Short, sweet, and to the point...
I mean this game, not my review. :)
Black is a first person shooter by Criterion, the developers of the excellent Burnout series, and for all the eye candy that these guys can throw out there, Black is, ultimately, a very "by-the-book" FPS.
One of the very first things a player is going to notice (and love) is the utter chaos that Black feels like during those first two or three levels. As destruction is reaped upon these given levels, the white knuckled excitement of feeling like you're actually there is almost coma inducing. Sadly, after that initial rush, the feeling wears off pretty quickly and you're left with a very pretty game, but shallow in actual gameplay, A.I., or innovation.
When I say pretty I do mean pretty though. Black is, quite possibly, one of the best looking FPSs on the Xbox, if not THE best. Everything from top to bottom is quadruple "A" rated. The slow degradation of the levels as the shoot-outs commence are really a wonder to behold. Actual clouds of dust and debris, the light that pours thru them, and the enemies that can be seen running silhouetted thru the smoke, is really a high water mark for video games.
The actual feel of firing the weapons that Black presents is also "AAAA". Every weapon seems to have a very nice balance and seem to cause the appropriate amount of damage. The RPG in particular is a wonder to behold, not because of it's massive sense of power, but because of the trailing smoke plume that it creates. It's a masterpiece of both visual and audio and a real treat to both watch and listen to.
Which leads to Black's audio. If I could give it five As I would. It is, quite simply, perfect. From the musically score to the *ping* noise as you throw a grenade, EVERYTHING has a sense of realism and weight. Grenades have this great bass quality, sniper rifles have a wonderful "thunder clap" sound, and enemies yelling out your position give you that "what sort of chaos is around the next corner" feeling just about every time.
But, sadly, once you get the feel for Black's world and enemies, all the audio/visual orgy begins to fade away and you realize that enemy placements are pretty predictable, enemy AI is pretty spotty, and the storyline is a confusing "poor man's Tom Clancy" rip-off. For as secretive as Criterion was about Black's plot before it's release, I must say I was severely disappointed. The cut scenes looked liked they cost about $1.75 to produce, the voice talent was poorly dubbed, and the plot, overall, was needless. Add in a level design that just screams for a non-existent online feature, and you come away feeling like Black has a lot of wasted potential.
Black is an out of this world game from an audio/visual presentation stand point, but really suffers from a severe lack of extra features that would warrant anything other than playing thru it one or two times. If you're a huge FPS fan I would say buy it, no question. If you're just a curious gamer I would say rent it. In either case, make sure you blast the speakers and warn the neighbors because (for as long as it lasts) you're in for quite a ride with Black for the Xbox.
+Superior visual and audio presentation
+Nice variety of fun to use weapons
-Repetitive gameplay
-Poor enemy A.I.
-Minimal (to no) replay value
-Lame, confusing storyline
Black is a first person shooter by Criterion, the developers of the excellent Burnout series, and for all the eye candy that these guys can throw out there, Black is, ultimately, a very "by-the-book" FPS.
One of the very first things a player is going to notice (and love) is the utter chaos that Black feels like during those first two or three levels. As destruction is reaped upon these given levels, the white knuckled excitement of feeling like you're actually there is almost coma inducing. Sadly, after that initial rush, the feeling wears off pretty quickly and you're left with a very pretty game, but shallow in actual gameplay, A.I., or innovation.
When I say pretty I do mean pretty though. Black is, quite possibly, one of the best looking FPSs on the Xbox, if not THE best. Everything from top to bottom is quadruple "A" rated. The slow degradation of the levels as the shoot-outs commence are really a wonder to behold. Actual clouds of dust and debris, the light that pours thru them, and the enemies that can be seen running silhouetted thru the smoke, is really a high water mark for video games.
The actual feel of firing the weapons that Black presents is also "AAAA". Every weapon seems to have a very nice balance and seem to cause the appropriate amount of damage. The RPG in particular is a wonder to behold, not because of it's massive sense of power, but because of the trailing smoke plume that it creates. It's a masterpiece of both visual and audio and a real treat to both watch and listen to.
Which leads to Black's audio. If I could give it five As I would. It is, quite simply, perfect. From the musically score to the *ping* noise as you throw a grenade, EVERYTHING has a sense of realism and weight. Grenades have this great bass quality, sniper rifles have a wonderful "thunder clap" sound, and enemies yelling out your position give you that "what sort of chaos is around the next corner" feeling just about every time.
But, sadly, once you get the feel for Black's world and enemies, all the audio/visual orgy begins to fade away and you realize that enemy placements are pretty predictable, enemy AI is pretty spotty, and the storyline is a confusing "poor man's Tom Clancy" rip-off. For as secretive as Criterion was about Black's plot before it's release, I must say I was severely disappointed. The cut scenes looked liked they cost about $1.75 to produce, the voice talent was poorly dubbed, and the plot, overall, was needless. Add in a level design that just screams for a non-existent online feature, and you come away feeling like Black has a lot of wasted potential.
Black is an out of this world game from an audio/visual presentation stand point, but really suffers from a severe lack of extra features that would warrant anything other than playing thru it one or two times. If you're a huge FPS fan I would say buy it, no question. If you're just a curious gamer I would say rent it. In either case, make sure you blast the speakers and warn the neighbors because (for as long as it lasts) you're in for quite a ride with Black for the Xbox.
+Superior visual and audio presentation
+Nice variety of fun to use weapons
-Repetitive gameplay
-Poor enemy A.I.
-Minimal (to no) replay value
-Lame, confusing storyline
