The name is recognized by almost anyone (thanks to the hit movie as well as the best selling book about the peace keeping mission in Somalia and surrounding areas). Now it’s hard enough to top a hit movie and a book when the game comes out years later. It is also hard to keep interest when the game was already released on PC plus the fact the Xbox and PS2 versions took almost 5 years to finally come out. I appreciate the fact Novalogic stuck with the project but I have to admit the game certainly shows its age.

The premise is good and the basic story is interesting, but after playing the game one has to wonder why it did not show off the Xbox’s capabilities since the major selling point was the fact it would be the largest online game ever to be released for the Xbox. But was Delta Force Black Hawk Down worth the wait?

Gameplay

Black Hawk tries hard to impress gamers with a 16 level single-player mode as well as offering 7 online game types and even a split-screen mode. While it reads impressive enough, the game really shows its age. I like a good war game but I felt that behind the smoke and mirrors the game was really an arcade shooter and one that had some issues. While the game takes a slightly different angle than the hit movie or book, you get the idea and the opening is impressive. Then when the game really needs to shine, it slowly begins to show the weak parts.

You can choose from four different classes including your basic Grunt, Medic, Sniper and Gunnery Specialist. Each class has different weapons and objectives and really sounds interesting. However, once in the game I soon found the game had some issues. You have plenty of choices like switching weapons and the usual HUD display and map. The game just seemed to look dull and when switching to a different weapon, it just seemed awkward and lacked the animations found in newer war games out there.

The training mission was not only short, but it just made the game look bad right off the bat. A training mission or tutorial is the first chance gamers will get to play the game and this is where a game can really make a good impression. Somehow Black Hawk down failed in this area and the other missions that follow are better but still have that arcade feeling and look. If you go into the game knowing not to expect great graphics and just want to have fun, then the game will certainly provide you with this.

It does have one other aspect that drives most gamers crazy. It goes from being very simple to beat to almost impossible until you see the pattern of the enemies and learn it. Then it’s a case of pretty much memorization and not much more. War fans love challenges and sadly as much as BHD tries its best to pull this off in the single-player mode, it just does not quite do it. The multi-player mode is a better attempt and that will be covered in the Xbox Live area. You need to have the right mind set to enjoy Black Hawk Down, or you will be frustrated gamer.

Control / Playability

Novalogic made the controls pretty standard for war games. They even placed in voice commands to help offer something different to the game. Once again the voice commands at times work great and then at times fail to work at all. It is again a nice attempt but somehow just did not really work the best way it could. The rest of the controls are pretty simple and will take about 30 minutes to learn.

I did like a few of the control options like the way you took different stances and the way you had control of throwing grenades. Even the night vision looked good for the most part but at times showed a few areas that made it look less realistic. Overall, the controls responded well other than the voice commands that were hit or miss. Thankfully you do not need to rely on them at all and can use a drop down menu instead.

Xbox Live

This is where the game is going to attract the most players. Offering 7 different game types and some great maps the game is fun to play on XBL. After all, a Death-Match with 50 players can be very fun. You can hop in armored cars with 50 cal. guns or get on a helicopter and look for snipers. They managed to even out the game a bit here with these options. Once again though the game shows its unbalanced gameplay, if you look hard enough you can see a player spawning. This can create an easy killing spree and just again makes me wonder why the game has the issues it does. The game will support 50-players but most of the huge games are on dedicated servers. The lobbies are decent and easy to create your own game, customize the rules and find friends.

I also noticed that the other game modes seemed to support 32-players and not 50. This just may be due to the fact the team modes and DM matches are more popular, so it makes sense that finding games other than the above mentioned ones were hard to find or get people to join. Lag was never an issue and that was a surprise. Although, the same level design flaws come into play online as well. Everything you expect to find in a lobby is here. The host’s connection, access to your friends list, and other things are all easy to get to.

Graphics / Presentation

If this game came out years ago, then the graphics would not stand out as they do now. However, with all the games like Rainbow 3 and Splinter Cell CT , just to name a few, the game seems bland and never pushes the limits of the Xbox graphically. There are a few moments where the game looks great but overall it is average at best. Even the zoom effects and the binoculars just seem outdated. I know the game also suffered the same things when it was brought to the PC but gamers expect more when playing it on their Xbox. They could have tweaked the graphics engine and brought some new life to the overall game. I expected more from this one in this area alone.

Delta Force Black Hawk Down Xbox Screen Shot

Delta Force Black Hawk Down Xbox Screen Shot

Delta Force Black Hawk Down Xbox Screen Shot

View all Delta Force Black Hawk Down Screenshots

Audio

The audio is sufficient but really could have been better overall. It just seems there just for the sake of being there, rather than helping add that realistic feeling to the game. The weapons sound decent and the times when you hear the voice-over actors are good. Yet again, there are times when you hear something from one of your men that makes no sense in relation to what just happened. The music fits and does not drown out the action going on.

Replay Value

If you’re a fan of war games, this one (despite its flaws) is fun. I would have to say this one will appeal to a certain type of gamer and the replay will change based on that. The online modes add to the replay a great deal but again some gamers only like to play with friends so it all depends on the gamer playing this one.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 6.2/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

While the game suffers from flaws and outdated graphics, it attempts to show a side of the story few know. It also attempts something never before done on a live game by featuring a chance to go up against 50-players. If you want a challenge, this mode will provide that and you will soon learn that it’s a whole new ballgame when playing against so many others. The game had the makings of a great game, but with its quirks and outdated look it is simply average at best. Unless your going to be online and live for games like this you may want to rent this one first.

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