Possibly the best FPS ever created
Black tells the story of a US Special Forces black operations soldier, sergeant Kellar. Kellar was called into Eastern Europe to investigate a shady arms dealer called Lennox. Lennox is the leader of a mysterious cartel called “Seventh wave” who commit illegal acts around the globe. Kellar has been imprisoned for his actions in Europe and the story is then retold via a number of flash backs. Kellar is being asked to explain his actions by an interrogating senior officer.
The cut scenes, in which Kellar explains himself to the officer, are shot with real actors. They have a dark vibe to them and the actors seem to over-act. Quite frankly, it’s all a bit confusing as you don’t really know what’s going on as the camera is positioned some peculiar angles. To make the cut scenes worse, you don’t even meet the people Kellar is talking to while your playing the actual game, so the cuts scenes may confuse some.
Black plays like any other first person shooter but this is a first person shooter with a difference. Black seems to focus on its weaponry and destructibility more than anything. Each gun is highly detailed and acts just like an “actual” gun. This is due to it feeling quite weighty as the pad rumble and sound effects create the feel of the gun. Each weapon feels unique, from the pistol to the magnum and from the Ak47 to the Uzi, Each weapon looks, fires and acts very differently. This is what can separate Black from most other First person shooters, its detail to weaponry is immense.
Where Black really shines is with its explosions and destructible environments. If you fire an Uzi at a hotel sign it will split down the middle letter by letter with sparks flying everywhere. If you fire a shotgun at a door or table they will split down the centre and could be sent flying across the room. Also there are hundreds of gas canisters placed around each level, shoot one and it will explode into a million pieces with a shower of shards and debris everywhere. Smoke and flames will fill the screen and really blow you away. Nearby enemies will jerk through the air and stand no chance against the destructive power of Black.
The enemies are actually extremely dull but there are plenty of them to stop you. Sometimes they will walk straight past even when you are firing right at one. Or sometimes you will chuck a grenade at their feet and they will just stare at it waiting for it to go. However, you never really notice this while actually playing the game; it just plays on your mind after wards.
Black really shows what the Playstation 2 and Xbox are capable of producing by creating amazing graphics and detail on everything within the game. All the levels are highly detailed with trees, roads, a beautiful sky, smoke and much more; it’s really quite astounding. Each window in the game is filled with glass, this glass looks just like real glass, shoot it and it’ll break like real glass. This just adds further to show how realistic Black really is.
Black is a highly addictive game that will surely please and first person shooter fan. It had incredibly detailed guns, superb explosions and stands out more than any other game. It brings gaming to life and shows what some of today’s consoles are capable of. In my opinion Black is the best first person shooter ever created and it’s fun for all to enjoy. Criterion and Electronic Arts have made an incredibly fun and explosive game that will keep you amused throughout the whole game.