Gamers old enough to remember Sega’s Naomi arcade board will recall House of the Dead, a popular on-rail shooter that also appeared on the ill-fated Dreamcast console. Despite the popularity of House of the Dead, on-rail shooters eventually slipped into obscurity, as first-person shooters and their online multiplayer counterparts prevailed as the genre of choice.
Based on the comic book of the same name, Blue Estate by Focus Home Entertainment has the player assuming the role of Tony Luciano, the son of LA’s most notorious crime boss. As Tony, you must rescue the Smoking Barrel’s top grossing hooker, Cherry Pop, from the notorious Sik brothers. Along the way, the story switches perspective to Clarence, a washed up Navy Seal that is hired to clean up Tony’s mess.
Instead of using standard analog controls or a lightgun peripheral, Blue Estate relies on the DualShock 4’s gyro sensor technology to control Tony’s weapons. This provides a fairly competent, Wii-like experience, as you physically move the DualShock 4 controller in your hands to aim the on-screen crosshairs. This feature takes some getting used to, as the controls can feel a bit sluggish at times. But more importantly, the aiming mechanic tends to be flaky at the most inopportune of moments. For example, the crosshairs have a tendency of drifting off screen even when you have the DualShock controller centered. It’s possible to auto-center the crosshairs by pressing up on the directional pad, but it’s a nuisance that occurs almost as often as reloading your weapon.
While the aiming mechanic is questionable, the gesture system – which utilizes the DualSock 4’s touchpad – is near-perfect in its functionality. As you shoot your way through strip clubs, cemeteries and sewers, on-screen gesture indicators (i.e. arrows) similar to QTEs (Quick Time Events) will appear on screen. These gestures vary greatly based on the situation, but they can involve swiping left on the touchpad to elbow an enemy or swiping up repeatedly to clear obstacles such as cars and hedge stones, among others.
The gesture system isn’t without its comical moments. You are constantly swiping up on the touchpad to remove Tony’s hair from his eyes, as he complains about the lack of hair gel. But with character-based gestures aside, other important gestures include swiping in different directions to pick up extra ammo, weapons and health. As it stands, Blue Estate’s extensive use of the DualShock 4’s touchpad happens to be the most creative.
The gameplay is non-stop as you battle countless gun-wielding thugs. Since the odds are stacked against you from the start, Tony is equipped with a Dessert Eagle with unlimited ammo. A variety of weapons are available, but you’re only allowed to carry two at any given time. The shotgun is powerful with a fairly large spread, while the Uzi is better for enemies that wear armor. In later chapters, enemies will absorb more damage and head shots will require more than one bullet. Tony’s handgun is almost useless by the time you reach chapter 3, so learn how to conserve the ammo from your secondary weapons early on.
Blue Estate contains an alarming amount of content. Since obtaining a high score is half the experience, small statues that give point bonuses are scattered throughout every level. During The Twin Dragon chapter, cat statues are tucked away in corners, on railings and behind enemies. If you don’t pay close attention to your surroundings, you could easily miss one. Some point bonuses are not as obvious, and require the player to experiment.
Blue Estate would come highly recommended if it weren’t for the quirky aiming mechanics. The gameplay is solid when the controls work, and the online leader board gives the game a competitive edge. The game also benefits from plenty of replay value thanks to there being three difficulty levels. It’s just that the frustration factor sometimes overshadows what could have been a great game.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 4 (Available on PSN)
Developer: HE-SAW
Publisher: Focus Home Entertainment
ESRB: M (Mature)
Price: $19.99
Blue Estate’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Colorful arcade-like graphics that contain plenty of environmental debris and explosions. | |
| Sound | |
| Funny one-liners, profanity and a great sound track round out the overall experience | |
| Gameplay | |
| The game would be less frustrating if the aiming mechanic worked properly. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Blue Estate isn't a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination. If the developer could release a patch to address the aiming mechanic issue, Blue Estate would easily earn a 4-star review. | |
