Surprisingly both BlackSite and Hour of Victory share the same publisher, although the former was very much on a hiding to nothing given the public criticism by its designer Harvey Smith, who left soon after. It is difficult not to be swayed by such outspoken views in advance, but Gamestyle has given BlackSite the same opportunity as every other title we cover.
BlackSite could be deemed a sequel to Area 51 but this would be incorrect as the only common ground is the secretive military area. Instead it features its own take on Iraq and the negativity surrounding the conflict and problems in North America. The opening level may seem like a throwaway initial Bond mission but does have relevance later on. You take the role of Aeran Pierce, the leader of a small Delta Force team on a mission to find weapons of mass destruction. Remember those, or the lack of them? A few years later and what remains of the squad is sent out to Nevada to put down what seems to be a militia uprising in the decommissioned Area 51 base. Given the artwork that graces the game sleeve, Gamestyle believes its no spoiler to reveal your opponents are not militia members. Instead this new menace is the result of the Reborn program that the government tried to bury when shutting down the facility.
The refreshing aspect of the storyline is how much political commentary and criticism is woven into the tale. Gamestyle has tried to think of another title that took such an angle without success. For us the plot is the only minor incentive to carry on when the technical issues become all too apparent.How bad can these issues be? Well, to say the game feels unfinished is an understatement as well as rushed and frankly careless. How this title was given the green light by testers at Midway, Sony and Microsoft is really beyond Gamestyle. Well take for instance the consistent issues that you have to live with such as a haphazard refresh and frame rate that is instantly recognisable with any quick, sudden movements.
Luckily in a first person shooter you wont be making any of those now will you? The characters also stand out against the drab backgrounds, being far more detailed and featuring a white outline for some unknown reason.These issues are just for starters as you can go onto the interrupting nature of sudden loading, floating objects, becoming stuck on scenery, how the dialogue starts while youre still viewing level screens and the grand finale of being able to crash the system on several occasions. Given the logos that appear when starting the game (Unreal engine, Havoc physics amongst others) it is bizarre that the finished product is so, well, unfinished. Such technology should provide a great foundation, but in the hands of Midway Austin it seems to have been a one-way ticket to hell with no way back.
BlackSite also fails to deliver a worthwhile gaming experience and includes an online option that no one seems to use. Gamestyle did try to find another soul to test out the online offering but it seems BlackSite owners were still reeling from the single player game. Its there if you should seek refuge or perhaps a wiser move is just to move onto another game. Throughout the story you will be able to pick up dossiers that you can view seperately on the main screen. These try to bring some Doom 3 PDA depth and additional facts to the experience by featuring a few lines of text and a small picture. Needless to say Gamestyle soon avoided the need to search out these nuggets of background information, as like the rest of BlackSite the final concept on offer is just beyond the planning phase.
The combat is very predictable and lacks any notiable originality. Midway Austin would point towards the ability to direct the rest of your Delta Force comrades on the battlefield. This feature is activited by highlighting a target or action and leaving them to get on with the job. Too often this does not happen or the delay in achieving the most straightforward of actions such as opening a door, is ridiculous. The Delta Force AI is often dangerous with grenades being thrown at your position long after you have neutralised the threat. All of the levels are linear, uninspiring and dull, with scant environments adding to the unmistakable feeling of an unfinished game.
In the past Gamestyle has experienced titles with strong and captivating storylines that have pushed aside any technical or gaming shortcomings. However here the combination of both and severity is beyond comprehension and recommendation. BlackSite in this state should never have been released into the public domain.
