Review - Blade Force
Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:31 am
Okay guys, I know that I have said that I have done 3DO reviews, a lot of them actually, over at Jaguar Sector II. I am the moderator of the Reviews section over there after all. So I am going to transfer the reviews over here and see what you guys think. If you like the review here, please let me know and I will transfer some of the other ones as well. Would be nice to see them go someplace that will appreciate them. Either way, please enjoy my review of Blade Force.
Welcomr to the city of Mega Grid! It is the year 2110 and you are a superhero with a helipak strapped to your back and a ton of weapons at your disposal designed by Dr. Grubert in your quest to single handedly take down the criminal elements in the city and restore peace for the common everyday folk that love there. Sounds like fun, yeah? All in a days work for these guys. Now add in that the game is done entirely in beautiful 3D that shows some of the best visuals captured on the 3DO, and you really have to appreciate the hard work that Studio 3DO put into the game.
The game itself runs beautifully at 24 frames per second, but can still give you that inertia feeling as well when things are going crazy on the screewwn. Remember, the game is like flying a Helicopter, and it respeonds likewise. You tilt sideways, the screen goes with you, and in the end, the effect is good and very convincing as you really do get that feeling like the world is moving below you. Well, the world that was created for the game that is. The first time that IO personally saw Blade Force, I was sucked into the game. It was just awesome looking and really was a huge high point for me as I was actually able to sell a few 3DO units just based on this game alone. The tricks that had to be pulled off by Studio 3DO to get the game to work the way that it does had to be many, just like what they pulled off with Star Fighter, both games still amaze me to a degree. The levels in Blade Force are also HUGE, so keep an eye on your fuel, as it is easy to run out and fall to your death just flying around and looking at stuff.
Weapons are a blast in this game as they are not only fun to use, but fun to discover as well, which is just one of the best things about games that involve weapons, "Hey! What in the Hell does that do?" There are nine different weapons available in Blade Force along with 20 different power ups to mess around with as well, each one having different effects on the weapons and your character itself. Along the way on your mission, Dr. Grubert will pop up and give you new items and upgrades as well as advice on how to battle the villians around the city.
The villians are fun and just really cool. This is half of the attraction of the game, I mean, where else are you going to find a religios nut that is named Reverand Beyatch? Fun stuff. A crazed surgeon, a drug Lord, a Mob Boss and an arsonist! What a nice group for an arch nemies list!
The controls that they implemented in the game compliment it well as they are spot on, and just laggy enough movement wise to help get that "Helicopter" feeling. It is nice to see a 3D game from 1995 that had some polish in the controls and that doesn't fall apart when tons of stuff appears on the screen. Mix all of this in witrh a strong Heavy Metal style soundtrack and you have a very unique experience waiting for you to play it. Nice indeed.
In the end, the game is really well put together and the only complaint that I hear really is that it would have been nice to see sprawling city scapes and cars flying around and the like. I agree, but with what they did here, it works, and it works well. Could have probably seen that stuff in a sequel on the M2 or possibly some other system 3DO released stuff on, but 3DO seemed to be stuck on Sarge's Heroes instead of bringing back some of their awesome old 3DO system franchises. Who knows? If they had, 3DO might still be around today instead of being a long forgotten relic of a day frogotten by todays gamers.
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Controls: 9
Fun Factor: 8
Replay: 9
Bonuses:
Huge levels with alot to explore
Great Physics engine
Visually pleasing to look at and listen to
Minuses:
Sometimes confusing level design
Unrealistic looking cities
No sequel released!
Welcomr to the city of Mega Grid! It is the year 2110 and you are a superhero with a helipak strapped to your back and a ton of weapons at your disposal designed by Dr. Grubert in your quest to single handedly take down the criminal elements in the city and restore peace for the common everyday folk that love there. Sounds like fun, yeah? All in a days work for these guys. Now add in that the game is done entirely in beautiful 3D that shows some of the best visuals captured on the 3DO, and you really have to appreciate the hard work that Studio 3DO put into the game.
The game itself runs beautifully at 24 frames per second, but can still give you that inertia feeling as well when things are going crazy on the screewwn. Remember, the game is like flying a Helicopter, and it respeonds likewise. You tilt sideways, the screen goes with you, and in the end, the effect is good and very convincing as you really do get that feeling like the world is moving below you. Well, the world that was created for the game that is. The first time that IO personally saw Blade Force, I was sucked into the game. It was just awesome looking and really was a huge high point for me as I was actually able to sell a few 3DO units just based on this game alone. The tricks that had to be pulled off by Studio 3DO to get the game to work the way that it does had to be many, just like what they pulled off with Star Fighter, both games still amaze me to a degree. The levels in Blade Force are also HUGE, so keep an eye on your fuel, as it is easy to run out and fall to your death just flying around and looking at stuff.
Weapons are a blast in this game as they are not only fun to use, but fun to discover as well, which is just one of the best things about games that involve weapons, "Hey! What in the Hell does that do?" There are nine different weapons available in Blade Force along with 20 different power ups to mess around with as well, each one having different effects on the weapons and your character itself. Along the way on your mission, Dr. Grubert will pop up and give you new items and upgrades as well as advice on how to battle the villians around the city.
The villians are fun and just really cool. This is half of the attraction of the game, I mean, where else are you going to find a religios nut that is named Reverand Beyatch? Fun stuff. A crazed surgeon, a drug Lord, a Mob Boss and an arsonist! What a nice group for an arch nemies list!
The controls that they implemented in the game compliment it well as they are spot on, and just laggy enough movement wise to help get that "Helicopter" feeling. It is nice to see a 3D game from 1995 that had some polish in the controls and that doesn't fall apart when tons of stuff appears on the screen. Mix all of this in witrh a strong Heavy Metal style soundtrack and you have a very unique experience waiting for you to play it. Nice indeed.
In the end, the game is really well put together and the only complaint that I hear really is that it would have been nice to see sprawling city scapes and cars flying around and the like. I agree, but with what they did here, it works, and it works well. Could have probably seen that stuff in a sequel on the M2 or possibly some other system 3DO released stuff on, but 3DO seemed to be stuck on Sarge's Heroes instead of bringing back some of their awesome old 3DO system franchises. Who knows? If they had, 3DO might still be around today instead of being a long forgotten relic of a day frogotten by todays gamers.
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Controls: 9
Fun Factor: 8
Replay: 9
Bonuses:
Huge levels with alot to explore
Great Physics engine
Visually pleasing to look at and listen to
Minuses:
Sometimes confusing level design
Unrealistic looking cities
No sequel released!