Black

Written by Matt Swider  on April 26, 2006

Review: Smell the gloveЕ

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As the Xbox 360 continues to impress us with next-generation titles like Ghost Recon, Criterion Games reminds us that explosive gameplay and graphics (both figuratively and literally) can still grace the Xbox. The Burnout developer brings its destructive skills to the system in the form of an over-the-top first-person shooter called Black. The visuals effects are a marvel to witness and the gameplay is an adrenaline pumping roller-coaster that ends too quickly.

Black begins with a bare-bones storyline that's well presented, but ultimately fails to suck players into the extremely thin plot. You are cast as Sergeant 1st class J. Keller, a Black Ops solider being interrogated by the government. As you recount the last four days of operations through Eastern Europe, the game initiates flashbacks that give you a chance to relive your team's hunt for a terrorist named Lennox. The short cutscenes are less than two minutes in length and don't properly build up all of the explosive gameplay that follows. Instead, the game focuses on a star that is more important than Sergeant Keller: the guns.

Every weapon in the game is powerful with the exception of maybe the pistol. Best of all, you're given two of the best weapons almost right away. The first level starts in a locked room, which in any other FPS means you'll need to find a keycard or pick the lock. In this case, however, you'll pick up a nearby shotgun and shoot the door off of its hinges. Once that's done, you'll take out the guard outside and collect his AK-47. It's been less than a minute into the game and you already have two of best guns. From here on out, you'll find other guns and setup situations in which you must use them. Sniper rifles are picked up and used for far off enemies almost right away and the same goes for RPGs with more powerful, armor-equipped bad guys. This causes the game to be a pretty linear road to destruction, but it's fun while it lasts.

Blasting down doors is just the start of the cool effects, however. You'll see a lot of glass shattering everywhere and chunks of building sides flying through the air. This causes a lot of smoke and fire, leaving city streets in ruins or buildings bomb from beginning to end. And like Burnout, it's all a sight to see. Another cool visual effect is the way in which your gun reloads. A neat blur effect occurs whenever you run out of ammo, indicating that your focus is on the reloading process and distracting you from the surrounding enemy movements. But don't worry too much about them. They'll get what's coming to them and demonstrate some exaggerated animations, like flinching when taking a bullet or falling when killed from a high position.