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BLACK Review

Chris Leyton

23/02/2006

Criterion largely does to FPS what it did to arcade racers; it's just a shame it's all over so quickly...

Beyond making car crashes more fun then they probably should be, Criterion's previous efforts have largely gone unnoticed, for the most part remaining in the shadows of their other notable success, RenderWare. So despite the thickest blanket of secrecy imposed on their latest title, coming across as little more then an attempt to slap an extra layer of hype upon its black-ops theme, it's fair to say BLACK has considerable expectations surrounding it. Intrigued to see whether it can do to first-person-shooters what Burnout did for arcade racers or suffer from the one-trick syndrome, TVG was eager to discover what Criterion had in store.

There's little denying BLACK gets off to a good start: doors and bonnets fly from vehicles caught in the cross-fire before exploding with a resounding thud; walls collapse under shotgun blasts; a tower spectacularly crumbles whilst windows shatter to startling effect; all amidst a cacophony of gunfire that would make even the biggest gun-loving redneck jump for cover.

Set in Eastern Europe players assume the role of Sergeant First Class Jack Kellar, a seasoned veteran of the US military and leader of a secretive BLACK ops team. Sent into a relentless combat area, Jack and his team are tasked with bringing home a traitor of the country who's labelled as their greatest terrorist. Things however never go to plan, as Kellar finds himself accountable for the situation. The presentation of the story via an interrogation sequence recalling the events is stylishly portrayed, despite the unexpected use of FMV. Unlike numerous attempts to embrace the format in the past, BLACK doesn't attempt to replicate a $200 million blockbuster via its cut-scenes - it leaves that to the actual gameplay. Instead the engrossing and mature narrative takes on a rather more subdued approach, but nonetheless manages to provide some reasoning to the wanton carnage occurring on-screen.

BLACK picks off at a frantic start and refuses to simmer down throughout any of the missions. To a certain extent Criterion have done to first-person-shooters what they did with Burnout, criticising some for treading a path towards sterility and dilution, whilst aiming to put the shooter back into the fps - much like the racing genre before Burnout hit the scene. Drawing inspiration from action flicks made popular during the 80s and 90s, Criterion have easily managed to replicate the same effect within a videogame, staging the action within environments that have solely been crafted to magnify the intensity. An abundance of glass, plenty of things that go BOOM and a wealth of scripted explosions of untold proportions (within a videogame at least), helps to create a shooter quite unlike any that have come before. Admittedly we're quite accustomed to blowing up the occasional red barrel and watching bodies and objects fly off into the horizon; however that's nothing until you've seen BLACK. Criterion must have spent all those years in secrecy working out the formula to the perfect explosion, eclipsing anything we've seen on supposedly superior formats such as the PC and 360. We'll have to acknowledge Criterion's claims regarding the research that went into replicating the considerable line-up of authentic weapons (17 including grenades) to be found within BLACK, though the practical differences between each weapon is profound within the game and their sheer stopping power undeniable. Several of the automatic guns on offer can be switched between alternative firing modes, which comes in handy for the rare ammo-saving occasion and you can often find bonuses such as silencers and suppressors throughout the game.

Essentially the core gameplay is typically standard fps faire in so far as the staple ingredients go; there's the occasional neat exception, such as the screen blurring out during reloads to create the effect of focussing solely on the gun, or the agonised, prolonged death sequence that literally captures your dying moments, but often provides the chance to claw yourself back from death's door. Tactics get about as complicated as switching between the normal stand to a crouched position, whilst occasionally you'll have squad members on hand to boost the numbers. Both squad members and opponents exhibit a believable sense of AI, utilising the environment to good effect and ensuring you're not the only one with a powerful gun in your hands. Typically a concern of "realistic" first-person-shooters is the lack of variety when it comes to the range of opponents you'll come across, and to a degree BLACK suffers from this, however you'll immediately come to recognise the differences from a typical grunt to a fully padded shotgun wielding brute - just make sure to put them down for good.

Given the sheer intensity of the action, BLACK shares a strange similarity to the golden age of first-person-shooters, a time when it was all about facing insurmountable odds and running through ammo like a 1980's action hero. It may sound odd, however playing BLACK feels more like playing Doom for the first time, then the genre's most recent successes such as Half Life 2 or Halo. Although BLACK can be played with a stealth approach in some levels at least, it's very much geared towards the aggressive approach, wading in all guns blaring, constantly on the move and using the environment to your advantage. As a general rule of thumb, if it's red shoot it and stand back to watch the destruction occur.

Missions invariably revolve around putting the kill count into the hundreds, so it's surprising to find the vast majority provide such a compelling experience. Criterion have done an excellent job of mixing around the situations you'll find yourself in, whether that's storming across a border crossing or working your way through a smelting facility whilst your fellow sniper squad member guides you around and provides assistance. Every mission has memorable moment after moment, such as working your way through a minefield, with only a gun to set off deadly chain reactions that should be recognised on the Richter scale. The maps themselves feel quite expansive and contain a fair degree of non-linearity, allowing players to discover alternative routes, despite ensuring you never become entirely lost.

But of course all this lavish praise makes it sound as though BLACK is without fault, unfortunately that's not the case. With only 8 levels, each taking around 40 minutes to complete, the game can be finished in a surprisingly short amount of time. Admittedly you're pulled through the game from start to finish, it's one that grabs you by the woozits and refuses to let go, however that only helps to heighten the disappointment when the end credits make a surprisingly early appearance. There's something to be said to going back to BLACK. Each mission features a handful of primary objectives, along with a breakdown of secondary objectives such as retrieving intel, destroying objects that have blackmailing potential (camp x-ray pics) and naturally how much destruction you've waged on the level. Typically you'll have to complete all primary and a small number of secondary objectives to finish the mission, with multiple difficulty settings varying the quota and in turn the reward on offer.

Today's FPS have often compensated brief single-player campaigns to some degree of success with online multiplayer modes. Evidently Criterion have focussed solely on creating the intense experience that BLACK is; it's a decision that TVG isn't entirely sure whether to commend or criticise. On one hand, too many console FPS feature derivative multiplayer modes simply because it's an easy fix, very few become firm online favourites in the same manner as Halo 2 or the SOCOM series and it's easy to see why (Finest Hour anybody). Exactly how Criterion translate the experience witnessed in the single-player mode intact to multiplayer is hard to imagine, however blowing things up on this scale is always going to be fun online, for a short while at least.