Black—The Game
Black Impressions
I just got my copy of Black last night and only played a couple levels, but I have to say this some of the most fun I’ve had playing a video game in recent memory. I don’t what it is, but there’s just something extremely satisfying about random destruction. Its part of what made the Burnout series such a blast, and it holds true here. Criterion has done an excellent job crafting a shooter that may be admittedly shallow, but it’s full of explosive fun.
If you played the demo, you should be fairly familiar with the first level. A few things have changed, however. Some of the enemies are in different spots, and the sound and graphics have been cleaned up a bit from the demo version. Unlike the demo, you get to go a bit further in this level. The demo ended with a group of enemies pouring out of the museum at the end of the street, in the full version you get to go into the museum and continue the mayhem. After disposing of a couple enemies inside, more terrorists blew a hole in the wall to my left and assaulted our position from the outside. I moved upstairs to get a better angle on them. Climbing out onto the ledge of the second floor I was surprised by some Rocket Propelled Grenades that were being launched at us from a tower down the street. I turned my assault rifle towards the tower and emptied and entire clip. I knew I had taken down the RPG sniper when the top of the tower exploded and collapsed, followed by sequential explosions down the base of the tower. Cool. All of this took place in a short amount of time under a constant barrage of enemy fire that kicked up debris and chipped away at concrete walls, covering the battle field with a thick fog. Sometimes the only way I knew where someone was located was by looking for their muzzle flashes. The action continued in the next level, a forest level where you try to cross a border, which of course enemy units don’t intend to make easy for you. Black is all about heart-pumping action, and it delivers that experience in spades. It’s not strictly a run-and-gun shooter as you do need to find cover from the massive amounts of incoming fire, but you also need to keep moving from cover to cover because if you linger in any one place too long, your cover could be blown; quite literally at that. Good times.
Graphics
The graphics for Black almost make you wonder what the big deal is about the next-gen of consoles. It’s easily one of the best looking games on the Xbox, but what’s really impressive is how much is happening on screen at all at once. Bullets whiz, debris flies, cartridge casings pile up, explosions billow to the sky in fiery balls, sparks ricochet, RPGs leave smoke trails—all of this with a silky smooth framerate. The lighting effects may not be on a Splinter Cell level, but they do a great job with added touches such as light bloom effects and more. Criterion repeatedly said that the guns were the stars of this game, and it certainly shows. Every weapon shows loving detail from the way its muzzle flashes to its recoil, to the movement of the firing pins and how the bullet casings are ejected. All the environments are extremely destructible, and just about everything seems to react just as it should when you shoot it. You may be surprised at times at just how volatile the environments are. I often set off explosions by accident, but it was always thrilling.
Sound
Definitely one of the best sounding games to come along. Grenades and explosions have a hearty, bass sound to them and every weapon has its own unique sound, with the bigger weapons sounding appropriately more impressive. The sound of bullets whizzing by or ricocheting of metal, dirt, or wood all sound so authentic that with a decent surround sound system, you may catch yourself ducking at times. Overall, the sound in Black does an excellent job of enhancing and enriching the experience of non-stop action.
Now as I said, these are only my initial impressions. I’ve only played about two hours of the game, although from what I’ve read, that means I’m about a third of the way through it. It may not be a long game, and it may not be a game that varies much, but thus far it is definitely a fun game, and when it comes right down to it, that’s what video games are supposed to be. Black is a fun, pick-up-and-play shooter that offers intense action that makes you feel like you’re the star of your very own Die Hard or Rambo movie. However, it is rated M, and that’s a rating that should be adhered to. Black is full of action, which means the violent gunplay—while over the top in an action-movie style—is pretty intense and rarely lets up. Also, the language can get pretty rough in spots.
Of course, the other question is “Should people even play games like this?� Well, I tend to think that’s really an issue people need to resolve for themselves. I certainly respect those who wouldn’t play games like Black because of the violent content. As to whether or not such games encourage violent behavior or desensitize us to violence, I have not the time, nor is this article, to address that. Suffice it to say that if you don’t have a problem playing first-person shooters, Black is one you’re not going to want to miss. If you dislike such games, then you aren’t missing a thing by not playing it.
I just got my copy of Black last night and only played a couple levels, but I have to say this some of the most fun I’ve had playing a video game in recent memory. I don’t what it is, but there’s just something extremely satisfying about random destruction. Its part of what made the Burnout series such a blast, and it holds true here. Criterion has done an excellent job crafting a shooter that may be admittedly shallow, but it’s full of explosive fun.
If you played the demo, you should be fairly familiar with the first level. A few things have changed, however. Some of the enemies are in different spots, and the sound and graphics have been cleaned up a bit from the demo version. Unlike the demo, you get to go a bit further in this level. The demo ended with a group of enemies pouring out of the museum at the end of the street, in the full version you get to go into the museum and continue the mayhem. After disposing of a couple enemies inside, more terrorists blew a hole in the wall to my left and assaulted our position from the outside. I moved upstairs to get a better angle on them. Climbing out onto the ledge of the second floor I was surprised by some Rocket Propelled Grenades that were being launched at us from a tower down the street. I turned my assault rifle towards the tower and emptied and entire clip. I knew I had taken down the RPG sniper when the top of the tower exploded and collapsed, followed by sequential explosions down the base of the tower. Cool. All of this took place in a short amount of time under a constant barrage of enemy fire that kicked up debris and chipped away at concrete walls, covering the battle field with a thick fog. Sometimes the only way I knew where someone was located was by looking for their muzzle flashes. The action continued in the next level, a forest level where you try to cross a border, which of course enemy units don’t intend to make easy for you. Black is all about heart-pumping action, and it delivers that experience in spades. It’s not strictly a run-and-gun shooter as you do need to find cover from the massive amounts of incoming fire, but you also need to keep moving from cover to cover because if you linger in any one place too long, your cover could be blown; quite literally at that. Good times.
Graphics
The graphics for Black almost make you wonder what the big deal is about the next-gen of consoles. It’s easily one of the best looking games on the Xbox, but what’s really impressive is how much is happening on screen at all at once. Bullets whiz, debris flies, cartridge casings pile up, explosions billow to the sky in fiery balls, sparks ricochet, RPGs leave smoke trails—all of this with a silky smooth framerate. The lighting effects may not be on a Splinter Cell level, but they do a great job with added touches such as light bloom effects and more. Criterion repeatedly said that the guns were the stars of this game, and it certainly shows. Every weapon shows loving detail from the way its muzzle flashes to its recoil, to the movement of the firing pins and how the bullet casings are ejected. All the environments are extremely destructible, and just about everything seems to react just as it should when you shoot it. You may be surprised at times at just how volatile the environments are. I often set off explosions by accident, but it was always thrilling.
Sound
Definitely one of the best sounding games to come along. Grenades and explosions have a hearty, bass sound to them and every weapon has its own unique sound, with the bigger weapons sounding appropriately more impressive. The sound of bullets whizzing by or ricocheting of metal, dirt, or wood all sound so authentic that with a decent surround sound system, you may catch yourself ducking at times. Overall, the sound in Black does an excellent job of enhancing and enriching the experience of non-stop action.
Now as I said, these are only my initial impressions. I’ve only played about two hours of the game, although from what I’ve read, that means I’m about a third of the way through it. It may not be a long game, and it may not be a game that varies much, but thus far it is definitely a fun game, and when it comes right down to it, that’s what video games are supposed to be. Black is a fun, pick-up-and-play shooter that offers intense action that makes you feel like you’re the star of your very own Die Hard or Rambo movie. However, it is rated M, and that’s a rating that should be adhered to. Black is full of action, which means the violent gunplay—while over the top in an action-movie style—is pretty intense and rarely lets up. Also, the language can get pretty rough in spots.
Of course, the other question is “Should people even play games like this?� Well, I tend to think that’s really an issue people need to resolve for themselves. I certainly respect those who wouldn’t play games like Black because of the violent content. As to whether or not such games encourage violent behavior or desensitize us to violence, I have not the time, nor is this article, to address that. Suffice it to say that if you don’t have a problem playing first-person shooters, Black is one you’re not going to want to miss. If you dislike such games, then you aren’t missing a thing by not playing it.
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