BlowOut E3 2003 Preshow Report

At E3, Majesco will be showing off BlowOut, a side-scrolling shooter in development at Kaos Kontrol, a studio based in Nice, France. The game recreates classic arcade-style 2D gameplay in a 3D engine. You'll clear out plenty of target rich environments, as you play Major John "Dutch" Cane, the marine commander on a mission to destroy a swarm of aliens that have taken over a space station. Majesco has high hopes for BlowOut's creature design, which is being created by Yasushi Nirasawa, who has designed demonic creatures for games and movies, including Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

BlowOut's gameplay is designed to be easy to pick up yet full of intense action. Major Cane has quite an arsenal at hand: a 7.68mm General Electric minigun, a 75-pound industrial chainsaw, a 20mm pump-action shotgun, an 8-meter flamethrower, a plasma rifle, a machine gun, and an 8-inch nailgun. Expect not only hordes of nasty-looking aliens to blow up, but also environmental obstacles, like base defenses and walls.

BlowOut has an extremely dark, gritty look. The shadowy contrast is dramatic and the hellish creatures can hide in the dark. The game will span 18 levels and there's a built-in level editor. The editor can edit levels on the fly, which would make it easy to cheat around difficult sections of the game. Majesco has the Xbox and PC versions of BlowOut are scheduled for release in October.