Product Description

Electronic Arts Black for Xbox 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2886 in Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Model: 15104
• Released on: 2006-02-28
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .50" h x 5.25" w x 7.75" l, .20 pounds

Features

• BLACK operatives do not hide in shadows or sneak behind walls waiting for the right time to engage their foe - they destroy the wall, enemy and anything else that gets in their way
• An explosive arsenal of weaponry lets you experience the awe-inspiring power of the world's most exotic lethal firepower
• Reduce cities to rubble in a world where virtually nothing is impervious to your bullets -- if you can see it, you can shoot it!
• Visceral, destructive action sucks you deep into the gameplay as you blaze and blast your own path through open-ended enviornments
• Use destructible worlds and explosive objects to take out enemies in cover, frag multiple enemies at once or just wreak massive destruction for its own sake

From the Manufacturer
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 U.S. from threats foreign and domestic. It answers to no one, allowing it to carry out brutal and overt operations around the globe.

Features:

• Overt action: Black operatives do not hide in shadows or sneak behind walls waiting for the right time to engage their foe--they destroy the wall, the enemy, and anything else that gets in their way.
• The guns are the stars: an explosive arsenal of bleeding-edge weaponry lets you experience the awe-inspiring power of the world's most exotic lethal firepower.
• If you can see it, you can shoot it: reduce cities to rubble in a world where virtually nothing is impervious to your bullets.
• Get your blood pumping: Adrenaline is your friend. Visceral, destructive action sucks you deep into the gameplay as you blaze and blast your own path through open-ended environments.
• Black-style kills: use destructible worlds and explosive objects to take out enemies in cover, frag multiple enemies at once, or just wreak massive destruction for its own sake.

Customer Reviews

A thrilling, if momentary, diversion
"Black" is a thrilling, if temporary, diversion from other games with more depth and replay value. This is a fast-paced shooter that the developers have described as "gun porn". It's made by Critereon, the team that does the outstanding "Burnout" racing series. If you've ever played those games, you know they specialize in spectacular scenes of destruction.

"Black" doesn't disappoint in that regard. In fact, that's the whole point of the game. Basically, you are handed an arsenal of weapons and expected to expend as much ammo as possible shooting everything that moves, and a great deal of what doesn't. You shoot until something either dies or blows up, and there ain't much that doesn't blow up. Wooden planks blow up in this game, for crying out loud.

The gun models are highly detailed. Supposedly the head of Critereon decided to make the game after spending time at a Las Vegas gun range. The scenery graphics are decent, perhaps on par with "Mercenaries" but well shy of the Xbox gold standard set by the likes of the "Splinter Cell" series. From what I've seen of the first couple levels it's a bit dark. The trick is to find the fuel cans and crates of explosives littered around the maps, and blast those to light up the area with serious fireworks.

Let me talk about the sound. Oh, the glorious sound! This game probably has the best sound of any Xbox game I've played. Despite the inclusion of 5.1 Dolby on a lot of Xbox games, I have never found in-game sounds to be especially satisfying. Not so here. Each gun sounds distinct, and deafeningly loud. Since I can only enjoy the smell of virtual napalm and cordite after my kid goes to bed, I have to keep things quiet. But this game is so outrageously noisy that I have to turn the sound system down to a setting that, if I was watching a DVD or TV, would be nearly inaudible. I'm not complaining, mind you. This is a good thing. At a normal setting, the sound effects rumble and boom like a thunderstorm in your living. Seriously, this is a huge component of the game's enjoyability, and I find it puzzling that more developers don't get this right.

I said "Black" will only be a temporary diversion for most people. That's because it's apparently really short. Seasoned FPS fans will probably be able to blow through it in 6 hours or so. I expect it will take a butterfingers like me more along the lines of 10 hours or more. There's no multiplayer whatever and very little replay value beyond unlocking silver weapons with unlimited ammo and finally an M16.

But what a ride in the meantime!

A frenetic FPS game
"Black" is a great FPS game. It is more of a "shoot everything that moves" game than a strategy shooter. It does require some thought to the tactics you need to complete a level and some of the levels are very tough. If you don't do some planning you probably won't get very far. The graphics are good, the sound effects great. There are several different weapons available, shotguns, SMG's, pistols etc. The AI is average with the bad guys being pretty predictable but still tough. It is an excting game that should be very challenging at the higher difficulty levels. I have been playing on "Normal" and it is tough. The violence and language are pretty rough so this is definitely not for young kids.

Luck and load
I'm hunkered down in a corner of a room on the second floor of what once was a metal hospital. The limp body of the last soldier to cross my path lies across a thin, stained mattress on the floor. I'm down to the last of my shotgun ammo, my AK's down to 20 bullets and my heartbeat is thrumping insistently. I try to regain my composure and take stock of my surroundings, using precious time to plan my next move while the enemy closes in. That is, until the world begins exploding around my ears. Above my head, a section of the wall is ripped away by a teeth-clenching shotgun blast. As I stand and turn to face my assailant, the windows to my right are diced with a spray of automatic fire. It's pointless to return fire as the afternoon sun has made any attempts to pinpoint the shooter(s) location blindingly unrealistic. I run for the door, only to find two more armed goons awaiting my arrival. Unfortunately, they remembered to bring heavy machine guns with them.

This is the world of Black - one of the more realistic and satisfying shooters to come out in the past few years. The graphics are at times stunning, owing much to the realistic lighting. The way moonlight reflects from the barrel of your gun is often breathtaking, and the harsh glare of the afternoon sun is as beautiful as it is frustrating.
Much has been made of the designer's attempts to create fully destructible environments, and they do succeed to a point. But keep in mind that it's impossible to turn a city street into a flat, rubble garden. While you can fire a rocket launcher and take out a few stories of a building, the building will (in most cases) remain standing. Also, barriers such as fences, walls, and other obstacles that delineate each level are indestructible, which only makes sense. That it's impossible to pull a "Rampage" and level everything in sight is a minor quibble, and those who claim otherwise are missing the point.
This game is all about the guns and the pleasure that firing these guns provides. If your enemies are behind cover, then destroy their cover and pick them off. If your being shot at by a sniper in a building, then a few shots into an adjoining propane container will take out your foe and necessitate several architectural refurbishments.
The designers intentionally make your enemies harder to kill, thus necessitating an assessment of your environment, the positions of the enemy, and ways in which to exploit your surroundings to your advantage. While this can, at times, be frustrating - you'll certainly find yourself killed at least once by an opponent that you just emptied a clip into with little effect, causing you to swear like a sailor and throw down the controller in disgust. But trust me, in five minutes you'll be back. In time, you'll recognize the importance of strategy over run-and-gun heroics, and will reap the satisfying rewards of several well-placed headshots and a nicely timed grenade throw or two.

Now, the game has some problems, which does bring down the rating. For one, it is short and an experienced gamer who takes his or her time playing at the "normal" level will likely finish the game in about 10 hours. While this doesn't affect the initial excitement and playability, the lack of a multiplayer mode (either online or otherwise) seriously diminishes the replayability. Also, since the "Hard" difficulty and "Black Ops" difficulty are so insanely HARD (no health packs!!!) and the save points few and far between, few players will glean any satisfaction from making incremental progress through a game they have already completed. Like the real field of battle, there is no learning curve and while the enemy may not wear as much armor in earlier levels and use cover less effectively, their bullets still do as much damage.

Another problem comes from the AI. While they are semi-intelligent and do a good job of working co-operatively and defensively, you will soon figure out that, in a fire-fight, they move in a predictable pattern from position to position - over and over again. Therefore, it makes it easier to take down your opponents, but not in a satisfying way. In certain missions you'll be teamed up with AI soldiers who will help you during the level. Fortunately, they're tenacious fighters who cannot, under any circumstances, be killed. Unfortunately, they also can't hit the wide side of a barn from 10 feet and will let enemies shoot you without bothering to assist. It seems that they were included to make the game feel a bit less Rambo, and help alert you to dangers as they appear. They also shout orders like "Take out that RPG!" which becomes even more annoying when you've just taken your third hit of collateral damage from that RPG and realize that if you were working with soldiers who knew how to aim, RPGs wouldn't be much of a problem. As far as the co-op missions go, you're still on your own.

Finally, the lack of save points has been a major complaint from people who've reviewed this game in the past. While it's understandable and would have been nice to have more of them - it also would have made the game too easy and equally unsatisfying. There's an exciting sense of dread when you're hunkered down, health meter close to gone, surrounded by heavily armed opponents and know that, if you get killed - it means spending another 45 minutes getting back to this point. It gives you a reason to weigh your options, proceed with caution, and maybe - just maybe - you'll make it through this alive.

That said, the game probably isn't worth owning. But once the price drops a bit, it'll be worth checking out. For now, renting is probably the best option - since the long term possibilities are limited (4 difficulty levels and that's it) although the ability to drop into a level once you've completed the game and cause some mayhem may help you while away a few hours when you're bored.

As for the pickle I'd gotten myself into in the mental hospital, the second I stepped into the hall I knew it was over. I managed to take one guy down with a hip shot from the shotgun, but caught one round too many as I furiously tried to reload. Then, everything went to grey. Then I screamed for the tenth time that day and loud enough for my neighbors to hear, how I would never "play this *$%#@ game again." And I'd shout the same thing ten times more before I was through. When a game can be equally frustrating, satifying, and fun - it's definitely worth a gamer's attention.