The Underrated Rare Video Game That Was Actually One Of Their Best
Rare's accolades are many when it comes to the development studio's work on the Nintendo 64.
It seemed like Rare had the Midas touch whenever it came time to provide the N64 with a GOAT-tier game. On the fighting game front, it released the definitive edition of its 3D brawler with Killer Instinct Gold. It revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles and shocked the world with an amazing game based on a licensed property with Goldeneye 007. And it blessed fans of platformers with genre stalwarts such as Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie and Donkey Kong 64.
Gamers who are old enough to remember the glory days of Nintendo and Rare's budding relationship remember all of those previously mentioned titles. But what about some of Rare's lesser-known N64 releases? They deserve just as much praise as its premier titles and are probably only remembered by the most dedicated of Rare's fans.
One of the development studio's games that fall into that category is a little-known demolition simulator that mixes in elements of action and puzzles. This is Blast Corps.
Blast Corps is a fun action/puzzle hybrid that's all about destroying everything in your path
Rare's Blast Corps landed on the N64 in 1997.
Players look down on their destructible play spaces (of which there were 57) from a top-down perspective. Eight vehicles are at everyone's disposal and are relied upon to take down all sorts of structures as players are tasked with clearing the path for an incoming nuclear missile carrier. There's a lot of fun to be had, as you can actively switch between each vehicle during gameplay and figure out which one of them is best utilized during certain situations. For example, the robot had the ability to go airborne and smash buildings underneath its heavy frame.
The puzzle portion of Blast Corps rears its head when players have to use machinery to solve a myriad of environmental brain teasers. Besides crushing everything there is in front and beside you, players also have to take on additional objectives from time to time. Those tasks usually entail transporting timed explosives and bridging gaps.
The best version of Blast Corps can be experienced on the Rare Replay compilation, which is available on Xbox One.