This has been a difficult review to write. Every time I start with a standard review it feels like I’m doing the game a disservice. This game doesn’t take itself seriously, it’s not a “jokey” type of game, but there’s a lot of fun going on. And it’s tough. Rail shooters present their own specific gameplay challenges and Blue Estate seems to relish in them.
Based on a comic of the same name, Blue Estate is a sort of prequel (from what I understand, I haven’t read the comics). You don’t need to know what happens in the comics, because I didn’t and I still enjoyed the heck out of the game. And in a way the story is almost, well, I don’t want to say superfluous, but it is so crazy you can’t help but be sucked into it but on another level one could simply “point and shoot” and have a crazy fun time.
What I want to say is “Just buy the game already.” Seriously, it’s ridiculously fun. And challenging. The problem is that doesn’t make for a semi-professional review. I am supposed to talk about how the game works, at least some sort of mini-paragraph about what a rail shooter is if you don’t know what it is (think House Of The Dead). I should also discuss how the PS4 controller works with the game. There are times when players will need to interact with the game via the motion pad on the controller, which took some getting used to as it’s new on the PlayStation 4 and I have a hard enough time playing games as it is. Sure it was tough but after a few days I kind of got the hang of it.
And the co-op. I wish I had a friend to play with. The one I could play with is busy and this is the type of game I can’t play except when nobody else is in the house (when my friend works). It’s a very “grown up” game. Bad language, sexual innuendo… wait, it’s not innuendo if it’s explicit…
Oh, the plot? Something about a hapless private investigator getting caught between two rival gangsters and stripper. There are no good guys.
I guess my one real complaint about the game was the lack in variety of weapons. There aren’t a lot to pick up in the game making the range of weapons used rather small. It’s not a big problem, but it’s there.
Blue Estate isn’t trying to do anything original. It’s an old arcade style arcade shooter that is ridiculous. It was meant to be ridiculous. Offensive? Probably. It is intentional. Fun? Yeah. Frustrating? Yup. Worth playing? You bet.