Black-2006
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Codemasters working on new FPS from creator of Black
Hey, remember Black, the PS2 and Xbox FPS created by Criterion Games before it went all-in on Burnout Paradise? Turns out the name wasn't just short for "black ops" -- the senior designer on the title was Stuart Black, and the vice president of development for Codemasters has now confirmed that he's working on a new game in a new studio for the company. Black will join former game director at Sony London, Tom Gillo, and senior producer Andrew Wilson on an 80-person team working with Codemasters' EGO engine to develop the brand-new IP, which the UK's Official Xbox Magazine seems to be hinting is "the shooter that everybody asked for." We've heard a lot of people ask for a next-gen No One Lives Forever sequel, but that's probably not what they mean. Black did have some nice stylistic twists, however, so while this game is definitely not a direct sequel (Criterion still owns that IP), we'll expect to see Black's ideas assembled in a new form.
Ninja Gaiden, Pirates and BLACK are now officially Xbox Originals
We've known about their impending release before the official announcement, we've waited a few weeks and now the time has come for three Xbox games to walk down the Xbox Originals red carpet to claim their award. Ninja Gaiden Black, Sid Meier's Pirates and BLACK are now officially Xbox Originals downloads and can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace for a cool 1200 Microsoft points. Be warned though, there are a few backwards compatibility issues to deal with (including audio dropping, graphics tearing, lighting problems and frame-rate issues), but that's no biggie because they're only 1200 points apiece. You're a big spender, so spend away and stock up on those Originals.
Black, Ninja Gaiden Black, & Sid Meier's Pirates! coming to Xbox Originals
On February 11, the 360's Xbox Originals will see another small update to its still-slender selection, this time adding Ninja Gaiden Black, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and the Criterion FPS Black to the roster. Pirates! is the 2004 re-make of Sid Meier's original 1987 adventure game, which sees players taking on the roles of pirates (duh) in the Spanish Main. Black is Criterion's adrenaline-fueled last-gen FPS, with destructible environments and a healthy amount of explosions. Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden Black added a number of features to the original Xbox title, including the condescending "Ninja Dog" easy mode. All good additions, to be sure, but with Valentine's Day coming only three days later, couldn't they have at least included something a bit more romantic? Like, say, Beyond Good & Evil? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Alex Ward flips out during MTV interview
Did you play EA's notoriously over-hyped shooter, Black? We mean, did you really play it? Enough to understand the subtle geopolitical message that gelled together the very fabric of the game? Would you say you beat the game? If so, don't tell Alex Ward that. As MTV News' Stephen Totilo found out, using such common terminology for completing a game in the presence of Criterion's creative director is enough to warrant a long-winded rant against Western gamers. Between finding hidden messages in Pac-Man and taking absurd leaps in logic when analyzing the speech habits of Americans, Ward spits fire for just under five minutes of insanity. Totilo attempts to get him back on track regarding the plot (or lack thereof) of Black, but even after a few zingers Ward just keeps on trucking. Let's see. An arrogant British man grandstanding about the stupidity of Americans? Yeah, that's real creative. About as creative as Black.
BLACK not coming to the 360 but BLACK 2 is!
Alright, some bad news leavened with some good news: If you had any hopes of playing BLACK, EA's new gun-crazed FPS, on the 360, developer Criterion's Alex Ward has a message for you. He told Eurogamer, "I keep reading all over forums that we're going to make a 360 version of BLACK, and it's just not true... The only time you'll see [the BLACK franchise] on the Xbox 360 is when we make BLACK 2 on it in a few years." Apparently the speculation arose from BLACK's incompatibility with the 360, though Ward explained this had nothing to do with developers or publishers, and everything to do with Microsoft. He said, "[Microsoft] controls and decides what games its emulator works with. I've actually asked them four times myself for them to make it happen, but it's really not up to us... The fact that BLACK doesn't work on the 360 isn't us trying to make people wait for a 360 version... because that's not going to happen." This is consistent with what Microsoft has told us in the past though gaming conspiracy theorists refuse to accept it: games aren't being specifically kept from 360 compatibility for the sake of selling updated, next-gen variants. To quote, "Q: Are you intentionally trying to keep (game X) off the list because you want us to buy the 360 version? A: Nope. The team is probably working on (game X) right now, even as you read this post." See that? They're probably working on game X BLACK right now, as you're reading this post. Right guys? Guys? See also: Rumors squashed! MS debunks top 10 360 rumors Xbox team talks backwards compatability UPDATE: Mr. Ward has put up a conspiracy-theory smackdown post at the GAF forums, beginning, "Jesus, you guys are seriously paranoid! This is just an effort to set the record straight. So many of you are attacking us, as developers, for being deficient in some way regarding backward compatibility. It is simply out of our hands." He sounds serious! Let's hope MS keeps plugging away at the back-compat system, or Alex Ward is gonna have a lot more theories to dispel. [Via Xboxic]
