Blue Estate (PS4) Review

They’re still making light gun games?

The first time I heard of Blue Estate was right before I started downloading the game to my PS4. From what I can gather, it is inspired by a graphic novel that I had never heard of before, but as I’ve said in many of my reviews, I’m willing to give anything the old college try. Come to find out, this is an on-rails shooter.

Using their trusty DualShock 4 controller, players will move a reticule on the screen just by tilting the controller. The triggers are used for shooting and reloading, and the touch screen is utilized to interact with certain things on-screen. These actions can be swiping up to brush hair back, or pushing a door open.

The man with the golden gun.

Platforms: PS4
MSRP: $20
Price I’d pay: $10
Length: 3-4 hours

The game features a colorful cast. Tony Luciano is a wise-guy type that always has something smart to say after firing off a few “warning headshots.” It’s a dark comedy kind of tale that offers up pop culture references along with some decent 4th wall breaking. Of course, some of these jokes hit their mark while others will make eyes roll a bit. Comedy is a difficult thing to master. But there is a mob boss that looks a lot like an even shorter version of Kim Jong-il. Oh, and he runs a strip club that Tony eloquently fills full of bullets.

Light gun game minus the light gun part.

It’s difficult to talk about a light gun game in detail; practically everyone knows what to expect when talking about one of these games, but there are a few things Blue Estate does with the DualShock 4 that spice things up a bit. The interactive elements using the touch pad are pretty interesting, and the game eventually introduces even more mechanics to it during combat. The shooting feels fine, but it can get hectic, and there are only a handful of sections that allow players to take cover. Having quick reflexes is needed to get everything down. There are also slow-down power ups that can help out in a pinch, as well as powerful side weapons like a shotgun or AK-47 that require ammo to use, while the standard Desert Eagle has unlimited ammo.

One very impressive thing is the on-the-fly recalibration that is implemented. At any time, the player can hit L1 to re-center the reticule. This comes in handy because the game will decide to lose calibration every so often, and if it wasn’t here, it would be a chore to play.

Never bring a knife to a gun fight.

Visually, it looks decent. It’s not going to blow anyone’s socks off, but it does have a nice art style to it. It has a very colorful look while still being heavily violent. It works well with the comedic tone of the overall story.

Short and expensive.

The big thing is, it’s not a very long game. The entire thing can be played locally with two players, but it will still only last about four hours. Mix that with the rather high price point of $20 and it can be a hard pill to swallow.

Blue Estate is not a bad game, and some of the things it does using the DualShock 4 are interesting, but for all intents and purposes it’s a light gun game that will last players a short time, and it’s a rather expensive one at that. I would recommend it, but at a nice sales price.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Decent shooting
  • Instant re-calibration
  • Some decent jokes
Bad
  • High price point
  • Rather short
  • Re-calibration is a must
6.5
Decent
Written by
Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.