Black
Black | |
---|---|
Platforms | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
Genre | Gun Porn |
MtAMinutes to Action | 4 |
Keep Playing? | Probably |
Buy from Amazon |
When I think back to the first time I saw Sonic the Hedgehog running on the Genesis (which I wasn't yet familiar with), I recall marveling at how much better it looked than the Mario games I had at home. I remember the time my brother tried to explain Super Mario 64 to me, and how little I understood what he was saying until I finally witnessed it in action. When I brought home a Gamecube the morning it launched, I was impressed with the speed and fluidity of the Death Star trench run that began Rogue Leader, at least when compared to its predecessor on the N64. But the first time I saw Call of Duty 2 at Toys R Us on an HDTV screen, the only thought that ran through my mind was...
"Really? This is next-gen?"
Yes, the characters were constructed of more polygons. And the textures were clearer. And of course, the higher resolution made everything easier to see. But I just couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, seeing that the the game, and others in the 360 launch library, just didn't seem to bring any worthwhile improvements to the table. In fact, it wasn't until the first time I saw Lost Planet's smoking RPG trails, gorgeous boss monsters, and swarms of flying enemies that the feeling of a new generation really sank in.
On the other hand, many quality games are released at the end of a console's life cycle, once developers have a firmer grasp on the intricacies of the hardware. It is unfortunate that they're often overlooked for the next console's rushed launch titles, but that's reality. EA's Criterion studio, creators of the high-octane Burnout series, attempted to buck that trend with Black, a first-person shooter for the PS2 and Xbox that was marketed as a next-gen shooter for current-gen platforms.
The game certainly looked impressive the first time I saw a friend playing it, some five years ago. Does it still pack a punch, or will Black forever be lost between generations?
Minute by Minute
(minutes are in bold)
00 - Difficulty: Normal. In this difficulty, I
have to finish all primary objectives and a few secondary objectives in
each mission. I'll unlock "Silver weapons" if I finish this mode, I
guess.
01 - A live-action scene: Two men sit in a dark room at a
table. The older man says that if the young Sergeant Kellar doesn't
cooperate, his actions will be declassified and he'll spend the rest of
his life in prison.
02 - Kellar begins to tell the older man
about his mission to take out the leaders of Seventh Wave, a group of
weapons dealers serving terror cells.
03 - It seems something went wrong in the mission.
04
- 4 Days Earlier...the mission starts. Veblensk City Streets. I'm in a
small room with windows, looking out into an alley full of debris. First
objective is to find the shotgun. It's sitting in the corner.
05
- "Use the shotgun to blast doors." I like that approach. R1 shoots the
door right off its hinges. There are grenades in the bathroom.
06
- People are talking over the radio chatter. I don't really understand
what any of it means. I come upon my first enemy, and the pixel-sized
targeting reticule turns red. Head shot!
07 - X reloads. Circle performs a melee attack. Square picks up weapons, and I can hold two at a time.
08
- Wow, I am immediately impressed with how this looks and sounds. Glass
shatters out of windows in pieces, dust flies out of cement when shot,
and bullets hitting the sandbags I'm using for cover sound like a punch
to the gut.
09 - Enemies are everywhere, in building windows, down alleys, and ahead in the distance.
10 - Aiming is a little slow...it looks like there's no option to adjust aim sensitivity in the controls. That's a shame.
11
- I really like how bullets take time to hit enemies that are farther
away. There's a second of hang-time between when the slug leaves your
machine gun and when it hits the enemy. It feels more like you're firing
a projectile weapon than most games where your bullets are tiny lasers,
represented by "shot lines" and hitting their target in the same
instant that they leave the muzzle.
12 - I've picked up a health
pack. Looks like there are Med Kits that instantly restore health and
Health Packs that can be carried and used.
13 - I have recovered
some black box. Apparently that was a secondary objective. One of ten.
It seems I need to complete three of the ten secondary objectives in
order to finish the mission (as well as all the primary objectives).
14
- There's definitely plenty of ammo. I've got hundreds of bullets in
reserve at all times, and I'm basically going rambo whenever I can.
15
- A terrorist with an RPG is in the top of a tower ahead. I wish I had a
sniper to hit him, but my machine-gun does well enough with single
shots. He falls over and shoots a grenade at the floor, causing a big
explosion.
16 - Plenty of objects in the environment can be
destroyed. Some cover objects are only temporary, and are quickly eroded
by machine gun fire.
17 - Things have quieted down. A voice says
that the "package has escaped the net." Not sure what that means, but I
guess I've got to keep moving forward.
18 - I blew out the gas
tank of a truck, and it blows sky-high with plenty of smoke streaks
flying out. This is definitely impressive for PS2.
19 - Voices
over the radio are ordering "Bravo 3" to hold position, rather than move
forward. I don't know if they're talking to me, but I keep going. The
screen goes black, and I guess that's the end of the first mission.
20
- Seems I completed the minimum 3 of 10 secondary objectives and killed
80 of the 80 enemies in that mission. I get the option to save my
profile now. Looks like there's an autosave function from now on.
21
- Back in the live-action present, the two men talk again. I don't
understand this at all. Apparently there was a "fourth man," whatever
that means.
22 - Next mission: Treneska Border Crossing. I'm in a
dark forest, lit only by moonlight that creeps through the trees. I
start with a silenced pistol. I can remove the silencer by pressing
Triangle. Seems stealth would be the way to go here.
23 - My character attempts to radio "two-one." Nobody answers. He continues anyway. It's quiet. Too quiet.
24
- There's no map and plenty of branching paths. I'm not sure where to
go. I found a cave, though, and there's a guy standing inside by the
fire. I greet him with a pistol round to the face.
25 - Seems I
wasn't as stealthy as I thought, a few more enemies (Russian, I think?)
approach but are just as easily taken out. There's a sign with a red
star on it next to the road. I take the lower path beside the road, in
the grass.
26 - It seems these guys have better eyesight than I do, as they spot me from far away and open fire. So much for stealth...
27
- The Russian terrorists are kind enough to say "Flank him!" in English
so I know it's coming. They emerge from around the treeline, and now
I'm fighting off two fronts at once.
28 - Things get quiet when I
finish them off, but not for long. Another group spots me long before I
know they're there, and the chorus of gunshots begins again.
29 -
There's a really satisfying slapping sound when my bullets hit flesh, a
split second after the loud bang. I'm not one to usually gush over
guns, but this is pretty cool.
30 - I'm taking cover behind a log
laying on the ground. Pieces of bark fly off when the log is shot. And
it does get shot quite a bit before I take down all the oncoming
enemies.
31 - I see a gas tank in the distance. The targeting
reticle turns black. I guess black-reticle things can explode? Anyway, I
have a genius plan to blow up the gas tank so that enemies come running
to see what the blast was all about, then take them out with a grenade.
32
- It backfires, and instead of approaching the smouldering tank, they
come right to me. I thought I was hidden pretty well...anyway, they're
dead now and I'm at the border crossing, taking on soldiers (or
terrorists? I don't know) at the checkpoint from the side of the road.
33 - The alarm sounds, and gunners in the guard tower start hammering the tree I've taken cover behind.
34
- Despite how powerful these guns look and sound, enemies can take
eight or nine bullets before they go down. This leads to a lot of
stationary burst-firing at an enemy until they go down.
35 -
There are a lot of explosive things on the road. It's fun to see which
ones cause more damage. It's also very useful when enemies run by and
get caught in the blast.
36 - Explosions can cause slowdown,
though. Lots of it. I guess that's the price you pay for having all
these cool effects on last-generation hardware.
37 - I go
upstairs in one of the checkpoint buildings to look for ammo, health,
and a better vantage point. I find all those things, but also plenty of
enemies to fight inside. I also destroy a safe, which apparently had
"evidence of domestic wetwork in D.C." in it. A secondary objective, I
guess. That's one of three required.
38 - Health's running low. I search the bodies inside for health packs or medkits, finding a few.
39
- Ooh, a shotgun. It blasts people pretty far. It also seems like the
most effective way to blow down a door, rather than emptying a full
AK-47 clip. I've found details on how to make a dirty bomb, completing a
second secondary objective.
40 - Still taking out enemies in
towers and on the road. My shots don't always hit the spot behind the
targeting reticle, especially when using the AK-47 against far-away
targets. I can tell where the bullets go by the impact flashes.
41
- It's quiet. Guess I killed everybody? Nope, I definitely just heard an RPG.
Where's it coming from? I'll have to lure another one out and look for the
smoke trail...
42 - Oh wow, he's way up the road. I'm going to
need to get closer before I can take this guy out. Time to dodge some
incoming rockets...
43 - I make my way to the launcher and take him out with my suppressed AK. New objective: Cross the Vlodnik Canal.
44
- I guess that valley of water up ahead is the canal. There's a bridge
to the right, so I'll make my way there. Plenty of enemies open fire by
the time I see them.
45 - I make my way through a tunnel. Debris
blocks the roadway, so I take the railing on the side. I've made it to a
checkpoint, and it reminds me that I have one more secondary objective
required.
46 - It's hard to see through all the smoke, so I aim
for the enemy's muzzle flash. It seems to work, though it takes a lot of
shots to take them down.
47 - My character again tries radio
contact, calling for a rendezvous ahead. He decides to continue with his
mission despite radio silence. The music is a tense orchestral piece.
It's definitely not what I'd expect from a shooter like this, but it's
fitting.
48 - Soldiers are patrolling ahead. I can probably take
them out quietly...but they see me long before I get the chance, as
usual. I think I'm supposed to be able to be stealthy here, but the
enemy AI's line of sight is just too good.
49 - I've come to the
bridge going over the canal. A soldier is walking up to the road ahead.
Again, my stealthy approach fails, and the alarm sounds.
50 - I'm
almost dead now, and the screen goes gray. I can hear a heartbeat and
feel it in the controller as well. My health regenerates, but not very
much.
51 - Taking cover behind boxes. They get chipped away
quickly by enemy fire, and that's making me pretty nervous so close to
death.
52 - Thankfully, there are plenty of trucks and gas tanks
and pipes to explode. An explosive tank beneath a raised platform causes
it to collapse, killing the sentries on top of it.
53 - Finally found a health pack and I'm back to full health. Good thing too, I'm getting hammered by gunfire on this bridge.
54
- A tire that was blown off the truck is standing upright. It doesn't
move when I shoot it, though. I guess once complex objects are destroyed
or broken down, their pieces aren't interactive. Oh well.
55 -
Found a "film list for J.J. Directorate." That's a third secondary
objective, so I don't need to find any more. Primary objective complete,
I've crossed the canal.
56 - Next objective is to find the
rendezvous point at a farm ahead. I try taking out some spotlights on
the road. You have to hit the bulb to destroy them, hitting the frame
won't take it out.
57 - More anxious string music starts up.
There's a small makeshift bunker ahead, and plenty of gunfire coming
from inside of it. There's a wall protecting them, so I don't have a
very good angle to shoot them. How can I get up to a better vantage
point?
58 - I hit a few explosive objects inside the bunker and
take out a fraction of the enemy forces. I've made my way around to the
side of the fortification, and I have a good view inside of it now while
keeping my back against the wall.
59 - I found an entrance on
the other side. One remaining terrorist charges forward. I bet he
regretted that decision after he heard the shotgun blast.
60 -
Checkpoint reached. I'm in a ravine now. Enemies drop down from above
and charge in. OH JEEZ THEY HAVE SHOTGUNS. That hurt, bad. They also
have body armor, and take a full clip to go down. Things are ramping up
here at the end of the first hour.
First Hour Summary
Minutes to Action: 4
What
I liked
I got that boom boom BOOM: I can see why this game was marketed as "gun-porn." I've played a lot of shooters, and few have firearms as satisfying to shoot as Black. Likewise, the work put into in environmental destructibility and impact effects is impressive.
Video: The textures aren't especially good, and some objects are low-poly, but it's a bit hard to believe this game is running on a PS2. The bland, realistic style is bolstered by some impressive lighting, smoke, and particle effects.
Audio: Black won a few well-deserved awards for its sound design. The warzone sounds damn good. The background orchestra sounds darn good. The staticky radio chatter just sounds regular good.
What I didn't like
Have we met before? All shooters that aim for realism suffer through one big problem in my
mind: enemy variety. I've encountered a few hundred terrorists. The grand
majority of them were the same man with the same assault rifle. A few
had RPGs, a few others heavy machine guns, and one had a shotgun. The
stale feeling of repetition was only barely offset by some pretty good
stage design.
Story: I have no idea what is
going on. I don't mind the live-action framing device, but it feels like
Criterion Games designed the game first and then shoehorned a story
into it.
Gameplay: As far as shooters go, there aren't a lot of
distinctive features to Black. It just does what most shooters do --
shoot!-- only louder.
Other thoughts
Challenge: It seems almost every fallen
terrorist had a health pack in his pocket. Still, I was pretty close to
death near the end.
Pacing: There have been no in-engine
cutscenes yet, only the live-action segments that last a minute or so
between missions. When in control, I spent 90% of the time shooting and
10% thinking I had a stealth option, but ended up shooting. At least the tonal difference
between the first two missions was nice: I started out with a loud shootout in
the city streets and stepped into a quiet infiltration into a border
crossing. Okay, maybe it wasn't that quiet.
Fun
Factor: So far, the game feels like a summer blockbuster. The special
effects and attention to detail are very impressive, but I'd be
hard-pressed to say it's unique.
Would I keep playing? Probably. The only thing that makes Black distinguishable in the flood of first-person shooters is a layer of polish, but I have to admit that I'm eager to see more.
Words from Beyond the First Hour: I ended up
playing through the rest of the campaign in Black. I didn't really keep
track of play time, but it couldn't have lasted more than eight hours. I
don't think I would have wanted it to.
Though the scenery
changes rapidly from dockyards to foundries to underground bunkers
through the eight missions, you'll only come across five or six
different guys -- assault rifle guy, machine gun guy, shotgun guy,
sniper guy, RPG guy, riot guard guy -- over and over again, dealing with
them all in basically the same way each time. Unlike most shooters with
this problem, Black makes a special effort to make every bullet
satisfy, and it did stave off déjà vu long enough for me to see Sgt.
Kellar's vague story all the way through to the half-hearted ending.
So
how much green is Black worth? If you're up for a singleplayer,
bargain-bin shooter that rivals many games from this generation's most
bloated genre in spectacle and mechanics, then I say skip the 3D
screening of the next G.I. Joe movie and see if you can find this
PS2/Xbox title for that price. It'll be four times longer and half as
dumb.