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Black & White (series)

Black & White
Black & White Coverart.png
PC "black" cover.
Developer(s) Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Feral Interactive (Mac)
Director(s) Steve Jackson
Designer(s) Peter Molyneux
Artist(s) Paul McLaughlin
Writer(s) James Leach
Composer(s) Russell Shaw
Platform(s) Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
Release Windows
  • WW: 30 March 2001
  • JP: 24 May 2001
Mac OS
  • NA: January 2002
Genre(s) Simulation, god game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Aggregate score
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 90/100
Review scores
Publication Score
AllGame 4.5/5 stars
CGW 5/5 stars
Edge 9/10
Game Informer 9/10
GamePro 5/5
Game Revolution A
GameSpot 9.3/10
GameSpy 91%
GameZone 9/10
IGN 9.7/10
PC Gamer (US) 94%
X-Play 5/5 stars
The Cincinnati Enquirer 4.5/5 stars
Playboy 85%
Gamezilla 94%
Inside Mac Games 8.25/10(Macintosh)
PC Zone 95%
Computer Games Magazine 3/5 stars
Maxim 4/5 stars

Black & White is a god video game developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows in 2001 and by Feral Interactive in 2002 for Mac OS. Black & White combines elements of artificial life and strategy. The player acts as a god whose goal is to defeat Nemesis, another god who wants to take over the world. A primary theme is the concept of good and evil, with the atmosphere being affected by the player's moral choices. The core gameplay mechanic of Black & White is the interaction between the player and an avatar creature, who carries out the players instructions and whose personality and behaviour change in reaction to how they are treated. Multiplayer is supported over a local network or online.

Peter Molyneux led the three-year development of the highly anticipated game, originally to feature wizards instead of gods. Black & White was written from scratch, and the intention was to have the main user interface free of icons, buttons, and panels. Versions for games consoles were in development, but were cancelled.

Black & White received universal acclaim on release; reviewers praised the artificial intelligence, uniqueness, and depth, although the system requirements and bugs were criticised. Black & White won awards from several organisations, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Guinness World Record for the complexity of the artificial intelligence, selling over two million copies. Later re-reviews of the game considered it to have been over-rated at the time. An expansion, Black & White: Creature Isle, and sequel, Black & White 2, followed.


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Wikipedia

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