Blast Factor
Advanced Research is the sequel to Blast Factor, a title that hit the
PlayStation Network back in 2006. If you think you have seen this title before,
you are right – Blast Factor is built on a legendary arcade premise in which you
are placed in the middle of a field, enemies spawn around you and you rotate
your vehicle, firing and destroying the enemy. Don’t let them touch you or you
are destroyed.
What sets this
title apart is the set-up notions, and that it is a PlayStation 3 title
available on the PlayStation Network.
SCEA, in
conjunction with the Santa Monica Studio and BluePoint, is behind Advanced
Research. The idea is that your ship, a Nanite Interceptor, has been dropped
into an infected specimen cell. It is your job to pilot your ship from cell to
cell, destroying the viruses that are the cause of the infection. You will
progress through several cells until you get to the nano core. That must be
destroyed in order to clear the specimen and move to the next stage of the game.
There are seven specimens in total.
The field you
play on is akin to a dish of various shapes, contained and apparently holding some sort of
liquid. That is where the SIXAXIS controller comes into play. If the viral
swarms touch your ship, you are destroyed. You can tilt the controller to
‘slosh’ the liquid around in the dish and carry the swarms away from you. You
also have a repulsor (triggered by R2 or L2) that emits a buffer to push the
viral swarms away from you. In total, there are six anti-viral weapons,
including a homing missile, a super repulsor and even an extra ship. You pilot
your ship by moving the left thumbstick; the right thumbstick aims and shoots.
Other features
include approximately 19 enemies of varying difficulty, three modes of play
(basic, advanced and hybrid), plus practice and high scores (and even a Blast
Factor store is accessible), three game speeds (normal, AT and 2xAT) and two
multiplayer modes – co-op and grudge that will allow up to four players to
compete.
Graphically
this game is a treat. The game juxtaposes bright missiles and explosions against
a dark blue backdrop and one set of enemies blow up and give you the impression
that you are detonating fireworks in an evening sky. The music has a futuristic
bent to it.
The game is one
of those that is easy to understand and play, but you have to have your game on,
see the whole field, anticipate intercepting trajectories of the enemy and fire
away to clear the stage. With the ability to up the difficulty ante, or increase
the game speed, this is a game that will challenge everyone.
Blast Factor
Advanced Research is a welcomed addition to the PlayStation Network and one of
those games that you can play for 10-15 minutes at a time, or invest an hour in.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The controls are
responsive and the game has a very small learning curve.
Graphics: 7.9
Bright explosions
and a nice contrast between the ship, enemies and explosions and the game
background. This game looks very good for tried-and-true arcade format.
Sound: 7.0
Futuristic score
with explosions and so on – much like the way Ricochet uses sound. It’s solid
but nothing to get excited about.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 6.5
While the game does
have some sparkly graphics, this is basically a premise that has been around for
a while.
Multiplayer: 7.5
You can play a
grudge match against another player or play a co-op mode. Simply plug in another
controller and you are set to go.
Overall: 7.4
Fast-paced reflexive
fun. This title does a good job graphically and has enough options to entertain
for a while.
