Blacklight: Tango Down - Review

Gas up the DeLorean and head to the future with Blacklight: Tango Down, a first-person shooter that won't empty your wallet. As part of a cross media franchise, Tango Down is the first release of what is already planned and in development for a Blacklight movie, novel, and comic book series. The futuristic shooter takes you 25 years in the future as part of an elite covert ops team sent to recover Colonel Klein and his missing Blacklight team.



Gameplay / Controls [|||||] (3 / 5) - Designed with standard trigger shooter controls, for a downloadable title, it isn't bad. Like most shooters, a standard set of controls are present with aiming, grenades, crouch and jump. A visor mode can be enabled, that quickly identifies important points as well as enemies and allies. Aside from the extensive customization system for weapons, this is an average shooter.

While the multiplayer is the game's high point, the four single player (co-op) missions need just a little work. The AI would rush our team at first, then get stuck behind a wall and face it without any further movement, as if they were in timeout. Still, for those interested in something of a story, the co-op missions have you completing tasks and giving short voice-over explanations while playing through.


Graphics [|||||] (2 / 5) - The graphics aren't terrible, but they still feel somewhat dated. In any mode, it was kind of difficult to identify enemies at the further distances, even with the sniper scope. I'm sure more could have been done to improve the quality of the visuals, but it is a downloadable game and it's hard to pack too much in any game when you're somewhat limited by file size. The environments all felt dark and gray, but were successful in setting a gritty, shooter atmosphere.


Sound [|||||] (3 / 5) - Everything heard in the game is pretty standard in any shooter. I didn't experience any bullet sound effects whizzing by me while playing, but nothing seemed out of place. One thing that took me by surprise was the sound you experience when you're temporarily & digitally blinded by a certain grenade in the game. It almost has the effect of a flashbang, but you hear something like a computer terminal.

Replay Value / Multiplayer [|||||] (4 / 5) - Tango Down really packs a deep multiplayer package with extensive weapon customization and Weapon Tags. Tags have the ability to affect attributes of your character and weapons, such as speed and maximum rates. With the weapon customization, you're pretty free to equip anything from muzzles and barrels to colors and grips. You can also select custom armor and camo for your character, as well as enter a clan tag to better identify your group affiliation as well as increase your chances of being on the same team.


The multiplayer mode features several game types from the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch to Tango Down's own take on capture the flaq and defend a point. Each play up to par with the bigger multiplayer shooters on the major consoles, and I'm happy to say I didn't notice any lag issues that affected the game. The level up system gives you an incentive to keep playing, and as an added bonus, you earn XP while playing through the co-op levels as well.


Entertainment [|||||] (4 / 5) - On the surface, Blacklight: Tango Down appears to be just another first-person shooter jumping on the popular genre bandwagon. On closer inspection, it proves it has enough depth to keep FPS fans busy for quite some time. At a fraction of the cost of some of the more popular shooter titles, this is a great option for gamers looking for both a quick shooter game that is easy to pick up and play, or for someone looking for a deeper experience.

REVIEW SCORE : (3.2 out of 5)

NoSkill'O'Meter : Like a mini Modern Warfare experience, except in the future!
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* Title : Blacklight: Tango Down
* Format : XBLA (Xbox 360). Also on PC, PSN (PS3)
* Developer : Zombie Studios
* Publisher : Ignition Entertainment
* Release Date : 07/07/10

*Ignition Entertainment provided SlimGamer.com with a promo code for a review copy.

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