Blade (video game)


Blade is an action game based on the 1998 film of the same name. It was developed by Hammerhead for the PlayStation in 2000, and by HAL Laboratory and Avit Inc. for the Game Boy Color. The game published by Activision, and follows the adventure of Blade with help of his mentor and friend Abraham Whistler. Reviews were mixed, with criticism of the graphics, camera, controls, voice acting, and that the game "failed to capture the spirit" of the movie.

Gameplay

The player takes control of the title character as he makes his way through various vampire-infested locations in order to defeat the vampire menace. Blade ventures through warehouses, sewers, museums, city streets, and nightclubs dispatching numerous types of enemies ranging from familiars, vampires, zombies, monsters, killer dogs, and other creatures of the night. To help Blade with his quest, he has a small arsenal of weapons to arm himself with courtesy of Whistler. Blade always has his trademark sword but can also use his fists as well as a variety of firearms including pistols, shotguns, and machine pistols. Each firearm has three different types of ammunition: standard, explosive, and silver, each with its own effect on different enemies. Blade is also equipped with a "multi-launcher" that can shoot all sorts of things to kill vampires, like silver glaives and UV grenades.

Reception

The PlayStation version of Blade received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. David Smith of IGN called it "Much too little much too late. There might have been a good game here once, but not anymore." Samuel Bass of Next Generation said, "With the actual film available on DVD for half the price, why waste your time with this inferior spin-off?"
The Gameboy version received more positive reviews. Marc Nix of IGN called it "Violent, visceral, bloody action on the Game Boy Color, just how you like it."