Masterpiece
Written on March 6, 2006:
When the first tech demo of Black was seen, many people couldn't believe an entire game could look that great, especially on an Xbox or PS2. Well, the game is out now and although it's short, it's the most fun you can have shooting a gun without actually shooting a gun.
Black is a first person shooter that set in... let's stop right there. All you need to know is that you've got a gun, and plenty of ammo. Sure, there are cut scenes and a typical, mildly cohesive storyline, but you'll never need to watch them and probably won't want to after finishing the first level. The beauty of the game lies in the engine. Developed by Criterion, obviously known for the Burnout series, continue their streak of wildly impressive, action-packed visual effects virtually unrivaled on the Xbox or PS2. Their same focused intensity found in the Burnout series is translated perfectly into the fps genre. Black, much like the Burnout series, controls perfectly as well. In the same vein as the Burnout Franchise gives you just the bare essential controls but refines them perfectly, Black does the same here. Of course, the graphics are what catches everybody's eye, and Black certainly delivers here. The graphics engine creates stunning visuals in the gunplay that more closely rivals F.E.A.R. and Perfect Dark Zero than anything else found on these consoles. But the best aspect of the engine is the destructible environments. The only game since the original Red Faction to give the idea a serious attempt, Black surpasses any expectations you could have. It feels so good to be able to shoot into a thin wall and know you actually did damage to an enemy, an aspect of gunplay as old as counterstrike, yet oddly has been missing since then. After several hours with this game, your view on fpses in general will make you ask yourself why other fpses don't have destructible environments. It's very easy to become disappointed going back to other shooters. Much like the graphics, the sound in the game is top notch. There are few games that make the guns sound as powerful as the ones in Black.
The level design in the game is excellent. Of course, this is a great benefit when considering the destructible environments. The design and setting of each environment are just begging for you to go absolutely crazy in them, blasting anything you see in sight. Enemy placement is very well balanced, always sending you a constant stream of enemies without ever leaving a dull moment in the game. Weapon placement and Item placement are also fantastic, leaving you with almost no "hunting" moments in the game looking for some objective or gun to help you through the level. This is great for the objectives in each mission, as even the secondary objectives are not hidden in bad level design.
The A.I. in the game, unfortunately, is not as revolutionary, but is certainly more than adequate. While acting very clever in some situations but dumb in others, the A.I. isn't as good as say Half-Life 2 and F.E.A.R. super-soldiers or Halo 2's enemies, but is better than many other games'. The enemies will certainly give you a good challenge, especially with the shotgun-toting enemies. Don't think you won't need to backpedal when these guys come your way.
The one aspect of the game that is disappointing, though, is the replay value. The campaign is the only game mode here. Much like Halo 2, Shadow of the Colossus, or any other game with a relatively short single-player, the single player only lasts eight to ten hours. There are several difficulty levels and secondary objectives for completists finish, but that's it as far as replay goes. Although, you will definitely still want to replay the campaign several times more than your typical shooter. There is no multiplayer portion whatsoever, so this makes the single-player more disappointing. The lack of multiplayer is certainly understandable, it's amazing that this game even runs on Xbox and PS2, but is still disappointing nonetheless.
Still, this game absolutely must be played by anyone who even remotely likes the idea of action games or shooters of any kind. It's an absolute masterpiece, from start to finish; which unfortunately, is not that far apart.
