Black

After conquering the Racing genre with Burnout Criterion have ventured into the FPS genre. They've managed to achieve what many others have failed miserably.

Black is an all out action game. Right from the start you get thrown into the action given just enough time to reload your gun between battles before the action starts up again.

You play a Black Squad Member sent into battle to kill as many people and destroy as many objects as possible...actually no you're not. To be honest I've no idea what the story is about as it's not the best story in a game. I followed it for a while but after a few missions I got lost and just ignored about the story completely.
It's an action game with brilliant guns, environments and graphics. Is'nt that all that matters?

Yes, as mentioned above the graphics are top-notch. Crystal clear, beautiful and a joy to explore.

'Every Bullet Has A Target' is the games slogan and that's not an exaggeration. Use...

THE GOOD:
-AI is remarkable. The best i have seen
-Weapons shake your world
-Finaly! I have to use cover to survive!
-Two words: Destructable environments

THE BAD:
-Really short
-You wind up using the same gun every chance you get
-The unlockables section needs some work-infinate ammo has been done before.
-You reserve the game to get a gun you get in the game anyway.
-I hate cutscenes, you can't skip them

SUMMARY:
I went to gamestop to pick up my reserved copy. I got out to my car and drove home probably going ten-twenty over the spead limit. I had been waiting in anticipation for this game for months, and finally it had come. I went home and popped it in, waiting for it to load. I started the single player, on easy (100% completion, okay) and sat through the opening cutscene. The first level started, and i immersed myself in the game, Mudvayne and Disturbed blasting from my speakers.

Black...

THE GOOD:
-Realism is spot on
-Sound is amazing
-The Graphics are exceptional for a PS2 game
-It's really pushed the PS2 to it's limits
-Extraordinary action
-A.I is pretty good, enemy and friendly units take cover etc.
-There's a big difference between difficulty levels

THE BAD:
-Game is pretty short
-Sometimes A.I units get stuck
-No in game map
-You can't skip the cutscenes
-No multiplayer or online gaming

SUMMARY:
For Criterions first ever game in the FPS business this game is top quality and a must buy for anyone with a PS2. The first level is a great teaser for what's to come in the rest of the game and the levels build in quality throughout the story mode. Criterion really have pushed the Playsation 2 to it's limits and the sound and graphics quality is immense. Every aspect of the game is near perfect and there's only a few minor things which make it miss out on a full 5/5. One thing...

THE GOOD:
-Blowing pretty much everything up is highly satisfying
-Some of the PS2s best graphics
-Lots of ammo and non-stop action
-Brilliant integration of rag-doll physics
-Great AI
-Guns
-More guns
-Loud guns
-Even louder guns

THE BAD:
-Lack of replay value

SUMMARY:
BLACK has been hyped for over the past year, and it doesn't disappoint. Everything we've seen from those first tantalising screenshots is right here and in glorious detail, even for an ageing console - the guns are loud, the explosions are big, the shooting is non-stop, and yes, your jaw is still hanging down.

Let's get straight to the point, here - the star of BLACK is not the lead character - it has more than one lead character. They go by the name of MP5, Uzi, AK-47, Glock and the rest of their friends. The guns in this game are more than impressive - they're the biggest, baddest and best set of guns ever seen in a game....