The game Black, by EA for XBox was an interesting title to play due offerings in the relms of gameplay, graphics, and storyline.

Black is filled full of extraordinary graphics compared to other xbox titles. Black definitely excels in the relm of graphics by offering gorgeous partical and lighting effects. The graphics engine adds to the dark/action theme of the game and makes the firefights and explosions a joy to watch. An example of the scalability of the black engine is the shattering glass in the pressence of gun fire or genade explosion.

Another aspect about Black that has to be mentioned is the music. The game offers an excellent musical score that fully adds to the mood of the game, expecially for the intro and credits. I would highly recommend playing this game on a setup with a decent sound system.

Honestly, I am a bit unsure how to address the aspect of gameplay about this game. Compared to other Xbox titles, Black at face value provides a minimal gamplay experience. The game only offers a very linear progression of movement through the game, which caused me a many times to fell trapped within the relm of the game. The movement within the game is very restrictive. One confusing aspect about the gameplay was I could never jump. It seems odd to me that a person that is part of a special govermental unit could climb ladders, but not jump. It seems the entire gameplay of the game was based around showing the graphics engine and not really providing a comprehensive gaming expirience.

The storyline of Black could be described as lackluster at best. The first of half of the game only offered crazy situations that only confused me in the process of understanding the nature of the characters. Eventually, I found the ultimate goal of the game (spoiler: to kill lenix). For the second half of the game, I worked on completing the main goal only to find that the game ends without any real resolution. Though, it will be nice to see a Black 2, I would have prefered to actually feel I finished the game.

A last thing that I would like to mention about Black is the lack of multiplayer; or in other words, it's non-existant. It seems odd to me that for such a big release for EA, it is designed to be a solitary game that is only meant to be played once through. There is no Xbox Live Support, No System Link, No Same Box Multiplayer, and No CoOp. This is a bit depressing considering that playing through the game was fairly fun.

In conclusion, Black is a fine title for solitary gamer who doesn't desire a completely immersive gameplay or multiplayer features. The game is fun for a little bit, but overall I was left overwhelmed by the graphics and sound, but underwhelmed by the rest of the game.

Recommended: No