So we finally got around to playing the co-op mode in Blacklight: Tango Down, aptly named "Blackops"... In a sentence, this mode simply features four levels - which are each comprised of several versus mode maps expertly sewn together - wherein your mission is to make it from point A to point B. There is no plot to speak of. There are two main types of enemies. There are several checkpoints to resupply. The rest is up to you and your team.
And that’s basically what Blacklight is - a teambuilding excercise. Without an instruction manual or tutorial mode you are thrust into a war-torn landscape with one objective: kill or be killed. It sounds more intense than it really is...but it manages to be hearty fun, and has enough meat on its solid skeleton to satisfy the more hardcore crowd for a while.
Blacklight’s strong visual style is evident straight from the menu interface, and continues well into the deepest parts of the game. Sometimes it’s a little irritating - like the translucent hex pattern gracing the edges of the screen - but for the most part it really sets the game apart. What unfortunately doesn’t put Blacklight on a pedestal is its controls, which felt splashy and loose no matter how we adjusted them; the controls aren’t game-breaking - it just takes getting used to. Precision aiming is provided via the left trigger, and although it’s not true “iron sights”, movement is appropriately slowed and accuracy increased. Instead of filling your screen with a static gun image, Zombie Studios went halfway: your viewing area is zoomed, and your gun aligns to the center, but your visibility is not further hindered.