Blacklight: Tango Down Review [360]

26 Jul 2010 at 15:24:06 by
Systems used to review this title: (360)

If you're looking for a deep and meaningful story, you won't find it here. In fact, all you'll find here is a confusing mess in which you're tasked with destroying whoever it is you're facing. And that really isn't a criticism at all.

You see, Blacklight: Tango Down isn't trying to be something it's not. If you really do want to know about the situation you're in, you can always read up on it in the 'How To Play' option in the menu. The story is negligible, and like most grunts out there, your objective is to stay alive and kill the enemy. And because this isn't a single player campaign per se, there really isn't much of a need for a story, there doesn't need to be emotional ties; all there needs to be are some excellent and varied maps, fast-paced action and a smidgen of uniqueness, as well as enough people playing online. Let's also not forget the price, where and how it's being released and what we're getting for the money.

Let's start with the actual mechanic of the game. As a shooter it works as well as it should. The weapons all feel different and there is a sense that you're using a pistol, for example, when you're all out of ammo for your primary weapon. The list of weapons available to you is varied enough, and those that like to run and gun will find shotguns and assault rifles. It's also important to note the huge scope for customisation here. The weapons may not change mechanically, but you are able to accessorise as much as you like to make your weapon feel like your own. Like a girl in Accessorize, you can have earrings dangling off your gun's barrel, paint it like you would your nails. Do whatever you want. In reality though, there are customisable options which to make your guns a little better, but you really do have to pay attention to tailor your weapon the way you want it. And if you're not a huge shooter and for those that ilke a bit of stealth, you'll be able to snipe away. Of course there is a melee attack, not the best thing in the game, and you have grenades too.

The grenades are a little different to most other grenades we've seen, and this ties in with unique angle Zombie Studios was trying to achieve with Blacklight. The future soldier has a new flash-bang grenade which produces a pixilated area, almost like an electrical interference cloud that disorientates the player. The other is a normal explosive grenade which, if you're caught, ends with you blue-screening. Obviously the future soldier is a Windows user, so there's no chance he's going to survive... What is interesting, however, is that all of this is justified because of the Hyper Reality Visor, a visor which affords you the opportunity to briefly figure out where the enemy is hiding. It looks straight through buildings and walls and also can help direct you to health and ammo. To make it more interesting, you can't shoot while the HRV is equipped, but it can really help you get your bearings on the battlefield, especially in multiplayer.

Although there is a co-op mode, the game is really all about the multiplayer game modes. You'll find all you expect from team deathmatch to capture the flag type games and domination games. There are seven modes in total across 12 maps and with the Modern Warfare-esque progression and experience system, there is more than enough to keep you going. One of the problems I did encounter when I first played this game was the delay it took for some games to start up. This has been improved since, but to be honest this is the failing of a dedicated server issue. Although it's only an XBLA title, the fundamental game mechanic is the multiplayer aspect of this game, and not having enough people to play means there is, technically, no game. That said, there are enough people on XBL to play, thankfully, but I'm not so sure this would be true of PC users.

And then there's the issue of the game being a AAA title. Let's be clear here, this is NOT a AAA title. An AAA title means multiple millions has been spent on development, marketing and distribution. This game hasn't had these resources, and as a result it's unfair to compare this game to the likes of Battlefield and CoD. What we have to look at is what the game offers for the price range, and what it compares to on XBLA. Ultimately there is only one other game I can compare this to off the top of my head, and that's Battlefield 1943. Battlefield 1943 was made specifically for XBLA, it wasn't a port of an older game and it allowed a new element of the Battlefield world to be exposed. And no one seemed to mind the price point there. Now obviously there are differences, the Battlefield maps offer a little more variety, and there was always the aerial combat missions of Coral Sea to look forward to if you got a little bored of just shooting, but this is ultimately the same concept.

Now I'm not saying that Blacklight is a better game, I really don't think it is, but I do think that it's comparable in respects and offers the same experience. As polished? No. As engaging? It can be. As fun? Yes, definitely. Despite what other reviews might say, this is money worth spending, and in the dry period that is the summer lull, this is a game which will keep your FPS skill set sharp.

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