Review - Black (xbox/ps2)

Criterion, best known for their fan-favorite Burnout series of white-knuckle racing, throw their hat into the crowded first-person shooter market with Black, a modern military themed jaunt through foriegn countries with action a-plenty. Some amazing technology powers what is ultimately an accessible, frantic, and yet ever-so slightly shallow experience.

Black throws you into the shoes of covert operative Jack Kellar, more Rambo than James Bond. Kellar lives on the fringe, carrying out unauthorized military operations in the name of the US Government. These operations typically consist of shooting a lot of really big guns at a lot of unnamed enemy forces. The game uses very slick live action (real actors) footage to tell it's story, it's your typical Jerry Bruckhiemer as directed by Tony Scott footage (though there are no actual Hollywood names attached) - lots of smoke, a grim-faced politician, and rapid cuts. It does a great job of getting you into the game. While completely superficial, the story is told rather well, and unfolds in a deliberate manner, throwing a few curveballs here and there. Ultimately it leaves things unresolved, it feels more like the first act in a much larger tale.

Gameplay wise, Black doesn't re-invent the formula. This is a first person shooter, you know more or less what to expect. Where Black excels is in the work and polish that went into the game. Movement isn't whip-fast or rapid paced, it's more akin to Call of Duty or the original Halo. Enemy AI is generally well done, once these guys spot you they'll do whatever it takes to take you out, and keep themselves alive. This keeps Black from becoming a run and gun shooter, you can dart out into the open with barrells blazing, but this approach will typically result in a quick death. Cover is important, which leads me to Black's biggest draw, the destructable environment. Pretty much everything in the game can be altered or destroyed given enough gunfire or a well placed grenade, which makes your choice of cover that much more strategic. Sure you could hunker down behind that low wooden wall, but there's not much point when a barrage of gunfire will take it apart in a matter of seconds. This element works both ways, enemies can be shot through walls, and with enough firepower, there is little that can prevent you from ultimately destroying your target. Factor in areas where enough gunfire kicks up so much dust and debris that you can't see clearly, and the whole destruction element really adds to the fundamental underpinning of Black. It becomes so much more than some interactive eye-candy. The game also starts hard, and stays hard. There are 9 or so missions, and each will take you a few tries to get through. An experienced shooter may get through these levels in 30 - 45 minutes on Normal difficulty, but on Hard, the fundamental game design changes, and yu'll find yourself moving at a snail's pace, staying behind cover, each skirmish becomes an epic firefight, and levels may take upwards of 90 minutes! There is a checkpoint system in place, though i felt it was spread out a little too much, and when your 45 minutes in, get slaughtered, and have to start from the beginning of the mission, Black can be a frustrating experience. Ultimately, the gameplay remains frantic and engaging throughout despite the occasional frustrations, framerate remains consistant, levels are huge and somewhat open, and the action is addictive. Gameplay wise, while Black doesn't really change the rules, it does a fantastic job with the pre-established formula, and gameplay wise, it's one of the best shooters available for current gen consoles.

Black is a graphical powerhouse. This game looks absolutely beautiful. Upon first glance it could be very easy to mistake this one for a next gen shooter. The weapons are rendered in intimate detail, right down to animating the swivels for carrying straps on weapons. Reload animations are detailed and well executed, and the levels are wonderfully rendered. You'll see a misty haze above the damp earth of a temperate Russian forest. Shafts of light penetrating the autumn leaves of a small war torn town. and everything is fully animated. The game also handles its trademark destruction with aplomb. Explosions rip into the scenery, sending shards of wood, metal, and glass skyward in a grandiose display of smoke and flame. The excellent physics applied to the debris, and people, sent reeling from the action are about as good as it gets these days. This game is a jaw dropping spectacle in the graphics department. How Criterion managed to pull this off on aging hardware and keep the framerate more or less consistant is a wonder, and no small feat. You will encounter some slowdown during the bigger booms, but nothing that cripples or hinders the gameplay - the combat remains smooth at 30fps through the duration. You also don't see a lot of repetetive texture work - the levels are vastly diverse, the scenery constantly changing, which keeps all of this graphical flair from getting old. You'll constantly be seeing things explode in new and interesting ways.

As good as the game is graphically, the sound design is every bit its equal. Explosions and gunfire are loud, drowning out the scenery and causing your speakers to shudder. Each weapon sounds distinct, and packs a punch unrivaled in any shooter to date. If you have a nice home audio setup you'll really appreciate what this game can do when it's cranked nice and loud. The ps2 version supports Pro Logic II, while the Xbox version gives you a full blown (and rather awe-inspiring) 5.1 Dolby digital track. This oen is definitely meant to be played loud. The game also uses it's orchestral soundtrack (produced by Medal of Honor and The Incredibles composer Michael Giacchino) rather well. The game usually starts you in silence, and the score comes in at specific points during the level, really kicking the action into overdrive and getting the pulse racing. You'll be hard pressed to find a game that sounds as good as Black. Voice acting is also pretty solid stuff - typically gruff and soldier-like - though the audio in the realtime cutscenes is a little too obviously pre-recorded.

Shooter-fans would do well to check out Black. No, the game doesn't change or revolutionize what came before. It's pretty pedestrian as far as these sorts of games go, there are no vehicles to be found, no intense battles with tanks or aircraft like you may see in some of it's military contemporaries, and there aren't any "boss" battles per se, but what the game has going for it is engaging and somewhat strategic gameplay combined with larger than life Hollywood gun battles, an interesting (if a little tacked-on) story, and some of the finest production values you're going to see in a current gen shooter. Black is refined and polished to a fine shine, much like Criterion's Burnout franchise, and like Burnout, it's accessible to some of the more casual gaming crowd. Shallow elements or not, it's about the best "non world War II" military shooter available for the old guard of consoles. There's an "M" rating tagged on the package, though oddly enough there is very little gore present. There is however some harsh language in there, including a few F-bombs, so i don't recommend handing ths one off to the tykes.