Black & White
Review
2026-01-23
Million amazing things about the game. There aren’t god games anymore. The indirect control through influence and prayer power. Then add in the creature. A true AI, because the core of a real AI is learning, and here you can teach it a la Pavlov. Then it can go off and do things outside your influence. Essentially an autonomous agent. But also how rewarded to train your little child and see it go off and do good works.
Love how the AI is a black box too. You’re not 100% sure what they’re thinking but you can infer. Also you start off having to really watch over them closely to watch for good and bad behavior and then you can let em loose. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
I think anyone who can’t appreciate it is probably devoid of inner life.
2025-09-13
There’s a very real chance that I’ve played more hours of Black & White than anyone on this site.
???
It'd be hard to figure out which game I've spent the most time of my life in but this would be in the top 3 for sure.
I used to wake up every morning on the weekend at 7 AM excited as can be to rush down to the basement to sit in front of the computer and play this game.
My favorite thing? To just spend an endless time on Land 2 expanding and expanding and expanding my town. I had hundreds and hundreds of villagers. Way more than you were ever supposed to have.
My creature was absolutely massive. Towering. Again, much larger than it had any right being on the legit SECOND level of the game.
I loved that. The openness. The creature as well was such a marvel. I remmeber thinking it was cool that it was in the Guinness book of records for having the "most sophisticated game AI" or something. Total BS but like it was really freaking cool.
I remember I read the guide for it over and over and over. I always wanted the Panda Bear but he was like a leve 4 or 5 creature and I just wanted to play level 2. I actually don't think I ever finished the full game until much later in life because the later levels were much harder. They weren't focused on the fun parts. They were focused on like little challenges they gave you. Cast this spell. Solve this puzzle. Fuck that man lemme just build. Great game.