Family Video Game Reviews for Parents

Black
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Official Site: Electronic Art's "Black"

ESRB Rating: M
Reviewed Platform: Xbox
Available Platforms: Xbox, PS2
For 1 player.

Overall: D
Violence: D
Sexual Content: A
Language: D
Alcohol/Drug Use: A

What is this game about?

Black is about one thing: Guns. There are guns of all shapes and sizes. There are guns that also fire explosive canisters and rocket propelled grenades. And while there is a storyline to the game – a former Black operative recounts a story about hunting down a terrorist – most of the designers' efforts clearly went into crafting a title that allows first-person shooter fans to go nuts in a world where just about everything you see is susceptible to bullets.

And there are all kinds of different weapons to fire. You'll be able to load up with an AK-47, an M-16, a 44 Magnum, a sniper rifle, a silenced pistol, RPGs, different kinds of shotguns and handguns and machineguns. In fact, the advertising campaign for Black could have been: Shotguns, Handguns, Machineguns, oh my!!

Is it fun to play?

Black, as a pure first-person shooter, is a fantastic video game. Its single-minded focus on glamorizing weapons means fans of this genre will love what EA has packaged into this game.

Just about anything you see can be destroyed – and you're encouraged to show a little style when killing. For example, why shoot a bunch of terrorists when you can lob a grenade or two at the Greek-style columns they're hiding behind. When your little grenades go boom, they'll knock out the pillars and bring down the roof on the bad guys. Bingo, they're dead and you've wasted none of your AK-47 ammunition.

In fact, in testing out Black, I wanted to see if there was truth in their advertising. On one level, you're playing on a waterfront. I used a sniper rifle to scope out a tanker sitting out in the bay. The ship has nothing to do with the story whatsoever, so I thought it was just eye candy. But when I shot at the lamp with the sniper rifle, the lamp shattered and that part of the ship plunged into darkness. So, give designer Criterion Games points for being thorough.

According to publisher Electronic Arts, the game was modeled on Hollywood action movies, so it's supposed to be long on explosive action and short on brains. And while that pretty much sums up the content, to write Black off as just a dumb shooter would be to sell it short as a game when judged on its own merits.

Although the game is very linear in that your path through Black's levels are predetermined, you're left with a lot of options when it comes to achieving your goals.

There are plenty of exploding oil barrels, cars, windows (yes, you can rain glass down on baddies by shooting out the skylights) and the like to allow you to explore your creative/destructive side.

However, you can also use different strategies when it comes to moving from cover to cover, or making use of your computer-controlled squad members (who join you on the odd mission). For instance, you can let them lead the way (they never die, so there's no risk of actually losing anyone) so they ferret out where the enemies are. This is particularly advantageous when there are snipers or baddies with RPGs stationed in high-rise buildings.

Or, you can choose to bait the baddies while staying behind cover. When they rush you, they're easy prey.

But there are also times when you have no choice but to channel your inner Rambo and rush the terrorists with guns blazing.

The only real drawback to Black is that some of the levels feel repetitive because the tactics you need to master to advance in the game can be applied to just about any of the missions.

A few gaming buddies and I have kicked around the question of whether Black is as good an FPS as Halo or Halo 2. One of them, a father in his 30s, said it was on par with the Halo franchise.

Myself, I tend to place Black below Halo because that series places a greater emphasis on story and character, so there's more context for the violence you're unleashing.

But the fact two hardcore gamers (and huge FPS fans) in their 30s are even mentioning Black in the same breath as Halo speaks volumes about this title.

What do parents need to know about Black?

From a parent's perspective, Black is a game that worships gun violence. It holds up various weapons as the means to an end. There's no thought about getting in and out of a scenario without firing off hundreds or thousands of rounds or letting fly with various grenades or exploding projectiles.

The game's entire premise is that the designers drop you into a lion's den and your only way of getting out is to dispatch as many bad guys as possible.

So, in that sense, Black has little to offer in the way of context for the violence, nor is there a mechanism that rewards you for finding ways to avoid conflict. The levels are set up to guarantee you'll be facing enemy fire and you're left with a kill-or-be-killed scenario. As such, there's no moral debate or conflict and your actions have no consequences beyond pure survival.

If you have no problem with your child playing Halo or Halo 2, you'd probably have no issues with this game. Just know that unlike fictitious aliens, your kids will be killing humans who all speak with a foreign accent.

The designers did decide to forgo blood and gore, however. When you shoot someone in the head, even with a shotgun, the head stays intact and there is no blood spray. Same for grenade kills. The bodies don't disintegrate.

And it is frustrating because the enemy soldiers are smart. They'll flank you and kill you if they have a chance, so expect to repeat large sections of the levels often because save points (which give you an opportunity to save the game and come back to the same point later) – if there are any on the expansive battlefields – are few and far between.

In terms of recommending an age-appropriate entry level into Black, I'd have to say that entirely depends on your personal beliefs. The cold and impersonal nature of the killing can be seen as sending the wrong moral lesson about the need for violence. But you can also teach that when someone is using deadly force against you, it's OK to defend yourself. So, if your teen is old enough to make that moral distinction, then you might have no problem with them playing Black.

Personally, this is a game that I wouldn't let my own child play until about age 13 or 14, although I know that kids younger than that will be clamoring to get their hands on this one. With the lack of gore, the game could be opened up to younger players because it is a lot like Hollywood action movies in that what you see on screen bears little resemblance to reality. And that can be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view.