|
Review
Game Type: Ball and Paddle
Basically a 3D version of 2D Breakout. You control a paddle which can
only move left and right. You use this paddle to strike a ball which is
bouncing around the screen, reflecting it back up to break the blocks at
the top and keeping it away from the pit at the bottom.
The ball can be made to jump into the air at any time by pressing the jump
button, allowing it to go over walls, land on top of bricks, etc.
Gameplay: 30/100
Blockids borrows a lot from Arkanoid but manages to miss all the
features that made its predecessor so playable. Each character has one
powerup they access when their power meter fills, and some of these
abilities aren't accessible in the powerup capsules that drop down the
screen, severely limiting the variety of powerups you can use at any given
time. No enemies appear during the stages, so the only thing moving
onscreen is the ball. There's no laser powerup for the paddle, which I
sorely miss from Arkanoid (there is, however, a powerup that makes your
ball plow through any wall in its path, which is fun). Perhaps worst of
all, there's no way to put english on the ball; it can only be reflected
at one of two angles. Blockids will appeal to you only if you still find
the 2600 Breakout exciting. At least it supports the mouse and Namco's
paddle controller.
Graphics: 70/100
At least there's a fair amount of eye candy. The playfield is done
entirely in polygons, and you can switch between several perspectives on
the fly. Each stage has its own prerendered background, each of which is
very colorful, and its own layout of bricks, most of which are simple 3D
sculptures. You can choose to play as any of 6 kawaii characters, and they
and an opponent react to your progress a-la any of the various battle
puzzle games. My only gripe here is that the graphics on the playfield
itself never change, and the skull pattern gets old real fast.
Sound: 70/100
Fairly decent. There's not a lot to listen to during the game, just
the ping-ping of the ball (which is kinda pleasant). The music is
techno-esque and moderately good (but decidedly not swap-friendly).
Overall: 30/100
If only there were a way to put english on the ball! Blockids might
have gotten a much higher rating from me if there were. As it is the game
puts me to sleep, and I can't see anyone wanting to play through all the
countless stages. I hear American Sammy will be releasing this title over
here, so if you're a Breakout fanatic you might want to rent it. I
definitely cannot recommend this title for import, though, especially
since it seems to crash a lot if you use the swap method.
|
