This isn't the Black follow-up you're looking for.

If you go back and read over previews for Bodycount you'll realize that there's a whole lot of stuff that never made it into the final product. There was talk of explosive ammo that would react appropriately when shot, multiple targets spread across the map to tackle in any order you want, and sexy female operatives that give you your orders in the field. Never mind the claims of importance that were being placed on the plot of Bodycount early on, how you were going to be essentially kidnapped and drugged into working for The Network, and battling it out against other operatives working for their own Network groups in a worldwide battlefield. And then there's the co-op campaign, which clearly isn't present here. The only thing that has really survived the early builds is the destructibility present in Bodycount's environments, and even that seems to be significantly dialed back. Early word was that it would rival the destruction seen in EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Having now played the "finished" version of Bodycount, that clearly isn't the case. Sure, a lot of stuff tears up really nice, with a pretty heavy emphasis on destructible cover. But that concept of blowing holes in objects to escape a dire situation apparently doesn't apply to thin metal walls, ladders, stairs, or other objects that certainly could be destroyed if they were actually sprayed with a whole bunch of bullets.

Of course, this isn't all that uncommon in videogames. Certainly there's plenty of early builds floating out there that show off ideas and concepts that never make it much further than the alpha phase. Lots of examples spring to mind here, like Resident Evil 1.5 for instance. Having these concepts either dropped or refined isn't all that new. But as I played through Bodycount and scanned through a lot of the early hype surrounding this title building up to the end of last year, I can't help but feel there were a number of significant wrong turns that occurred in its development. The finished product doesn't even actually feel finished, and a lot of those overarching story elements are completely non-existent. Instead the Network is presented now as a humanitarian effort, designed to resolve conflicts. But this is directly at odds with the way you'll move through the few stages presented in the single player campaign, which clearly involve blowing the hell out of any and all men with guns in your path. For instance there are two sides at war when moving through the Africa setting, but they both will not hesitate to attack you, and you can't pick a side and you make no real effort to resolve their fight in any meaningful way.

Instead the game quickly throws some tech enhanced villains at you that build massive black and red spires, and apparently are directing the wars occurring around the world from the background. This whole idea feels entirely slapdash, and there's little narrative explanation given for what's going on. Also, those sexy female operatives I spoke of? They're now relegated to a single female voice that gives you orders through audio only, and even then barely gives you any notable reason for your actions.

Another noticeable omission is the cover system, which early reports stated was trying to do something a little different than your standard cover style that's been popularized by Gears of War. In fact, there's no real cover system to speak of. You can duck or stand behind cover, and use a lean mechanic when looking down your sights to try and peek around a corner, but the movement is very awkward and makes aiming far more challenging than it needs to be. Especially with auto-aim enabled on the console versions, it's certainly more efficient to keep pumping the left trigger to pick up new targets than it is to sit still and lean around like you're an extra in "Smooth Criminal".

I suppose the early departure of Stuart Black, one of the lead Codemasters developers that was certainly a person of interest when the game was revealed, could have something do with the lackluster effort that's been put into this game since those previews hit. Black was also heavily involved in the PS2/XBOX shooter by the same name, and a lot of buzz was surrounding Bodycount early on in regards to it being a spiritual successor to that well-loved shooter. But there's little about Bodycount that would ever compare favorably to Black.

Other elements of Bodycount, like the skillshot system, feel derivative of another game from earlier in the year. The skillshot system isn't that different from what was used in EA's Bulletstorm title, in that you need to perform certain kills to rack up a multiplier on screen. What is different is that building up that multiplier does absolutely nothing. There's no on screen bonus, no kill streaks, or any bonus for trying to be inventive. It does add into your score for the end of the stage, but that's a pretty hollow reward overall.

Even the gunplay feels surprisingly bland. The weapon selection isn't that varied, with only one or two stand out weapons to speak of. One of those weapons, an explosive gun that sends out an electrical like blast that can spread to other targets, is introduced far too late in the game to really become useful. Instead you're stuck running through the majority of the stages with the same standard assault rifles, pistols, and SMG's that are present in nearly every other shooter out there. That's a real shame compared to Black and its exuberant love for guns, and I'd have loved to see a whole lot more variety to the weapons used here.

The AI in Bodycount is equally awful. It's nearly brain dead at times, and seems to feature some odd triggers that can allow you to manipulate certain areas without ever alerting enemies to yourself as a threat. Essentially there are invisible lines that have to be crossed to get enemies to actually spot you. On occasion you can snipe enemies from afar with an assault rifle to score easy headshots, and their compatriots standing right next to them will not move an inch in reaction. Other times they'll engage in just stupid behavior, like running out from cover to charge straight into your bullets. On more than one occasion I caught an enemy tossing a grenade and either hitting their cover or a low hanging ceiling, causing the grenade to fall right at their feet and kill them. If you can place yourself at the top of some stairs, and find yourself with a full inventory of mines and grenades, you can literally create a pile of bodies at the bottom of the steps due to the fact that every enemy will try to crowd in to get at you.

Finally, there's the multiplayer, which nobody seems to be playing now. Bodycount has only been out for a full week or so, but yet its lobbies for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Co-op are almost entirely empty at various points in the day and night. I literally could not get into a full match the entire time I spent working on this review.

So Bodycount is not a title I'd advise anyone to pick up. Even if you're a hardcore shooter fan with an undying love for all things that involve action, you're going to be disappointed with the money you waste on this one. Bodycount should have been better, considering the content spoken of in those early demos, but unfortunately we're left with a pretty generic FPS. My final opinion is that this one is better left for the bargain bins, and even then I'd think twice before spending my cash on it.