Blast Corps
Nintendo 64
Nostalgia Factor:
Most people nowadays have forgotten all about Blast Corps, but when I was a kid this game was a big deal. It was an early release for the Nintendo 64, and I remember being completely blown away by the wide open areas, the hidden secrets, and the amazing explosions and visual effects.
I never actually purchased this game, but I liked it so much that I ended up renting it from Blockbuster Video twice. Both times I would end up getting stuck on the exact same mission - Oyster Harbor. Little did I know at the time that I was very, very close to beating the game. But I just couldn't figure this mission out.
Decades would pass before I would give Blast Corps another shot. It came out in 1997 and here I am in 2023 finally coming back to it in order to complete some unfinished business. It might have taken me 26 years, but I was going to beat this game once and for all.
Story:
This game has an absolutely ridiculous storyline, but for one reason or another it still works. A nuclear tanker has gone out of control. If it hits anything it will detonate, likely killing millions of people in the process. It's your goal as a member of the Blast Corps to clear the way for the tanker so it can continue its slow roll forward. You have to demolish buildings, knock down street signs, and pretty much destroy any obstacles that may get in this tanker's way. If it hits even one little thing: boom. You failed.
And that's pretty much the whole game. Don't expect any more depth than that. It's basically Speed meets Rampage - except you are destroying buildings with vehicles instead of giant monsters.
After you've cleared the way to the test site, you then have to collect six missing scientists who can assist with the safe detonation of the tanker. In a very typical Rare twist, you have to revisit old levels to find these missing scientists. After you have done so, the tanker arrives at its destination and is safely detonated. Phew!
But wait! Before the Blast Corps can relax, a few bonus missions involving outer space become available to you. Really, this game is bonkers - and I'm 100% here for it.
Gameplay:
The concept of each stage is very simple: destroy everything in the path of the tanker before it has the chance to collide with any objects. If the tanker hits anything, it explodes and you have to start the stage over again. There are no lives in this game, so you can keep retrying each stage an infinite number of times before you pass it. The game is also non-linear, meaning you can select most stages to play through in any order you'd like. So if you are struggling with one stage, you can exit out, pick another stage, and come back to the one you were struggling with later.
There are a variety of vehicles you use as you make your way throughout the game. Each has its own unique function and control set. The bulldozer is very straightforward: just run into whatever you want to demolish. In the occasion you come across a building that can't be knocked down, you can use the bulldozer to push bombs into it to take it down. There's also a dump truck that you can use to swing into buildings to knock them down, but controlling this thing can be a major hassle. I understand the concept of swinging your caboose into things, but it can be very hard to pull off. Some levels it works great, while other levels the thing just won't skid at all. It just turns where you want it to turn. The lack of consistency drove me nuts as I was playing this!
Hmm... what else is there? There is a motorcycle-looking thing that fires missiles. There is a robot that rolls into buildings. A flying robot that comes crashing down onto buildings. There's a yellow truck that smashes powerful beams out from both of its sides. You can even control things like trains, boats, police cars, cranes, and race cars to get you to and fro.
While the concept of Blast Corps seems straightforward, the game is filled with lots of nuance. You can't just go around smashing things with no strategy. Using the terrain comes in handy. You can drive over hills and ramps to go flying into the air, which allows you to take down buildings more effectively. The game also has you switching vehicles in the middle of the mission quite often. You may start off in the dump truck, but you might reach an area where you have to hop onto a train and ride it for a little while to get to the next area. Exit the train and hop into a bulldozer to finish the level. The game progressively gets harder and harder as you go. You really have to get creative trying to find ways through some of these missions. It almost becomes more of a puzzle game than anything else. I got stuck quite often playing through this, because I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do next. But I didn't mind this at all. Look at how repetitive a game like Rampage can be. This game benefits greatly from the strategy aspect. It gives things a lot of life and longevity.
This game is also filled with bonuses and collectibles. You get bonus points for rescuing civilians. There are hidden satellites you can activate periodically throughout the game. There are little light-up pods on the ground that act as collectibles when you drive over them. While everything seems straightforward at first, I had a blast (pun intended) coming back to some of these levels and mopping up everything I left behind. As I mentioned earlier, the game makes you revisit some old stages to rescue scientists to help you successfully detonate the tanker. I loved these stages, as the game really flexes its creative muscles with its puzzles and environments. A stage may look like a simple farm field your first time through it, but coming back to revisit it, you'll notice just a TON of hidden stuff you didn't see before.
I came into this game expecting to only mildly enjoy it from the memories I have of it as a kid. Turns out it exceeded all my expectations quite easily. This is a surprisingly deep and fun game, and it has definitely jumped into my top ten Nintendo 64 titles after this playthrough.
Graphics:
This game was a visual masterpiece when it first came out. While it definitely shows its age nowadays with its slowdown, choppiness, ugly pixels, and muddy textures, I forgive it for that. The world of the game is so fun, bright, and creative. Things may look simple on the surface but when you really dive into this game, you can't help but be impressed by its depth.
Explosions and special effects still look really good. I like the small little details like the shiny textures of the robot vehicles you can command. This game definitely looks and feels like a Nintendo 64 game, but in the very best possible way.
Sound:
I just love this game's music. It's classic Rare at its finest. You hear everything from honky-tonk country themes, similar to what you hear in Banjo-Kazooie, to music that sounds like it is inspired by Goldeneye (although this came out first). Everything is fast, upbeat, and super catchy. Really gets you in the mood to wreck some shit.
I like the little snippets of voice acting, too. I really looked forward to hearing "you're just trying to impress me" at the end of each successful mission. It males everything worth it.
Overall:
This game has no business being this good. I picked it up with the expectation that I'd like it, but it wouldn't be anything special in the long run. There's a reason it has been forgotten by so many people, right?
Well those people are STOOPID. You can even throw me into that category for ignoring this game's existence for the last 20 some years. This is a great game. It's nonstop fun from beginning to end. I had a blast completing the missions, discovering the secrets, and exploring everything this game has to show you. It's a surprisingly deep titles that you can play in a myriad of ways. Want to sit down and waste a whole day on this game? Go ahead. Want to play it in short bursts? A mission here, a mission there? That works too. In fact, that's how I played the majority of this game until I made it to the end. Then I dedicated a few hours straight to sit down and finish this thing off.
There's not much I can say about this game that is bad. Normally when a game pulls some nonsense on you and makes you replay old levels to find things you missed, it irritates me. Look at Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins or Jet Force Gemini, two games I didn't even bother to finish. With this game, I happily went back to comb through those old levels.
When I first sat down to write this review, I intended to give it a B something and call it a day. Now that I've actually sat down and reflected on the game, it is so much better than that. The fact that this game has been ignored for so long is practically a crime. If you have the means to play Blast Corps, go out and play it now.
THE GRADE:
A
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