Side-scrollers are a rare find on most of the major consoles these days, and finding a side-scrolling shooter is even harder. It's this reason alone that makes Majesco's new game BlowOut that much more unique. By combining all the thrills of a sci-fi action movie with the intuitive gameplay of a side-scrolling action game in the vein of Contra, BlowOut looks to be a game that gamers won't soon forget.
Featuring artwork by Yasushi Nirasawa, whose works include movies like Men in Black, as well as games like Soul Calibur, BlowOut thrusts players into the role of Major John 'Dutch' Cane, the leader of a mercenary commando platoon fighting against some of the Earth's deadliest foes. After a U.S. Marine Special Forces headquarters is overrun by a vicious race of aliens known as Xenomorphs, a major hole is punched in the operational defense structure. As Dutch, players must use specialized sensor equipment and tons of firepower to locate and destroy the alien threat before they make it to the station's control center and invade colonized space. As they progress through the game's 18 levels, they'll be able to recover ammo and new weapons from secret stashes and dead soldiers. They will also have access to multiple firearms, such as the 7.68mm minigun, chainsaw, 20mm pump-action shotgun, plasma rifle, and machine gun. Players will also have the ability to utilize slave drones to inflict or absorb damage, as well as collect modifiers to power-up their weapons or increase their physical attributes.
In order to expand the game's appeal and replay value, BlowOut will also feature a level editor which will allow gamers to create their own personal gaming experience. The integrated and easy-to-use editor will give players the power to not only create their own levels, but they will also be able to share them with the game's online community. Majesco is counting on the Online community to be a key factor of the game, and as such they will open a dedicated BlowOut web site through which players can share created levels or download new levels from the developers.
Look for BlowOut sometime next fall.
