Black gold

EA and Criterion lock and load their Xbox and PlayStation 2 shooter for production; will open fire February 28.

At E3 2004, one of the games that got the most attention wasn't on the show floor. It was a then-in-early-development PlayStation 2 shooter from Criterion Games that went by the mysterious--and presumably working title--"Black." In the subsequent 19 months, Criterion was bought by Electronic Arts, and the game was also announced for the Xbox. But the name stuck, and today game journalists across the globe got to trot out their best "black gold" puns as the game was sent to the factory.

Black is rated M for Mature, and with good reason. Described by its developers as "gun porn," the game is an ultraviolent shooter set in Eastern Europe. Gamers will assume the role of Sergeant Jack Kellar, a black ops agent who recalls a series of missions though film-noir-ish flashbacks. Those missions are composed of a harrowing series of firefights in a series of neglected ex-Eastern Bloc locales, which feature a whole arsenal of weapons, including combat shotguns and AK-47s.

For more details on Black, which will arrive in stores on February 28 bearing a retail price of $49.99, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

67 Comments

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Mar 30, 2006 11:39 pm PT

    i can't wait to play it

  • fatguy45

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:55 pm PT

    Black Gold? Is this a game or Beverly Hillbillies sequel?

  • XlpranksterlX

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 5:33 pm PT

    A 360 version would have been nice, but im glad they chose to make the best game possile, even if it meant no multiplayer.

  • darksword1123

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 3:49 pm PT

    ugh...no multiplayer in a FPS? That equals a rent.

  • jrett

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:57 pm PT

    So whats the verdict on compatability on 360?

  • sjrp80

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:33 pm PT

    I have been qwaiting for this game to come out hope it lives up the expectatins and well lets kee shooting

  • Natural_Mystic

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 1:37 pm PT

    The news about the demo is disappointing. I had huge hopes for this game now i'll have to wait for the reviews before i make a purchase.

  • Hecatomb

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 1:37 pm PT

    It was a neat demo, but I prefer shooters on the PC. The only thing that bummed me out was the framerate... I know it's only PS2 and theres alot of stuff going on, but I'd be more inclined to the xbox version if the framerate is a lot more stable. (But I'm still crossing my fingers that it does well and they do a PC port.)

  • StealthyBurrito

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 1:07 pm PT

    Is this BC with the Xbox 360?

  • Kfoss

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 11:05 am PT

    AWESOME!

  • slipshoddoa

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 10:36 am PT

    To all the Red Faction whiners, it's not about doing something first it's about doing it right. Half-life 2 wasn't the first FPS with physics puzzles (Trespasser, anyone?) but people will always think of it as the first time physics were used well in an FPS. Red Faction? Yawn. There was nothing innovative in God of War or Burnout 3, they were refinements of an existing genre, but the refinements makes the difference between a 7.0 and a 9.5. From purely gameplay features, Daikatana and Half-life are identical. In fact, Daikatana has the "added features" of multiplayer and multiple locales while Half-life is stuck in single player at the Black Mesa facility the whole time (the less said about the Xen level, the better). Now which game which would you rather play? Daikatana with its multiplayer and varied locales or boring-old, single player Half-life?

  • godovivel

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 10:01 am PT

    fps + console = awsome

    pc + ------ = sucky

  • ufopuller

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 7:52 am PT

    Can't wait

  • Omega-Protoman

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 7:28 am PT

    I'm interested in seeing how reveiwers receive the finished product.

  • jaefrmbk2k

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 7:03 am PT

    i wish Black was comin' for the PC but still i'm a sucker for a good shooter

  • roadifer

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:56 am PT

    I gotta say that I am very excited to get my hands on this game! The ludacris amount of shooting, destruction and destructable environments just looks like fun times 10! Like they said, it looks like the lobby scene from the first Matrix. Can't wait. Also, I glad there is no multiplayer component. This gives Criterion more resources to focus on a solid single player story.

  • bizsumpark182

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:52 am PT

    This game is so damn awesome. It'll be even better with surround sound.

  • paradyme777

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:49 am PT

    hope this game gets backwards compatible or released on the 360 but I doubt it.

  • mr_goodbyte

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:37 am PT

    is the demo really that bad? too bad, coz i was really expecting a gr8 game

  • pimpmasterdaddy

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:02 am PT

    Well, the game video looks very good but just playing the Demo of the game suck. Halo2 I shall be still playing until Ghost Reacon Advance Wars comes out.

  • 247k

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 5:36 am PT

    That's good , it looks like a solid first person shooter, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 5:23 am PT

    fps + console = sucky

  • Bathyj

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 4:58 am PT

    What kind of comparison is that Hardwood? Thats like saying Go-carts are crap compared to Formula 1. You can still have fun on a Go-cart but.

  • Smoke0

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 4:55 am PT

    I have a demo for BLACK, ITīs frigging awesome!

  • ewjim

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 4:09 am PT

    AK-47 - THAT'S the Weapon!!! I hope game will be good as much as weapons in it!!! ^_-

  • CloudStrifeFFO7

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 3:40 am PT

    This game looks sweet!!

  • HardWood

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 3:26 am PT

    this game is garbage compare to ghost recon for the 360.

  • purity2004

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:31 am PT

    I'll probably be getting the PS2 for purity's sake. It started on there so for me, it ends there. Bloody EA monopoly gamblers.

  • DelphiDevil

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:30 am PT

    i would rather wait for a PC version

  • ALLoY1717

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:27 am PT

    Black WILL rock. Don't listen to this guy above me, he doesn't know what he is talking about.

  • InfernalStorm

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 2:15 am PT

    Nothing to get excited about here, just another pedestrian console FPS. Move along and spend your 39.99 plus tax (where applicable) elsewhere, you'll be better off.

    Anyone excited about destructible environments in console FPS games needs to travel back in time a few years and pick up Red Faction for PS2. Sorry, no innovation here, try again.

  • Bathyj

    Posted Feb 8, 2006 12:42 am PT

    Mmmmmm, "Gun Porn!" Arrgghhhhhhhh.

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 11:45 pm PT

    Yay!

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 11:43 pm PT

    This game seriously looks awesome. Criterion haven't let me down yet - there games have always been about having fun. I hope this remains the case with their latest title.

  • andrewtyen

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 11:33 pm PT

    i hope its better than the demo

  • Night_Frost

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 10:23 pm PT

    can't wait, this game looks awesome, defines greatness with a AK47

  • him_8913

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 9:54 pm PT

    360 was released a bit too early and i dont think the full potential of the xbox has been realised. Black will change all that

  • godovivel

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 9:00 pm PT

    i anticipate that this game will get 9.3 score from gamespot

  • regulesblade

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 8:30 pm PT

    Sounds great, I can't wait

  • Fallout_red

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 8:12 pm PT

    All the way... BLACK. Finally Criterion did its FPS debut, I Hope it will CRUSH halo, killzone and others... (Ishaa...)

  • AlbertoML

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 7:52 pm PT

    Cool, I'm really looking forward to playing this game... when it's cheaper though... I already have around 4 or 5 games unplayed just waiting for me...

  • anigamer

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 7:46 pm PT

    Ah, sweet news. A couple more weeks and the mayhem begins.

  • devilscry

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    Cold war your a russian, all the 007 games your a brit. and when you play futuristic fps's they don't really specificy national origin. Besides aren't us americans known for getting themselves into trouble over our heads, hehe. Still gonna be a great game though. i'd get it for Xbox if it was compatible with my 360, but i don't think it is or will be for awhile, which sucks cause its a high profile game and M$ didn't take into account all the Xbox owners who switched to the 360 and can't play black now, better get on that compatibility suckers.

  • cube-gage

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 7:28 pm PT

    i was hoping that this game would let you play as an eastern european militant group not have to be an american black op's agent.
    no offence to you yanks but it's tiresome to play as an american hero in virtually every fps ever made!

  • Thailfish

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 7:24 pm PT

    I didn't think the demo was too hot. I played it and all and its just a big jumble of stuff. Can't really see what you are doing. I do have to say its a new experiance though, and I hope people pick it up.

  • j14rk1n

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 6:55 pm PT

    Awesome! I can't wait to get this one.

  • G13RainbowSix

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 6:49 pm PT

    I thought it was $39.99

  • xxPantherxx

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    ACK!!! HURRY UP TIME!

  • n2Deepeth

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    My friend was anticipating this game for a while. It's quite a feat to make the environments so destructible, up to the point where any wall can be torn down.

  • deleteuser

    Posted Feb 7, 2006 6:30 pm PT

    i'm going to buy this game, after it is reviewed

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