#11 : Blast Corps
What are you to do when a nuclear missile that’s being carried through the countryside becomes a runaway? Why, you destroy everything in it’s path of course! Rare’s twist on a puzzle game, Blast Corps has you do exactly that through it’s 57 levels. To prevent a massive disaster, you’ll need to clear a path so the missile doesn’t detonate early. Through the games levels, you’ll be using one of a number of vehicles that are all different except for one key thing : they are designed for destruction. No matter which set of wheels you’re powering, there’s going to be plenty of buildings to turn to dust.
The challenge from the game comes in two forms. First off, naturally, there’s a curve as you progress through the levels. They start off easy and get more difficult as you go on. It’s the other challenge that really makes this game fun. Each vehicle has a completely different way of destroying things, so there’s really no chance to get in a consistent rhythm. One truck just has to simply plow straight into buildings, while another can only destroy things if it’s drifting / sliding. There’s a tricycle that shoots missiles, a truck who’s sides slam outwards making it perfect for leveling parallel buildings, and even some giant robots that can punch, jump and slam.
This game caught me completely off guard with how much fun it was. Changing vehicles and making them have differing ways of destruction saves Blast Corps from becoming bland and repetitive, and that’s just what I was afraid of when I first started playing. The levels typically come with a time limit, but once you complete them you can go back and replay without any restrictions. Rare did an amazing job with this one, and it’s extremely easy to forget that there’s actually a point to all the destruction you’re causing. Definitely a blast of a game and well worth adding to any collection.
Grade : B+
Price : Loose ($9) CIB ($28) New ($80)
#12 : FIFA 64
In my mind, FIFA 64 is the first real sports title on the console, due to Gretzky and NBA Hangtime being more arcadey feeling. Showcasing that EA logo we’re all too familiar with on sports titles nowadays, surely this was going to be an amazing entry. Right? Not so much. To start off, it’s your basic sports title, so there’s really nothing to expand upon here. You’re given a wide amount of options for what to play (from a single match up to a full tournament and league or season mode), and even a short stack of controller options. Me not being a huge soccer fan to begin with, I decided to keep it easy with the controls, but even that couldn’t save this game. 
Once a match begins, everything looks great. The field is fairly detailed (considering the time period), with a fully animated stadium surrounding it. However, once the kickoff happens, this game tanks downhill bigtime. Before you even really press any buttons, this games biggest flaw is thrown right in your face : a slow, laggy framerate. Which is incredible, by the way, considering the game we just talked about above had no laggy issues with all of the hectic action it had going on. But that’s not it for FIFA. The controls themselves can be a bit sluggish too, and a change in players can take too long and you’ll miss an opportunity for a score or save. “Best” of all, the ball itself seems completely inconsistent and unrealistic, randomly deciding at points that it will just slow down it’s roll to a stop.
Again, I’m not a big soccer fan, but there are plenty of soccer games I have played and enjoyed. This, however, is not one of them. The only people I would recommend this game to are people like myself, going for a full set of Nintendo 64 games, or someone trying to collect every single FIFA title ever made. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, I promise this game will do absolutely nothing for you. Or…I don’t know, maybe a unique paperweight for your desk?
Grade : F
Price : Loose ($6) CIB ($15) New ($40)
Upcoming
As of right now, my streams are slowing down a bit. My wife and I are waiting for our daughter to be born, which could happen at literally any moment. So in regards to what I’m looking forward to on the stream, it’s still Mystical Ninja. For the next article though, we’re going first person. We’ll be talking about Turok : Dinosaur Hunter and Doom 64.
