Blake Stone: Planet Strike

Roughly one year after the release of Aliens of Gold, Planet Strike offers players a new campaign as Blake Stone in his stalwart mission against the nefarious Dr. Goldfire. However, except for a single new weapon, scanning device, and auto-mapping system, JAM Productions created what is more or less an expansion for Aliens of Gold. The gunplay is identical to it's predecessor, the game is full of reused assets, and it still has all the faults of the first game. Projectiles get caught on the environment regularly, rendering certain enemies impotent, the silenced pistol is still largely unnecessary, and there are still far too many resources in each level, making Planet Strike a bit of a disappointment.

Let's start with the new: the anti-plasma gun introduced in this game is a wildly powerful firearm, but I found it to be a double-edged sword. Actually, I found it to be a double-edged sword with a hilt that is also a double-edged sword, and a guard that is two miniature double-edged swords poking out at both sides. Like the projectile attacks of the various mutants Agent Stone faces, the output of the anti-plasma cannon will catch on the geometry of the level often, and I found myself open to some intense splash damage. Not only that, but even if one manages to avoid killing themselves with this deadly weapon, they'll find it to be far too powerful for the enemies they will face. Outside of the few bosses in the game, there aren't any enemies one might consider to be a 'bullet sponge', so the plasma launcher from the first game ends up being a better choice. Not only is it safer, but it chews through energy at a slower rate than its sleek competitor.

The auto-mapping system is a tremendous small addition to the game that puts most of the other shooters of this era to shame. It doesn't overlay on the screen, or obstruct the view of the action in the slightest, and the scanning device that accompanies it is great. If the player zooms in once, all enemies are revealed in range of the player, regardless of whether or not they are cloaked or disguised as an inanimate object. If the player zooms in a second time, all secrets are revealed, although this does burn through the scanners battery quickly. This feature practically eliminates the time one spends in other shooters from this period sliding against all the walls, hammering on the Space Bar to find hidden passages.

Planet Strike is filled with reused assets from the first installment of the franchise: enemies, guns, tile sets, and sound effects. It looks, feels, sounds, and plays exactly like the first game. That in itself isn't a bad thing; Aliens of Gold is a fun game, but it's frustrating that more wasn't created for the sequel. Of the new enemies available, most are actually just scaled down versions of the bosses, or re-skinned versions of enemies from the first game . Among the new foes the player has to contend with, only the final boss behaves and attacks in a new and unique way. The biggest disappointment about Planet Strike, however, is the antagonist.

In Aliens of Gold, the occasional ambush by Dr. Goldfire made for some tight situations. His appearances were random, in both location, and the time in between attacks. This persistent threat that I enjoyed so much in the previous game has been almost entirely absent during my time with Planet Strike. Throughout the course of the game I ran into the good doctor on two occasions; one of them being a scripted boss battle. I'm unsure whether my other encounter was random at all, or if it was also a scripted event. It's possible that his attacks are the same as the previous game and I just had an unusual experience, but if that is not the case, the game is much worse for it.

If anyone has ever wondered why Blake Stone never had a third game, Planet Strike is a pretty solid reason why. It's an enjoyable experience on its own, but if one has played Aliens of Gold, this title feels very much like a level pack for the first game. From the multitudes of reused assets, to the reduced level count, all while maintaining the flaws of the original game, Planet Strike feels like a half step. To call it an iterative sequel would feel disingenuous, as it barely feels like a sequel. If the idea of more Blake Stone excites, then one should dive in, but more than likely anyone who has played Aliens of Gold has had their fill of Blake Stone.