CES: Crashing the Black VIP party

Earlier tonight, we stumbled into a penthouse suite on the 62nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel
& casino. Inside, we found Criterion's Alex Ward hosting a VIP party for Black with all the industry top dawgs in attendance. With his British charm in full-effect, Alex wooed the audience to gather before a large (4:3)
screen featuring a high-end Monster surround sound setup. Judging from their Dolby booth cameo,
Criterion is all about pimping sound to the max.

Before getting started, Alex pleaded with us not to spill the beans on the cutscenes we saw, and we'll honor that, but we will say that they are filmed in live-action under the supervision of the man responsible for TV's 24–yeah, Criterion's EA's got connex. Did we mention that the Alias composer, Michael Giacchino, composed the music?

What Alex would like us to tell you about is the new level he showed-off, Tivliz Asylum, located mid-way through the game, featuring shootouts inspired by Blade Runner, The Rock, and The Matrix.

Many of the experiences in Black pay homage to big screen action classics.
But the game was birthed when Alex took a trip to a shooting range here in Vegas back in 2001 and got a taste of what it's like to pull the trigger on a real MP5. Alex knew then that he had to make a game that recreated the real world nature of handling a gun, and not only that, the feeling of having guns turned against you. Black forces players to approach situations strategically, using cover (preferably the kind that won't be blown to smithereens) to reload and recoup. In addition, Criterion has put a lot of work into creating the
"Choir of Guns," their catch phrase for the weapons' sound effects that are recreated in a range of pitches,
so that, not only will each be unique, but your gun will always have a higher, easy to recognize, pitch. We also appreciate the reload effect, which narrows your depth of field, blurring everything beyond the reload animation.

The Asylum level begins in a junkyard where you and a pair of AI-controlled teammates attempt to infiltrate the building. The teammate addition is inspired by Goldeneye for the N64–remember the jungle level where Natalia actually fends for herself? Alex wanted teammates that acted on their own, following unique routes, taking down foes, or calling them out, instead of simply mimicking the player's movements. You won't always have teammates to rely on in Black, but you'll be grateful when they are around.

Black is primarily a shoot the crap outta things and blow 'em up FPS. Many parts of the environments are fully destructible,
and almost everything will react to being shot–huge metal sheets in the junkyard spray fountains of sparks. We couldn't get a complete feel for the enemy AI, but what we did see (on Normal and Easy) were gung ho mercenaries, opting to take cover only as a last ditch effort–and most appeared to be equipped with body armor, so it paid to aim high. Our time with Black was too short to warrant a final judgment, but let us say that it whetted our appetites. It's not revolutionary, but it pushes the current-gen to its max, and given Alex's honest passion and the promise of classic Hollywood-inspired moments, we're certainly looking forward to some one-on-one time with Criterion's shooter.

Perhaps it was nerves, or indeed, a last-minute coding change that Alex was unfamiliar with, but Criterion's creative director failed twice in the junkyard on Normal difficulty–and again on Easy. Finally, on his fourth attempt, Alex made it past the fortified barricade and into the Asylum. Unfortunately, it was time for us to bounce. You know, it's Vegas. Places to go, people to see, yada yada yada...

[Want more? We'll throw you this tidbit... Black will feature 9 levels, and each should take about 45 minutes to clear on Normal--given that you don't die too often. Black's tough, that's for sure. You'll see for yourself next month.]