Blade

The film wasn't that bad, was it? Usually a film starring Wesley Snipes has a nasty habit of stinking like a rotten egg (I must disagree! – Roy). For some strange reason however, Blade, which was originally based on a comic strip, turned out to be quite a nice surprise. In the film, Mr Snipes plays a guy who was born a vampire but, obviously not happy about this, wants to become mortal.

However, what he needs to become human is also the exact same thing all the nasty vampires want: blood! In a more than happy coincidence, this is also the same plot as the game. What follows is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up adventure that pits you against the very worst of the undead as you battle the forces of evil for your afterlife!

Razor Blade Smile

Apart from all that walking and punching you need to do (think Double Dragon if you want to draw a comparison), there are moments in Blade when there is a bit of diversity. An example of this would be when you're faced with a small shoot-'em-up section on Level One. Unfortunately, once you look past this variety, there's little else to recommend it. The graphics are large and colourful, sure, but they're nothing special. Possibly the worst thing about this game is the response time of Blade himself. Considering he's meant to be a super-fast hero, he's far too slow to react to your B-button hammering. This gives the opposition a slight edge and one that will make you bored with the game very quickly. This is just like most poor beat-'em-up titles and is only really an essential purchase if you are a fanatical fan of the film. But that would still be money badly spent! This is far from fang-tastic!

Blade is the one of four games based on Marvel Comics characters Activision is producing. In this action/adventure title Blade does what he does best--track and kill bloodthirsty vampires. If you're not familiar with the comic or the movie, the point is to rescue Whistler from the Vampire Overlords. Using his signature martial-arts moves and a bounty of weapons (projectile or otherwise), gamers have 21 levels to hunt vampire. Levels range from dark, sprawling sewers to the grand-daddy of them all--The House of Erebus. There are over 34 creatures to squash including the ultimate Night Beast. We haven't had a chance to play this title but it looks like standard 3D action fare in the style of Nightmare Creatures or Castlevania. Blade is being developed by HammerHead Ltd. for Activision and is due out this fall

Since our last look at this game Hammerhead has decided to tear it down and rebuild from scratch. We got a chance to check out the new version and it's looking good. Blade is a prequel to the movie of the same name (but don't expect to hear Mr. Snipes reprising his role). One of the cooler weapons in the game (besides that kick-ass sword) are UV grenades. What better way to kill a vampire than with a little ball of sunshine? Despite the overhaul, Activision's still aiming for a fall release.