The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we take a look at one of the first downloadable efforts to hit Sony’s PlayStation 3 – Blast Factor.
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Developer: Bluepoint Games
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1-4
Arriving alongside the launch of Sony’s black box back in November 2006, Blast Factor sees players hopping into the cockpit of a pint-sized craft as you attempt to rid cells of various infections. Guiding your craft is as simple as using the left analogue stick, while the right stick fires your primary weapon. The game also boasts SixAxis functionality, allowing you to shove the on-screen infections from one side of the screen to the other by tilting the control pad.
Blast Factor is broken down into specimens (aka levels), with each one packing in a total of eight cells to cleanse. Enemies come thick and fast, however, so you’ll be kept pretty busy eliminating threats as well as gobbling up various power-ups that pop up from time-to-time. These include the Multi-Shot and Homing Super to boost your attack capabilities, as well as the Super B.M.R to augment your existing Bio Magnetic Repulsor – a device that causes a time dilation effect and force field used to push repel incoming foes.
Typical of any blast-em-up, the game keeps track of a score as you go about your business of eradicating infections. Players can pull in some meaty numbers here by racking up combos via the ‘Blast Factor,’ namely the explosion caused by an enemy’s destruction. Any foe caught in the blast radius will be instantly dispatched, thus sending your score through stratosphere. Despite its simplicity, the game does a pretty admirably job of offering a decent challenge, keeping track of your performance and tweaking the difficult accordingly.
For example, if you make it through a stage in one piece without perishing and meeting the required time limit, don’t expect the next stage to be such a walk in the park. Conversely, if you end up brown bread and the clock runs out to boot, you’ll find the game will go a little easier on you next time around. There’s plenty of incentive to better your performance though, especially with the inclusion of post-release Trophy support. Multiplayer is also on offer –albeit in DLC form for the U.S. release – and offers local co-op for 2-4 players. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s also a competitive Grudge match up for grabs, in a last-man-standing-wins affair for 2-4 players.
Join us again tomorrow as we once again have a nose around Inside PlayStation Network.