Xbox Live Arcade is an ever evolving platform that seems to upgrade itself year after year with surprise hits and blockbuster titles available via digital download. Within the past 12 months we have seen superb titles like Shadow Complex, Battlefield 1943, and Trials HD sell better than some full priced games with a lot more hype surrounding them. It has been no secret that Zombie is working on a multiplayer only title for the XBLA called Blacklight: Tango Down. A few months ago MSXBOX-World had an opportunity for a little Q & A time with the lead developer Jared Gerritzen (check out article here) that shed some light on the subject. Here is the basic rundown: For 1200 Microsoft points you get 12 maps, thousands of possibilities for weapon combinations, and 70 experience levels to gain, all wrapped up in visually striking FPS. Besides the multiplayer there will be 8 co-op missions for friends to enjoy over Live. All of this sounds great, but it would be worthless if the gameplay was total garbage. Luckily at E3 we got some hands on time with Blacklight: Tango Down (B:TD) to see if Zombie could back up all the talk with a game that works as well as advertised.
One of the worst scenarios as a consumer is paying for something that isn't quite what you expected, sort of like ordering sweet and sour chicken in Chinatown only to find out it wasn't poultry at all, but the neighbourhood cat. It might be good at first, but after a while there is that unsettling feeling in your gut that you've been duped. This is something that I was concerned with going into the demo because of all the information I've been reading on B:TD has gotten the hype machine churning within my own head. At the outset, I was impressed with the visuals and how well they looked for an arcade title. The best way to describe it Modern Warfare graphics on the arcade, they were crisp, clean, and ran without so much as a hiccup even when digi-grenades exploded and mayhem was ensuing on screen. Deathmatch was the only mode available, but it worked impeccably with the 4 systems they had running to allow a 4 person free-for-all.
The controls felt tight and just the way a fast paced shooter should feel with no floaty aiming reticule or hindrance in the characters movement. If I had to gripe about one thing in particular it would be how the grenades are thrown, it felt more like a 6 year old girl was throwing them than a combat ready solider. There wasn't much arc and definitely no distance unless you were looking at the heavens to heave a hailmary pass. However the gunplay is on point, there is no question whether or not you are hitting you're target because headshots drop in one pop. Many of today's FPS games use a regen health meter that requires the player to hide until he is healed, but in B:TD only a portion of the health bar is recharged. In order to gain back a full health meter the player must search the map for medical crates to heal. Ammo crates work using the same principle, but you can pick up enemies weapons if there are no crates nearby. Each weapon gives the desired effect in every category: distance, damage, and sound. A sniper rifle is utterly useless in close quarters, just as a shotgun can't hit an enemy running across the map further away. One tip I learned early on is that the HRV is your friend as well as your enemy's since it allows you and others to see the movements of everyone on the map. It is great for setting up ambushes based on what weapon you are using, but remember that if you saw them they are just as likely to have done the same. This is where the digi-grenades become effective as they render the HRV ineffective, giving the player who deployed it a window to go in for the kill. Every map has a different ambiance that lends to the fighting style a player can choose and has multiple levels to fight from, but there isn't one area that is more secure than another.
Weapon customization is everything it was promised even with the limited amount of extras that were unlocked. Each time you unlock a level a new weapon is unlocked and in turn that weapon can be dismantled and combined with other weapons. This includes the barrel, magazines, scopes, and many other parts to give you a "gun garage" like no other game has offered. There are literally hundreds of ways to load-out a single weapon with add-ons and charms. What is a charm you say? Think of them as B:TD's version of perks which allow for positive and negative point values to a wide range of attributes ranging from accuracy to movement speed. The charms hang on the gun itself much like soldiers of yesteryear and today have them hanging on their weapons as a memento to a loved one, place, or memory and include such things as necklaces, ribbons, or items strung together on a thread.
Playing deathmatch only feels more like a tease than a treat and with the continued vague "SUMMER 2010" release date, B:TD will have gamers waiting anxiously for it to hit the virtual shelves in the Marketplace. Rarely do we find games that live up to the hype they have generated, let alone an arcade title, but Zombie backed up all the talk with a 10 minute demo. This game has the opportunity to redefine how multiplayer games are delivered to the public and it will surely be a hot summer title.
Preview By: Jake Lyons
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