Black creator back with Bodycount

Though it wasn't a runaway hit with critics, the 2006 PlayStation 2 and Xbox game Black got a cult following for its ultrarealistic over-the-top gunplay. It was also one of the few shooters of the last console generation to feature largely destructible environments, which allowed players to take out opponents by blowing up the structures sheltering them.

Black 2 still hasn't surfaced, even though EA Games president Frank Gibeau mentioned it was being considered in a 2008 interview with GameSpot. However, one of its creators, lead designer Stuart Black, is apparently involved in a new shooter project at Codemasters, according to a prematurely published--and quickly retracted--story by Official Xbox Magazine UK.

According to the briefly visible story, which lives on courtesy of Google Cache, Black has assembled many members of the game Black's development at Codemasters' Guilford studio. Though largely free of detail, the article says that the game will be a first-person shooter focused on weaponry. The article describes the game as "frankly mental," and the issue's cover claims the game has "astonishing destruction," implying it will once again feature destructible environments.

GameSpot will have more details on Bodycount as they become available.