Blasto
Developer(s)Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Producer(s)Jonathan Beard
David Poe
Designer(s)Jonathan Beard
Programmer(s)Dylan Cuthbert
Writer(s)Jonathan Beard
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Tobey
Matt Wickline
Composer(s)Chuck Doud
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: April 16, 1998[1]
  • EU: August 1, 1998
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Blasto is a third-person shooter platform game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America[2] and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation in 1998. Phil Hartman voiced Captain Blasto, an extremely muscular, alien-fighting, dimwitted captain.

Gameplay

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The game is a third-person action/platformer/shooter. The enemies are aliens that teleport in around the player based on events that are triggered as the player explores the environment. The game has a strong platforming factor, with elements such as rotating 3D sections which have to be navigated while shooting at aliens. Puzzle elements tend to be limited to simple "find the switch to proceed" scenarios. However, some of the elements within the game require the player to utilize different weaponry in certain situations in order to advance to the next area. Blasto is one of the few PlayStation games to use both control sticks. The left stick offers better movement control than the D-Pad and the right stick can be used to adjust the player's aim.

Plot

After returning from the 5th dimension, the diabolical alien tyrant named Bosc is bent on conquering Uranus and attempts to invade and destroy Earth as well. He is seeking to reign supreme over the solar system which includes his army capturing and enslaving Space Babes throughout the galaxy. Thus, Captain Blasto is the only hero who can foil him and his evil ambitions and set out to rescue the stranded Space Babes. Blasto is the only type of hero who does not mind catching Space Babes in distress.

Development and release

Though it was not announced until the June 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Blasto had been secretly in development since 1995.[3]

Wanting the game to be free of load times, the development team made the game stream constantly off the CD.[4][5] This made it impossible to use Red Book audio, so the music had to be done in MIDI format.[4]

None of the PlayStation's graphics libraries were used for the game, with the developers instead using custom tools and low-level programming to bring models built in Alias directly into the game.[4] Another custom tool enabled the designers to track which parts of the game world were most heavily trafficked by playtesters, so that they could tweak level design to either redirect players towards specific areas or move important elements from widely ignored areas to more heavily trafficked ones.[4]

Instead of texture mapping, vertex lighting was used to give color and definition to the floors. Because vertex lighting is a time-consuming process for artists, Sony gave the Blasto team carte blanche in taking artists from other teams to get the project completed on time.[4]

Producer and designer Jonathan Beard stated that the game's protagonist Captain Blasto was conceived as a parody of heroes such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers but with a comedic amount of overconfidence. Lead artist Ben Harrison described the character as an amalgamation of Duck Dodgers, Powdered Toast Man, and Dirty Harry.[5] Actor and comedian Phil Hartman provided the voice for the game's eponymous hero.[6][7] While developing the character, Beard claimed the team had Hartman in mind while coming up with his voice.[5] Hartman stated he spent six hours recording all of the protagonist's possible dialogue during a single-day session.[8]

Initially announced for a late 1997 release, Blasto was later pushed back to the first quarter of 1998. Sony did not provide a specific reason for the delay.[9]

The game also had a Japanese release planned as advertised via a promo video included on Dengeki PlayStation D14 under the name Captain Blasto (キャプテンブラスト, Kyaputen Burasuto), but was cancelled for unknown reasons.

In the version of the title released in PAL regions, the original episode (level) 3 was removed due to space limitations, since the PAL version included a number of languages.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[10] Next Generation said of the game, "In the end, despite all the problems, this isn't the worst game ever released for PlayStation, but it doesn't hold a candle to the best, or even the mediocre."[19]

References

  1. ^ GameSpot staff (April 16, 1998). "New Release Update [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 21, 1999. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "News Bits". GamePro. No. 106. IDG. July 1997. p. 21.
  3. ^ "Gaming Gossip". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 95. Ziff Davis. June 1997. p. 26.
  4. ^ a b c d e "NG Alphas: Blasto". Next Generation. No. 31. Imagine Media. July 1997. pp. 56–60.
  5. ^ a b c Sony staff (1997). "The Making of Blasto". PlayStation Underground. Vol. 1, no. 3. Sony Computer Entertainment.
  6. ^ IGN staff (June 10, 1997). "I'm Captain Blasto". IGN. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  7. ^ The Rookie (May 1998). "Sneak Previews: Blasto". GamePro. No. 116. IDG. p. 56.
  8. ^ Las Vegas Sun staff (May 28, 2022). "Phil Hartman interviewed in LV two weeks before death". Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun Media Group. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "Blasto Pushed to Early '98". GamePro. No. 111. IDG. December 1997. p. 28.
  10. ^ a b "Blasto for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  11. ^ Romero, Joshua. "Blasto - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  12. ^ Edge staff (June 1998). "Blasto". Edge. No. 59. Future Publishing. p. 96. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  13. ^ EGM staff (June 1998). "Blasto". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 107. Ziff Davis.
  14. ^ McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (May 1998). "Blasto". Game Informer. No. 59. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on September 21, 1999. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Air Hendrix (June 1998). "Blasto Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. No. 117. IDG. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  16. ^ Clint (April 1998). "Blasto Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 13, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  17. ^ Fielder, Joe (April 14, 1998). "Blasto Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  18. ^ IGN staff (April 14, 1998). "Blasto". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Blasto". Next Generation. No. 42. Imagine Media. June 1998. p. 135. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "Blasto". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 9. Ziff Davis. June 1998.
  21. ^ Walk, Gary Eng (May 22, 1998). "Blasto". Entertainment Weekly. No. 433. Time Inc. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

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