Multiplat Bodycount

Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Black 2 was unfortunately cancelled 2 months into production and will all but likely never been seen again.:(

Black was quite easily one of my favourite games on the PS2 and without doubt the best FPS on the PS2 for me. 'Gun pr0n' beautifully puts into words exactly what the game was.

Bodycount is said to be more the spiritual follower simply because the creator is the same guy who created Black and there's a fair majority of the original Criterion team that have moved onto the new studio for Bodycount.

So far, what I've seen it looks very early in production so very hard to tell if it's any good. I like the idea of full on destruction of almost anything and the creator has the right mindset in what he wants to do, and no doubt we'll be getting another 'gun pr0n' game.

If it's anything like Black, I'll be VERY, VERY excited.
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Could not be more let down by this titles showing at E3. Looks beyond terrible.

The biggest issue I'm having is Stuart Black (the creator) saying that he's wanting to take FPS's out of the greys and brown environments of games past, then all that's been shown off shows GREYS AND BROWNS! Even the bits of colour at the end of the following videos are dull and lifeless (I looked this stuff over last night, so that's why I didn't put it in my E3 review).

So this is it's debut trailer:
BODYCOUNT DEBUT TRAILER:


And here's 3 4ish minute videos from GameTrailers that show the game off with Stuart Black explaining this and that about the game:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-bodycount/700698
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-bodycount/700694
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-bodycount/700698

The only thing I'm liking so far about this is the HUD, which has a nice clean crispness and the colours match up nicely.

So on top of what looks to be horrible, horrible AI (Black even goes as far as saying that the enemies you see are deliberately bad at shooting because they aren't trained as much in it...or maybe you just can't program good AI?) the gunplay looks downright s**t. The aiming is way off, you don't seem to be able to aim down the reticule and instead get given this half on, half off zoom. The reticule for that matter is deplorable with these brackets that expand, no idea what that's about.

On top of all of that you have this mini-boss in the game (the big face painted guy with a mini-gun who's been leading all the screenshots) who seems to be stuck in ******* land and while not even feeling the bullets driving into his body, he also doesn't seem to notice you even there with him as he has this terrible side to side shooting action. Finally (after about 200 bullets...) he goes down in a terribly unconvincing manner as well.

Other than that the destruction looks average and doesn't look as good as something like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the explosions are s**t. And those orbs that drop out of everyone you kill looks absolutely stupid.

It's still a while off, but right now I can't see anything close to this game being a successor to Black.
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Really not sure about this now, Stuart Black will be leaving Codemasters and Bodycount in October. Would seem to be because of a lot of people being just an un-sure as I was and disappointed with what was shown at E3.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/stuart-black-to-leave-codies-in-oct
STUART BLACK LEAVES CODEMASTERS & BODYCOUNT
Stuart Black, the outspoken creator of cult first-person shooter Black, will leave British publisher Codemasters in October, Eurogamer can exclusively reveal.

Black is the creative director of FPS Bodycount, due out for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the first quarter of 2011.

The game's executive producer Tom Gillo has already left, but has been replaced with a project development director.

While Black is yet to offer any explanation for his departure, Eurogamer understands his decision is the result of "post-E3 fallout".

Senior producer Andy Wilson will take up the "show and tell" demos while Black focuses on completing his design responsibilities.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

HBK, you've summed up my impressions of the game as well. I was looking forward to this until I saw the E3 trailer. Actually I thought the whole E3 event was a big let down this year. Too much focus on trying to promote the PS3 and 360 as HD versions of the Wii, not good.
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Gearbox: Black "sh*ts on everyone else's games" but "can't finish his own"

While today brought details of Stuart Black leaving Codemasters ahead of the launch of his latest title, Bodycount, the news has been immediately met with criticism from those within the industry.

Having been brutally honest in the past in regards to his opinion that the current range of first-person shooter titles on the market are "f*cking boring," it was the turn of Mikey Neumann, Creative Director at Gearbox Software, to take a shot back at him.

Writing on Twitter, Neumann retorts "I don't know why Stuart Black's headlines for today don't read 'Guy who sh*ts on everyone else's games can't finish his own.' "

Replying to GamerZines reporter David Scammell, Neumann added, "We have the same position, but I don't go around talking smack about other games because I 'like' games."
Click to expand...

http://www.gamerzines.com/xbox-360/news/gearbox-on-black-departure.html
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

I'd say give it a go anyway and see what you think of it.

Edit: What HBK posted over a year ago is pretty much what the demo is (same level, same gameplay).

HBK619 said:
So this is it's debut trailer:
BODYCOUNT DEBUT TRAILER:
[YOUTUBE]JxaXE9azy4c[/YOUTUBE]
Click to expand...
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Well that sucks.

The game looked like it had improved over the year following that specific trailer, not so much to out-do the dicey look of a lot of the game. But the guns seemed to have a bit more kick to it.

At least it's one game to cross off the list of maybe buys. Hopefully PS3 gets the demo this week and I can check how s**t it is myself.:D
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

6 from IGN.

Source: http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1191589p1.html
Closing Comments
Bodycount benefits from a solid core, and plenty of moments entertained me throughout the campaign, including some of the more intense gunfights. But the disconnect between Bodycount's chaotic visual spectacle and its precise scoring system drive a large divide between how you want to play and how Bodycount expects you to play. The limited environmental palette and the lack of any real story further damper the fun.

Despite the thrill of wrecking havoc on an unjust world, Bodycount lacks the polish and overall entertainment value of its peers.

5.0 - Presentation
Clean, stylized interface. One of the most polished aspects of Bodycount. Story, on the other hand, falls so short it hurts.

6.0 - Graphics
Bodycount has a granular quality that disappoints compared to its sharp interface. Three repeating environments restrict the entire campaign.

8.0 - Sound
Great gun and explosion effects with a strong soundtrack that fits the chaos nicely.

6.5 - Gameplay
Action-heavy, rewarding gunplay marred by a problematic scoring system and sudden deaths.

6.0 - Lasting Appeal
You can complete the entire single-player campaign in one extended sitting. Multiplayer could keep Bodycount alive if a willing community develops.

OVERALL 6.0
Click to expand...
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

Played the demo this afternoon.

I just don't get it. I don't get why some of the choices in this game were made.

First off the aiming. It's friggen horrible. To literally stand your player still when aiming and have this act as some form of cover/lean and peak system just doesn't work at all. I couldn't name the amount of times in the short demo that I was going to aim and strafe or move forward into an enemy only to realise I was now stuck to the ground.:rolleyes:

Along with that, when you have shitty weapons to aim with that really don't have any true discernible feel or style to them it adds to the disappointment. The shotgun is crap even at close range and trying to get a headshot with the SMG is like Melbourne's chances at not losing to Geelong by 100+ points, even with the amazing aiming system! The hipfire isn't any better than the actual 'ADS' which isn't 'ADS' more 'Aim Somewhat Down Sights But Not Really More Just Looking Off To The Side Of The Gun' or 'ASDSBNRMJLOTTSOTG' for short.

Oh and in no way am I saying that 'it needs to be like other FPS's'. I'm just saying it needs to not lock you into the ground whenever you want to aim. It's one of the most contradictory FPS systems I've perhaps ever played. What feels and seems like it's meant to be a fast paced, high octane, epic battle turns into this almost stealth like cover-to-cover game. It's just wrong.

I also didn't get the whole 'shredding the environment'. It really doesn't add anything to the actual gameplay and how the game plays out. I could understand if you're basically moving through these shanty buildings and they get ripped to the shitter as you move and have to duck off here and there when you go. But the way it's done, you can almost completely miss the fact that there's a shredding mechanic in the environment because it just doesn't make it a focus on anything major.

I like the whole thing of being able to destroy nearly everything in the environment (even though when actually specifically going out of my way to do it, it seems fairly limited in what can be destroyed) but when you fail to make it a focus of the game it makes what is a potentially interesting and game changing feature into a pathetic side thing that once you might say 'yeah, that's ok'.

What the whole shredding thing I figure in turn does it make the graphical capabilities of this game considerably lower. And boy is it lower! There's no graphical polish, everything looks dull as s**t. Even when there's colour and potential life in the environment it looks plain. As I said, I figure that the whole shredding mechanic is what perhaps lowers how good the game can look in a visual standpoint in terms of character models (which are s**t, generic and repeat very fast), draw distance (about 100 metres, if that) and environment size (small and linear). But with such a lacklustre employment of a feature I'm surprised at how seemingly toned down everything is graphically.

Sound wise as said in the IGN demo it's decent and chunky. If anything it makes the gunplay a tad more redeemable as it does give the guns more life.

Uhhhhmmm, so yeah, the demo was s**t. I ain't buying the game and am massively disappointed at what was supposed to be the spiritual successor to one of the best FPS's I've ever played.
 
Re: Bodycount - Sequel (of sorts) to Black

I can't disagree with anything you said hbk, it looks and plays like a last gen game imo and that's not good enough these days.
Got me ****ed how it is getting scores above 2.
3 for the effort to make the game but -1 for thinking it's good enough for a full release, maybe a psn title would of been better
 
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