RU Joe
02-23-2011, 05:33 AM
BLACK
This has to be one of the most fun - to - play First Person Shooters I've played.
With graphics that seem to push the PS2 to its limits {it actually slows down at certain points in the game} and fun and challenging levels, it just keeps me coming back for more.
The game begins with a live action cutscene {very well done, I must add} detailing your character's current situation:
You are Sgt. J. Keller, U.S. Special Forces Black Operative, and you stand accused of several serious war crimes offenses for which you will be Court Marshalled, discharged, and then will spend the rest of your life in prison.
Lucky for you, a military official has an alternative: an offer he would like to extend to you, one you can't refuse under your current circumstances:
You are expected to tell all you know about the terrorist organization called 7th Wave - weapons dealers, heavy hitters dealing mostly in High - Spec, former Eastern Block hardware.
Their clients began to include terror cells.
Division wanted them taken out with extreme prejudice.
You were sent in with your team to cripple 7th Wave's operations, and to take out their leader:
William Lennox.
Lennox was a Special Forces Op himself, but now he's the leader of the most dangerous terrorist organization in the World.
Lt. McCarver knows this all too well, both she and Sgt. Keller lost a lot of good Soldiers while trying to put an end to Lennox's operations.
Will Sgt. Keller be able to bring him down, once and for all?
With the help of Lt. McCarver, they intend to do or die!
This game has rich environments with lots of destructible elements, rendered in incredible detail when compared to other First Person Shooters for the PS2.
The enemies are fearless, trigger - happy, and always eager to engage in long, glorious shootouts with you and your Fireteam - and they're what makes this game different from a lot of its siblings: the enemies are so campy as to have come from an action movie.
When they get shot they almost always fall in highly animated and dramatic ways, limbs flailing as they fly through the air.
This seems almost comical at times were it not for the otherwise dark tone and setting of the game: this is a serious game, first and foremost.
In fact, were it not for the enemies' dying antics this game could almost be called a battle simulator, since the rest of it is quite realistic.
That being said, this isn't a game where you command other members of your Fireteam; on the contrary, you are a force of one, a lone wolf, with your Fireteam merely there to cover you when mission parameters allow.
Weapons are assigned for each mission, but you can pick up enemies' weapons if you want to give them a taste of their own medicine.
All weapons are also rendered in incredible detail which adds to the overall immersive feel of the game, especially as when you load your weapon the camera focuses on it, as a person would do in real life.
Each weapon has various fire modes some with accessories as well.
The stages may be typically linear in that you are following a path to a destination, but they are large and wide enough to allow for exploration and alternative routes.
This makes the harder levels of the game quite challenging; you are expected to find secret 7th wave documents, folders, security cases, and safes as well as bonus weapons hidden in various locations to complete a given stage before you can advance to the next.
To give some idea of the size and scope of the levels, it often took me well over an hour to find all the hidden objectives, and this is typical of all the levels.
I've only found one tiny glitch in BLACK, and it's not even a real glitch; if you play the game with the music off and saved, when you load the game again the music will be on {for some reason}.
Go to the options screen, audio, then turn the music up, then down {off}, and resume the game.
It happens every time but it's such a small issue that doesn't hurt the game at all - so who cares, right?
In conclusion, I can't say enough good about this game, it's a little - known PS2 gem that, once people discover how fun it really is, they simply can't stop talking about it, and with that, I shall wrap up this review.
Graphics: - I wish the scale went up to 6, but I guess 5 will have to suffice. It sounds funny to say about a game like BLACK, but it's really beautiful. From the highly detailed environments and weapons, to the fiery explosions, flying cement chips, piles of spent casings from shootouts with heavy enemy forces, and everything in between, this game looks simply amazing.
Sound: - 5. Rich, layered sounds add even more realism to the environments and this in turn adds to the game's immersive quality = it sounds like you really are in the place your character is standing, whether it be in a forest, a warehouse, or even at the top of a bridge!
The weapons sound loud and lifelike and lend a real sense of urgency to the numerous huge shootouts throughout the course of the game.
Replay Value: - 5. I can't put it down. There are unlockable stages and weapons and even though I've beaten the game and unlocked 100% of it, I still want to play it more.
This may be due to its pure and simple nature: it is a true First Person Shooter; no commands to give, no special moves to memorize, no funky vehicle controls to master.
All you need to know is: remember the ammo - low, reload!
Challenge: - 5. There are four difficulty levels, ranging from extremely easy to nearly impossible. Having said that, the last stages are difficult on any setting, and I believe even hardcore online First Person Shooter fans would find beating this game a challenge.
The enemies may not be smart, but they sure love a great firefight.
Tilt: - 5. Overall this game has me mesmerized, from the live action cutscenes to the environment, the weapons, the explosions, and even the ending is just excellent.
Possibly one of the best FPS games on the console, and I own quite a few of them.
It's definitely worth tracking down and adding to your collection.
This has to be one of the most fun - to - play First Person Shooters I've played.
With graphics that seem to push the PS2 to its limits {it actually slows down at certain points in the game} and fun and challenging levels, it just keeps me coming back for more.
The game begins with a live action cutscene {very well done, I must add} detailing your character's current situation:
You are Sgt. J. Keller, U.S. Special Forces Black Operative, and you stand accused of several serious war crimes offenses for which you will be Court Marshalled, discharged, and then will spend the rest of your life in prison.
Lucky for you, a military official has an alternative: an offer he would like to extend to you, one you can't refuse under your current circumstances:
You are expected to tell all you know about the terrorist organization called 7th Wave - weapons dealers, heavy hitters dealing mostly in High - Spec, former Eastern Block hardware.
Their clients began to include terror cells.
Division wanted them taken out with extreme prejudice.
You were sent in with your team to cripple 7th Wave's operations, and to take out their leader:
William Lennox.
Lennox was a Special Forces Op himself, but now he's the leader of the most dangerous terrorist organization in the World.
Lt. McCarver knows this all too well, both she and Sgt. Keller lost a lot of good Soldiers while trying to put an end to Lennox's operations.
Will Sgt. Keller be able to bring him down, once and for all?
With the help of Lt. McCarver, they intend to do or die!
This game has rich environments with lots of destructible elements, rendered in incredible detail when compared to other First Person Shooters for the PS2.
The enemies are fearless, trigger - happy, and always eager to engage in long, glorious shootouts with you and your Fireteam - and they're what makes this game different from a lot of its siblings: the enemies are so campy as to have come from an action movie.
When they get shot they almost always fall in highly animated and dramatic ways, limbs flailing as they fly through the air.
This seems almost comical at times were it not for the otherwise dark tone and setting of the game: this is a serious game, first and foremost.
In fact, were it not for the enemies' dying antics this game could almost be called a battle simulator, since the rest of it is quite realistic.
That being said, this isn't a game where you command other members of your Fireteam; on the contrary, you are a force of one, a lone wolf, with your Fireteam merely there to cover you when mission parameters allow.
Weapons are assigned for each mission, but you can pick up enemies' weapons if you want to give them a taste of their own medicine.
All weapons are also rendered in incredible detail which adds to the overall immersive feel of the game, especially as when you load your weapon the camera focuses on it, as a person would do in real life.
Each weapon has various fire modes some with accessories as well.
The stages may be typically linear in that you are following a path to a destination, but they are large and wide enough to allow for exploration and alternative routes.
This makes the harder levels of the game quite challenging; you are expected to find secret 7th wave documents, folders, security cases, and safes as well as bonus weapons hidden in various locations to complete a given stage before you can advance to the next.
To give some idea of the size and scope of the levels, it often took me well over an hour to find all the hidden objectives, and this is typical of all the levels.
I've only found one tiny glitch in BLACK, and it's not even a real glitch; if you play the game with the music off and saved, when you load the game again the music will be on {for some reason}.
Go to the options screen, audio, then turn the music up, then down {off}, and resume the game.
It happens every time but it's such a small issue that doesn't hurt the game at all - so who cares, right?
In conclusion, I can't say enough good about this game, it's a little - known PS2 gem that, once people discover how fun it really is, they simply can't stop talking about it, and with that, I shall wrap up this review.
Graphics: - I wish the scale went up to 6, but I guess 5 will have to suffice. It sounds funny to say about a game like BLACK, but it's really beautiful. From the highly detailed environments and weapons, to the fiery explosions, flying cement chips, piles of spent casings from shootouts with heavy enemy forces, and everything in between, this game looks simply amazing.
Sound: - 5. Rich, layered sounds add even more realism to the environments and this in turn adds to the game's immersive quality = it sounds like you really are in the place your character is standing, whether it be in a forest, a warehouse, or even at the top of a bridge!
The weapons sound loud and lifelike and lend a real sense of urgency to the numerous huge shootouts throughout the course of the game.
Replay Value: - 5. I can't put it down. There are unlockable stages and weapons and even though I've beaten the game and unlocked 100% of it, I still want to play it more.
This may be due to its pure and simple nature: it is a true First Person Shooter; no commands to give, no special moves to memorize, no funky vehicle controls to master.
All you need to know is: remember the ammo - low, reload!
Challenge: - 5. There are four difficulty levels, ranging from extremely easy to nearly impossible. Having said that, the last stages are difficult on any setting, and I believe even hardcore online First Person Shooter fans would find beating this game a challenge.
The enemies may not be smart, but they sure love a great firefight.
Tilt: - 5. Overall this game has me mesmerized, from the live action cutscenes to the environment, the weapons, the explosions, and even the ending is just excellent.
Possibly one of the best FPS games on the console, and I own quite a few of them.
It's definitely worth tracking down and adding to your collection.