Joystiq impressions: Blacksite
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Jul 13th 2007 at 2:02PM }
Unfortunately, we don't think so. This Unreal Engine-powered FPS certainly looks good, featuring the same sheen that Unreal games tend to. However, it doesn't feel as visceral as the myriad of other FPS games available at the show. The squad-based mechanics seem inspired by Gears of War: your partners are rough commando types that seem fearless. Commanding them is easy, with everything assigned to one button. Smith promises a morale system that intrigues us: performing as a leader will have your allies acting more confident, but poor leadership will lead to low morale. They'll become sluggish, and take more cover. Their shots will become less accurate, and they'll become far less aggressive. It's certainly a novel concept, but we weren't able to see it in action.
Other than the morale system, we haven't seen anything that looks extraordinarily original. The game will feature online co-op (no split-screen co-op, unfortunately). Hopefully, with more time with the game, we'll see some of its more original features, but for now, it feels like just-another-shooter.
Gallery: BlackSite: Area 51
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tony @ Jul 13th 2007 2:11PM
Well, I mean, there's a lot of sci-fi and horror films, particularly from decades past, that contain some level of commentary. Romero's zombie films, I'd say even Robocop. It's not really something that's never happened before.
That said, I enjoyed the last game and am looking forward to this one. Despite some issues in the demo on Live, it was still entertaining. Original? Not really... but honestly, I'm having a hard time saying a lot of the FPSes at E3 are, even including things like Killzone 2... but that still looks entertaining.
Original and fun don't necessarily go hand in hand, I guess.
Martin @ Jul 13th 2007 2:11PM
Racist ass game.
Tony @ Jul 13th 2007 2:13PM
Huh? lol
Jay @ Jul 13th 2007 2:15PM
"... is an alien invasion really an appropriate backdrop for serious commentary on politics?"
Umm, how about ... yes. There have been a number of significant films and books about this very topic that were very clearly political in nature - The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaision of the Body Snatchers, hell ... Godzilla was a political film.
It's about time more games started looking at topical issues. Even if the first few stumble out of the starting gate, it's good that someone has the guts to start the process
Knight Marquise @ Jul 13th 2007 2:21PM
@ Jay
Why? If I want political commentary or a biased slant, I'll head on over the news networks. I purchase and play games for entertainment, not some douche bag using said medium as a propogandists tool to furthor their own ideology.
Jay @ Jul 13th 2007 2:36PM
Because it's a creative medium ... it should grown and expand. The same way you don't have to turn on those news channels you despise, you don't have to buy games with political content.
I don't understand people like you that want to limit content just because YOU don't like it -- some people do. Just because you don't enjoy it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be made. I don't enjoy rap, but that doesn't mean I think rappers should stop making music.
Dave @ Jul 13th 2007 4:36PM
Agreed. Science fiction is frequently used as the thinly veiled backdrop for political commentary. What the hell is Joystiq smoking?
MosquitoControl @ Jul 13th 2007 2:24PM
I enjoyed the destructability in the demo. I did not enjoy the enemy design.
As for political commentary - no thank you. Listen, it was somewhat original 4 or 5 years when it started showing up. But having seen it in dozens of movies and TV shows since... time to let it die. I do not know what Witchboy thinks he can add, what he thinks hasn't been said a thousand times before, but it gets tiring.
When it's laid out as insanely thick as it was in Land of the Dead or The Hills Have Eyes or that really lame zombie-voting Masters of Horror it detracts from the experience. Every time you think about Bush you're taken right out of whatever you are doing.
And by now it's preaching to the choir. Does anyone here know ANYONE, particularly anyone in this game's target audience, that doesn't think this administration is a disaster?
Do we really need video games reminding us of what we already know? No.
Cross this game off my list. I'm very tired of the same-old same-old, and turning horror into political commentary about this administration has been done to death. Unless you're going to take a new and unique spin, don't bother, we've seen it too often, we get it, and we agree.
Go to hell, Harvey Smith, you unoriginal bastard.
TonyBlair @ Jul 13th 2007 2:27PM
"we haven't seen anything that looks extraordinarily original"
Whoa, youre beating the game up for that, yet earlier in the same post you mention Gears of War? Where's the extreme originality there?
For that matter, isnt this the site that has been flipping out over a Smash Bros. sequal, a Metroid sequal, a Mario Kart sequal, and a Super Mario sequal for years now?
Hm, I guess any hypocritic fool with a keyboard can have a video game blog these days.
By the way, you guys better stay away from basically all entertainment if you dont want to be exposed to the ideas from the outside world. Dont read Animal Farm, dont watch Happy Feet, dont listen to music, etc etc.
George O @ Jul 13th 2007 2:33PM
A bet people thought that a political book set on a farm, where some animals were more equal than others, sounded pretty stupid too
joe @ Jul 13th 2007 2:36PM
I wrote a term-paper in college on the topic of political and social commentary found in films made during the Cold War. A surprising number of these, like the couple Jay mentioned above involve aliens. Even though you might think it's inappropriate, it's been done very successfully before.
As for the comment by Knight Marquise:
Plenty of people on this site have left comments regarding video games as more than childish entertainment. Political commentary, if done in a sophisticated way, is one way to accomplish this. You might disagree with the message this time, but do really want video games only ever be pure entertainment? What if the game instead used the aliens as an analogy for illegal immigration?
MosquitoControl @ Jul 13th 2007 2:40PM
If it used aliens as a metaphor for illegal immigration it would be a new take.
But it won't do that. It'll just be "war is bad" and "this war isn't just" and "we're fighting for oil and to make the rich richer" and "Bush is a bully."
Gah... how many times can you see the exact same thing? The sky is blue, the grass is green, the administration sucks. Stop telling us and move on with your lives. By the time this game comes out the administration will just about be over and everyone will be focusing on choosing the next one, anyway.
Knight Marquise @ Jul 13th 2007 2:44PM
Joe,
Yes, that is all I look for in video games. I am more then able to keep up with the political discourse occuring via the news, paper, & radio. The last place I want have to deal with politics is in my entertainment. It's the same reason I will not go see a movie with political overtones. No matter how you slice it, it is propoganda from the left or the right. I guess I just don't need any help from a politically biased video game to form my own political opinion, and again, it's not why I purchase, play, & enjoy games. Hell, I enjoy games to get away from politics and the news.
TonyBlair @ Jul 13th 2007 2:55PM
"I enjoy games to get away from politics and the news"
My point is that you cannot. Entertainment is invariably steeped in the culture which created it. The poster above made a good point with his reference to movies during the Cold War.
I bet you went and saw Transformers. Did the fact that it had US soldiers in Iraq beating up the bad robots make you leave the theatre? Im betting not.
There is nothing wrong with entertainment being partially a product of the world it was created in. In my opinion, it makes it all the more relevant and engrossing.
Tony @ Jul 13th 2007 2:44PM
You know, regardless of a game, when there's a problem to people with a governmental institution (this time or any other time), the last thing I think people should be saying is "forget about it! move on!".
I don't even understand how people can have that mindset. If people don't want to see it in their games, then fine, but I'm getting the impression people feel this way in general. That attitude is why shit starts up and continues in the first place.
joe @ Jul 13th 2007 2:45PM
MosquitoControl, are you backing Joystiq's argument that it's inappropriate, or stating that they were wrong to call it "new, unexplored territories"? If it's been overdone, I can see that as a valid argument, but that's the opposite of what Joystiq seems to be saying.
Gregory Kimball @ Jul 13th 2007 2:48PM
I respect and admire Harvey Smith's desire to make political commentary in a video game. It's one step further towards making video games an accepted art form. Social and political commentary is what makes something meaningful. Would anyone take film seriously if movies never made any sort of statement?
As others have said, if you don't want to hear it, don't buy it. Nobody is going to force Blacksite into your console's disc drive. Your personal objections do not and should not stop Harvey Smith from using his right to free speech.
Vader582 @ Jul 13th 2007 2:56PM
The demo was the second worst one ever...right behind the Hour of Victory demo. No sale.
Knight Marquise @ Jul 13th 2007 2:55PM
@ Gregory
Who ever on this blog suggested that we remove Mr. Smith's 1st Ammendment? No one. People are just expressing their views on political commentary in video games.
I also speak with my pocket book, and trust me, this game just got crossed off my and my kids purchase list-that's 3 pro-orders I have to cancel at EB now.
Sarge @ Jul 13th 2007 3:05PM
Has he got every right to make political commentary in the game? You betcha. Will that make me buy it? In a word... no. Repeating the same tired Bush hatred is a little unsettling. It borders on irrational.
So, just as he exercises his free speech, I will exercise mine as well and not buy the game, and wait for a version that bashes the Clinton presidency instead. I could go for that.
And that sums up the real issue here. By making overt political commentary, you stand to lose a lot of your audience. That being said, I'd be willing to wager most gamers aren't political at all, so that would make the game fall more into the area of a propaganda tool.
Grindstone @ Jul 13th 2007 3:08PM
Super. Just what I need, more politics in my entertainment. Well, the demo was okay at best, but this tidbit of information makes it a non-purchase. Choke on your agenda, Mr. Harvey Smith. Why couldn't you pen something more orignal?
Hmm, although, a PFS liberal game would be interesting, since gun rights aren't part of their agenda. Especially if the game focused on 12 million illegal immigrants taking up arms for special US citizenship (i.e., more rights than others), and the current citizens couldn't defend themselves since president Hillary Clinton outlawed personal firearms... But alas! One rogue liberal takes up a shovel to defend his country, and in the process, realizes he is really a closet republican! Now there's a game worth making...
Shagittarius @ Jul 13th 2007 3:26PM
Genius! Your Hired!
Grindstone @ Jul 13th 2007 3:11PM
Debilitating typo should read "a FPS liberal game..." Soryy about that.
lastdual @ Jul 13th 2007 3:38PM
I could care less about "expanding games as a medium". Political agendas should stay out, and that's enough reason to hope this game bombs.
These type of agendas drag the medium down, not lift it up.
What if you were playing a Lou Dobbs RTS where you had to build walls and defenses to kill off incoming Mexicans? Or a Muslim Brotherhood FPS where the goal was to head into Israel and blow up as many Jews as possible. That would also be "freedom of expression", and one could make the case that it "expands the medium". But as far as I'm concerned it accomplishes exactly the opposite.
Freedom = $1.05 @ Jul 16th 2007 8:34AM
George Bush doesn't care about Blacksite!
Irresponsible Robot @ Jul 13th 2007 4:36PM
This game was on my maybe list until I heard about the political commentary. Now it's on my yes list.
I must admit I do enjoy the occasional bit of political commentary, particularly when it has multi-player.
Dave @ Jul 13th 2007 4:40PM
Interesting. I don't recall this many complaints about politics in gaming when news is posted about Call of Duty 4.
PunchPudding @ Jul 13th 2007 9:30PM
I have no problems with somebody putting a political message in their creations. If they can carry a message and explore and support it in their work (whether or not they are 'unique' or agree with my point of view), that is a positive thing.
What I DO have problems with is the idea that adding a political message makes their work more "deep" or "intellectual" than someone else's. If anyone tries to say their game is "deep", or sticks a bullet-point that says "POLITICALLY CHARGED ACTION!!!" on the box because they stuck a political message in it, that is bullshit.
Bob @ Jul 15th 2007 8:57PM
Seems like a lot of folks are working under the assumption that political agendas are supposed to be part of the draw, that the artist cares whether you want the commentary or not (i.e. "If I want political commentary, I'll go look for it in [fill-in-the-blank]").
If you're one that would seek out such commentary, than the message isn't for you anyway, as you obviously already buy it. The point of political metaphor is to sucker you in with the entertainment (be it gameplay, a story, pretty pictures, or otherwise), and them slip you a message while you're not looking. Agree or disagree with the agenda, but assuming that the artist cares whether you want the message is missing the point. No one went to see Invasion of the Body Snatchers because the wanted to see a film about Cold War paranoia, and no one saw High Noon to learn about McCarthyism...
Which is to say, if you DON'T want the message, then you're exactly who the message is meant to target. So arguing for or against it is a bit of a catch-22.
Zach Isso @ Jul 15th 2007 3:12AM
I've had time with both Halo 3 and BlackSite and I found BlackSite to be far better even though I've had less time with it. The Halo series has one of the least original plots I've ever seen (even Totally Rad and Bad Dudes were more original). Even worse is that much heralded Gears of War (oh the plotting on that must be worst).
However, this does not mean I'm going to purchase the game (there's a reason GameFly exists).
A valid criticism to the idea of political commentary in video games would be the length of development would make specifically directed comments after-the-fact and possibly irrelevant. We all know by now that George W. Bush is unarguably the worst president in the history of this nation. Thankfully, BlackSite, from my experience does not regurgitate the obvious facts. Rather it presents a focused argument similar to the one of the great and late former President Eisenhower who warned of the government being compromised by the growing military-industrial complex. An argument which seems to be sadly absolutely ignored by major releases in all mediums.
BlackSite should be a guide for an industry that pretty much absolutely consists of PRODUCT (and will continue to be so for a multitude of reasons, many understandable).
Hopefully, BlackSite can become a start of recognition for an industry that neo-cons are bent on destroying (or at the very least censoring, Manhunt II, anyone?).