Release Date	Publisher	Developer	Download Size
23/3/2007	Sony	Bluepoint Games	94MB
Offline Players	Online players	Price	Anticipation
1	None	$TBA

Blast Factor runs at 1080p.	Time to start blasting.

You loose...

While we wait for the Playstation 3 to be released in Europe and Australia one of the big positives which seems to be coming out of Japan and America is the potential of Sony's Store for the system. Not only can you download game demos, movie and game trailers and additional content but also entire games. Unlike Microsoft's setup which limits developers to only 50Mb per title Sony aren't seeming to set limits with some titles well over 500Mb (one such title is Namco's Tekken: Dark Resurrection which hits over 800Mb!). This is a much smaller title, but no less impressive.

With more then a passing resemblance to a certain Geometry Wars on the XBox, Blast Factor is described as a physics based action game which takes players into a fierce microbiological arena to guide a nano-machine and eliminate viral swarms. Proceed from specimen to specimen, waging microscopic war against an array of deadly viruses. By tilting left and right on the Sixaxis controller, gamers can create tidal waves to propel enemies across the screen. Being a downloadable title the developers at Bluepoint Games are also making use of the PS3's connectivity to include Global Online Rankings.

For such a small download, graphics rock!

The developers have built in Self Adjusting Difficulty so as you play better, the game moves you to the next level with a higher difficulty setting. If it gets too tough the game will automatically ease the difficulty in the next level. There has also been talk that the developers would be including a 2-player mode at some stage, but nothing has been confirmed, and it may not make it into the European/Australian release.

Graphics in the game run at full 1080p (yet another showcase for Sony - and yes Microsoft 1080p is definitely possible) and look simply astounding. The effects and explosions have a wonderful effect to them with more then a passing resemblance to the gorgeous PS2 launch title Fantavision - although obviously even better given the much more powerful hardware. Time will tell if Blast Factor really is an essential purchase (or should that be download), but we certainly feel that a low price point should make this a game well worth checking out. Expect this to be a launch title on March 23rd.