The player assumes control of Jack Kellar, a black ops agent being interrogated about his previous missions involving a terrorist operation.

The game is notable and was heavily promoted for its large focus on destructive effects and explosions during gameplay, as well as its cinema-inspired action and sound quality.

The protagonist is Sergeant First Class Jack Kellar (Marty Papazian), an inadequately disciplined member of a CIA black ops unit.

The interrogator explains that, unless Keller co-operates, he and his actions will be declassified, meaning he will be convicted at court-martial, dishonorably discharged, and imprisoned for life.

Kellar kills three high-ranking members of the cell but then disobeys orders by rushing inside a terrorist controlled building, where a mercenary suddenly ambushes him.

Kellar's next mission is to cross the border into Treneska and traverse the Vlodnik Canal to destroy a base and weapons cache.

Keller finds Valencio after blowing up a concrete machine gun nest and briefly interrogates him for Lennox's location.

Despite this, Kellar leads a retaliatory assault against the Graznei Bridge before leaving his team at the gates of Lennox's compound to penetrate the defenses both around and inside the Spetriniv Gulag.

Criterion intended to "do for shooting what Burnout did for racing - tear it apart",[2] with dual emphasis on destructible environments and the handling and behavior of real-world firearms.

Bullets that hit buildings, terrain and objects leave visible damage; moreover, the guns are rendered with great detail and accuracy, though some weapons' features are stylized or exaggerated.

The initial idea for relating the plot in-game came from Black's director, Alex Ward, who wanted to have a radio-play-style voiceover spoken over a 'black' screen.

For example, Bruce Willis' Heckler & Koch MP5 in Die Hard, Jack Bauer's pistol in 24, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Uzi in True Lies.

[24] The Sydney Morning Herald similarly gave it four stars out of five, saying: "Little strategy is required for each stage, with abundant health packs and aggressive opponents of little intelligence.

[29] Detroit Free Press gave the Xbox version three stars out of four and said: "The action is intense and the effects are splendid, though the un-reality applies also to the worlds in which you battle".

Club can't stress that number enough"; and added "that was awesome for Doom, a free download with 16 extra maps available after registration.

[32] In an interview, co-creator and designer Stuart Black revealed that plans for a sequel were underway, but were scrapped due to differences with Electronic Arts.