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Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: EA Games
Genre: FPS
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 28 Feb 06
User Rating
10 (1 vote) -
- Criterion applies the lessons from the crash-laden Burnout series to make an over-the-top, explosion-heavy and beautifully flowing FPS.
Overview
I have so many games that have been coming out in recent months that I have just be amazed at 2006 thus far. With so many high quality games, it seems to me that a lot of equally good games get missed out on. One game that saw some but not a ton of hype in 2006 was a game from Criterion and EA Games, the makers of the famous Burnout Series, with a game simply called Black. When we first heard about this game we knew it was going to be over the top and we knew that the premise of the game was just going to be a whole lot of fun. So can Black managed to live up to the pedigree? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
A few months before the release of Black I was reading up on the game and I must say that I was very impressed with the idea of the game. It seemed like an over the top FPS that really focused on destruction and just being a fun experience like the Burnout series. What I was surprised to find however was that there was literally no story to be found in the previews. Now the game is released I can see why exactly that was, because now that I have the actual copy of the game, you can see that the story in Black is just a simple placeholder.
The story does set you as a guy named Keller who is basically trying to save the world from some sort of terrorist plot. The whole problem with the story in the game is that you never find yourself caring all that much. In fact with Black, the cut scenes kind of get in the way of the action because by the time you are into the game the last thing you care about is the story. I wish the developers would have spent more time developing the storyline as that would have had a major improvement on the game, as it really would have helped make you care a bit more about the action on screen.
So although the storyline may not be great how does the action on screen hold up? I would have to say that Black provides some of the most entertaining and over the top action that I have played in any FPS to date. One thing that the game prides itself on doing is making huge explosions. These are not your typical weak WWII explosions, but instead are just some of the most massive and excruciatingly detailed explosions I have seen on this generation of consoles. These explosions are just an exciting experience and really help the overall feel of the game.
When I describe Black to anyone I just see it as an over the top, mindless action experience that uses the FPS genre and just has fun with it. I have to say that I was impressed with the fact that Black manages to keep things relatively simple throughout, but not in a boring or uninteresting way. Black manages to bring just a very simple but effective take on the genre and just runs with it. The game moves at a pretty normal pace, which is good in the fact that you really get to enjoy what the game has to offer. The game has pretty good AI, although I still wouldn't consider them the smartest guys in the bunch. The AI will manage to take cover at times and very rarely will be standing there looking stupid.
I have to say that Black is a game just manages to entertain the user throughout the experience. The game flows beautifully, and just feels extremely comprehensive. The only real downsides are the short length of the game and its lack of multiplayer. For me however I found the experience to be enjoyable enough to have the desire to go through it again. In the end, the smooth and entertaining feel of the gameplay was enough for me to sell me on this game just being a great game. It doesn't try to do anything out of the ordinary, but still manages to be one of the most enjoyable FPS of 2006.
Graphics
Visually Black on the Xbox is just a gorgeous game. More so than the gameplay, the visuals stand out as being over the top and just beautiful. If you remember I was discussing the explosions in the game and when I mention those I am really talking about the amazing visual effects that the developers managed to bring into play. Black is a game that manages to just make beautiful environments and then manages to make them look great when you blow them up as well. In the end, Black manages to bring in just a great deal of detail and backs it up with a solid and consistent frame-rate.
Fun Factor
I have to say that Black is one of those games that doesn't try to all that much in terms of gameplay but rather just keeps things in a very simple but entertaining fashion. I must say that Black may not have multiplayer, but just playing through the game in a single player fashion was fun enough for me. I have to say that the massive explosions and the great gun effects that the game has is just a blast to sit back and enjoy. Black is a game that manages to bring a very simple yet fun experience to the Xbox, a console that is already overrun with great FPS.
Overall
Black takes a very simple action game and just blows it up with great mechanics and beautiful visuals. The game reminds me of a mindless action movie, it is just a blast to play and any fan of the FPS genre is going to find a lot to enjoy in this game. Is it worth the purchase? For most, probably not, get this game as a rental, and that way you will be able to finish the game in that allotted time and enjoy most if not all of what this game has to offer.
- Gameplay
8.0 - Graphics
9.0 - Fun Factor
8.0 - Overall
8.0
