"Black" doesn't disappoint in that regard. In fact, that's the whole point of the game. Basically, you are handed an arsenal of weapons and expected to expend as much ammo as possible shooting everything that moves, and a great deal of what doesn't. You shoot until something either dies or blows up, and there ain't much that doesn't blow up. Wooden planks blow up in this game, for crying out loud.
The gun models are highly detailed. Supposedly the head of Critereon decided to make the game after spending time at a Las Vegas gun range. The scenery graphics are decent, perhaps on par with "Mercenaries" but well shy of the Xbox gold standard set by the likes of the "Splinter Cell" series. From what I've seen of the first couple levels it's a bit dark. The trick is to find the fuel cans and crates of explosives littered around the maps, and blast those to light up the area with serious fireworks.
Let me talk about the sound. Oh, the glorious sound! This game probably has the best sound of any Xbox game I've played. Despite the inclusion of 5.1 Dolby on a lot of Xbox games, I have never found in-game sounds to be especially satisfying. Not so here. Each gun sounds distinct, and deafeningly loud. Since I can only enjoy the smell of virtual napalm and cordite after my kid goes to bed, I have to keep things quiet. But this game is so outrageously noisy that I have to turn the sound system down to a setting that, if I was watching a DVD or TV, would be nearly inaudible. I'm not complaining, mind you. This is a good thing. At a normal setting, the sound effects rumble and boom like a thunderstorm in your living. Seriously, this is a huge component of the game's enjoyability, and I find it puzzling that more developers don't get this right.
I said "Black" will only be a temporary diversion for most people. That's because it's apparently really short. Seasoned FPS fans will probably be able to blow through it in 6 hours or so. I expect it will take a butterfingers like me more along the lines of 10 hours or more. There's no multiplayer whatever and very little replay value beyond unlocking silver weapons with unlimited ammo and finally an M16.
But what a ride in the meantime!
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"Black" is a great FPS game. It is more of a "shoot everything that moves" game than a strategy shooter. It does require some thought to the tactics you need to complete a level and some of the levels are very tough. If you don't do some planning you probably won't get very far. The graphics are good, the sound effects great. There are several different weapons available, shotguns, SMG's, pistols etc. The AI is average with the bad guys being pretty predictable but still tough. It is an excting game that should be very challenging at the higher difficulty levels. I have been playing on "Normal" and it is tough. The violence and language are pretty rough so this is definitely not for young kids.Best Deals for Black - Xbox
I'm hunkered down in a corner of a room on the second floor of what once was a metal hospital. The limp body of the last soldier to cross my path lies across a thin, stained mattress on the floor. I'm down to the last of my shotgun ammo, my AK's down to 20 bullets and my heartbeat is thrumping insistently. I try to regain my composure and take stock of my surroundings, using precious time to plan my next move while the enemy closes in. That is, until the world begins exploding around my ears. Above my head, a section of the wall is ripped away by a teeth-clenching shotgun blast. As I stand and turn to face my assailant, the windows to my right are diced with a spray of automatic fire. It's pointless to return fire as the afternoon sun has made any attempts to pinpoint the shooter(s) location blindingly unrealistic. I run for the door, only to find two more armed goons awaiting my arrival. Unfortunately, they remembered to bring heavy machine guns with them.This is the world of Black one of the more realistic and satisfying shooters to come out in the past few years. The graphics are at times stunning, owing much to the realistic lighting. The way moonlight reflects from the barrel of your gun is often breathtaking, and the harsh glare of the afternoon sun is as beautiful as it is frustrating.
Much has been made of the designer's attempts to create fully destructible environments, and they do succeed to a point. But keep in mind that it's impossible to turn a city street into a flat, rubble garden. While you can fire a rocket launcher and take out a few stories of a building, the building will (in most cases) remain standing. Also, barriers such as fences, walls, and other obstacles that delineate each level are indestructible, which only makes sense. That it's impossible to pull a "Rampage" and level everything in sight is a minor quibble, and those who claim otherwise are missing the point.
This game is all about the guns and the pleasure that firing these guns provides. If your enemies are behind cover, then destroy their cover and pick them off. If your being shot at by a sniper in a building, then a few shots into an adjoining propane container will take out your foe and necessitate several architectural refurbishments.
The designers intentionally make your enemies harder to kill, thus necessitating an assessment of your environment, the positions of the enemy, and ways in which to exploit your surroundings to your advantage. While this can, at times, be frustrating you'll certainly find yourself killed at least once by an opponent that you just emptied a clip into with little effect, causing you to swear like a sailor and throw down the controller in disgust. But trust me, in five minutes you'll be back. In time, you'll recognize the importance of strategy over run-and-gun heroics, and will reap the satisfying rewards of several well-placed headshots and a nicely timed grenade throw or two.
Now, the game has some problems, which does bring down the rating. For one, it is short and an experienced gamer who takes his or her time playing at the "normal" level will likely finish the game in about 10 hours. While this doesn't affect the initial excitement and playability, the lack of a multiplayer mode (either online or otherwise) seriously diminishes the replayability. Also, since the "Hard" difficulty and "Black Ops" difficulty are so insanely HARD (no health packs!!!) and the save points few and far between, few players will glean any satisfaction from making incremental progress through a game they have already completed. Like the real field of battle, there is no learning curve and while the enemy may not wear as much armor in earlier levels and use cover less effectively, their bullets still do as much damage.
Another problem comes from the AI. While they are semi-intelligent and do a good job of working co-operatively and defensively, you will soon figure out that, in a fire-fight, they move in a predictable pattern from position to position over and over again. Therefore, it makes it easier to take down your opponents, but not in a satisfying way. In certain missions you'll be teamed up with AI soldiers who will help you during the level. Fortunately, they're tenacious fighters who cannot, under any circumstances, be killed. Unfortunately, they also can't hit the wide side of a barn from 10 feet and will let enemies shoot you without bothering to assist. It seems that they were included to make the game feel a bit less Rambo, and help alert you to dangers as they appear. They also shout orders like "Take out that RPG!" which becomes even more annoying when you've just taken your third hit of collateral damage from that RPG and realize that if you were working with soldiers who knew how to aim, RPGs wouldn't be much of a problem. As far as the co-op missions go, you're still on your own.
Finally, the lack of save points has been a major complaint from people who've reviewed this game in the past. While it's understandable and would have been nice to have more of them it also would have made the game too easy and equally unsatisfying. There's an exciting sense of dread when you're hunkered down, health meter close to gone, surrounded by heavily armed opponents and know that, if you get killed it means spending another 45 minutes getting back to this point. It gives you a reason to weigh your options, proceed with caution, and maybe just maybe you'll make it through this alive.
That said, the game probably isn't worth owning. But once the price drops a bit, it'll be worth checking out. For now, renting is probably the best option since the long term possibilities are limited (4 difficulty levels and that's it) although the ability to drop into a level once you've completed the game and cause some mayhem may help you while away a few hours when you're bored.
As for the pickle I'd gotten myself into in the mental hospital, the second I stepped into the hall I knew it was over. I managed to take one guy down with a hip shot from the shotgun, but caught one round too many as I furiously tried to reload. Then, everything went to grey. Then I screamed for the tenth time that day and loud enough for my neighbors to hear, how I would never "play this *$%#@ game again." And I'd shout the same thing ten times more before I was through. When a game can be equally frustrating, satifying, and fun it's definitely worth a gamer's attention.
Honest reviews on Black - Xbox
Black is a pretty cool game. You're a special ops guy who uses a bunch of different machine guns, sniper rifle, RPG, grenades and an assortment of handguns. The problem is....every other game has that stuff, too. Add in the fact that there is no online play and you have a game that's been done a million times before. Black does have one thing that most FPS don't...NO JUMP BUTTON. Fancy that! You can't jump over stuff so often times you get stuck on the edge of a box or railing and the enemy just blows you away. Also, you can't get to the places where your enemies are sometimes. That's bunk!Anyway, Black is simply ok. Its fun for a while, but the entire time you are playing you just keep thinking, "haven't I played this game before?"
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I just got through playing this game for the first time and have to say I absolutely loved it. For someone who has played so many FPS type games being a staunch fan of all the WW2 Shooters Ghost Recon series Halo Medal of Honor Tom Clancy Splinter Cell etc etc etc; let me tell you, I was in heaven with this game. Maybe it's just the type of shooter I am but this is the first game that has ever given me such a cinematic thrill in gun play terms!The game has a few quirks such as the lack of a jump button hey, I like to be able to jump! but you soon get over the lack thereof. The way things look in this game is just lush and pure noir. For lighting and graphics think Splinter Cell but whereas others may find Splinter Cell superior I found BLACK better for some reason. Perhaps Splinter Cell can look a little too much on the bleeding side of saturated colour that it's a tiny bit Disney for me at times. With BLACK I was in a very gritty, visceral environment at all times and with some really convincing scenery that only enhanced my playing experience.
The guns are superb in this game you may have played games with similar or even identical weapons before but they never looked and handled like these I promise you. The sound and feel when in use is second to none in gaming for my money and when you hit something it actually does what it should ... shatter, fray, splinter, split, shard, crumble, explode, obliterate, implode, crumple, twist, break, snap ... you get the idea?!!! No game I've played delivers like this one for target response to fire this is just killer! There are so many things to hit and detonate in this game and it's never been so much fun having at it with weapons.
The AI are pretty darn fun to go at it with there are some mean mofos out there, look out for the cats with the extra padding and hockey masks! Then later come the same cats but with bullet proof riot sheilds humping shotguns!!! The AI are excellent all round and act fairly consistently but not stupidly I was all at once challenged and kept in a high state of tension whilst gunning against them. Any game that puts me on the edge of my seat like this game did deserves 5 stars. The music in this game and the overall atmosphere are pure Noir ... perhaps the French version got called what I reckon it ought to be called, Noir!
It may have had some short comings overall I was a bit annoyed at not being able to adjust the panning ( left/right/up/down ) sensitivity of my weapons but who cares, there are so many things going for this game that I can't find a thing to complain about. You won't find a better FPS this year.
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