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Review - Blade Force

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:31 am
by T2KFreeker
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!

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:44 am
by UnholyTancred
Wow I'm surprised you actually enjoyed this game. When I first popped it in, I was really surprised for the graphics. Fantastic looking. However, I didn't know what the hell to do. The tutorial didn't help me out at all and for the first level I was flying around randomly for 30 minutes shooting whatever was shooting at me. I didn't know where to go and I didn't know what to do. I tried restarting the mission but once again I was clueless. Eventually I got bored and didn't even bother trying to play it.

I might give it another go eventually but not any time soon.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:51 am
by T2KFreeker
UnholyTancred wrote:Wow I'm surprised you actually enjoyed this game. When I first popped it in, I was really surprised for the graphics. Fantastic looking. However, I didn't know what the hell to do. The tutorial didn't help me out at all and for the first level I was flying around randomly for 30 minutes shooting whatever was shooting at me. I didn't know where to go and I didn't know what to do. I tried restarting the mission but once again I was clueless. Eventually I got bored and didn't even bother trying to play it.

I might give it another go eventually but not any time soon.
Hmm, don't know what to say, I love this game and am just really good at it for some damn reason too. Mind you, I have not played it in a couple of weeks as I am on an AD&D Slayer Binge right now, but yeah, I really enjoy the game alot.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:31 am
by Trev
I'd love to post a 2nd opinion review of this title. What do you think? What other titles have you reviewed? Maybe we could coordinate and fill up the review section quicker. Anyway, glad to see someone else posting reviews. :)

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:25 am
by T2KFreeker
I'll have to check my reviews again. I know I roasted DOOM for sure. Still the most pathetic version of the game, especially when you can say that the SNES version was better! :roll:

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:29 am
by UnholyTancred
DOOM was terrible. I posted a review of it on Gamefaqs several months back giving it a 1 out of 10. The only good thing about it was the remixed music.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:34 am
by Trev
Well, what else did Art Data do for 3DO? Rise of the Robots. That tells you something. Oh, and I think Rise is the better game.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:40 am
by T2KFreeker
Trev wrote:Well, what else did Art Data do for 3DO? Rise of the Robots. That tells you something. Oh, and I think Rise is the better game.
Can't completely blame Art Data there as Rise Of The Robots was already a bad game as it is. Nothing was going to save that terrible game.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:43 am
by UnholyTancred
I never played Rise of the Robots but I played the sequel on the Saturn.

*shudders*

Uh... horrible.

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 6:45 pm
by maclic
This is a great game. I shows what the 3do is (was) able to do when the programers put the heart on it. I wonder what could the 3do do when used at its limits.

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 8:19 pm
by pitsunami
Great review for a GREAT game. Keep them coming :D

Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 1:45 am
by nocturne
no post here for a year

Well i only just discovered this game even though ive owned it for years.

I agree with the review, this is an awesome game and also explains why i was awake til 2am. really well done, seems to be a 3do original.

Anyway, great review

Re: Review - Blade Force

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:37 am
by Anonymous
T2KFreeker wrote: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.

I really enjoyed the Blade Force review.

Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 10:43 am
by Austin
This game always kicks my arse.. I don't think I have ever made it farther than stage three. :(

It really is impressive, though--Other than the stretching/skewing of the textures, it's visually on par with most PlayStation games, for sure (At least the early ones). If only the 3DO was around just a little bit longer.. :cry:

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:00 am
by shaneandriu
Game is like flying a helicopter, and he reacts well. You lean to one side, the screen goes with you, and at the end things are going crazy at the screw. .. Blade Force with different power-ups and disorders, each with different effects on weapons and character.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:55 am
by 3DOKid
Shane has been banned. Somthing funny going on there.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:42 am
by Vance
And I thought I was ban-happy. Being stupid is only a crime in my living room, and apparently this forum.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:52 am
by Austin
I was going to say, I thought the guy was just posting honest opinions, albeit with very, very broken English.. Ah well, I'm not the mod, who am I to talk? ;)

[insert 3DOexperience ban image here]

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:14 am
by 3DOKid
I think he was spamming his way into our affections.

They post any old semi-related pap, then hit you with a link to viagra.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:18 am
by Vance
What this forum needs is a BANNED usergroup. It's easy to drop people into it and lets other members see the status. We just lumped everybody in with a profile picture of the Goombah from the SMB movie.

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:00 am
by stienreys
You lean on one side, the display with you, and eventually things are going crazy is a screw. .. Blade Force and the effects of different diseases, each of which has a different impact on arms and character.I agree with the amendment, this is an awesome game and also explains why I was awake till2am. really well done, it seems that the original 3DO.

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 2:13 am
by Austin
Um, 3DOKid? Am I seeing a trend here? :roll:

Re: Review - Blade Force

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 9:27 pm
by Julz
Thread is dead for 9 years, but I actively looked for the Blade Force review to remind everyone that this is the single most over rated game on the 3DO. (Or it might be on par with Captain Quazar...but I feel like the latter did not get as much hype)

Not that it's bad, but it's clearly a frustrating game with a couple flaws that can't be ignored.

Re: Review - Blade Force

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:28 am
by pmerrill
Agreed. It sucks. There was so much hype I couldn’t wait to play it, and was underwhelmed to say the least.

Re: Review - Blade Force

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:14 pm
by a31chris
Next Gen considered this one of the best gaming experiences of the era. Yeah I found it frustrating
Perhaps overrated. Gonna fire it up again.

Re: Review - Blade Force

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 4:07 am
by Austin
I'd be surprised if Next Gen actually made it anywhere in the game. I have revisited this game probably more than any other 3DO title in hopes that it will finally "click" with me. It fails to do so every time.

It is very impressive for the console and it has held up fairly well visually for the era. The gameplay at its core isn't all that bad either, it's the less refined elements that bring the whole experience down.

I still maintain that the map system is poor and level progression is far too obtuse to be any fun. I think some of my frustration with it would have been mitigated if there was no fuel system in place. If I could fly around freely without the risk of running out of gas, then the exploration of the gigantic, confusing maps would be much more tolerable.

I should probably check to see if there is an infinite fuel cheat. I generally avoid cheating in games (or at least, I like to beat them legitimately at least once before I experiment with codes), but maybe I should make an exception for this one.