Going into 2010, there seems to be an FPS for anyone who can hold a controller. Few breathe life into the genre, and the ones that typically do are mere sequels. While Blacklight: Tango Down doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table, it’s a cheap multiplayer experienced packed with content. On top of that, it has to be one the best looking games to slide onto Xbox LIVE Arcade. Blacklight: Tango Down lacks single player, so don’t go looking into it for its riveting plot and spectacular set pieces. All we really know about the universe is that Blacklight is a military force fighting to take out the sinister group known as “The Order” a US sanctioned group gone rogue. This obviously leads to players being split up into either Blacklight or The Order to duke it out in various game types ranging from Deathmatch to the co-op type Black Ops. Blacklight has a futuristic, gritty setting typically taking place on urban maps such as levels set within some docks, or a map spanning a park. The main modes can have up to 16 players for some pretty hectic matches.
There are various loadouts to choose from, with plenty of changes that can be made to weapons and explosives, as well as camouflage for almost everything on your character. As you level up, you’ll unlock these new attachments and camo colors with each level hit being fairly generous on the handouts. One of the weapons that is unique, but fails to be impressive is the Digi grenade. The Digi grenade creates a field of distortion that impedes the enemies view if he/she walks through the blast radius of said explosive. While this is cool, the Digi also creates a field that cannot be seen through, so good luck shooting the guy lost in its haze. I found myself using the Digi grenade as a method of escape as opposed to using it as a weapon. One piece of equipment that is particularly awesome is the HRV or the hyper-reality visor. The HRV allows you to see friendlies and enemies through walls. This can be extremely helpful when dealing with the game’s biggest flaw, spawn camping. By far the biggest issue I have with Blacklight is how simple it is to hold the opposition inside their spawn. In fact, every match I played felt like I was supposed to be pushing the other team back into their spawn, which at that point almost insured my victory.
The spawn points do not vary what so ever, so it isn’t hard knowing where the enemy team is coming from. While you can’t enter the spawn point without taking a severe beating from turrets, you can easily wait outside the few exits and surprisingly enough you can toss grenades into the spawn for some very cheap kills. The HRV can be useful for seeing where these agitators are camping, but odds are you’ll struggle getting back into the bulk of the map. Another component bundled in the experience is the Black Ops mode, a co-op game type that can be played alone, but it probably isn’t worth playing in the first place. Black Ops allows 4 players to help each other reach the end of the map, killing enemies that spawn along the way. The mode should be avoided due to the uninspired combat and noticeably abrupt end to each chapter with little explanation of what’s going on. Also, the lack of checkpoints is disheartening, which ends the match if you die. The Black Ops mode is fairly frustrating and draws on the weaknesses found within Blacklight. It’s best to stick with the multiplayer matches and avoid the Black Ops single/multi-player affair all together. As I said earlier, the game looks phenomenal for a downloadable title.
The maps are all well designed with plenty of places to pop behind for the numerous short-range firefights that are bound to take place. The game is very grey, but it works well with the flaming debris and the war-torn walls. The music and sounds of Blacklight definitely compliment the dark, gritty futuristic setting of the game by blasting techno at almost every opportunity. The score works well for the theme of the game, never really becoming tacky. Blacklight: Tango Down isn’t fresh by any means, but it works. The thing that you have to keep in mind is that the price is right. For $15 you receive a multiplayer experience that rivals those of a retail shooter. Sure, it lacks a robust campaign and any form of sensible storytelling, but when it comes down to it, it’s a fairly comprehensive FPS. It’s not going to compete with the giant known as Call of Duty, but it might take your mind off of CoD for the time being. There are plenty of upgrades and the maps are well designed aside from the poorly implemented spawn points. Also, the HRV is a pretty cool tool that is unique to the genre in a few different ways. While Blacklight: Tango Down isn’t revolutionary, its price is perfect for FPS fans and it has unique bits that are bound to build your excitement for the already announced sequel.
