Black

[MartyG]

Even if it was the game engine, there's still no excuse for not making it skippable. The intro went on so long I went off to do other stuff until it had finished. It's not as if they're even particularly interesting or well acted.

[anephric]

Makes the game seem longer, innit.

[smokedog]

Not being able to skip intro is a pain and wheres the save function? I don't really have that much time to play games. There's a midway check point, where if you die you restart from there. But you still have to complete the level or it wouldn't save and you have to start all over again.

Gets a 7/10 from me (Xbox version)

[Light]

Woah... the PAL version is out before the american one? Might have to go rent this bad boy then... was going to buy the ps2 version (would have gotten the xbox one had it been backwards compatible with 360) but the game's length and the technical issues mentioned earlier on in this thread make it more of a rental now. Damn, and I was supposed to be studying over the weekend too.

[MonkeyWrench]

Ditto mate. Graphics and sound effects aside, it's a bog-standard FPS and gets repetitive quick since you've seen all its tricks half-way through. You can't save until you've completed an entire level - which can sometimes take an hour. The more guns you get, the more you'll notice that most of them feel exactly the same (ie. the ones with burst/single/auto options). Plus the probs you mentioned and its short length.

It's alright for PS2, but there are far superior FPS on Xbox (HL2, Farcry etc.) Gets a 6/10 from me.

Totally agree with you there buddy, it is very average. There were a couple of stand out moments, such as the

->Open Spoiler<-

oil refinery

and

->Open Spoiler<-

dock

levels, but other than that it wasn't anything special. Then there's the list of problems, some of which have already been mentioned here, but my fave was the good old enemy spawning. I lost count of how many times I was stood in a room facing the only exit only to be attacked from behind as an enemy beams into the room. This game breaks so many game design commandments it's not even funny.

Another thing that pissed me off is the whole "gun porn" ****e criterion have been throwing at us for the last 6 months. I mean the whole basis of the game was they wanted us to feel what it's like to have that much power in our hands, to be able to blow concrete off pillars and take cast iron doors clean off their hinges, and yet when you shoot a bloody human being they just ****ing flinch like you've shot them on the buttocks with a BB gun. Didn't think that one through did you smarts arses!?

By the time I reached the last couple of levels I was just wanting it to end...and it did, very abruptly! I mean what kind of finale was that? I expected something a little better from Criterion, especially with the length of time this has been in development.

[nonny]

So its impressive in terms of the engine but the actual game structure sucks ass? Is that what I am getting here overall...?

If that is the case I hope Criterion take this to the next level, as in Xbox 360, revamp the game, perhaps even make a completely new game (White?) with multiplayer components as well and really go to town.

I'll probably check this out at some point but it sounds like a popcorn rental.

[HaHaUK]

Another thing that pissed me off is the whole "gun porn" ****e criterion have been throwing at us for the last 6 months. I mean the whole basis of the game was they wanted us to feel what it's like to have that much power in our hands, to be able to blow concrete off pillars and take cast iron doors clean off their hinges,

Thats what got me all excited over this game. Although it isn't how I expected it to be. I keep shooting random stuff to see if I can destroy it, yet there are only a handful of things that do.

[fallenangle]

I was interested in Black but all the forums I've been on say the same, flashy but shallow and flawed. For XBox owners hardly an essential - I'll save my money.

[MartyG]

nonny - it doesn't suck ass, there are some nice level designs - but yeah, I'd agree with the popcorn rental thing - there's really nothing new here and is just a bit meh after a while, but it sure does look nice.

[anephric]

Then there's the list of problems, some of which have already been mentioned here, but my fave was the good old enemy spawning. I lost count of how many times I was stood in a room facing the only exit only to be attacked from behind as an enemy beams into the room. This game breaks so many game design commandments it's not even funny.

I didn't notice spawning that much, if at all - if you advance into a level quickly (Level 4 is indicative) you notice the game vomiting out its enemies into their preset positions (normally in said room with an open door, and they drop in through the ceiling) but it doesn't do it ad infinitum (at least I don't think it does)... there's a set number. I don't think it respawns on the higher difficulty levels either, unlike CoD2.

[MartyG]

Can't say I've noticed respawns either - certainly enemies appear when certain events are triggered in an area that was previously cleared, but they seem to stay dead once killed, once you've unloaded an entire clip into them.

[Uli]

Black is essentially a "Burnout on guns" - nothing less and nothing more. and i doubt Criterion ever intended to compete with FPS like Halo and Half Life. if you look at the game this way and past it's flaws (stupid AI, barely a handful of different enemys and dieing animations, unskippable cutscenes, some terrorists take up to 40 hits before going down) the game is excellent fun.

btw: what about the mission objective "Destruction"? never managed to achieve anything here!

[anephric]

Have you unlocked Black Ops?

[nonny]

nonny - it doesn't suck ass, there are some nice level designs - but yeah, I'd agree with the popcorn rental thing - there's really nothing new here and is just a bit meh after a while, but it sure does look nice.

Cool... rental it is then.

[MonkeyWrench]

I didn't notice spawning that much, if at all - if you advance into a level quickly (Level 4 is indicative) you notice the game vomiting out its enemies into their preset positions (normally in said room with an open door, and they drop in through the ceiling) but it doesn't do it ad infinitum (at least I don't think it does)... there's a set number. I don't think it respawns on the higher difficulty levels either, unlike CoD2.

Can't say I've noticed respawns either - certainly enemies appear when certain events are triggered in an area that was previously cleared, but they seem to stay dead once killed, once you've unloaded an entire clip into them.

I didn't say respawning. If those events are triggered and you're stood in the room they spawn in you're in for a whole lot of fun. I've actually seen them drop in front of me.

Anyway, there's a classic and clear bit of respawning going on in the junkyard if you don't destory the pillbox. They just keep coming through the windows until it is destroyed. In fact that happens whenever there's a pillbox moment. But other than that it's just normal enemy spawning.