Blackwater

Overview

Blackwater is an on-rails shooter for Kinect developed by Zombie Studios and published by 505 Games. The game casts the player as a fictional unit of Blackwater, a private military corporation that in real-life came under heavy scrutiny for tactics employed in the Middle East, being accused of war crimes such as murdering non-combatants. (The company has since undergone two name changes; first to Xe Services, and then to Academi). The unit in the game refers to themselves as "Agile-22" and consists of four team members that the player switches between during missions. It's also notable that the game uses licensed weaponry, displaying accurate weapon manufacturers and model identification numbers.

Story

Blackwater opens with the fictional unit known as Agile-22 arriving in Harri, an equally fictional African territory. They have been summoned by Ade and his aide, Dilah. Ade is in charge of Harri's branch of the United Nations and seeks Agile-22's help in escorting a convoy of relief supplies across the war-torn city to the UN compound. Lately, relief efforts from the US and other countries have been in vain as the supplies have fallen into enemy hands due to ambushes. While at first, the escort mission seems to be quiet with little resistance, the convoy is soon ambushed and leads Agile-22 into direct confrontation with General Limbano who is leading a military coup against the Harri government and is behind the thefts. There is also a matter of a possible kidnapping of Harri government officials that Limbano seems knee deep in.

Gameplay

The game uses the player's entire body and features a variety of weapons in its campaign. The player shoots by sticking their arm out; after holding, the gun will fire. The player can also use the rest of his or her body for combat. Crouching will make the character crouch behind cover and the player can kick open doors by lifting your knee. The game also features grenades that can be thrown by making an overhand throwing gesture.

Collectibles

Throughout gameplay, players will be able to shoot and acquire collectibles of different types:

• Lion Statues - Gold statues of lions that are used as symbols of Limbano's regime.
• Propaganda Banners - Large red banners used in the Limbano propaganda crusade.
• Radios - The only available channel is a Pro-Limbano political station, spouting lies and propaganda to the people.
• Foreign Fighters - On each level is a more powerful foe then most, a foreign mercenary sent to kill you.

Shooting all of a particular type of collectible will net you an achievement.

Characters

Baird is the leader of Agile-22. His weapon of choice is the BW15 assault rifle, a Blackwater custom weapon. He also has a Sig Sauer P226 pistol and standard fragmentation grenades available in his load out. As the leader of the group, he is gruff and expects his team to perform well in any given situation. He shows concern when innocents are in danger and goes out of his way to rescue UN workers that have been caught in the cross fire of the Harri conflict.

Devon acts as point man of the group with his medium range Sig Sauer 556 machine gun. He also carries the standard Sig Sauer P226 pistol and grenades that the rest of the team carries. He's a quiet man, rarely joking with the rest of the team. He also acts as communications officer for the group, frequently giving updates and receiving orders from the Bravo command center.

Smash is the enforcer of Agile-22. He is big, bald, and brash, always joking and rarely serious. He wields a Mossberg M500 shotgun and he's not afraid to use it.

Eddie is the lookout sniper of the unit. He carries a special issued sniper rifle with high powered scope. He'll most often serve as cover for the rest of the squad, positioning himself in a high vantage point to get maximum coverage of the operating area. He's quick to joke with his fellows, especially the bellowing Smash.