Black Creator’s Next Game is Bodycount

Criterion’s last-gen FPS Black is a game that was ahead of its time in many ways if you ask me, and I don’t think it has ever been paid the respect it deserves, mostly because everyone couldn’t seem to stopping bitching about it being too short and not having any multiplayer long enough to recognize its innovations. I just recently started replaying the PS2 version and have been impressed with how well it holds up and by how many of its gameplay influences can be seen in numerous modern shooters that get way more adulation for doing a lot of the same things.

Obviously I’d love to see a sequel to Black, but at this point I think it’s a safe bet to say that’s never going to happen. But now thanks to Codemasters the spirit of Black will live on in the newly-announced PS3 and Xbox 360 FPS Bodycount.

Stuart Black, the designer and co-creator of Black, is at the helm of Bodycount‘s development team at Codemasters Studios Guildford, and from the first two screenshots (pictured) the stylistic similarities between the two games are crystal clear.

Bodycount is powered by an evolved version of the EGO Engine used in previous Codemasters titles like GRID, DiRT and Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, and promises to reboot FPS gun play and blow gamers’ minds with “an orgy of bullets and destruction.”

At the heart of the game is what’s being termed a “shreddable world,” cutting-edge environmental destruction tech that will eliminate the “whack-a-mole” cover tactics that have become far too common in modern FPSs. And for those who whined about Black not having multiplayer, rest easy — Bodycount will feature online multiplayer and co-op. So there!

Bodycount is scheduled to launch in Q1 of 2011.

“Our core focus for Bodycount is to deliver best-in-class gun play that places the gamer at the heart of the experience,” said Executive Producer Tom Gillo. “From the jaw-dropping devastation caused by firing into enemies or shredding the world around you in a hail of bullets, Bodycount will crystalize that moment of pulling the trigger into an exhilarating sensory overload of action.”

“We’re all massive FPS fans,” said Stuart Black, creative director on Bodycount, “and believe that there’s room for a refresh of the shooter experience. If Race Driver: GRID™ was all about the purity of racing, then everything in Bodycount is absolutely centred on the bullet and its impact on the world. Our shredding tech enables us to create a different kind of gameplay, where players and AI can’t hide behind indestructible cover and rely on whack-a-mole mechanics. Here the environment is constantly changing as the game world is shot to hell; it’s going to be a huge amount of fun.”

“By investing extensively in our people and tools, we have attracted an exciting team of development talent to Codemasters Studios Guildford, empowered with a mandate to create innovative, original games using award-winning technology,” said Gavin Cheshire, vice president, Codemasters development. “As our first internally produced new IP for many years, Bodycount will deliver a fresh FPS experience powered by intense combat, compelling narrative, advanced AI and engaging online multiplayer game modes.”