Blacklight: Tango Down is a First Person Shooter set in a dystopian future in which two opposing enemies, The Order and the Blacklight Special Forces, are battling it out to bring peace and security to their world. This sounds like your typical “generic sci-fi shooter”, but the developers over at Zombie have packed a lot into this downloadable game. Read on to see if it’s enough to warrant your attention.
Blacklight really does have a lot to offer. There are 12 different maps to battle it out online, as well as a cooperative “Black Ops mode” in which you and up to three other friends can work your way through waves of enemies towards the end of each level. There is no single player mode, and no real story to the game, but it doesn’t need any of that. With the focus on multiplayer, Blacklight will keep you busy for a long time to come.
The controls are tight and familiar, and veterans of Call of Duty should be able to jump right in. You can sprint, melee, aim down the sights and shoot just as you would expect. One major difference is the incorporation of the Hyper Reality Visor (HRV), which allows you to see all nearby enemies, allies, and ammo crates. This essentially eliminates campers, and will let you know about any surprises around the corner. When using HRV you cant attack, so be cautious. Also, after every use HRV will have to recharge which keeps things balanced.
There’s an insane amount of customization that you can unlock by ranking up and playing the cooperative mode. There are a multitude of sights, stocks, and barrels, as well as weapon camouflages, body armor, and dog tags. Blacklight is like a Candy Land for people who like to customize. Each level you gain will unlock several new customizations and weapons, giving you constant rewards for your effort, and it can be very addicting as you deck out your assault rifle just the way you want it, trying to get that next scope or barrel.
Blacklight: Tango Down may not be anything new, but what it offers is very polished and fun. There are seven game modes to experience, the Black Ops mode which you can play on your own or with friends, and heaps of unlockabes that help keep the multiplayer addicting. If you are looking for a cheep way to jump online and battle it out with some friends, than Blacklight is hard to ignore, and for only $15 you really are getting a great experience.
Our Overall Score: 8.0