Charge 'n' Blast - Dreamcast

Classic arcade games cover a wide variety of genres and cover a significantly large time span. So when a company produces a conversion of such a title, it is not known just how retro the arcade game will be. Xicat’s Charge ‘n’ Blast is the latest conversion to make it onto Dreamcast, and boasts more recent technological arcade advances, featuring lush 3D graphics.

After selecting one of three playable characters of the human variety, both male and female, you are thrown into a battlefield that resembles something from the movie Starship Troopers. Here, you will be confronted with literally hundreds of giant-sized insect-like creatures that possess some aggressive AI and abundant agility. The trick of the game is to avoid being hit by strafing, using the analogue triggers, and eliminate them as fast as possible. The game can only be played in the third person, which is actually beneficial to the player, since you are able to view the whole surrounding. This is a fortunate bonus when avoiding pre-emptive strikes from the enemy. The visuals are lush, yes, but given the game’s typical arcade nature, you have limited time, leaving little freedom to appreciate the environments you battle in. Fortunately, Charge ‘n’ Blast is no longer a coin-op machine, so you are free to take as many risks as you like, safe with the knowledge that you’re not burning a hole in your pocket.

Charge ‘n’ Blast is from the Sega team that brought you Sega Bass Fishing and House of the Dead. On these merits alone, this game is worth a look.
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