Black (video game)
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| Black | |
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| Developer(s) | Criterion Games |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 or 4:3 |
| Native resolution | 480i (SDTV) 480p (EDTV) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox Originals |
| Release date | PAL February 24, 2006 NA February 28, 2006 AS March 3, 2006 KOR March 25, 2006 JPN April 6, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: M PEGI: 16+ CERO: C OFLC: M |
| Media | DVD |
| Input methods | Controller |
Black is a first-person shooter for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed by Criterion Games (also the developers of the Burnout games) and published by Electronic Arts. Black is essentially a “run and gun” shooter. Criterion Games have recently stated that they are not currently working on a sequel.[1]
The game was released on February 24, 2006 in Europe and on February 28, 2006 in the United States. A demo was released January 18, 2006. On February 11, 2008 Black was released for the Xbox 360's Xbox Originals download service.
Contents |
[edit] Story
Black takes place in Eastern Europe, placing the player in the shoes of a "black ops" soldier named Sergeant First Class Jack Kellar. Kellar tells most of the story in first-person at an interrogation four days after the events in the story begin.
Kellar is a poorly disciplined member of a CIA black ops group and a veteran of several conflicts including Guatemala, Colombia, Iran and Croatia. The unknown interrogator questions Kellar about an arms smuggling and terrorist operation called the Seventh Wave. Seventh Wave have been responsible for a number of terrorist attacks. Kellar is told that, unless he cooperates, he and his actions will be declassified, he will be dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for life. Though initially resistant, Kellar at last agrees to tell his story.
Four days earlier, Kellar and his group were assaulting a Seventh Wave strong-hold in the city of Veblensk. Kellar kills three high-ranking members of the cell but then disobeys orders by rushing inside a terrorist controlled building, where a terrorist ambushes him. However, the man did not kill Kellar, who learns that his captor is an American, a former CIA wetworks operative, William Lennox. After faking his own death in Cairo, Lennox has apparently become the leader of Seventh Wave.
Kellar's next mission is to cross the border into Treneska and traverse the Vlodnik Cannal, destroy a base and weapons cache, then meet an agent named MacCarver, the leader of black ops Team Bravo, at a farmhouse. Things did not go as planned; however, Kellar defends and clears the farmhouse and later meets MacCarver.
Kellar and MacCarver begin a mission to destroy an arms factory in the city of Naszran. To safely complete the mission they must navigate an old graveyard and town, both heavily defended. After doing so, they assault the town's iron foundry, destroying its productive capacity. The two black operatives then meet a third member of the team, Solomon.
The next operation resumes the search for the Seventh Wave leader Valencio, who has recently sheltered in an abandoned asylum. After destroying all resistance, Kellar again disobeys orders and tortures Valencio for information on Lennox.
Based on information gathered from the mission, Team Bravo has proceeded to a dockyard, cleared the area and linked up with Alpha Team. Alpha Team, however, is destroyed in an ambush while Lennox escapes. As a result, the operation is cancelled as too risky. MacCarver, however, dupes Kellar and Solomon into a continued pursuit of Lennox.
The team finds Lennox's location in an abandoned gulag. They must cross a suspension bridge littered with mines and defended by RPG- and machine gun-carrying guards. After successfully navigating the bridge, Kellar enters the gulag alone, while Solomon and MacCarver stay behind to secure the perimeter. After a surface battle, Kellar uncovers a bunker system beneath the prison. A long battle with Lennox's elite bodyguards ensues, ending with Lennox's apparent death.
The interrogator then reveals to Kellar that authorities had, in fact, always known of Lennox's involvement in Seventh Wave. Kellar had acted predictably, doing what his profile said he would, and his pursuit of Lennox was both expected and welcome - and that Lennox is not yet dead. Kellar is told that a false "death" has been arranged for him, providing cover so he can continue his pursuit. The game ends with Kellar being told to get ready for his next assignment.
[edit] Weapons
Black features a wide range of real world weaponry, with great emphasis placed on their performance and detail. Each weapon is unique in its damage to enemies and effective range varies among weapon classes. Players can only carry two weapons at a time; therefore, strategy is needed when choosing weaponry. Most weapons, specifically rifles and submachine guns, can have their firing rates changed like their respective real world counterparts and most weapons can be equipped with suppressors. Grenades can be blown up by shooting them.
[edit] Criticism
However, despite Black's emphasis on weapon detail and function the game fails to account for a round in the chamber. Magazine capacity is also skewed, as magazines for certain rifles can hold as many as 60-95 rounds. Also, many weapons have charging handles placed in incorrect places (for example, on the Uzi, the charging handle is on the side, rather than the top, where it belongs). In addition, certain in game rifles feature fire selections that are not standardly available for their real-life counterparts (the AK47 is able to fire in single, automatic, and three round burst.) Also, most of the weapons have incorrect designs. For Example, The M4A1 Carbine in this game is Designated M16 and M16 A2. Also, some incorrect designs include forward assists and fire selectors on both sides. Some weapons have incorrectly designed mounting rails as well. One notable design flaw is the G36C. Black's weapon bears little resemblance to the real world G36C.
[edit] Development
Criterion intended to "do for shooting what Burnout did for racing - tear it apart", with dual emphasis on destructible environments and the handling and behavior of real-world firearms. Bullets that hit buildings, terrain and objects leave visible damage; moreover, the guns are rendered with great detail and accuracy (though some weapons' features are stylized or exaggerated). The emphasis on the appearance, function, and sounds of the weapons led the developer to label the game ironically as "Gun-Porn."[2] Another notable and original feature is the use of real-time blur whilst reloading, giving a depth of field and more perspective to the game. Similarly, when the player drops below 2 bars of health, the screen turns black and white, the sound of the character's heartbeat become the dominant noise and the game goes slower, almost as if in bullet-time, and the large and small motors in the control pads match the sound of systolic and diastolic part of the heartbeat.
[edit] Soundtrack
The music for Black was composed by Chris Tilton, using a theme co-authored with Oscar-nominated composer Michael Giacchino. It was recorded at the Newman Scoring Stage.[3] A soundtrack album was released on iTunes by Nettwerk Records.
[edit] Reception & awards
The game gathered considerable attention from the video game community while in production, and since its release has received good reviews from critics, who generally praise the game for its explosive action and cutting edge graphics, but criticize its lack of depth or multiplayer.
The PS2 version scores 80% on Game Rankings based on 72 reviews, the Xbox version scores 77% based on 70 reviews. Metacritic reviews give it a 79%.
[edit] Awards
- Received IGN's awards for:
- Best PlayStation 2 First-Person Shooter of 2006
- Best Graphics Technology on PlayStation 2 in 2006
- Best Use of Sound on PlayStation 2 in 2006
[edit] References
- ^ Criterion: No plans for Black sequel.
- ^ Game Informer Magazine #156
- ^ Scoring Session coverage for BLACK
