ToddMcF2002
December 5th, 2010, 09:18
I must admit I was hesitant to purchase this one after hearing all the reviews about unfinished state and bugs. Reviewers seemed to have a bit of fun ripping this title to the point I felt like "group think" was in effect. Luckily, it turns out it was a case of group think.
I gave it a try (Direct2Drive $19.99). What a game! Not a single crash or broken script sequence. There were a few enemy weapons floating in the air after I took their owner out but honestly that was it. No missing objects or texture problems as was the claim. Anyway, on to the game....
It is a Sci Fi FPS with 2 squad mates as sidekicks and like Half Life you are fighting solders and Xenos. Atmosphere is quite a bit like HL2, combat feels alot like it as well. The squad order system is seriously basic: you can position the squad until they feel like moving. Take note they don't stay put and have minds of their own. Luckily they are pretty bright for the most part, despite the reviewers claims to the contrary. When you go it alone which is rare, I found myself missing my cover! You can also select a target for them to concentrate attacks on. The latter feature was pretty effective. I could let them concentrate on "bullet sinks" (mini bosses or larger Xenos) while I mopped up the hordes. I liked that feature quite a bit. The squad aspect of the game really worked in my opinion. The game is hard enough that you never felt like they were stealing your kills and they compliment you when you get all Rambo and go on a tear :)! The "morale" aspect does effect thier aggressiveness and there is no question they know when you are getting yourself (and them) in trouble. I found the combat fairly intense because the enemy AI will take full advantage of you if you get too conservative. They find cover, flank and have no issue using explosives trust me. They also deal ALOT of damage. The healing system here is a bit different, you just need to find cover and you will auto heal. After about 5 minutes you'll find yourself thankful for the designers omitting health packs.
The intro sequence in Iraq might give you the impression the game is too easy. Don't be misled! Once you are back in Nevada the difficulty ramps up significantly. I played the game on hard (aka medium setting), and died more often than I care to admit. The only frustrating thing about the difficulty is that it uses the checkpoint system due to the XBox360, so you WILL spend time replaying sequences. On the otherhand, typical FPS's are a bit too liberal with the save/continue feature which can be exploited as a crutch, so the reward of hitting the checkpoint has its own merit in terms of a feeling of accomplishment. I was frustrated at times, but it made every decision I made feel important. I did NOT want to die!
Models, texture, animations, design, music, voice acting, all outstanding in my opinion. AAA production values no question. I was impressed.
So, if you are looking for an FPS with some very light squad aspects and a solid shooter with really creative sequences this is a great title. Its quite a bit like HL2 in the sense that it is on rails, but very creative so you want to keep moving to the next sequence.
Ignore the critics and give BlackSite a try. Is it the best game in the genre? No. It just never reaches Half Life levels of story telling and tention. Is it completely underated? Absolutely. Its fun, rewarding to play and shouldn't be overlooked.
I gave it a try (Direct2Drive $19.99). What a game! Not a single crash or broken script sequence. There were a few enemy weapons floating in the air after I took their owner out but honestly that was it. No missing objects or texture problems as was the claim. Anyway, on to the game....
It is a Sci Fi FPS with 2 squad mates as sidekicks and like Half Life you are fighting solders and Xenos. Atmosphere is quite a bit like HL2, combat feels alot like it as well. The squad order system is seriously basic: you can position the squad until they feel like moving. Take note they don't stay put and have minds of their own. Luckily they are pretty bright for the most part, despite the reviewers claims to the contrary. When you go it alone which is rare, I found myself missing my cover! You can also select a target for them to concentrate attacks on. The latter feature was pretty effective. I could let them concentrate on "bullet sinks" (mini bosses or larger Xenos) while I mopped up the hordes. I liked that feature quite a bit. The squad aspect of the game really worked in my opinion. The game is hard enough that you never felt like they were stealing your kills and they compliment you when you get all Rambo and go on a tear :)! The "morale" aspect does effect thier aggressiveness and there is no question they know when you are getting yourself (and them) in trouble. I found the combat fairly intense because the enemy AI will take full advantage of you if you get too conservative. They find cover, flank and have no issue using explosives trust me. They also deal ALOT of damage. The healing system here is a bit different, you just need to find cover and you will auto heal. After about 5 minutes you'll find yourself thankful for the designers omitting health packs.
The intro sequence in Iraq might give you the impression the game is too easy. Don't be misled! Once you are back in Nevada the difficulty ramps up significantly. I played the game on hard (aka medium setting), and died more often than I care to admit. The only frustrating thing about the difficulty is that it uses the checkpoint system due to the XBox360, so you WILL spend time replaying sequences. On the otherhand, typical FPS's are a bit too liberal with the save/continue feature which can be exploited as a crutch, so the reward of hitting the checkpoint has its own merit in terms of a feeling of accomplishment. I was frustrated at times, but it made every decision I made feel important. I did NOT want to die!
Models, texture, animations, design, music, voice acting, all outstanding in my opinion. AAA production values no question. I was impressed.
So, if you are looking for an FPS with some very light squad aspects and a solid shooter with really creative sequences this is a great title. Its quite a bit like HL2 in the sense that it is on rails, but very creative so you want to keep moving to the next sequence.
Ignore the critics and give BlackSite a try. Is it the best game in the genre? No. It just never reaches Half Life levels of story telling and tention. Is it completely underated? Absolutely. Its fun, rewarding to play and shouldn't be overlooked.