Black [Xbox]

First-person shooters are tossing in elements from every other genre out there -- you get RPG gimmicks, adventure themes, and even the occasional strategy sampling. Sometimes, however, you just want to shoot a lot of stuff with some cool guns. For those instances, Black is the ideal choice.

The story stars special government operative J. Kellar, who finds himself in boiling hot water. A mission hasn't gone as planned, and he's taking the heat. We find Kellar interrogated by a higher-up after the feces has hit the fan. In his retelling of what went down, we take control and see the events that unfolded firsthand. Between-level storytelling is done through nice FMV scenes, but make no bones about it: They're merely to get you from one battleground to another.

Black isn't about stealth or fancy side quests; it's about destruction. Kellar is a killing machine who racks up an impressive body count with a variety of sweet weapons. As a bonus -- and Black's most distinguishing feature -- the environment is just as much fun to shoot at as your opposing operatives. The levels themselves are massive and varied, with plenty of area to explore. Even better, a good portion of the objects in them can be blown up, shot through, or used against your enemies.

This goes beyond simply destroying those conveniently placed flammable barrels, though there's plenty of that. You can decimate huge nuclear silos, or just enjoy shooting the doors off of dilapidated vehicles strewn about. Good physics and collision are obviously essential to pulling this off, and Criterion does a masterful job with both.

Ignore the destructibility factor, and Black is still a darn cool game. While there aren't many weapons you haven't seen a hundred times before, each one is well balanced and has its own use. Uzis are for mowing down lots of baddies, shotguns pack short-range power for one-hit kills, and the AK-47 works best for medium to long-range assaults. Sniper rifles and RPGs play their roles predictably, but round things out nicely.

Most weapons have scopes for better aiming, while some can be silenced with suppressors. You can even toggle between fire types on the automatic firearms. Using burst fire and doing rapid repeated presses on the trigger is a realistic simulation of actual firing mechanics. The fact that you can only carry two guns at a time requires you to make some tough choices, and really affects the way you play. Grenades are your sub-weapon and are good for clearing out rooms, but it's too hard to throw them long distances. Some clever AI allies accompany you at times, and these guys actually pull their own weight for once.