Criterion Games FPS focused on pure and spectacular destruction. Weapons have exceptional feedback, environments are massively destructible. Short but intense. A technically breathtaking demonstration for its era on Xbox.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player18+
Description
An American commando recounts his classified missions through flashbacks during an interrogation. Published by EA Games, released in 2006 in the United States and Europe. An ultra-immersive shooting experience by Criterion Games, featuring fully destructible environments, 8 long and intense levels, an arsenal of 16 realistic weapons, and striking cinematic presentation.
Black review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Every weapon hits hard, every wall crumbles, every firefight blows the scenery into a thousand pieces: this FPS bets everything on the raw sensation of shooting and gleeful destruction. The noise, the impact and the crash create an instant, almost cinematic rush. Short, intense and spectacular, a blow-off built for fans of muscular gunfights.
A brisk shooter from Criterion, Black turns destruction and the din of firearms into spectacle, a technical showcase late in the original Xbox's life. Fairly common in the West, its interest lies in this singular sense of sonic and visual chaos rather than scarcity. A piece valued by fans of cathartic first-person shooting.
Is Black still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2006, Criterion's first person shooter is all about texture. Walls shatter, glass explodes into shards, brass piles up on the floor and every weapon barks with a weight that still impresses today. The strictly linear levels and the absence of proper iron sights show their limits next to modern shooters, while AI patterns are simple. The live action cutscenes between missions retain a dated, oddly charming flavour. A muscular curiosity worth a try for arcade FPS fans and for collectors interested in Criterion's brief venture beyond Burnout.
