Blasto (video game)
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| Developer(s) | Sony Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment America |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
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| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Blasto is a third-person shooter game developed by Sony Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the Sony PlayStation in 1998. Although heavily marketed the game proved too difficult for many gamers. "There’s a good game here – it’s just simply hidden under many layers of frustration." [1] The late Phil Hartman had voiced Captain Blasto, an extremely muscular, alien-fighting, dimwitted captain who’s always in the mood for a babe from any solar system most specifically in the Planet Uranus.
Gameplay
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.
Plot
After returning from the 5th dimension, the diabolical alien tyrant named Bosc is bent on conquering the Planet Uranus with his own army and attempts to invade and destroy Earth as well. He is seeking to reign supreme for his power of the solar system that includes his alien army capturing and enslaving the 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 along the way. Blasto is also the only type of hero who doesn't mind catching Space Babes in distress every now and then, especially when it comes to exploring and venturing across through the Planet Uranus!
Reception
The reception from critics was mixed, though audiences responded to the game warmly. Although not very well received, the reviews have mentioned that the game is worth playing for Phil Hartman's voice acting alone. Blasto would also mark one of Hartman's last projects. The game was released less than two months before his death.