The PlayStation 2's Greatest First Person Shooter

[@EricAnthony94]

I remember a mission where you have to be stealthy in the woods and you were able to screw/unscrew your silencer onto your pistol, that blew my mind as a kid. the level of detail and animations were crazy for the time

[@MrHammers]

The option to add/remove suppressors was amazing!

[@liamwynne566]

Such a small thing, but absolutely awesome all the same

[@ThommyofThenn]

007 Nightfire had this feature and I loved it. Felt just like Bond, coldly screwing the suppressor on before stealthing around. To this very day, most games make you go into customisation menu and change your loadout to add them!

[@PIP...33]

@@MrHammers I remember Gulag best level on these genre by any game. It was impossible to beat on hard. It took me 30 restarts to unlock silver weapon. Problem was I was poor my TV wasnt crystal clear like Monitors now.

[@jonbourgoin182]

Why would you want to remove the silencer after adding it? Genuinely asking.

[@constipatedparker5879]

The musical score for the game was composed by an Academy Award winning hollywood composer, Michael Giacchino who had done scores for movies like the Batman (2022) and some pixar movies like Up and Ratatouille.

[@kevincarter2020]

and LOST

[@Geferulf_TAS]

To this day, my dad doesn't care about playing new shooters, all he wants to play is PGA and BLACK.

[@alenterzic8340]

I showed my dad COD MW from 2019 and he legit said it looks about the same as Black

[@MrHammers]

You're dad is a simple man with simple pleasures. What a beast

[@jakethesnekk]

Golf and guns, dad sounds cool as hell. 😂

[@gripz9387]

@@alenterzic8340I’m sure black looked AMAZING when it came out

[@blacksteve9923]

He isnt wrong atleast he gets a full game. Doesnt have to worry about any dlc or wi-fi connection

[@Artobriga02]

I found this game in a flea market. It was already the ps4 generation so I knew that new great looking stuff was out, but I remember being blown away by how good this game looked, from the home screen to the game itself. Not a single other game on the ps2 I owned looked this good.

[@kotetsujin3493]

Try medal of honor series on ps 2

[@ItsYaBoyJenn]

@@kotetsujin3493medal of honor was goated ❤

[@jasonsmith530]

I fell the PS4 is when FPS gaming, especially COD, finally hit it it’s stride in the PS network

[@Garbageman28]

This is a prime “Dad wants to bond with his son” game.

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

in specific amurrrican households only

[@chris_player2995]

yeah fr i didnt have a ps2 until 2006 so we bonded playing Medal of Honor (ps1)

[@jasonjanoyblahaloverboy3005]

Look at the top comment lol

[@CarpCSA35]

So true, me and my dad burnt this game up it was one of the only shooters he really liked to play such a nostalgic game for me

[@Garbageman28]

@@CarpCSA35 I speak with experience

[@cheslynholland1487]

Damn I remember this game from the ps2 era. We didn't have internet , and I never heard anything about this game and no one recommended it to me . Our paths just crossed accidentally . The first couple of minutes I played , I knew this games quality was on another level. The light rays coming through the windows ,the sound ,the destructible environment .I was thinking like what the hell is this. This game caught me so of guard and that element of surprise I wont ever forget. That's why I love this game so much.

[@2ndeaster]

Black is the first game I realized where the bullet decal doesn't evaporate. I don't know why that's the memorable part I remember.

[@Justin-f7f]

Bullet casings would fall on the ground and stay there too, had a lot of cool details

[@randomguyingasmask]

@@Justin-f7f For some reason that stuck for me too lmao

[@Osai1234]

First time playing ps2 first time playing black and my good heavens

[@marlborosilver]

Because it was GREAT

[@aturn124]

One of my most cherished games from that era. The destructible environments were phenomenal for its time, only perhaps rivalled by something like Red Faction: Guerilla. A remake of this with an extended campaign to cover off the cliffhanger ending from the OG version would be beyond amazing.

[@liamwynne566]

This definitely has that "game released an asshole hair away from that generations end" magic, looking like an early PS3 game. God of war 2 has that going on too 👌💪

[@doctajuice]

Also shadow of the colossus

[@FontaineLovers]

this game was released in 2006, the last PS2 game was released in 2012 so no, black is not that close to an end of PS2

[@doctajuice]

@@FontaineLovers but the ps3 was like 07 or 08 something like that so he's not wrong at all

[@somefrog6089]

​@@FontaineLoversthe ps3 came out in 06 - 07

[@jebreggie4225]

​@@FontaineLovers 2006 was at the end of the consoles Peak before the PS3/360 stole the show. Most of the titles released after 2007 were just trying to capitalize on people who didn't have a 360/PS3 yet they generally weren't technically ambitious games anymore, mostly sports games or movie/show tie ins and some kids games

[@Booze_Rooster]

best feature of this game was the way your screen focused during a reload. Just hitting reload would blur the world beyond your weapon and you'd reload faster, or you could tap reload again and bring the environment into focus and blur your weapon with a slight delay in reload speed. Never seen another game do it and it really set this game apart in my mind.

[@Keith-jp6jw]

My 7 year old mind never knew. Very cool feature.

[@swskitso]

That was the only feature I was impressed with.

[@jersen5085]

I miss so much simpler linear fps games, if you don't count boomer shooters there is no single fps like this anymore 😔

[@WickerMahn]

As much as it's a FEAR spiritual successor, Black definitely had an impact on Trepang2. Give it a shot (heh)

[@MrHammers]

Trepang2 was great!

[@jersen5085]

@@MrHammers Agree! But it's just a drop of water in the desert for me. Selaco also great.

[@MrHammers]

Haven't tried that one yet, I've heard good things

[@PIP...33]

@@MrHammers I loved this game til FarCry 3 came. I wasnt fan of 1st person cause Im more Lara Croft camera style gamer but after I played this on PS2 and Far Cry 3 on PC cemented my love. Today I love Generation Zero best game by any mean in this genre I even dare to rank over Far Cry 4.

[@bshell1731]

Black had a genuinely dark violent intensity that no other game came close to. I remember playing it and recognizing it as an evolution of fps gaming.

[@synthnation9857]

I really love the fact that they use mp5 sound effects from Die Hard and Predator. that sound will always be the most deadly automatic gun sound to me :D

[@synthnation9857]

also, seeing you covered this game makes me think that you should make a video on "Cold Winter" as well. another really cool console fps game :)

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

Black and FEAR are my favorite shooters ever, graphics have aged but the gunplay is still timeless, more satisfying and impacful than most shooters since the Xbox 360 / PS3 until this gen.

[@RowBærTœ]

I have a personal connection to this game. Not that I helped develop or knew anyone associated with it. When the game came out I was living in Florida and working for a private security company. My call sign for that company was Echo -51, just like the main character in Black.

[@caseycameron5370]

That's awesome 😎

[@tgpwrh8645]

The sound of reloading the 870 pump is still to this day chilling

[@spencerprevis3184]

This game taught me that processing power isn't as important as attention to detail and artstyle

[@damedan9389]

I'm 46 and there has NEVER been a time when it wasn't. Most of the top purchased games were not those with the highest processing abilities.

[@tontsar91]

I'd say both are equally important.

[@MeowMeowMeowMeowMeowMeowMeowww]

@@tontsar91 No.

[@GickelsGaming]

"blasting open the door with a shotgun wasnt something you CAN do, its a god damn instruction" i lold hard semper fi

[@blksheeprc3671]

semper friesss crayon eater

[@djtoxicdhg]

This was one of my most favorite fps games for ps2 it was soo mutch fun especially going into new game plus with crome camos and gold camos

[@maximmilliandahszz4571]

I still remember the shock I got from the graphics. I had never seen it so sharp.

[@tontsar91]

Reminds me so much of Killzone 2/3 on PS3. Incredible graphics considering the aged hardware.

[@milexxxwy]

​@@tontsar91They don't make games like this anymore.

[@RedzaMalaysianCrossover]

I love playing this game as a kid and the graphics blew my mind back then. The Forest level is very realistic looking. There's a detail I want to point out is reloading is much faster when chaos happens. I also love this game gives us infinite ammo if you beat the game on Easy. Yes the other difficulty also gives infinite ammo if you beat it. I always had a fun time with this game and this game had a special place in my heart.

[@AcidGlow]

I liked the lighting effects through glass windows and the huge explosion destroying that big tanker

[@ExtraThiccc]

Oh damn, didnt expect you to mention how the ludicrous mag sizes were necessary for the bullet sponge enemies

[@theturkishprince]

None of you learned to aim for the head apparently!

[@Osai1234]

Now imagine how i feel when i prefer semi auto 😭

[@caseycameron5370]

​@theturkishprincwell Thor didn't so we can be forgiven 😂

[@geehammer1511]

I always used semi-auto and aim for the head because anywhere else didn't kill quickly enough. Semi-auto to reduce the recoil, Black was one of the first games to have fire select afaik. Such a great game.

[@goldenjav2954]

​@@geehammer1511 the single fire M-16 was the best gun on this game, no contest. You could kill high armored helmet enemies from a very far distance. For example, like the bridge level. It's a must.

[@Busogirl17]

I remember playing this game with my brother on our PS2. The first time it loaded my first thought was "damn the graphics are elite" when comparing it to the other games we had.

[@cm-pr2ys]

Graznei bridge is one of my most favorite missions in single llayer fps' to this day. Great video!

[@hozzyboy]

This level basically was my gold standard for levels in fps games.

[@GDAWG.]

I got goosebumps when i saw the footage of that level. My favourite in the whole game. 💪

[@IISourAyyII]

This is the game that no one knows about. BLACK was a crazy shooter, with crazy fire guns. It was the COD before COD. It is certified a hidden gem.

[@MelanatedRepublican]

Bro everybody knows about it

[@IISourAyyII]

@@MelanatedRepublican based of your username im not even gunna argue with you about this

[@MelanatedRepublican]

@@IISourAyyII you wouldn't want to because your completely wrong just because you were born in 2008 doesn't mean other games didn't exist

[@IISourAyyII]

@@MelanatedRepublican I was born in 1991 LMFAO

[@MelanatedRepublican]

@@IISourAyyII well then your just an idiot

[@xavierfrye3079]

this is core memory stuff you put out bud thanks a billion !!

[@bloodgoat]

The audio is this piece was AMAZING

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Played this in 2009/10 when Modern Warfare 2 was big. Honestly looked and felt better than MW2 in some places.

[@Walamonga1313]

MW2 was fun but it never felt particularly good. BF3 on the other hand, immaculate

[@overcastskyline1747]

odd fact, the shell casings you dispense never disappear, each bullet you use will appear on the ground and stay there throughout the whole game, theres also an alex jones reference in the game relating to bohemian grove, this game has too much attention to detail, one of the ps2 titles to use ragdoll physics, love this game.

[@Jacobthejewela]

Me and my best buddy used to play this for hours. You said it, there was nothing else like it. The closest thing I can think of is battlefield: bad company, and that came a couple years later.

[@swskitso]

BF2 was better Had the best rank system because you couldn't get rank without skill and medals combined. If you saw a colonel you knew it was someone with skill in the game not just time accumulated.

[@darthmeesa2825]

This game hit as a kid when I'd wake up early in a quiet sunny morning so excited to boot up my PS2 and play this.

[@BlackHoon]

Finished this for the first time on my Series X a couple of months ago. Still such a fun experience

[@muthinjama]

What a throwback! I remember getting drawn in about just how real and gritty this game felt.

[@DiegoReviews]

I never got around to playing this one. But my mind always painted it as a prestigious PS2 title. Maybe it was because it came out so late in that console’s life cycle, but I also found the game’s simple title and bullet filled box art to be so classy.

[@MrHammers]

The case covered in bullets is a piece of art, it's so perfect with the title buried in them haha

[@TheresOnly1Stef]

Black was a random buy and purchase for me way back when and I can whole heartedly say every single line and sentiment of this review was spot on and true! Simplicity was indeed king and what made this title as great as it was!

[@00HoODBoy]

100k! This has become a comfort channel

[@MrHammers]

Thanks my man

[@Scallycowell]

Shoot-y Thing Go Boom: The Game

[@TheGreatMajorFail]

My dad used to play this for hours back in the day. It’s literally a core memory for me and reminds me of the good days of my childhood. Miss you pops.

[@360-bonescope]

My dad would play this all the time with his MadCats pistol grip controller. Shit was so fun. Totally an under rated and forgotten gem

[@MnemonicHack]

Being a 36 year old man, it's quite a strange feeling for me to hear someone say "My dad used to play this game" about a game that I used to play. And yes, I have no children yet.

[@DinoDave150]

I won't lie, your reviews get me interested to try out all these PS2 games that I missed out on. They're what got me to try out Urban Chaos: Riot Response and Area 51. Now I'm interested to try out Black for myself. BTW that opening bit about renting videos and games got me nostalgic like you wouldn't believe. Especially since my local rental store went out of business in 2020. Thanks Covid.

[@MrHammers]

Cheers dude!

[@AM-uo2kf]

As a person who never played black and had a PC which a year prior had just released F.E.A.R, Black felt like it was the consoles answer to FEARs gunfu.

[@MrHammers]

F.E.A.R. is most definitely the better game, but console vs PC in that generation was a big unfair advantage. Black was a good attempt at what FEAR excelled in

[@AM-uo2kf]

@@MrHammers certainly it was definitely not a fair comparison and I do remember I was very interested in black when it came out. Apparently Sean Murray From hello games was a creative director I think on this game.

[@JonathanTheZombie]

I remember exactly where I was when I first played this game. It was a fair in Bakersfield, CA that had some Xbox’s set up to play Black and buy copies. Me and my buddy sat and played for way too long and came back to the booth like three times. Good day. Finally got a copy of my own and I will never get rid of it.

[@FormerlyAVM]

This game was my “grownup” shooter. It was what the modern CoD single player campaigns want to be. Beautiful,loud and fun to just tear shit apart.

[@honorb4glory606]

I always thought "black" was a stupid name for a shooter, but I recently learned that "black" is military lingo for "out of ammo." It's a brilliant name for this game.

[@ignachioelsmith9053]

Ah, nam, forgot about this game. Remember bits and pieces of the game play, but do recall loving it and playing it loads. Still got my PS2 and games, so might have to dust it off one day... Cheers.

[@reapershadow1656]

You forget About the Soundtrack, its was Really amazing, And Theres a lot of details In this game, Like When theres no Enemies Around you, The reload was kinda Slower like he Enjoying it.

[@billybeeeeeeeeee]

Heard this was good when it came out, never bought it, then eventually bought in on xboxone as a back compat game, never finished it, but this video makes me want to go back to it.

[@OTKPoki]

my childhood. I can't remember if i had the full game or a demo, but this game blew my mind as it was a whole new experience and i didn't even make it that far through i just kept replaying the first few sections over and over again

[@bababooey9825]

This is backwards compatible on Xbox by the way!!! Brought back so many memories. That and hunter the reckoning

[@Wyse-Gaming]

omg, that just took me back to memory lane. Thank you for reminding me this game existed, I used to play this game all the time in my ps2.

[@ShootAUT]

Black, Red Faction and Battlefield Bad Company did the same thing with destructible environments as F.E.A.R did with enemy AI - it led us to think at the time that future FPSs would become absolutely crazy in those regards. Now look at what we have _over 15 years_ later - nothing that even comes close to those old games. The FPS genre didn't evolve from there. It didn't even just stagnate. It moved backwards and only had a few cosmetic surgeries, thanks to hot garbage like Modern Warfare.

[@MintyLime703]

They tried improving on it and bringing similar systems to more graphically demanding games. It didn't really work. PhysX, for example, was a fad for a while before devs just gave up on it because it just wasn't worth the performance hit. It was far more efficient graphically speaking to focus on stuff like tessellation or detailed decals and keep destruction to things that didn't melt CPUs. And then there's the problem with balancing for multiplayer games. Stuff like Bad Company worked because you couldn't destroy absolutely everything, just some buildings and it wasn't all that random. It's not like you could litter the battlefield with rubble, instead a building would basically just change into a destroyed building and that was really it. BF4 took the same idea and made it bigger with levolution. The Red Faction games were really some of the only few that had entirely destructible environments (besides things like Minecraft), but those games were built with that idea in mind. It's core to the gameplay.

[@daviddavidson2357]

I remember playing this. The destructable environments were mind blowing at the time. Not sure which mission it was, but I remember taking on a small army from a gantry at a mine or something.

[@Alaachad]

makes me smile knowing this great game is still living in the hearts of many and not forgotten. it's such a shame how EA just abandoned this fantastic game

[@JonathanTheZombie]

I will never forget the heartbeat sound. Also, the silenced Glock level was the best mission of any game I have played. So much fun. And the sounds were awesome.

[@foodank_atr817]

Black was good but I also liked Cold Winter. Best ragdoll and dismemberment on PS2.

[@Waxedem9199]

So awesome seeing so many people mention dads playing this with them. My dad absolutely loved this game .

[@paydn202]

i used to love this game when it came out. lol

[@raging_jackal23]

My favorite section in that game was the final battle area on Graznei bridge (The level before the last one). You walk in. The orchestra kicks in. Two MG nests start spitting out lead. Your two squad mates are yelling at your character and your character yells "We're gonna get cut to pieces! Drop the guy on high ground!" Then after a while, one of your squad mates yells "RPG!" and you see a rocket flying next to your face. Chef's kiss for that fight. It was so memorable and it will always hold a special place in my heart

[@Rahhh._]

This games was ahead of it's time for PS2 era

[@AsurasWrath164]

Theres one part where this game excells even today: the sound of the weapons! To this day it has the best sounddesign, period! No game offers that ooomph like Black does! Played it countless times on all difficulties and went for all special weapons and skins. Loved it to death!

[@JOExSPARTIAN]

The Cinematics were some of the best at the time, It blew my mind when I was a kid. Made ya feel like you were part of a hollywood movie

[@volgg]

I remember playing the demo of this game for the first time at a local fair. It was in one of those big playstation truck

[@user-ki3ks4fd6i]

i remember playing this on my ps2 when it came out for hours on end. my brother would be in the same room listening to nelly, chingy, cassie, the game. man. what an era.

[@AmericanBoy-si9zg]

I still have my first copy of this game. It truly was something back then & it really deserves a sequel.

[@Reacher_2215]

I still have my copy from 2007. An amazing but frustratingly wild game

[@gutsygutman2475]

I replayed this game so many times, it felt like you had to replay it several times to unlock all the secrets. The hardest one I remember was probably the destruction one where you had to destroy everything in every level that would make the reticle turn black when placed over it indicating that it could be destroyed. Most of the time you would need something explosive to do it or the RPG with its range to hit stuff out of reach, like in that trench maze level where you're surrounded by apartment buildings that can have their sides blown off to kill the snipers.

[@Oi_Guilherme]

Black is one of those games that, once you get older, you realize it's not the best game of the world, neither "one of the bests". It's just a good and fun game to play, and that's ok because there's some kind of charm in games like this, games that no matter when you play, they're always a good time.

[@omar.Lo714]

Yes I absolutely loved this game back In the day. I just happened to buy it without knowing a thing about it. And we played the shit out of this

[@lilgemini4032]

COD isn’t even that good anymore nether Battlefield or other today’s FPS, this game is actually a hidden gem

[@eyeballpaul2403]

My uncle worked on this game as an artist of some sort. I am very proud of him being a part of such a great game!

[@trs8696]

hugely underrated game imo. it combined a realist setting with stylised, hyper realistic violence. it's easy to reduce it to its fundamental gameplay mechanics and encounter design and write it off as just another shooter. but sometimes form has a function all of its own.

[@literallyap0tat0-q7q]

I played the demo for this a million times. It made the guns feel devastatingly powerful, and the smoke effects are still awesome. Never played the full game until I got a series x. Not up there with the Halos and Half-Lifes of the world, but it was really solid.

[@D-LL2141]

Black was COD 4 before COD 4!!!

[@Blu.86-te1pr]

I remember the day I bought this game. Standing in line at game stop, talking to other people buying games. I think we all lived through the best days of video games and this game ties me to those memories.

[@SoaringLettuce]

alright, i love Black but i gotta disagree with the title fucking TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, man

[@MrHammers]

I respect the counter, great game

[@shawnpaquette5835]

How come Ps2 just released banger after banger and I can barely find a decent game to play on PS5 😂. Games were better back in the day.

[@Canaris4]

Usually I get triggered when I see people refer to things that aren't music or music that rocks as "bangers". But for this FPS, I will allow it.

[@TheyTalkOnline]

Amen brother.

[@a3ephony654]

Playing through this classic currently. Emulated on a S24 Ultra with a Backbone controller, at x2.5 native resolution. It has never looked better and is absolutely epic on the go 👌🏻🎮 💥

[@TheMediaMutants]

Dude I remember this game. I played this so much back in the day with my best friend. It was so much fun, thanks for the walk down memory lane!

[@jacobfisher722]

I played the game on Xbox when it came out. I remember how addicted I was to the the gun play. I looked for a sequel that never came 😢

[@PSNmemoryismisery]

this was the last game I played on PS2 right before getting a PS3. loved it.

[@adamh2957]

My god that bridge level! When I jacked up the 5.1… Thor never got as loud

[@jreid276]

I'm 48 and i was OBSESSED with BLACK, I got so good at that game, it was so FUN! I miss those days but I'm still shooting lots of digital guns everyday so i guess all is well. GREAT VIDEO!!!!!! I'd love to see a remake of Black.

[@torokun]

I have this game too and you are right. It was amazing when it came out. But it never captured gamers' attention. Mainly due to the fact that the gameplay overall was just subpar even though it was a great looking game.

[@Thecelestial1]

This was my favorite fps. The story, the difficulty, the sounds the guns made WHEW! When you beat the game you get unlimited ammo on that difficulty and you can really spam crazy stuff like rpg, grenade launcher, revolver. Fun fun fun!

[@Funrunner008]

The problem is not the graphics but it is not much fun after a while. A game like ghost recon and rainbow six never get boring because the enemy ai is so good and there is always a feeling extreme tension

[@sethsullins7429]

Thanks for making this. Im an elder gamer and I thought everyone else had forgotten this banger. First time a game made me feel like the guns were tangible, kinetic and dangerous.

[@craig3077]

Hey Hammer, congrats for hitting 100k subs. I do love your contents and games you’d picked. Keep doing what you are doing man. Cheers!

[@MrHammers]

Thanks dude!

[@VaeVictisXIII]

Blast from the past, loved this game back on PS2

[@beartackle]

4:25 This oddly sounds really romantic! Great video, BTW!

[@MrMorris911]

This game was crazy hard. The max difficulty setting had so many side objectives that you had to get to finish the level.

[@KINGREXBABI]

What a great game this was. I replayed this so many times. The infinite ammo and m203 grenade launcher on the m16 were really fun to once you unlocked it.

[@BlekDGreat]

This and Killzone were the shit back in the day. I remember playing both games non-stop even if I already finished them. Black and Killzone will forever be the goat FPS for PS2. Waaay ahead of its time.

[@yoorenzo4562]

My dad would have me help him beat missions he couldn’t get through for this game when I was as a kid. It was a good game from what I remember lol

[@felman87]

Congrats on hitting 100k!

[@MrHammers]

Thanks brother! Currently at 99,990, should cross over in no time

[@tomahawktactical705]

I’m a gun guy, this game was awesome back in the day! Wish the reloads and mag capacities were a little more accurate But it was absolutely fun to play👍🏼

[@SkylarAkimoto]

The opening mission is always a blast and iconic at the same time. Always loved playing that level back then. Fun times

[@Revolversplinter]

We're in extreme need of something similar these days

[@Boombya23]

I feel like I'm repeating myself when I comment on your videos as I always say this but I adored this game growing up it was just so much fun the amount of carnage you could cause blew my mind even now as a 32 year old man I think back on it fondly.

[@Mal_Freeman0451]

I just finshed it last week for the first time since my original playthrough when it was released. It still holds up pretty much perfectly. The graphics and particle effects still look good, the fluidity of control, the level design, the brilliant soundtrack. It's just so good. If the same game was released today with modern graphics and ironsights, I think it would blow most modern FPS out of the water.

[@flippedoutkyrii]

So many good memories with this game, I recall renting it from my local rental spot practically every second weekend until I saved up enough money from my odd-jobs to finally just buy their rental copy lol. What I'd give to see it get a proper PC port!

[@JJ_SDWR]

I distinctly remember the hype for this game as a kid. It was awesome.