Blacklight: Retribution

Blacklight: Retribution is a free to play first person shooter with a competitive focus.

Blacklight: Retribution is fast and deadly in all the best ways. It takes the usual FPS formula and tweaks it a bit, adding in an augmented reality visor (HRV) and even a powerful mech (hardsuit) to change up the playing field. The game's matches are quick enough that you're always doing something, and the addition of the new technologies eliminates campers with ease. This is a shooter that wants players to constantly be on the move and constantly angling for the best shot.

At the end of the day, though, Blacklight suffers from a bit of impostor syndrome. It pulls its influences from multiple sources, but it doesn't synthesize them quite as well as it should. As such, the game ends up looking more like a clone of Call of Duty or Battlefield than its own game. Even worse, the graphics are already very dated - and in the race to be the most photorealistic shooter, this game will always come in last. The flaws aren't deadly, but they do hurt the game in the public eye.

Blacklight: Retribution has a few nice additions to the genre, but it's a fairly standard shooter. You can tell it wants to be more than it is, and there's no harm in having that kind of ambition. It certainly doesn't stand up to games like Call of Duty or Battlefield, but it's among the best free shooters on the market. If you're willing to take a chance on something that isn't at the top of 'best of' lists, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Blacklight: Retribution.

[ul]Pros[/ul]

Great combat

Cool additions to the FPS arsenal

Well-paced games

[ul]Cons[/ul]

Very derivative

Doesn't stand up to AAA standards