

　　If you haven't realized by now, the DataDyne web site is in fact an elaborate fake on Nintendo's part. It does seem to be an innovative marketing tactic, and Nintendo has gone to such lengths as to post "security camera footage" depicting what appears to be Joanna Dark. There is also a DataDyne "recruitment tour" making its way around university campuses in the US, and although playable demos of Perfect Dark will certainly be the focus, it should be interesting to see how far Nintendo will go with DataDyne at these "recruitment tours."

　　We'll be sending our own agent - sorry, editor - to the DataDyne recruitment tour soon to see just what the fuss about DataDyne is all about.