Black—EA
By Dan Homeijer   •   March, 2006 Obey no laws; kill without mercy…destroy EVERYTHING!

Video: 5
Sound: 5
Gameplay: 5

Picture this: a very refined and nicely decorated room, one that your rich grandmother would have as her living room. There are some beautiful antique vases, a Victorian style couch, lovely marbled floors, etc. All of a sudden, bullets come blazing in, destroying everything in their path, and shooting the room to hell. This is the TV ad campaign for the new first-person shooter Black. Let me just tell you—this ad doesn't lie.

As a Black Operative, you live by the five rules of gunplay: 1) Guns are the stars, 2) every bullet is your baby, 3) bigger guns, louder explosions, 4) leave a trail of destruction, and 5) get creative with your kills. The game is played through flashbacks as the Operative in shackles, explains how he was sent on a mission to hunt down a rogue American general, now turned terrorist named Lennox.

As the tagline states, "All guns blazing," you will have many different guns at your disposal, anything from a Mac 10 Elite Uzi and AK-47 to an RPG and Walther 2000 Sniper Rifle. And EVERYTHING can be shot, blown up, and destroyed.

The graphics in this game are unlike any other of the genre. Everything looks so realistic with the 480p resolution that you feel like you can reach out and touch the bullet-riddled walls and cars—and even the guns. Anything you shoot will show the effects. Send an RPG into a tower's support, and the whole thing will come crashing down. Cars, trucks, forklifts—you name it—blow up in a massive ball of flames with sparks flying everywhere. Stand in one place firing your gun for a while, and, after moving, you will notice all of the spent bullet casing on the ground. The developers did not miss anything, especially with the audio.

This game sounds fantastic. Each gun is a character, and each has its own voice. There are bullets whizzing by your head, loud explosions in front, back, and to the sides, enemies speaking in their native tongue trying to flank you, rockets flying through the air—so much I can't even begin to list it all. With the in-game Dolby Digital 5.1, you are actually in the middle of the conflict.

The gameplay is very easy to get used to. You really only have to worry about 5 or 6 buttons. The first mission will have some tutorial icons pop up, but anyone who has ever played a first-person shooter will already know all of the motions. You don't have to worry about jumping or toggling through 15 weapons, because you can only carry two at a time. One thing to be wary of: You will run out of bullets. Shoot wisely. As rule 5 states, "Get creative with your kills." You always need to be looking for an easier way to get rid of the 6 armed soldiers besides running out all guns blazing. There are many different ways to take out an enemy. See one standing behind a car, take out the car. Any item red in color will explode when shot.

This is one of the best games I have played in a long time. It is also one of the most addicting. The realistic look, sound, and feel are enough to make anyone play each mission over and over trying to come up with new ways to take out the enemy and leave a larger trail of destruction. The guns are truly the stars in this game.