| Bodycount | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Guildford Studio[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Codemasters |
| Designer(s) | Steve Watt Stuart Black |
| Engine | EGO Engine |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc |
Bodycount is a first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is published by Codemasters and developed by the Guildford Studio. It is considered a spiritual successor to the game Black developed by the same team.
Contents |
The story is about Jackson, a former American soldier recruited by an enigmatic organisation called "The Network", who has normally resolved conflicts between the States where even the UN could not. Over time, Jackson realises that wars are caused by some mysterious individuals. Concept art of the game revealed Jackson's appearance to be heavily based on actor Chris Pine.
The game is set in first-person. One of the main features is environment destructibility; nearly everything in the game is expected to be destructible. Environments and most of everything in them is destroyed realistically, creating a dynamically-changing playing environment. By scoring kills, the player can unlock deadly power-ups such as air strikes that further decimate the environment. There is a unique cover system where the player has near complete freedom while in cover. Multi-player is be a feature with Team Deathmatches. Co-op is also an available feature in the game.[3]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 53/100 (Xbox 360)[4]
51/100 (Playstation 3)[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Game Informer | 5/10 |
| GameSpot | 5.5/10[6] |
| IGN | 6/10[7] |
| Joystiq | [8] |
| Gaming Union | 5/10[9] |
Bodycount received generally mixed reviews, with a score of 53 and 51 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively, on Metacritic. GameSpot gave Bodycount a 5.5 out of 10 rating. They praised the fun of skillshots, a few fun guns and appealing environments but criticized the flat gameplay, a short 6 hour campaign, atrocious enemy AI and limiting multiplayer modes. IGN gave Bodycount a 6 out of 10 rating. They praised the several fun moments within the campaign as well as the gun fights but criticized the game for limiting what a player can do as opposed to what the game expects the player to do. They also stated that it lacks polish and entertainment value of video games it's trying to mimic. GamesMaster were more positive about Bodycount, and gave it an 80 out of 100 rating, describing the game as "a boldly simple shooter with great innovations and colourful visuals, let down a lack of story".
As a result of poor reception the Codemasters closed down down their Guildford, United Kingdom studio, laying off 70 employees and cutting down Codemaster’s studio base by a third.[10]