Black Review

By Kristan Reed Published 22 February, 2006

This one goes up to 11.

Version tested: PlayStation 2

As Nigel Tufnall so memorably uttered in the legendary Spinal Tap 'rockumentary' "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."

He wasn't, of course, referring to Criterion's manic first-person shooter, but it's likely he'd have given the same deadpan assessment all the same. He'd have also reasoned that this one most definitely goes up to eleven.

But BLACK rarely needs that 'extra push over the cliff', because for most of the eight hours (or so) it lasts, the needle is throbbing so far into the red that you'd swear your humble, ageing games console is in danger of melting at any moment. No word of a lie, but at about 5pm on Monday there was a power surge in the office during a particularly intense part of the fifth level.

The war on terror continues

Don't believe me? Then how about some endgame stats: total enemy count: 2758. Total bullets fired: 40,650, or - put it another way - 14.7 bullets per death. Let's see, over the course of approximately 8 hours, that's nearly six DPM (deaths per minute), or one death every ten seconds. And when you consider that a fair bit of your time is spent scouring for health and ammo, you begin to get a sense of how hectic this game really is. During the more crazed sections the body count is probably closer to three kills every ten seconds, and by the end of it all you'll need to change your shirt in all probability.

Creating an FPS focused firmly on frenzied shooting was always the plan, though. To do for the shooter what Burnout did for the racing genre. To strip it down to its "bare bones" and create "the most intense firefights ever seen in a videogame" using "Hollywood as its inspiration". You can't argue with any of it, because virtually from the word go BLACK sets its stall out, and there's never any turning back. If anything, the heat just keeps on rising, right up until the point where you almost can't stand the pressure anymore. This is definitely a game to be played in short, sharp bursts, such is its almost raging intensity.

Remember that hectic section in the prison in the middle of Half-Life 2 where you had to arrange the little sentry guns to help you annihilate wave upon wave of oncoming Combine forces? Well imagine that level of onslaught for the entire game (without alien allies), and set among the most destructive, explosive environments you've ever seen (on any platform). And with deadly armour-clad enemies that bother to traverse sections of the map to hunt you down. And an evil checkpoint system that heaps more pressure upon you than you'll have experienced in a shooter for a long, long while.

Jack of all trades, master of guns

'Black' Screenshot devastation

Holy flaming trail of devastation. A typical scene - and one that you'll soon get used to.

Regaled in pleasingly stylish (but achingly earnest) flashback, the premise is that you're Sergeant First Class Jack Keller (why is every other lead male in a videogame called Jack these days?) sent into the heart of generic, fictional Eastern Europe to track down a 'traitor'. He has a 'squad' (of sorts) occasionally accompanying him on this increasingly misguided mission, but for the most part it's just you versus an entire army of trigger happy goons, all too willing to die for their 'cause' and provide you with an almost comedic parade to mow down.

Mercifully, the cinematics firmly take a back seat to the exceptionally explosive action, and the player is given full licence to get on with blowing the crap out of anything that looks remotely flammable. Did we mention explosions? In what amounts to one of the most unwise set of locations for terrorists to ever consider hanging out, you're given an insane number of opportunities to engage in gratuitous pyrotechnics, with seemingly everything on show capable of causing flaming death to any bystanders.

Once this becomes apparent, half the fun comes from checking out what else can be combusted to spectacular effect. Along your journey of death you'll delight in detonating a procession of barrels, tankers, and pipes, ecstatically explode a fleet of cars, land mines and even smelting vats. Basically anything that looks slightly precarious is fair game, giving you almost unlimited opportunities to catch your increasingly determined foes in the blast radius. Now and then you'll even get the odd level-specific signature explosion, whereby specific parts of buildings can be destroyed to devastating effect - the sort that EA sticks in its promotional videos to make it look like every building's capable of collapsing like a pack of cards.

Trigger happy

'Black' Screenshot dust

Let's see if we can reduce this entire concrete slab to dust.

In a predictable act of sensible game design (that smacks a little of the GeoMod fiasco, except Criterion never made the silly promises that Volition did) you only get to destroy things that don't undermine the fabric of the level, so sometimes you will get a little exasperated at the inconsistency when certain seemingly ideal targets remain intact to explosive fire, but by and large BLACK will sate the most intense appetite for destruction.

Played within its simple rules, BLACK quickly distances itself from the generic FPS herd by sticking to its refined principle of making it genuinely possible to have fun shooting up an empty room. There's so much stuff to destroy in the scenery alone, the enemies almost become a side show; something to temporarily hold you back from completely wrecking the next section.

Evidently, one of the key inspirations that runs throughout the entire experience is the legendary lobby scene in The Matrix, where a pristine corporate hall is gradually reduced to the bare metal supports as a blizzard of lead shreds the tiles, glass and concrete asunder during one of the most memorable movie firefights ever. Essentially, Criterion took that one central idea and applied it to everything you see in the game, making it possible to reduce even the most perfunctory room into a scene from a riot.

Giant steps

'Black' Screenshot rpg

That guy on the balcony is so going to know what it feels like to have that RPG fly into his face in a minute.

Factor in some of the most advanced particle effects you've ever seen, and what would have otherwise been a typical firefight in a boring grey room is suddenly alive with sparks, debris, smoke, explosions, and utter confusion as you try and get a bead on the faint silhouette that's raining death on your from behind makeshift cover - cover that you could probably blow to bits if only you could see that there was a handy barrel located nearby. In some senses BLACK does nothing new, but with such a giant leap in visual ambition and quality, suddenly the whole experience of engaging in intense firefights becomes utterly unique in so many ways that matter. What you leave behind after a particularly testing encounter can't fail to leave a crooked smile etched over your tormented features, especially when you know there's so much more to come.

Criterion not only makes the visual experience unlike anything you've encountered, but also makes the core combat a determinedly brutal affair that'll test the best in ways that even FPS veterans will be forced to admire. For a start, removing the tension-killer that is the quick-save immediately removes the stabilisers, and forces players to approach firefights in a perpetually level-headed manner, removing the gung-ho nature that tends to creep into most shooters that allow you to store your progress after each and every kill. Instead, BLACK resolutely believes that players should prove their worth across extended sections before they're deserving of the luxury of a checkpoint. In the beginning, this is jarring. Irritating, even; after all, no-one likes having to endlessly go over old ground. But the further you progress, the more you're thankful that the developer forces the player to experience the game holistically, rather than broken up by perpetual visits to the save menu. By the end of the game, you'll most likely recall those tense moments when you were forced to scuttle off in search of precious health packs and first aid kits, clinging on for dear life with merely the cold comfort offered by two slivers of recharging health.

The most terrifyingly memorable moment for me in the entire game came at exactly one of those occasions. Having had my hide thoroughly tanned by an uncannily accurate RPG-wielding foe stationed up in a faraway balcony that I could barely see, I was squealing like a little hog, hopping from behind cover points and still getting caned by the splash damage.

Nailed

Merely getting myself in a decent position to return the favour with my sniper rifle was proving problematic, largely thanks to his knack of loosing off just at the point where I was about to take aim. Eventually I struck lucky with my last bullet, only to find that a well-covered machine gun nest was awaiting my arrival around the corner. Dammit.

Other tactics had to be employed.

After a few minutes it became apparent that I'd get a potentially better view if I snuck into the building (handily placed) opposite and ascended the stairs until I could get a good angle on the nest - but that in itself wasn't straightforward, as there remained a concerted enemy presence on every floor. Finally on the top level, it was time to pull out the RPG I'd just acquired and destroy the infernal nest once and for all.

But one thing you realise with BLACK is that it's never as easy as it looks.

Completely unexpectedly, a pair of riot shield-protected, Magnum-wielding guards appeared up the stairs. Not only was this a total shock (having evidently cleared the entire building), it was the worst possible turn of events, given that I was dancing with death on minimum health, and out of regular AK-47 ammo. With the unreliable aim of the shotgun my only respite, and a meagre stock of grenades, Game Over looked certain on at least four occasions before I managed to blow chunks out of their shields and send them back to their maker. Phew.

Punkbuster

'Black' Screenshot firework

Your average BLACK firework display.

Then it dawned on me that these guards had actually not just conveniently spawned, but actually sussed out my location from the opposite building and followed me up the stairs to take me down. But before I could take in this improbable event, another two guards repeated the trick 20 seconds later, and suddenly the last great cheating trick of the FPS player - that of hiding from the enemy - was shattered for good.

Ever since the genre came into being, it's always been accepted that retreating to a previously cleared sector offers players a safe haven, but to find out that's no longer the case at such a pivotal part of the level was genuinely palpitating. People talk about games making them scared, but this was the first time in years that anything this unexpected occurred. The only downside about it is that this was the epic final level; that Criterion didn't choose to use the 'hunt them down' trick more is a shame.

In terms of the general enemy AI, it's tough. For the most part it's very much of the 'duck and pop out' variety, but BLACK gets away with it by masking their relative dim-wittery with the sheer weight of numbers. It's not something that you'll dwell on too long, mainly thanks to the distractions offered by the visual spectacle.

Fresh eyes

'Black' Screenshot shower

There are easier ways to get into the shower room.

Given the team's complete inexperience, BLACK is a remarkably solid first attempt. Perhaps it's this outsiders approach has actually benefited the Guildford-based team, allowing them to take a fresh look at a genre which has - for many years - been stuck in a rut of its own making. Right from the beginning, it's clear that it simply feels right. It has a refined and well-realised weapon selection the encompass all the favourites (with stunning weapon models) from basic pistols right up to RPGs that all pack the right amount of punch (and sound great, too) The controls, meanwhile, hit a happy medium between the graceful fluidity every fast-paced FPS needs and the tightness required for precision aiming on a console pad, with sensible control mappings and the instant realisation that aiming isn't ever going to cause a problem. Even subtle details like the amount of damage you take, the time it takes to finish an enemy off and the ability to fire accurately from distance are well-judged. You have to go a long way to find anything approaching a problem with BLACK, but we don't like to disappoint.

Arguably the exaggerated, lunging death animations take the gloss off an otherwise visually classy game, and some crippling incidences of slowdown give it a somewhat unoptimised feel at time. Throw in some occasional respawning enemy glitches here and there and, again, it's clear the project could have done with a month or two of extra polish.

Given some extra time, BLACK would have been absolutely awesome. For example, the order of the levels is questionable, with the two least interesting being right at the start; levels which barely hint at the stunning quality of what's to come. From first impressions BLACK definitely lacked a real spark, so don't be surprised if it takes a while for the penny to drop.

But some problems mid-game also frustrate. Most memorably, the game has the occasional tendency to neglect to provide players with adequate signposting to your basic objectives. Seemingly impenetrable obstacles, for example, appear impervious, resisting RPG fire yet bizarrely crumbling with a couple of well-placed grenades; something that could have been easily overcome if the person radioing instructions interjected, questioned your movements or gave feedback when things don't work out.

Enigma

'Black' Screenshot bridge

How this bridge doesn't completely collapse is one of the all-time mysteries of gaming.

Criterion also could be accused of lacking inspiration when it comes to providing narrative background to why you're on a particular mission, not to mention its dereliction of duty to offering decent, interesting secondary objectives, and - on a related note - gives precious little incentive to actually track down the required items of random tat. Plenty of games down the years have given players the chance to really get under the skin of who you're chasing and why, but Black simply offers little narrative hook of note. As a result, the game lack context, and this missing 'frame' lends hollowness to your actions. Who is Jack? Who are the people you're chasing? What did they do? Why are you there? Instead, all we get is nearly 3000 terrorists to shoot, and as impressive as that is, players deserve more than pure action alone from a blockbuster title. That said, the pre-mission cut-scenes are of the very highest quality, giving a tempting and frustrating hint as to what might have been had Criterion fleshed out BLACK's world with a similarly inspired in-game narrative.

Also, weighing in at just eight levels and a similar number of hours, it's all over before you know it. Short and sweet, for sure, but light in content even by modern gaming standards, with unlockables that amount to little more than the chance to play it on even harder modes. Needless to say, FPS fans the world over also expect - at the very least - some basic deathmatch and CTF multiplayer in any shooter, and online at that. But Criterion risks the wrath of untold number of FPS fans by ignoring one of its most potent features; fans who would otherwise doubtlessly sing the praises of this excellent game.

Thanks to Criterion's otherworldly technical ability to pull off graphical effects that wouldn't look out of place on next gen machines and some truly inspired set-pieces, BLACK is the most progressive and exciting shooter to emerge on the console platforms for years. Even without the chance to play online with foul-mouthed American teenagers (a blessing, some would argue), and a general lack of longevity within the game, it's obvious that BLACK has more than enough going for it in its potent single-player campaign to recommend the game to anyone who believe that happiness is a warm gun.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (156) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ecureuil #1 6 years ago

    This is a solid 8. From every review. Everywhere.

  • Rambaldi #2 6 years ago

    So Black's the new black then?

  • Stickman #3 6 years ago

    That review just tells me that you're a terrible shot! ;)

    vvv"looks sweat"vvv How apt!
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 15:33

  • tengu #4 6 years ago

    Wasn't my cup of tea from the demo tbh, but then most fps are boring as frig imo. Seemed sound enough if you like that sort of thing though I suppose.

  • Scientist #5 6 years ago

    "BLACK is the most progressive and exciting shooter to emerge on the console platforms for years"

    How many years, krud? I'm just trying to work out which game previously held this title. ;-)

  • Blerk #6 6 years ago

    Wasn't my cup of tea from the demo tbh

    Me neither. Technically brilliant, just not really very much fun.

  • itamae #7 6 years ago

    Watched a friend play this last weekend. It looked nice, but also incredibly repetitive. And I really didn't like that you could clearly see the predetermined breaking points on, well, everything. Scripted destruction != fun.

  • Psygnosis2097 #8 6 years ago

    hype-o-matic

  • Rambaldi #9 6 years ago

    But does it play on 360?

  • KTroopA #10 6 years ago

    gun p0rn. oh yeah...

    5th level, that wud be the asylum then:-)

    /me unloads full clip with M16.

    tis good.

    very good.

  • krudster #11 6 years ago

    To be clearer, this is probably the most excited a console shooter has made me since Halo. There. Said it. Certainly the best shooter on PS2 by some distance.

  • krudster #12 6 years ago

    No it doesn't run on 360, and no there won't be a 360 version.

  • Pike #13 6 years ago

    So, as good as Halo then?

  • Blerk #14 6 years ago

    Certainly the best shooter on PS2 by some distance.

    In your opinion, of course. I disagree most strongly.

  • krudster #15 6 years ago

    Well, Mr Blerk, you're certainly entitled to that view - and it's an interesting one. But, tell me: what's better than this on the PS2?

    TimeSplitters? Nope.
    Killzone? Bwaha
    MOH? Come now.
    Cold Winter. Meh.
    /gives up.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 15:49

  • alimokrane #16 6 years ago

    well tried out the xbox demo yesterday (which was extremely short) but it was pretty fun. the weapons/graphics are a showpiece and if this is what you think makes a great shooter then get the game.

  • Blerk #17 6 years ago

    Well, Mr Blerk, you're certainly entitled to that view, but, tell me: what's better than this on the PS2?

    Timesplitters 2 ftw! Technically less impressive, but far less boring. Imho.

  • gaijin #18 6 years ago

    since when has your 'o' ever been 'h', Blerk? :-)

  • Teeth #19 6 years ago

    People I know who've played this hate it. Then again some people I read on the Internet seem to love it. Marmite game!

  • krudster #20 6 years ago

    TS2's challenge mode is ace, but the story mode was...less so.

  • myiagros #21 6 years ago

    Personaly i say not as good as Timesplitters 2. That is the best FPS on PS2.

    Kind of like Burnout Revenge in a way, Looks fantastic but not actualy quite as good as it should have been.

    In my opinion of course;)

  • gaijin #22 6 years ago

    yes, but humble?

  • kgthatsme #23 6 years ago

    i bought Timesplitters 3 for £6, played it for about 30mins and never since

  • krudster #24 6 years ago

    On my life, no Black on 360.

  • kangarootoo #25 6 years ago

    "with sensible control mappings and the instant realisation that aiming isn't ever going to cause a problem"

    I was starting to worry you weren't going to mention the controls. They are really key for me, glad to hear they actually work. Maybe a few other FPS devs will get the idea in the future that being able to aim at stuff is really pretty crucial.

    I'm still a little cynical about this one, as about half of the review seemed to be given over to how nice it looked (which is great, but I wonder if the focus isn't in the right place for my personal preference).

    Plus, distantly spaced checkpoints do my head almost every time I come across them. I've said before and I'll say again, repetition != tension. I've seen several games keep me on the edge of my seat AND utilise a quick save system so I simply don't buy the argument that they can't co-exist.

    One to rent methinks (there is an XB version right?).
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 15:56

  • paketep #26 6 years ago

    Looks nice.

    However, no PC plus stupid comments from Alex Ward equals no cookie.

    Next!

  • myiagros #27 6 years ago

    anyone played the Xbox version yet? Does this suffer from the same slowdown issues as the Ps2 version?

  • kangarootoo #28 6 years ago

    "plus stupid comments from Alex Ward equals no cookie"

    Hehe, I have to check myself to be sure I'm not just being cynical due to the bollox they came out with in that interview (same as I was with the F game that I am really trying not to go on about anymore).

  • peterfll #29 6 years ago

    I was considering this, but would prefer a 360 compaitable or dedicated 360 version. If neither are forthcoming, what should I do?

    It's my cup of tea, but I consider Xbox games to be a step in the wrong direction being a 360 owner these days. Which I know is silly, its like cutting your nose off to spite your face.

    Oh I'm such a graphics whore. What to do?

  • Gurgeh #30 6 years ago

    Yes there's an XBox version. As for the 360:

    "We don’t yet know if BLACK will run on the 360. Contrary to what many believe, the emulation support is in the hands of MicroSoft. It’s up to them whether or not to provide emulation support for a title. It’s not something we design the game for. We have had no word yet that it will in fact run on the 360."
    - Tim Sweezey, EA


  • kgthatsme #31 6 years ago

    i rushed to pre-order this, i wish i hadnt been so rash

  • KTroopA #32 6 years ago

    myiagros

    xbox version is sweet and runs great. looks superb too. nice bloom lighting :)

  • peterfll #33 6 years ago

    Ooo, that's interesting Gurgeh.

    I had assumed (with most others) that it was being controlled jointly by MS and the publishers. Hence no Burnout 3 or R backward compaitability for example because........ funny enough EA are just republishing a new version for the 360.

  • myiagros #34 6 years ago

    @KTroopA - cheers, i think i might return the PS2 version then and wait for it to become backward compatible on Xbox360. The slowdown in the Ps2 version makes it almost unplayable at times.

  • Darth_Flibble #35 6 years ago

    the checkpoints are annoying as the game does not save, so if you get stuck on later levels and come back (after turning it off) you have to replay from the start of the level. Also the blur effect when you reload is annoying

  • Kingsadist #36 6 years ago

    So its like any other shooter only less content and more graphics?
    Pass.

  • mash the x button #37 6 years ago

    meh

  • space_ace #38 6 years ago

    it's quite fun, but to suggest that these are the "bare bones" of shooting is kind of weird. real-life shooting is very disciplined and serious. this game extends on the "bare bones" of videogame shooting.

    yes i've used the ak-47 :)

  • Hog-lumps #39 6 years ago

    I fear this may knock shadow of the colosus of the No.1 spot!

  • crashVoodoo #40 6 years ago

    @myiagros

    anyone played the Xbox version yet? Does this suffer from the same slowdown issues as the Ps2 version?

    only encountered slow-down once. that was on lvl 4, nazran factory or nazran furnace, cant remember name exactly. t'was right at beginning, i was high up on a ledge and i'd pissed off about 15 soldiers who were charging down my position blasting the windows all to hell. i let them get right up close and lobbed a nade out the window onto the truck with petrol barrels.

    chugged slightly when about 3 buildings and upteen barrels went nuclear and destroyed everything in sight ... its so good X-D
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 16:16

  • Cheapshot #41 6 years ago

    I haven't noticed any slowdown in the PS2 version personally, it sounds like you have a duff PS2 Miyagros.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 16:15

  • Artemus #42 6 years ago

    Think I'll wait for a price drop. Doesn't sound like its worth paying full price.

  • Eighthours #43 6 years ago

    On my life, no Black on 360.

    Will you need pall-bearers? ;)

  • gaijin #44 6 years ago

    "real-life shooting is very disciplined and serious"

    well, depends who's doing it, really...

  • krudster #45 6 years ago

    The slowdown on PS2 isn't serious at all. Compared to the nightmare that is the end level of Halo, it's fine. If anything, it tends to happen when it doesn't actually matter - like just after a ridiculous set of explosions. It does chug on the very end level at the end bit, when it's all going crazy, but to suggest it makes it unplayable is very wide of the mark.

  • KTroopA #46 6 years ago

    xbox version is the best, runs very smooth. the 4th and 5th level show this off well, when you reach the steel mill and factory sections.

    i can still hear it..

    RPG!

    :D

  • yorkiebar #47 6 years ago

    I really need this game to work on a 360 - someone tell MS to get their giant collective arse into gear
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 16:24

  • myiagros #48 6 years ago

    @Cheapshot - you may be right about it being my Ps2, i was playing GTA:SA at the weekend and noticed it was taking a little longer to load in the scenery than i had remembered (eg. more pop up). I thought i was just remembering it better than it was.

  • Toonster #49 6 years ago

    So... good as SotC?

  • SuperU123 #50 6 years ago

    @KTroopA
    @krudster

    How can you guys say how well it runs before it has been released? Pirate copy? Downloaded? If So I bet it wasn't the final code..... For me it is what says on the tin....

  • myiagros #51 6 years ago

    @SuperU123 - if you order over the internet , you can more often than not get it a few days before release. Mine arrived from play.com this morning, hence having played about 3 hours of it already.

  • Scientist #52 6 years ago

    "@krudster

    How can you guys say how well it runs before it has been released?"

    Erm, he wrote the review so probably got some final code from EA? That would be my guess.

  • SuperU123 #53 6 years ago

    Ah.... Blimey... had my head in the sand too long. Should have done the same. !

    Cheers,

  • stonedben #54 6 years ago

    "why is every other lead male in a videogame called Jack these days?"

    24. That's why.

  • lefizz #55 6 years ago

    Cracking game thorough enjoyable,

    Put in 2 hours last night on xbox version, pity about the lack of 360 support. Same with psyconaught, wish MS would put there arse into gear.

  • KTroopA #56 6 years ago

    "...stand the fuck off kellar!"

    hehe.

    mine is final. afaik and moreso cud see NO widescreen option in game.

  • Ainudil #57 6 years ago

    An over-rating in EG? Has the world taken an unexpected twist?

    6/10 - max.

  • peterfll #58 6 years ago

    Historically, I can't think of one game where the PS2 version has been superior to the Xbox version, so I would go with that. But then Criterion have refined the Renerware engine so much that the differences are getting smaller (a la Burnout Revenge).

  • kangarootoo #59 6 years ago

    @dravenclarke

    http://gam es.teamxbox.com/xbox/1297/BLACK/

    They seem to think it supports widescreen.

    EDIT: +2 for making me chuckle BTW.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 16:42

  • tiddles #60 6 years ago

    So, as good as Halo then?

    Black is the new Halo.

  • gylo #61 6 years ago

    I'm really disappointed with this game. The pacing is terrible, where checkpoints are very far and few in number. I get the feeling this was done to try and make the game appear longer than it actually is (no multiplayer) through continuous death. The whole thing about destructible environments is trash, what is breakable is pre-defined and no more than you would expect from any other FPS.

    Hats off to Alex Ward though for making us believe the hype!
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 16:50

  • Stormflood_UK #62 6 years ago

    Is it 480p?

  • myiagros #63 6 years ago

    @peterfll - the only two games i can think of which are better on PS2 than on Xbox are Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance (very glitchy visualy on Xbox) and Timesplitters 2 (Xbox version has a very washed out colour palette in comparison to the PS2 version)

  • jack_klugman #64 6 years ago

    Not as good as <A HREF="http ://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=1789">Re d Faction</A> then? Nuff sed.

  • smelly #65 6 years ago

    I've played the demo, it looks stunning on both xbox and ps2 (you wouldnt believe how good they've managed to get the ps2 to look).

    The only bad thing i've heard about this game (Which puts me off) is the lack of save points (apparently you have to finish a level, which could take over an hour) before you can save.

    Not played full game yet, so dont know if that's true. If it is, im not buying.

  • kangarootoo #66 6 years ago

    @Stormflood_UK

    See my previous link, apparently it is.

  • krudster #67 6 years ago

    Yes is it Widescreen ffs!

  • kangarootoo #68 6 years ago

    Holy crap!! EG gave Red Faction 9/10!!

    Was that during the great PS2 FPS drought of 1904 or something?

    Blowing holes in the ground was fun enough but aside from that RF was pretty mediocre. I enjoyed the tech demo more than the game because at leats that had plenty of rockets to blow holes in the ground with.

    I played it on PC admittedly, where it had some stiffer competition.

  • Stormflood_UK #69 6 years ago

    kanga - thanks.

  • krudster #70 6 years ago

    Regarding save points - the game is never so difficult to make it feel a burden to replay sections. The game lets you off enough as it is by providing a sort of "last ditch" recharging health system so that when you're really in trouble you can always run off and catch your breath, recharge those last two bars of health and most likely pick off the guys you need to. Medipacks are sensibly scattered around, and you can carry three full first aid kits which recharge the health bar to the max.

    Seriously, if you can't play through this game without quicksave, then what next? Racing games with quicksave? It'd simply be a much worse game with zero tension if you could just run around quicksaving.

  • jack_klugman #71 6 years ago

    Red Faction has brilliant, fully customisable split screen multiplayer. The single player might be a little weak though. Great game.

  • krudster #72 6 years ago

    Gylo, you're living in cloud cuckoo land if you thought the game world would or could be fully destructible. So much of the game world is deformable (permanently, I might add, across massive maps) and virtually half the things you see can be blown up or mangled in some way. What did you expect?

  • smelly #73 6 years ago

    Regarding save points - the game is never so difficult to make it feel a burden to replay sections


    Yeah, but what if I dont have 2 hours (over exageration) spare always to finish a level? What if i'm close to finishing level and i'm called out, or have to go to work, etc.

    Cant be arsed with that kind of thing personally, shame 'cause the demo was fun and looked stunning.

    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 17:19

  • Darth_Flibble #74 6 years ago

    I don't like quicksaves but Black should save your progress at a checkpoint (which are placed quite far apart).

  • krudster #75 6 years ago

    Agreed, not being able to save at the checkpoint is silly.

  • tenma #76 6 years ago

    first!


    oh....
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 17:58

  • boggissimo #77 6 years ago

    Did anyone proofread that before it got posted??

  • Darren #78 6 years ago

    My copy of Xbox Black came this morning from Gameplay.com and I can confirm that it is a very enjoyable game, but not without it flaws though which come in the form of a lack of check/savepoints and some less than brilliant A.I. Still seeing things blowup in an over-the-top fashion is compulsory viewing and the game plays better than most other FPSs I've played and is up there with Halo.

    Oh and the game supports widescreen...

  • Teeth #79 6 years ago

    Apparently the AI in Black is of such quality that the enemy is never seen to be running into walls or jittering their animations. That's according to Edge.

  • Xerx3s #80 6 years ago

    "Thanks to Criterion's otherworldly technical ability to pull off graphical effects that wouldn't look out of place on next gen machines and some truly inspired set-pieces, BLACK is the most progressive and exciting shooter to emerge on the console platforms for years."

    I dunno, but from what you write, I can name atleast 5 (console) shooters of the past 2 years that are better. Oh well. :\

    "Well, Mr Blerk, you're certainly entitled to that view - and it's an interesting one. But, tell me: what's better than this on the PS2?

    TimeSplitters? Nope.
    Killzone? Bwaha
    MOH? Come now.
    Cold Winter. Meh.
    /gives up. "

    Isnt that more a problem for the ps2 (lack of good fps games)? I mean, your basically saying; 'Console A hasnt had a good game in catagory B, and this might still be shite, but its by far the best. 8.0'. It could still be shite. :\

    But then again, what do i know. Havent played this yet, so i dunno if its good or not.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 19:18

  • Teeth #81 6 years ago

    I think the best thing you can do is try it Xerx3s, then you'll know for sure :)

  • Xerx3s #82 6 years ago

    Perhaps, but that would mean that i would have to spend money on it while i dunno if it ll be to me taste. Wait next month is march isnt it? (....)

    /notes big red arrows on his calendar pointing to march.

  • BartonFink #83 6 years ago

    Having played the PS2 demo of this it definately does seem like the best of the bunch. Even with the terrible controller it was very playable as a FPS. However I will be a picking up the Xbox version thank you. FPS on a PS2 just does not work well with the dualshock controller.

  • DUFFMAN5 #84 6 years ago

    So is it a rental (weekend game ?) or buy, I need to trade my SOTC by Monday, or my 10 days will be up ! what to do ???

  • DUFFMAN5 #85 6 years ago

    Hi Skalzey
    I did and I have, ( bought SOTC ) that's what I'm going to trade.
    Cheers.

  • gylo #86 6 years ago

    You can devote a weekend to this game and finish it. There's little inscentive offered for doing every single secondary objective which would take longer.

  • parrapa #87 6 years ago

    seems something is missing in this review....black ops mode and CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS!!!!!!!!!! great game, very impressed so far.

  • squeakyg #88 6 years ago

    "Remember that hectic section in the prison in the middle of Half-Life 2 ... Well imagine that level of onslaught for the entire game"

    Aww, that was my least-favourite bit of HL2. I was glad when that annoying bit was over.

    Everything I've read about Black makes me think it's not the right game for me. Distantly-spaced checkpoints (that don't even save the game) are the last straw. I agree that saving whenever you want removes tension... but I do require checkpoints to be intelligently placed before any big set-piece moment of action, and certainly no more than 10 minutes apart.

    Also, amusing to see the review covered with java animated ad banners for Black all around it... (Well, amusing until it made Firefox crash, anyway)

  • manic_mouse #89 6 years ago

    "So its like any other shooter only less content and more graphics?
    Pass."

    Pretty much what I was thinking. If they have such a great engine and game design why not give people enough to keep them satisfied? £40 for eight hours of enjoyment works out at around £5 per hour, which is really taking the piss unless it is literally the best playing game ever made. Which I'm sure it isn't. Short games are my pet hate.

    From the article: "Regaled in pleasingly stylish (but achingly earnest) flashback"

    To me that doesn't make gramatical sense, it should be:

    Regaled in "a" pleasingly stylish (but achingly earnest) flashback. Either that or flashback should be plural (flashbacks).
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 20:29

  • dr_zoidthrob #90 6 years ago

    Having read all the comments, it sounds like it's more of a renter, than a buyer.

    I've just played the xbox mag demo, I quite liked it (although it's questionable if someone could take many, many, many hits to the chest even with body armour on).

    Edited by 1 at 22/02/06 @ 20:33

  • manic_mouse #91 6 years ago

    "Having read all the comments, it sounds like it's more of a renter, than a buyer. "

    Deffinitely. Why pay £40 for the experience when you can pay £3?

  • captain-future #92 6 years ago

    "Thanks to Criterion's otherworldly technical ability to pull off graphical effects that wouldn't look out of place on next gen machines and some truly inspired set-pieces, BLACK is the most progressive and exciting shooter to emerge on the console platforms for years."

    woah, it's PS2, right? for years?

    hypegamer.net?

  • urban #93 6 years ago

    all this needed was gore.

    all that impressive shooting ..beautiful even...but no gore :(

  • Teeth #94 6 years ago

    /bathes in entrails

    /scrubs with blood

  • mazzl #95 6 years ago

    no multiplayer !!! WHAT!!! NOOOO MULTIPLAYER :(
    WHAT? NOOO MULTIPLAYER ... what a useless game.. shame on black!

  • gylo #96 6 years ago

    no

  • Bumbuliuz #97 6 years ago

    Doen anyone know if this game works on the 360??

  • tengu #98 6 years ago

    no

  • Cubfan #99 6 years ago

    This review is surrounded by a frame of Black advertisements. Won't sway me at all though, everyone knows this is a renter, a fun one-day diversion, nothing more. An 8? Not in my opinion, its far too short and shallow. Didn't quite live up to the hype.

  • Talha #100 6 years ago

    8/10? Oh, but it is short. 8 hours is too, too short for a shooter. I agree here with an earlier comment that this game has a SOLID 8 wherever it has been reviewed. Meaning that it is an above average shooter, if not quite in the league of Far Cry and HL2.But hey people, what were you expecting? Half Life level of storytelling? Criterion made it clear that this is not what they set out to do. What the game does, it does in an unparalleled fashion. I am no technical person, but somehow I feel to get the same level of effects and graphics on my PC, I would have to burn down my system and re-build it.

    The savepoint scheme sucks. The best scheme IMHO is that of CoD 2(PC).

    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 06:23

  • spidermanalf #101 6 years ago

    This is a cracking game, I am playing through it on the Xbox and think its fantastic. There are a few niggles though, 1 has been mentioned and that is the save, it would be nice to save at checkpoints. The other is - jumping! No jumping, thats annoying when you are stuck behind a tiny wall, and have to walk round it. Also when you have reloaded a gun, especially a sniper rifle it doesn't remember that you were zoomed in looking at someone, and you have to sort out your zoom and aiming again! Not good under pressure!

    And mo multiplayer, especially as the levels are PRIME for multiplayer action, you have grave yards, dock yards, bombed out cities and bridges, all would be fantastic, even if it was just 2 player deathmatch!

    But I think 8/10 is a good solid score, and it is great blowing the crap out of everything, and it looks and sounds fantastic.

    Some people don't like the blur when you are reloading, took me a while to realise why it does it, but it's like real life, you are concentrating on your gun and clip and focusing on that, and not anything else. Clever touch.

    If you have no life and can afford to play it none stop for X hours, then rent it. If you have a life and job etc its deffo worth a buy as you can spend a few hours completing a level and not have to relearn all the buttons!

    Thank you and good night!

  • crashVoodoo #102 6 years ago

    anyone cleared it on hard yet ?

    i finished normal t'other night and have the silver weapons. nowt spesh just inifinite ammo

    going at hard dificulty now ... want to see if anything other than 'black-ops' and the 'destruction' secondary objectives is unlocked.

    i don't see why they didn't shove a bity of gore in like someone said. at first i thought it was for the rating but our lad jack uses the 'f-word' quite frequently.

    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 09:16

  • kangarootoo #103 6 years ago

    @krudster

    "The game lets you off enough as it is by providing a sort of "last ditch" recharging health system so that when you're really in trouble you can always run off and catch your breath, recharge those last two bars of health and most likely pick off the guys you need to"

    Well that makes some difference. Could have mentioned that in the view maybe ;)


    ""Remember that hectic section in the prison in the middle of Half-Life 2 ... Well imagine that level of onslaught for the entire game"

    Aww, that was my least-favourite bit of HL2. I was glad when that annoying bit was over. "

    I agree. It just seemed like filler to me. After the first wave of soldiers it had a bit of a wash/rinse/repeat feeling. And playing it on a high difficulty setting meant I ended up needing several tries before getting past it. Was glad when it was over.

  • kangarootoo #104 6 years ago

    "i don't see why they didn't shove a bity of gore in like someone said. at first i thought it was for the rating but our lad jack uses the 'f-word' quite frequently."

    I think it may have been GFX overheads.

    But then It may have been the rating (currently 16+), gore would likely have pushed it up to 18+.

  • zErOb_cOOl #105 6 years ago

    Hmmm, the review hasn't convinced me to buy this really. Think I'll stick with Half Life 2 and far Cry.

  • AtomicBanana #106 6 years ago

    They spend all that time making it look pretty, only to waste it on one of the most generic enviroments I've ever seen. Typical EA/Criterion rubbish.

  • krudster #107 6 years ago

    Hmm, generic? If making real-life urban locations realistic and exceptionally gritty yet glorious to behold is generic, then fine. Maybe alien or fantasy worlds are more your thing.
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 11:57

  • AtomicBanana #108 6 years ago

    'Hmm, generic? If making real-life urban locations realistic and exceptionally gritty yet glorious to behold is generic, then fine. Maybe alien or fantasy worlds are more your thing.'

    The point is, for me anyway, we've seen enviroments like that 100's of times before. The whole thing has just been done to death of late. I personally don't find the main mechanics of the game good enough for it to escape from the same sort of settings we've seen so many times before. I'm not asking for it to be in space and everyone to be glowing neon pink, I'm just asking for any degree of 'woah, I've not seen something like that before'. Strikes me heavily as all style and 0 substance. aka EA/Criterion of late ;)

  • Stickman #109 6 years ago

    Yeah, whenever I'm just walking around I hate how generic all the buildings are.

    I think things like this have been done 100s of times before because that's what stuff actually looks like surely?

  • Teeth #110 6 years ago

    I hate estates too, man. You're not alone.

  • Stickman #111 6 years ago

    When they make an FPS where I can blow away chavs on scooters, or lob a grenade at a group of twatty kids outside a newsagents, then I'll be happy

  • AtomicBanana #112 6 years ago

    'Yeah, whenever I'm just walking around I hate how generic all the buildings are. '

    You didn't pay money to be entertained by those buildings - I don't see the comparison.

    All I'm saying is, despite the new things it does, it's still mostly a game we've all played before - I can't understand the massive hype surrounding it.

  • SeesThroughAll #113 6 years ago

    Rambaldi, why would MS want to enable the XBox Black to run on the 360, when they're about to launch Halo 3 next month? The less competition the better.

  • redd #114 6 years ago

    besides the technical merits, the game is crap.
    - very rudimentary and repetitive gameplay experience
    - dreadful AI
    - uninteresting story (to say the least)
    - frustrating checkpoints
    - few weapons
    - way too short game

    by far worse than half life 2, far cry instincts, halo 1 and 2, red faction 1 and 2 (yes), just to name a few.
    have no clue how the hell it managed to get an 8 out of 10 here.

    edit: forgot to mention that you get to shoot some 4 different enemy models (or should i say skins) some 2000 times for the whole 6 hours worth of game that you get.
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 14:04

  • Cubfan #115 6 years ago

    For a review more in line with my personal opinion of the game:

    http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/black/review.html

  • Stickman #116 6 years ago

    "You didn't pay money to be entertained by those buildings - I don't see the comparison."

    Yeah, I was being a bit twatty. What I meant was that a building's a building. They could make them all have mushrooms for roofs (rooves? Is it like hoof/hooves?) and they'd be completely original but also not actually anything like buildings in real life.

  • Quiiick #117 6 years ago

    I've played 4 levels of "Black" so far and I must say: I'm utterly disappointed!
    Even the very similar "Killzone" (which was terribly underrated by EuroGamer) is much better than this.
    The game-play of "Black" is terribly repetitive. The looks are great, no doubt, but the enemy-AI is beyond stupid.
    Very sad, I was hoping for much more. "Black" is definitely no "Gun-Porn" !!!
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 14:50

  • krudster #118 6 years ago

    Absolute nonsense. Killzone deserved 5 for being a boring cookie cutter experience. Black is similar in feel, but does everything Killzone promised, and does so with a technically amazing engine.

  • redd #119 6 years ago

    ok i just went to check my profile.
    I finished the game on normal difficulty, here are my stats:

    game time: 5:32:31
    total enemy count: 1,439
    total bullets fired: 20,736

    i sincerely dont know where the EG guys went to find almost twice the enemies on whom to spend twice the bullets.

    plus, on my previous comment, i forgot to mention two utterly annoying thingsthat this game features:
    1- sometimes you get to go some 20 minutes or more in a mission before any checkpoint, if in the meantime you die you have to sit through the whole fmv again! cant skip the thing (it only they were actually any good it wldnt be such a bummer)
    2- boy those enemies sure dont mind taking bullets in the chest, cuz a lot of the time i keep hitting an enemy who is far away in the chest, say with an mp5, and he doesnt make an effort to hide himself, just takes the 10 or 12 shots (!!) required to kill him, standing there like a statue... >_>

  • jiroczech #120 6 years ago

    The weapon damage model is whack. Why make the game all po-faced and semi-serious (which is clearly an afterthought) but retain the stupid damage model. You're positive encouraged to snipe folk, single shot to the head at a distance, by the way weapon damage is handled. Everything else about the game is screaming at you to go Rambo but do that and you have to shoot everone a million times as they fall to one knee and get up again over and over. The know they've overdone it too - that's why there's those stupid armoured mask wearing shotgun guys and the twats with the riot shields.

  • krudster #121 6 years ago

    It's possible, I suppose, that they toned down the difficulty after the review build. The disc supplied is a Jan 9th build, but it should be identical to the retail version (which I only got the day after I'd written the review).

    Oddly, it appears that hard mode is available on the retail version from the off, whereas only Easy and Normal are selectable from the start on the review build.
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 16:55

  • krudster #122 6 years ago

    Hint: read the review ;)

  • redd #123 6 years ago

    before you think of buying this game, check your games collection and, if you dont see psychonauts there, go buy that instead of this. Otherwise, buy some good 2005 game that you havent played yet, it'll probably be a much better bang for your buck.

  • Quiiick #124 6 years ago

    @ krudster
    Quote:
    "Killzone deserved 5 for being a boring cookie cutter experience."

    That's what "I" call nonsense !!!
    Killzone had a wonderful multiplayer AND an entertaining single-player.
    Black only has a boring and very short single-player mission.

    But, ohhh, I understand: Black's developer is from the UK and Killzone is from Holland. This fact alone deserves the difference of 3 points for the rating. ;-)

  • swisstony99 #125 6 years ago

    "- very rudimentary and repetitive gameplay experience
    - dreadful AI
    - uninteresting story (to say the least)
    - frustrating checkpoints
    - few weapons
    - way too short game "

    Redd, have to disagree. Try the game on Hard and then Black Ops mode, it's a totally different game, Edge picked up on that, perhaps you could too. Uninteresting story? It's about the action, don't tell me the story in Commando moved you? Ain't that kind of game. Long checkpoints? Agree with the reviewer, you've got to concentrate. HL2 is my all time favourite, but it was so easy. Dangerous bit coming up? Save. In Ultima Online when you stepped into a dungeon, obviously no save, you were on your wits. Any PC game that allows you to save at any point is lame.

    Few weapons? Why have 30? They all boil down to categories anyway, and I'd rather have weapons high on budget and distinctive than 15 assault rifles. Wouldn't you? Did you use all 70 odd cars in Burnout 3???

    Dreadful AI? Halo blows, HL2 blows. None of them are great. Black's AI is at least as good as Halo's and don't tell me that all that commander/grunt stuff worked out, most of the game I had stupid dwarves in space suits running away arms flailing. Yeh, let's shoot some stuff in the back and watch big purple guys move like Quake 3 opponents. No better than Black. HL2, what was so special about it's AI that makes Black's AI "dreadful"?

    Audio's been missed in most reviews. It is awesome audio, truly standout in 5.1. You can't play this game in an office or while the wife's trying to do the ironing, you need it really loud.

    @other comments.

    Generic environments? Sure, there were homage environments to the movies that inspired the game, lobbies, asylums, a great graveyard bit that I've not seen in other games, but if you're setting a game in eastern europe, quite what are you expecting? The palettes and lighting in the levels is second to none. I think a few other developers have now realised that, next gen or not, they need to work a lot harder to create atmospherics. In that respect this is an influential title. The work that's gone into the lighting and environments is wonderful. Or, you can run through the Library in Halo 15 times....Awesome!!

    Hype? Black was behind closed doors for 2 E3s, and you can't blame EA for making a big fuss about one of it's titles. Sure the developers did some video interviews, jesus, there's millions of dev blogs and interviews, why is Black attracting so much attention for hype? GTA or Lara anyone? Neither have been any good in their last incarnation to warrant the hype but they keep making covers of mags etc.

    I can't be the only person in the world who didn't hear Criterion's Producer make claims about 'whole world destruction'.

    I agree the game's too short, wonderful, but short. Wonderful because for the first time in an fps, pulling the trigger actually is rewarding. Jumping, checkpoints, storyline, meh. It's an fps. Pull the trigger on this with the volume up. Then put any other title in. Pull the trigger. That most basic basic element of shooting a gun simply hasn't been done like this. That's what impressed me for all it's other flaws. Finally a shooting a gun game that gets shooting a gun.

    "I'm just asking for any degree of 'woah, I've not seen something like that before'."

    Graveyard approach, awesome explosions, asylum lighting and final asylum checkpoint, forest audio and graphical ambience. I thought woah anyway :)

    Repetitive gameplay? It's an fps. Like all the others, you wander around killing people with guns. I guess my problem with Fight Night was you were always punching some guy:) Dear god.

    Anyway, that's just my view on it. I think an 8 is fair, and I look forward to more.

  • redd #126 6 years ago

    swisstony99: about the AI, its not that its bad, it simply just doesnt exist in some cases! Just as an example: the RPG dudes are terribly scripted, specialy in the last 2 levels (seems like these were pretty much rushed). When you get to the end of the bridge in the 7th mission, theres an RPG soldier on a catwalk above the door, that guy will move from point A to point B recursively, shooting a rocket everytime he stops. Thats it, its all he does, and in the last level you get some more of this dudes. You can even throw a grenade a bit to his side cuz he is going to make the walk from point A to B no matter if the ground is on fire or the devil is on the other side! Also, dont you find it strange that the enemies dont have a single grenade? Is that hard making an enemy lob something at you? In the review the reviewer mentions a part when two shielded guys surprise him, thats in the last level, what he didnt try is shoot them in the back through the window while they are coming up the stairs, they wont look back to you, theyll just stand there and get shot in the back till they die (which takes a while).
    But youre right i havent tried the game on hard, ill check that tomorrow.

    And please dont compare this games AI to that of Halo's foes, its just not comparable. Want a single player FPS? Buy riddick or far cry instincts instead of this, or even area 51 or snowblind for the ps2, if thats your platform, these are all far better game experiences.

  • krudster #127 6 years ago

    Swisstony, finally, someone who actually 'gets' this game, and has properly played it through. The reason it's so draining defending this game is you're essentially talking to people who've either played it for no time at all and think they know it all (and miss the point) or people who've decided they want to hate it. So many cynical joyless gamers out there. It's very very easy to slag a game off. Any game.

  • Quiiick #128 6 years ago

    Ohhh ... , you need to play BLACK on HARD to "get" this game.
    Thanks for the info!

  • redd #129 6 years ago

    "Swisstony, finally, someone who actually 'gets' this game, and has properly played it through ... It's very very easy to slag a game off. Any game."

    Indeed it is very easy to do so, as EG seems to do now and then. However, i dont do so, my opinion on games is only based on the quality of my experience with them, and i could tell you of a bunch of games that have been slaged off by EG, and are by far superior (as in more fun and rewarding) experiences than Black.
    This quote from Jame Price's review of stubbs could be, reflecting my opinion of this game, successfully applied to Black (except the soundtrack bit):

    "After my first playthrough of Stubbs the Zombie - which, incidentally, took less than eight hours - I sat and reflected that there were only a handful of moments that I recalled with any degree of clarity. Playing again, with the difficulty level increased, I realised why: it's just an eminently forgettable game. Average execution, terribly repetitive combat, lots of reasonable ideas that don't quite work, a general lack of cohesion: it's not diabolical, but it's far from great. It has some lovely touches - particularly its soundtrack - but it's really, contrary to my expectations, nothing special. Shame."

    While i'm at it, its a 6/10 in my book.

  • Genji #130 6 years ago

    "However, i dont do so, my opinion on games is only based on the quality of my experience with them"

    And this is different from EG opinions how?

  • Royal Fool #131 6 years ago

    Well, after playing it to level 7 (Or was it 8?), I felt compelled to turn it off in disgust.

    It's got very pretty graphics and realistic sounds. The environments are varied and unique for each level, although certain elements like buildings and interiors keep popping up again and again and aren't as varied. Crazy particle effects and very amazing how much can be happening on screen at one time, with barely a hitch in the framerate (Playing the Xbox version). Overall, one of the prettiest games I've seen in a while.

    But... it has extremely dull and repetitive gameplay. Although it's fun for a while and probably more so in short bursts, it cannot be denied that this game offers very little variety in gameplay. Walk into an area, shoot a guard or wait until they spot you. Kill all the baddies that swarm onto you. Advance to next area. Rinse and repeat. The occasional "stealth" sections and different weapons that the baddies use are welcomed, but it's still just the same. Picking off guys 400 metres away with a shotgun just feels weird.

    There's no platforming or puzzles, since you lack the basic ability to jump. Therefore, when boxes are in your way, you have to completely shoot them up, including the small wooden debris that remains at the bottom. Apparently the black ops veteran is incapable of walking over a few pieces of broken wood. I was also surprised the hero didn't want to walk up a staircase because it was missing one step. What a challenge!

    And then there's the storyline, or lack thereof. I appreciate that Criterion at least tried to include one to give the missions a sense of purpose, but it all fails horribly. The cutscenes are rather badly dubbed, nonsensical and don't even have subtitles. None of the game has subtitles, actually, which can sometimes make the radio chatter hard to hear because of firefights and distortions. Not that it matters, since you're just walking from point A to B and blasting everything that moves. But in any case, the objectives are so transparent that you totally forget what you're supposed to be doing.

    Then there's the stars of the game - the guns. They feel good to use and there's a decent variety of them: rifles, machine guns, RPG, grenade launcher, sniper rifle... basically what you would expect to battle terrorists with. But the terrorists aren't very fearsome to behold, or fight for that matter. The basic ones can be rolled over with ease, the ones sporting metal masks and heavy weapons usually take a few shotgun blasts or direct hits to the head, and the shield guys are easily taken out with grenades and a few pops with your weapon of choice. It's just that they don't really fight you with any smarts.

    When I was directed to go down into a generic underground complex (again), shoot more machine gun nests (again) and run around blasting generic terrorists with my shotgun (again) while collecting obscure documents and items (again), I just felt I'd had enough.

    This game feels too empty.

    [Maybe I should submit this as a review... anyway, I give it a 6/10.]

  • swisstony99 #132 6 years ago

    Fair enough redd re halo comments. I found glitchy AI in Halo too. I didn't really notice more than the odd guy not doing his thing, and I've not known a game where there were no glitches.

    "Walk into an area, shoot a guard or wait until they spot you. Kill all the baddies that swarm onto you. Advance to next area. Rinse and repeat. "

    Halo - walk into an area, shoot or wait till they spot you, kill all the baddies that swarm onto you, advance to next area, rinse and repeat. Or Shadow Ops, walk into an area, hit totally obvious trigger point, kill enemies, proceed through area.

    What part of an fps isn't about walking through areas killing baddies? A plot? HL2 is the daddy. Halo 2, awful cutscenes with poor animation, a story so far up it's own arse you need some geek on the internet to pull it apart.

    If I'm walking through areas killing baddies I want noise, particles, tension, a challenge. It gives all these things in a firefight. I'm sure once the developers learn from the mistakes of their first ever attempt at an fps, we'll get a stronger attempt second time out for sure. Right now, I just have a smile on my face when I pick up an SMG. No gun in any aforementioned title has ever made me smile.

  • Triggerhappytel #133 6 years ago

    "Black is the new Halo."

    Not even close. Black is a slightly above average explosion fest, with questionable pacing, little lifespan and repetitive gameplay.

    Halo was an event in videogaming; a truly seminal game which has influenced hundreds of games and still remains at the top of it's field over 4 years after release.

    There is no contest.

  • kangarootoo #134 6 years ago

    Seems like a divider of people for sure.

    krudster, I've never seen you get so parental about a game before in the face of grumpy forum posts (whatever amount of actual game experience they are based on).

    @swisstony99
    "Halo - walk into an area, shoot or wait till they spot you, kill all the baddies that swarm onto you, advance to next area, rinse and repeat."

    There is no way you can do that on legendary difficulty. If baddies swarm onto you in that mode, you are probably going to die. I really found that cranking the difficulty up in Halo opened up elements of the AI that simply aren't present in easier settings.

    Sounds like maybe Black is the same though, where an easy difficulty setting gives you dumber enemies. Might be worth everyone slating the AI in Black giving it the Legendary treatment and then refreshing their opinion.

  • Stickman #135 6 years ago

    I think this is the longest comments thread I've ever seen that hasn't descended into name calling, and remained interesting. Well done to all concerned!

    Personally, my interest has never been particularly piqued by this, and I wasn't much more interested after reading the review (a little, thought I might rent it at some point), but after seeing krudster defend it so much and just implore people to just give it a proper go, I might revise my opinion and tootle off to get it.

    To be fair, I don't really want storyline, or even stellar AI from an FPS. I want it to go 'BAAANG!' and stuff to fall apart!

  • redd #136 6 years ago

    I wont waste anymore of my time on this, already wasted about 10 euros per hour with the thing.

    swisstony99: yes black is like halo... the library level again and again only with pretty explosions and some destructible stuff. :)

  • Quiiick #137 6 years ago

    @swisstony99
    Yes, Black is very similar to Halo regarding the gun-fights. But how many vehicles can you drive and battle with in Black? Zero !!!
    So comparing the dullness of fights in Black with Halo is just not fair.
    If Black had some armored tanks or cars to drive with, it would of course be a completely different story. Likewise with Killzone.
    Edited by 1 at 24/02/06 @ 14:01

  • mash the x button #138 6 years ago

    Has krudster's critical acumen been compromised by the ads that run next to the review?

  • Royal Fool #139 6 years ago

    There just simply aren't enough things to toy around with and explore IMO. The game is rigidly stuck to it's basics, which is to shoot everything. That's it. And while I'm sure that's fine for some people, for me it just gets boring and horrendously repetitive.

    (And a lack of plot and interaction with characters around you, as well... you can argue that it doesn't belong in a shooter, but I can't agree with that.)
    Edited by 1 at 24/02/06 @ 11:42

  • KTroopA #140 6 years ago

    Black is a good game, once you play on Hard and 'get it'. But it does lack a little something. I think most players who like this game, will agree with smething more to the story or better pacing, it cud have been fantastic. Goldeneye 'status'

    either way, this game is COOL..

  • Eighthours #141 6 years ago

    Cyhwuhx on rllmuk has been complaining that the game is nothing like the version he played back in September, which had more of a "Burnout FPS" feel to it, and which he says is far, far more fun than the finished game.

    "Although I still like it may I say that this is

    COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DIFFERENT TO WHAT I WAS SHOWN BACK IN SEPTEMBER!

    I don't get it... The Burnout style awards for special shots, the audio-drop with big explosions, the really big explosions themselves. Gone. All of them...

    It's still a nice shooter, but it's fallen into mediocrity. I'm utterly baffled. I thought the demo was a build from before what I had seen in September, only now do I realise it was a build from after.

    Worse yet it's only 'till level 5 that I'm getting some proper action which I had been waiting for since the start. Scrap that the demo has a more intense version of the very first level than the game itself.

    I don't know what evil forces are at work at EA/Criterion but removing all the arcadey goodness from this has not worked in its favor. Also making it piss-easy is not good (I can headshot just about every enemy) and as if the game knows it's easy, it sometimes gives enemies metal plates for protection and worse at times doesn't even register headshots at all!

    When it gets rolling it waltzes right over everything, but goddamn did they scrap about 80% of the good stuff or what!? This is definitely not the version Vemsie, VeloS and I saw."

    And later...

    "
    They TOLD and SHOWED me differently though. I'm utterly flabbergasted how they have turned a fresh arcadey and plain FUN game into a generic serious me-too shooter that would fit more at home at Ubisoft with Tom Clancy's in front of it. The controls are great, but the game underneath is a mere shadow of what it was. That's what bugging me. There's not much wrong with the game on it's own.
    But this is worse than Molyneux false promises. They actually HAD all the functionality in place making it a real stand-out title. They showed it. They demonstrated it. Rubbed it in that it would indeed be in the game. Just compare my mumblings now to what I was saying back then. I feel like Jesus claiming God doesn't exist. They've ripped the good stuff out, for no sane apparant reason. It doesn't make any sense."

    Interesting stuff.

  • Bates #142 6 years ago

    Wow, this clearly proves the EG review wrong.

  • Eighthours #143 6 years ago

    Wow, this clearly proves the EG review wrong.

    Nah, it just seems strange how all the previews way back when were salivating in glee over the OTT nature of the game, and now it's here and the reaction has been strangely muted. Seems that it's a good game, but not as good as was "promised". Could a sudden change of emphasis decided on as late as the Autumn be something to do with this?

  • swisstony99 #144 6 years ago

    For me the thing that might qualify Halo as an event was the online. Driving vehicles, well, that was cool, there's no doubting it. The comments "with questionable pacing, little lifespan and repetitive gameplay. " apply to Halo single player as far as I'm concerned. I can see why with online plus vehicles there's 'more to do', but to be honest, hosing down the museum in level 1 of black was a more visceral 2 minutes than the entire Halo game. I guess it's horses for courses, of course I'd love to see Black integrate storyline and other characters more for that added dimension, I guess I'm just a little surprised at how it got the shooting SO right, audio and visual, and yet so few people are saying, 'you know, almost every other fps I can think of doesn't in fact have really good shooting in it, in fact, I wonder if they were even trying'....for all these other games' merits.

    A comment on pacing, within levels there are 'quiet bits' usually where music kicks in. I didn't think it was really end to end mayhem. In terms of pacing across levels there is that level 5 peak in the asylum, but I felt that it did ramp up well from there, while I enjoyed how level 1 hits you hard and level 2 changes the pace, taking you into Town which is quite challenging again, raising the bar with steelworks (interior at least) and then the almighty asylum. I guess the Docks slows it a bit, but from there the Bridge and last level are pretty good.

    I think back to Halo, and there was the Silent Cartographer, which was awesome, then the whole game went to sleep in samey interiors. I guess I don't understand the pacing criticism so some more detail might be good :)

    Re the comments on the demo being more difficult, yep, I did notice that there were more enemies at the very start. It was hard, I'm not great at fps. Perhaps they felt that widespread appeal (by starting it off a bit easier to give non hardcore a time to orient) was the way to go.

  • Repsode #145 6 years ago

    Nope! Not for me. Just another cookie cutter FPS that looks just that bit nicer than the others.

    Demo bored the hell outa me.

    Not the Burnout of FPS, where's the fun of Burnout?

    The best FPS have that "something", Halo, Doom, Half-life, not Black.

    It's weird, It does everything right, yet can't persuade me to buy it.

  • Teeth #146 6 years ago

    Didn't Cyhwuhx used to post here? Does he still? Or where am I recognising that name from then?

  • Razz #147 6 years ago

    I rather enjoy this game

  • gerald #148 6 years ago

    I may not be qualified for a final verdict since I played only level 1 and 2 yesterday, but these levels are the most fun with shooters I had in a long time. i will complete both of them on hard before moving on... this is about shooting, blowing things up and finding cover it gets all of this right.

    Better than (singleplayer) Halo? yes - for me ... so far...
    Halo's driving and outdor-play is great, but its cheap room-after-room approach in buildungs ruined it for me. Since i don't play online, i don't care for multiplayer.

    Shooting a rocket at a building and seeing all its windows including two enemys bursting towards me in a cloud of dust and debris convinced me. Shooting things in Black not only looks better - it feels better than in any other game i played. Every bullet has an impact. To short, lame story .. . sure - but i don't care.

    It's a guilty pleasure, because I actually hate gun-fetishism.

  • Stormflood_UK #149 6 years ago

    I can't be bothered to read through the entire thread, so I'll add for fear of repetition: F_CKING STUPID CHECKPOINTS!!11! (or complete lack of)

  • smelly #150 6 years ago

    @Stormflood_UK : Totally agree.. Its why i took the game back this morning.
    .

  • kangarootoo #151 6 years ago

    "Has krudster's critical acumen been compromised by the ads that run next to the review?"

    Of course not. EG don't work that way and only fanboys suggest that they do (so try not to become one eh?). I'm confident he just genuinely liked the game and thought (with some legitimate reason) we weren't giving it a fair chance.

  • Virgil #152 6 years ago

    im just happy its not another killzone.

    i wont buy it but im happy

  • krudster #153 6 years ago

    No.1 in the all format chart.

  • Talha #154 6 years ago

    @krudster: Don't worry, I am with you. :-)

  • mash the x button #155 6 years ago

    "Has krudster's critical acumen been compromised by the ads that run next to the review?"

    "Of course not. EG don't work that way and only fanboys suggest that they do (so try not to become one eh?). I'm confident he just genuinely liked the game and thought (with some legitimate reason) we weren't giving it a fair chance"

    Fair enough. EG is the only site I check, and I enjoy the impartial reviews. :)

  • sonmi451 #156 6 years ago

    a very good FPS. probably the best i've played on PS2.

    but..saving is crap. unable to skip the shite FMV is crap.

    i agree with EGs 8/10.

  • #157 6 years ago

    Thank goodness this comments thread has died down a bit :/

    Anyway, playing this on the 360 at the moment and it looks utterly fantastic. So much crisper and better defined than Halo 2 looked. It genuinely looks more like a 360 game than an XBOX one.

    I'm tending to agree with the review at the moment, though I'd currently score it a solid 7/10, but then I've only played the first 3 levels.

    The sound is great, crank it through your 5.1 for some destructive burst ear drum action.

    There really is no feeling like walking around a corner and seeing the plume of a rocket heading your way (run!), then trying to figure out how best to take them down.

    As for the AI, no real complaints here, they put up a decent fight as far as I'm concerned.

    So far it's doing exactly what it says on the tin, and that's exactly what I want. I love fast FPS shoot em up games, but games as atmospheric and fun as this are few and far between.

    One last thing, I think it's the only FPS game I've played on a console which actually feels more like a PC FPS game, despite the joypad control (which works very well).

    I think that's a good thing.

    Can't wait to see what the rest of the game throws my way.