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 turn our attention to the PSP mini, Blimp: The Flying Adventures.
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Developer: Craneballs Studios
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1
Previously released on iPhone/iPod Touch, Blimp: The Flying Adventures plonks players in the shoes of Captain Zed Pelin (geddit?), a former war hero who now cuts a living working for a merchant air transport firm. Blimp’s premise is decidedly simple: fly across the planet of Solbot, hovering up valuable cargo and transporting passengers to their desired destination. Bish bash bosh. Three difficulty settings are up for grabs (Easy, Medium and Hard), each one distinguishable by how much time and/or lives are offered.
Those of you looking for a more lenient approach to the proceedings will want to plump for Easy mode, which removes the perennial ticking of the clock thus letting you take as long as you want to complete each level. Meanwhile, Medium and Hard mode up the ante by offering a time limit, with the latter slashing your overall health by half. Throughout your journey you’ll come across various pick-ups to facilitate your flight, such as boost packs for health, time and ammunition.
You’ll need them too, as you’ll come across a myriad of hazards such as enemy blimps, tanks, turrets as well as numerous environmental-based threats that seek to impede your progress. Stages themselves are a varied bunch, ranging from toxic waste grounds to a chilly Antarctic-esque locale, and there’s plenty of them too – 20 to be exact. Aside from your bread-and-butter objectives of gathering cargo and dropping off passengers, you’ll also be able to gobble up gems to increase your points.
Unsurprisingly, this is also tied to Blimp’s lasting appeal, with the game encouraging you to have another pop at each stage in order to better your performance and net the highest score possible.
Tune in again tomorrow as we once again have a nose around Inside PlayStation Network.