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EA planning Black February

Criterion's deafening and daring first-person shooter finally gets a date with Xbox, PlayStation 2; will ship 2/28.

Black

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Back at E3 2004, a select group of game journalists were shown a highly secretive title behind closed doors. What they saw blew them away. The game was Black, a new first-person shooter from Criterion Games, the British studio behind the Burnout racing series.

Criterion reps openly said they wanted to infuse a Burnout-type brand of carnage into every frame of Black, calling the game "gun porn." The result of their labor was evident at E3 2005, when Criterion creative director Alex Ward claimed it was the only game to come close to capturing the bullet-pocked chaos of the infamous "lobby scene" in The Matrix.

As Criterion and its corporate parent, Electronic Arts, let more and more footage of Black trickle out, word of mouth began to spread about the game's sheer destruction. However, the title's vague "2006" made many impatient gamers want to smash things; when exactly could they get their itchy trigger fingers on the game?

Black

Check out the latest trailer for Criterion's shooter.

Late today, EA finally gave Black a definitive release date. The game will begin riddling PlayStation 2s and Xboxes full of bullet holes on February 28, 2006--a mere two and a half months away. Both versions of the game will retail for $49.99, but the game's rating is still pending. In addition to a new trailer, EA also released the official box art for the shooter (pictured), which has one of the most self-explanatory covers in memory.

Judging by the trailers, Black will be packed with gunfights. However, its plot has largely been shrouded in mystery. Today, though, EA gave the most information yet about the game's story in the form of a still-vague summary:

"Join the world's most brutal and enigmatic strike force. The BLACK tactical squad operates under the cloak of complete anonymity and deniability to protect the US from threats foreign and domestic. It answers to no one, allowing it to carry out brutal and overt operations around the globe. From manipulating politicians to controlling intelligence networks and militaries, BLACK operatives are trained at the highest level in psychological warfare, espionage, and lethal arts. Go deep into the world of clandestine warfare as you use any means necessary to get the job done."

For a firsthand account of Black's gameplay, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview.

37 Comments

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Dec 16, 2005 7:29 am GMT

    yay....another FPS on console......wait....those aren't ever good when you have to use those stupid analog stix.

  • Royas

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 4:19 pm GMT

    I'll wait for a PC version to come out, I hate FPS on consoles.

  • jon1233

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 1:59 pm GMT

    I don't see what all the commotion over BLACK is about. Whats so incredible about it? Destructible Enviorments...cool, Lots of Big Guns...neat, now what about everything that makes FPSs great. Good AI, Story, Balance, Multiplayer. Haven't heard alot about those. I still look forward to it though...you never know.

  • JoeKing9mm

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 12:44 pm GMT

    they should have made it an xbox360 game as well because by february many people will be getting thier hands on 360s and will only be buying those games.

  • trj156

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 12:30 pm GMT

    it will probably be backwards compatible with 360

  • DeathStar17

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 11:54 am GMT

    I hope they put this one on the 360 and PC.

  • CSM55

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 11:26 am GMT

    Wow this game looks lame as hell. What's up with the cheesy grenade tossing?

  • _LEGIONS_

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 11:19 am GMT

    I gamespot might give it a score of 8.1

  • dodger2bking

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 10:59 am GMT

    I live in the UK and the game has always been scheduled for a February release although this hasn't been confirmed until now. Just one question, how the hell does a PS2 create graphics like that?

  • insane956dv

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 10:31 am GMT

    well see when it's out

  • dahaka_2005

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 9:37 am GMT

    i think it is different Fps i think its look Great,,,,,

  • khemic97

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 9:22 am GMT

    isn't February also BLACK history month?

  • cusoker

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 8:58 am GMT

    seriously tho, this looks like the making of a great game. lets see how the finished product turns out!

  • cusoker

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 8:57 am GMT

    nothing like pure shooting destruction. hey, does anyone know if jack thompson is a "boss" (he he he, i couldnt resist). I mean the article does say that the "black" squad protects from domestic threats.

  • Ronin_87

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 8:00 am GMT

    Yay for the Brits

  • XenonHID_VQ

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 7:40 am GMT

    Wow, the visuals of this game gives next-gen a run for its money!!!

  • antwon78

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 7:35 am GMT

    for all the people wanting an xbox360 version.sorry but,it's not going to happen.Criterion made this game to show that there is still life in current gen consoles,with a lot more people behind them then the next gens.so at best you can hope for backwards compatibilty with higher resolution graphics.the xbox 360 will soon have it's share of really good fps,just not black.

  • djwglpuppy

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 7:24 am GMT

    I think I am preachin to the choir that I am ticked that it is not coming out for the XBOX 360!!! Hey Criterion... you did a redo of Burnout Revenge.... how bout doing that for black?.... It makes me sad that there are these great titles coming out for second generation systems *cough* Half Life 2 *cough*

  • LordOfMidnight

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 6:58 am GMT

    Looks good, looks good! Hope the expectation meets the finished product.

  • belgarath2323

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 6:15 am GMT

    There's no such thing as too many FPS 's! And this one looks great.

  • CrzdColombian

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 6:07 am GMT

    gonna lag on xbox. this game looks like its goin to be like killzone for ps2 a great game but fails on a weak system. should only be on 360

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 5:46 am GMT

    In my honest opinion, we don't need another shooter out there... BUT I do think that this one looks pretty good... and it is by Criterion, so I would guess that it will be chock full of action. Could be one of the biggest in 2006.

  • djdizz

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 5:42 am GMT

    I hope the plot is good because the screens look beautiful and it wold suck if the story makes no sense

  • Saburbia

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 4:26 am GMT

    I hope this game is really good even though i saw an interview with one of the guys working on it saying there wont be any multiplayer mainly cause they do not want to ruin the game by messing it up

  • ewjim

    Posted Dec 14, 2005 12:47 am GMT

    Trailers and screens are good, but how good game will be?!? Let's wait and see...

  • seymourbewty

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 11:48 pm GMT

    I sold my Xbox so I could buy a 360. Here's hoping it will be either backward compatible, or they'll make a higher rez 360 version.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 11:14 pm GMT

    It may be another FPS, but so far, it's the best one developed for the PlayStation 2. Enhanced graphics, enhanced physics, enhanced action.

  • vanhalendlrband

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 10:13 pm GMT

    Yay another First Person Shooter. Enough's enough.

  • qbkiller94

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 9:37 pm GMT

    I'm pretty excited about this game. The only thing that scares me is that its being put out by Electronic Arts. EA is all about selling and marketing games. Making good, quality titles comes a distant third to them.

  • warhawk256

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 9:32 pm GMT

    ...Dude, not cool.

    Valentine's Day Massacre, maybe?

  • Evil_Nerf

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 9:18 pm GMT

    Ironic choice for a release date...
    Black in February which is Black History Month.

  • metalmulisha808

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 9:07 pm GMT

    cool... i hope they port it to the xbox 360 when i get one haha.

  • raiden7890

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 9:04 pm GMT

    haha, celebrate a late valentines day with BLACK

  • warhawk256

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 8:29 pm GMT

    ... Fair enough. To steal a term from Microsoft: the Valentine's Day WINDOW!

  • Thrallia

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 8:27 pm GMT

    you celebrating valentine's day two weeks later than the rest of us?

  • warhawk256

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 8:24 pm GMT

    This will be the best Valentine's Day ever.

  • Rcarlino3

    Posted Dec 13, 2005 8:23 pm GMT

    #1 yah, btw is there a Xbox 360 version comming out?

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