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Blast Corps

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This page details pre-release information and/or media for Blast Corps.

To do:

  • Compile and/or link all available video footage
  • Upload screenshots
  • Look for any Rare website info or interviews from development
  • Check 1.0/1.1 version differences in case they explain any noted differences here.

1995

Shoskinkai 95#

With the official unveiling of the Ultra 64, Rare's first game for the console was revealed as Blastdozer or sometimes Blast Dozer (depends on the publication) with a short video and little other information. Screenshots in magazines are mostly stills from the B-roll footage; the lack of press release images otherwise seems unusual, especially when it comes to Rare frequently releasing screenshots on their own website.

Edge Feb 1996

  • Game logo is made of gray/brown metal with divot holes.
  • The title screen demo plays as the old bulldozer vehicle rather than Backlash.
  • The HUD text is the same font in a shiny green color, rather than flat white text.
    • The earnings display in the upper right is visible during the intro/title sequence (set at $0).
  • All footage seems to take place on a single farm-themed map. Multiple levels in the final game use the farm objects, difficult to determine whether this matches one specific level in final.
    • Unused tractor (destroyable) object, textures exist in game. The tractor doesn't seem to have rendered correctly in the video.

Vehicles#

Scorpion#

Legs move like a real arachnid, and it can make fast turns. The stinger and pincers probably were going to have some crushing moves, but this has never been shown.

Bulldozer#

A generic-looking bulldozer that probably evolved into the final Ramdozer - slimmer, smaller, flimsier, and lemon-yellow instead of yellow-orange. The scoop part is more separated from the main body and has a greater range of motion.

Two-wheeler#

A vehicle with two huge tires and battering ram (or roller?) extensions in the front. Vaguely resembles a bigger Skyfall. The rams/rollers are red and the chassis is yellow.

Crusher#

A walking destroyer with a huge shiny metal arm that goes up and down to crush things. This vehicle is the only one of the four with a known name because it is the only one shown on the stats screen.

Vehicle Stats Screen#

There is a stats screen for the Crusher. The stats on the left half seem to be vehicle information, and the ones on the right relate to player achievements with that specific vehicle.

Crusher#

Left side

POWER: Good
TOP SPEED: 55 km/h
HANDLING: Fair
WEIGHT: 34000 kg
HEIGHT: 7m

Right side

OPERATED: 03
HITS: 57
RESCUE: 03
RDUS: 27
  • "Operated" is probably the total number of times the vehicle was used in levels. Levels only let the player use specific vehicles in the final, so this likely became moot.
  • "Hits" is probably number of buildings destroyed.
  • The "rescue" stat likely relates to the number of survivors freed as in the final.
  • RDUs were an intended feature this early in development; the missile carrier had not yet been mentioned or seen in 1996, but nuclear radiation theming nevertheless seems to have played a hand in gameplay features.

1996

Now renamed to Blast Corps in US/EU regions, although Blastdozer is still used frequently in some publications. The game has gotten an overhaul and the more outlandish vehicles are gone. The signature Blast Corps vehicles, in addition to new robots and mechs, have taken their place. Renders of vehicles and the scientist character start to be used in magazines.

June 1996#

  • Nintendo Power
    • No obvious differences...yet
    • page 37 says BC is being developed in the converted farmhouse building at Rare Ltd with SGI and Onyx workstations. (implied to be the Alias engine)
  • Club Nintendo June 1997
    • Hazard symbol in front of the arrow pointing to the missile carrier's next obstacle.
    • check the top-down view of the map.
    • Old missile carrier design with yellow and red decals.
    • Old logo design with blue text and white stars inside.
    • Map view does not have the R/Z control text on screen.
    • Ramdozer looks final.
    • Backlash still has the BD logo, but this is likely to be the English version.

July 96#

  • MANiAC
    • Wide shots of a map. Compare

Shoshinkai 96#

C & VG Jan 97

  • Same 4 screenshots from other publications.

August 1996 / E3 1996#

  • Nintendo Power August 1996
    • Same batch of screens, mentions that the June screens were taken in the Alias engine itself rather than ingame as they are here.
  • Total! Issue 56 covering E3 '96
    • different missile carrier design with yellow/black decals seen in multiple images
    • Hazard symbol present in front of the arrow pointing to the missile carrier
    • 2 maps shown off, one looks like the same farm type as usual, the other is a city stage.
  • GamePro
    • Wide shot of a level
    • Same shot of Thunderfist and the old missile carrier design
  • Club Nintendo, Sept. 1996
    • tiny odd-looking screenshot, see if can find a higher resolution one
    • found here

October#

  • Nintendo Power preview
    • Percent (of damage?) in lower right corner of the HUD with the unused green check mark that is still in the final game!!

November#

  • Nintendo Magazine System Nov. 1997
  • Really silly looking placeholder gold star on the promotion screen.
    • Final missile carrier.
    • The unused angry player face icon on the map screen, which has Twilight Foundry selected...?!
    • No more hazard symbol on the arrow? (is it only for red?)

1997

Late development. Changes at this point are mostly cosmetic or involve ease of use for the player.

January 1997#

Feb 1997#

  • Nintendo Magazine System reporting on Shoshinkai
  • Picture of BC being played at a Shoshinkai booth
  • Club Nintendo probably reporting from Shoshinkai 96.
    • Earlier logo design
    • map view does not have R/Z control text on screen
    • check controller pak icon on map menu
  • EGM
    • 2 screens, looks like ??? and farm level?

March 1997#

Celebrity Games Master Challenge#

Game show footage of the unused smiley face texture while using the train. Norgate supposes this is early 1997. The player face icon, which replaced the smiley face, originally was used on the map screen as seen above.

Unknown date

Game manual#

Again, the player's face is used on the map screen on either side of the level name, as seen before, but this time it is smiling. They may have replaced a sort of "happy/sad face" system with the red/green circle used to determine whether you've missed a bonus level, or the medal earned appearing in the level circle. The manual text makes no mention of the faces.

Nintendo debugging tapes#

Debug tape

  • timestamp 1: Backlash mission not finishing after all buildings demolished.
  • 2 @ 11:25: The player is standing facing the building by the cop car and donut shop in Beeton Tracks. says "PORKY'S" on the building. US 1.1 final game has "TORKY'S" with a very obvious "T". Could this have been censored for the "cops are pigs" implication, perhaps?
  • 3 @ ??:?? Game restarts upon exiting Backlash mission complete screen.
  • 4 @ 18:00 bug going out of bounds with bike.