Genre: Shooter
Developer: Studio 3DO
Publisher: Studio 3DO

The Saturn and Playstation have more raw CPU power to wield, but the 3DO's video subsystem is every bit as powerful as the two aforementioned consoles. There are a handful of games that prove this point, and BladeForce is perhaps the premier title of that bunch. Ultra high resolution textures, outstanding perspective correction, some nice explosion special effects, and beautiful FMV sequences between missions make this, perhaps, the game that shows off the 3DO's capabilities the most.

The soundtrack to BladeForce features a nice selection of melodic electric guitar tunes that fit the futuristic cyber-punk atmosphere of the game. The melodies are repetitive enough to give the gameplay some rhythm, but not enough to get annoying, and the fidelity of the recordings is excellent. The sound effects are fitting, though generic to say the least; they don't add any value to the game at all, and better sound effects definately could have been put into place.

The game allows you to move in any direction, including the ability to strafe, all while firing a primary gun or missiles. The levels are massive so exploration is a big part of the game, and it is in this exploration that a great deal of fun can be had. Unfortunately, while the futuristic "HeliPak" the protagonist wears is powerful, it apparently runs on AA batteries; the player's fuel drains so fast that it's more of a problem for survival than the enemies are. This sole flaw brings the gameplay score crashing down from a mid B all the way down to a low C.

It is really a shame that BladeForce doesn't include, at least, an option to play the game with unlimited fuel, because the gameplay is absolutely addicting and, when coupled with the great graphics, makes for a fairly remarkable title. What the game designers did was make a whole game that emphasizes exploration, and then inexplicably decided to discourage players from exploring by introducing a harsh fuel limitation dynamic. This contradiction of game design really takes what could have been an excellent shooter and makes it only average.