Black - PS2 Review

The rumors are true, Black is all about guns. Lots of guns, lots of ammo, lots of shooting. The ads, the menus, the guns, the destructible building all say, "let's have fun shooting stuff!" And to an extent, Black delivers over the top gameplay. But it's confused, as well. Black could have been over the top fun, but it settled for teetering on the edge.Black was fun, let's get that straight. Knocking down doors with shotgun blasts and blowing up truck with large caliber machine gun fire is fun, who can argue with that? But Black suffers from an identity crisis, it can't decide if it wants to be a serious first-person shooter, or an over the top gun-fest. In the end it tries both, and does a decent but not great job at it.

Black attempts to be a serious FPS by not allowing you to jump, run, or carry more than two weapons at a time, regardless of size. Side note, ummm if it's supposed to be "realistic" to only be able to carry two guns, why is it two pistols or the combo of an RPG and a SAW carry the same limitations? That gripe aside, Black falls short of serious RPG play by lacking look sensitivity adjustment, pretty silly AI, and providing way too much ammo. Therein lies the problem, I can destroy walls, but that one brick that I can't jump over stops me from going through the hole. I can kill a guy by shooting him in the foot with a Magnum, but an RPG to the chest and he may get back up. Black could have been an over-the-top frag-fest by allowing limitless weapons, or a least one-per category, allowing players to run and jump, instead of lumbering about, and cutting the pretentious, and dull, anti-terrorism story.

I'm sure there will be a Black 2, so how about it EA, let Halo be Halo and let Black be the insane gun-crazy mess we all wanted it to be?

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