I rented this once back in the day and really liked it. But not enough to buy it. But then, I was a poor college student back then. It was a pretty original idea. Like a cross between Rampage and Lemmings. Rare really carried the N64 through most of its lifespan.
Retro Game of the Week: Blast Corps
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 On 11/22/2014 at 11:55 AM by The Last Ninja See More From This User » |
A game about destroying stuff! What could be better?
Who doesn't like to demolish things? Little kids love to make a tower with ABC blocks just so they can crash it to pieces. Some people love to watch buildings blow up and crumble. And who doesn't enjoy watching an action movie just for the explosions? This is what Blast Corps is all about, and it's awesome. It was developed by Rare, published by Nintendo, and released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997. It's an action game that is all about destroying stuff.
The story for BC is quite ridiculous. An auto-driving carrier which is carrying missiles has malfunctioned and is moving on its own. Somehow it's driving all over the world, so Blast Corps has to come in to clear a path for it. Silly, right? But BC is not about story, it's about the gameplay, and it delivers with over-the-top fun. The game introduces Blast Corps like this: "leaders in the field of heavy duty demolition through a combination of skill, experience, and cutting-edge technology." Sounds like an awesome job!
The game is comprised of several missions, most of which can be beaten in a few minutes. Some missions have you destroying buildings that are in the path of the carrier, while others have you destroying stuff in a certain time limit. Most missions are not difficult, but maneuvering the vehicles can be tricky, even though the controls are simple. Sometimes you may find yourseld backed into a corner, and getting out can be a pain.
BC uses over a dozen vehicles throughout the game. Each vehicle is unique in what it can do. The bulldozer simply rams objects with its front; Backlash (a dump truck) swerves around to demolish buildings with its armored rear; Skyfall (car) can boost into the air to ram objects; the motorcycle can shoot missiles; there's even a giant robot which does somersaults to destroy stuff. The different vehicles certainly give the game good variety. They all control the same too: A to accelerate, B to reverse, and R is the action button.
BC has a lot of replay value as each carrier mission actually has four things you can do: First, clear the path for the carrier. Secondly, activate all the RDUS units and destroy all the buildings. Thirdly, find all six scientists to ensure a controlled detonation. Fourthly, Time Attack can be unlocked by getting gold on all the levels. So BC is a game that completionists will love. Of course, this is a Rare game, and we all know that Rare was very big on the whole "get the silver medallions, then gold medallions" thing. But BC doesn't overdo it in this area.
Some missions have multiple vehicles sitting around. By pressing Z, your guy will get out of the vehicle so he can go into another one. This gives the game even more variety! Certain missions take more skill than others, such as the Backlash levels, which requires precise movements to ram buildings with the back of the truck. I actually found these missions to be the most difficult, but not frustrating or unfair. BC is, well, a blast to play. Smashing stuff is fun!
The game has some voice acting, and it's decent. Luckily, it's not long or overbearing, just your teammates talking to you at the beginning and end of each mission. "Good luck." "You're just trying to impress me." There's not much more than that, so it's not a problem. Remember, this was 1997, so voice acting was impressive in video games.
While the voice acting is okay, the music is great. The tunes vary quite a bit from mission to mission, some being intense and hardcore, with others more light-hearted, like one song that has a hillbilly flare to it. Overall, the soundtrack is done very well, having some of the coolest songs you'll hear on the N64.
I want one of these!
Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended
There really is nothing out there like Blast Corps, a game focused solely on destroying stuff. Even 17 years after its release, it's still unique and a blast to play. Completionists will find satisfaction in getting gold on all the levels so they can unlock a whole new mode, and everyone else will find joy in simply destroying stuff. The only major gripe I have with it is that it's not multiplayer; how awesome would it be to compete against friends in seeing who can destroy everything the fastest? But aside from that, BC is a great game; every N64 owner should play this game. You won't regret it.
No RGotW next week because of Thanksgiving, but I'll have a RETROspective for you this week, so stay tuned.
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