Underplayed Gems

Black (2006)

Black cover
Developer
Criterion Games
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox, PlayStation 2
Genres
Shooter
Rating
3.9 of 5, 107 player ratings
Where to get it
Xbox

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How it feels

A relentless, gun-blazing power fantasy where everything explodes and the noise never stops.

intenseexplosivecinematicaggressivegrittyloudaction-packeddestructive

About

Black takes place in Chechnya (Southern Russia). The protagonist is a black ops soldier named Sergeant First Class Jack Kellar (portrayed by Marty Papazian). Kellar tells most of the story in first-person at an interrogation four days after the events in the story begin. Kellar is an inadequately disciplined member of a CIA black ops group and a veteran of several conflicts including Guatemala, Colombia, Iran and Croatia. The unknown interrogator (portrayed by Paul Pape) questions Kellar about an arms smuggling and terrorist operation called the Seventh Wave. Seventh Wave have been responsible for a number of terrorist attacks. Kellar is told that, unless he co-operates, he and his actions will be declassified, he will be dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for life. Though initially resistant, Kellar at last agrees to tell his story.

What players say

A visceral first-person shooter famous for its thunderous, choir-like gunfire and satisfying environmental destruction that make every firefight feel weighty and cinematic. Praised for presentation but knocked for repetitive design, it keeps a modest cult following.

Screenshots

Black screenshot 1Black screenshot 2Black screenshot 3Black screenshot 4Black screenshot 5Black screenshot 6

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.