Here is my any percent speedrun for the N64 game "Blast Corps".

Before I go into detail, I should mention that I live in Europe (Germany) and so I played the PAL game which is slower than the NTSC version (you know, like Mario Kart 64 or so).

My goal in this run was to reach the credits as fast as possible. So I only complete the main levels plus a few bonus levels that are needed to reach these main levels.

The individual level runs on SDA are all better than the times in my run, not only because of the PAL disadvantage. In a new game you have to destroy all buildings and then exit the level via the transporter. You also can't make turbo starts at the beginning of a level. Later, when you replay all levels for a gold/platinum medal, you can do turbo starts and the level automatically ends after destroying the last bulding. So my times aren't really comparable with the individual level runs.

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- The Run -

After entering your name, the game starts in Simian Acres. When you complete it, you get a few new levels. If you complete these levels, you will get even more new levels. The game divides all levels into three classes: easy, medium and main (hard) levels. In six levels you also have to find a hidden scientist. Only when you find all of them, you can see the credits. I will now post a list with all levels in order as I completed them:

1. Simian Acres: An easy first level. But the explanations nerve after doing the run the 5th or 6th time.

2. Backlash: This level seems to be easy, because there are only three buildings. But it's hard as hell, at least when you try to do it fast.

3. J-Bomb: I needed 2-3 attempts to destroy the left side of the first big house. The rest was great.

4. Sideswipe: Usually I miss a block in the second row. But this time I only missed the second to last block. So a good run.

5. Carrick Point: Instantly move to the right at the start. I had runs where I hit the Nuclear Transporter, because I didn't react fast enough.

6. Havoc District: I think I had runs where I directly switched from the Turbo Buggy to the J-Bomb and the "how to switch"-message wasn't shown. So you could save 1-2 seconds here.

7. Argent Towers: This level can't be done faster. Just clear the path for the Nuclear Transporter and then drive back to a stone, that you have to push forward. Then leave the Backlash and go down the stairs. Move the TNT to the small door in the wall. Now you can go through the hole and enter a train. Drive forward until you reach the Ballista. Then drive back to the stone, that you pushed forward. Enter the hole again, but now you can run through the tunnel instead of driving with the train. After a few meters you find a hidden passage. There you can use a Police Car to drive to the first scientist. Now try to go back to exit the level. You won't be able to do it, because the Nuclear Transporter will reach his ending point first and then the level automatically ends. So it's impossible to clear the level and rescue the scientist and still exit the level by yourself. So you can't win or loose time in this level.

8. Blackridge Works: Short and easy level.

   --Easy levels complete--

9. Thunderfist: These small crates are annoying.

10. Cromlech Court: You sometimes get stuck in the buildings. But this was ok.

11. Ironstone Mine: Again a level where you can't loose time. Destroy the buildings as usual and then rescue the prof. I'm relatively sure, that you can't make it back to the transporter. So the level ends, when the Nuclear Transporter reaches his goal.

12. Ebony Coast: You can't clear the level and find the scientist in one run. That's probably only possible when you play on NTSC version with Z-trick. So I had to play this level two times. Z-trick users could get the J-Bomb at the beginning, find the scientist and destroy the last 3 buildings. I had to do both things seperately.

13. Outland Farm: Hmm, not much to say. Ok run.

14. Skyfall: That I missed the last building was stupid.

15. Shuttle Gully: I miss some parts of the buildings and have to turn around to destroy them.

16. Tempest City: I use a save strat, where I collect enough ammo. I need the ammo anyway to rescue the scientist.

17. Beeton Tracks: You only destroy two buildings, the rest is driving the train or running around on foot.

18. Echo Marches: This level is a bit different from the individual level runs, because you have to build two 'bridges' for the Nuclear Transporter.

    --Medium levels complete--

19. Ember Hamlet: I use the Cyclone Suit, but it's sometimes hard to control, because it just goes straight. The end was not so good.

20. Angel City: Long, frustrating Backlash level. It's extremely hard to get a good run on this level, and this time it's no exception.

21. Oyster Harbour: A long and boring level. At the beginning I don't shoot the crates. It would save 3 seconds at best. But if you miss the crates, you easily loose more than 3 seconds. So I just made it save. The TNT part at the end could be done much faster with the Z-trick. I think you could also get the scientist in the same run as you clear the level on NTSC (with Z-Trick). I have to replay the level on PAL to rescue the scientist.

22. Diamond Sands: Many people see this level as the hardest one (or Oyster Harbour), me too. And that's why it's probably my worst level. I think 20-30 seconds could be saved here on a good run.

23. Obsidian Mile: Again this hard to controlling Cyclone Suit. If I hadn't missed a small part of the last house, this level would still be good. But so it's only average.

24. Crystal Rift: The beginning was ok and for the end I used the Ram Dozer, because it's easier to destroy the buildings with it. So no big mistakes.

25. Glory Crossing: The houses stand really close to each other, so there is not much room for manoevers. And I missed some parts, so I had to destroy them by just driving against them. However, the scientist is not hard to find.

--Main levels complete & all 6 scientists rescued--

Well, the credits appear and the run might be done. But then you receive a message, that you aren't done. You have to destroy buildings, so that a plane can land on the runway.

Extra 1 - Shuttle Clear: I included this level, because there is no real point when the credits stopped. They directly go over into this level. This level is a timed one, so the mission ends when the plane lands, not when you destroyed the last building. After it's done, a new extra level appears.

Extra 2 - Moon: You leave planet earth. Now your gravity is lower than on the normal levels. So you jump higher and farther. But I couldn't really use this as an advantage for me, because I need way too much time on this level.

Now a new message appears, that says that the Blast Corps team can finally take their well-deserved holiday. I know that SDA isn't plot demo archive, but that's the first point where you can clearly say that the ending/credits are over. Else you would interrupt the game during a running level. Usually games automatically go back to the main menu or title screen after the credits. But in Blast Corps that first happens after the Moon level. So the end (including the last two levels) could be seen as a long credit.

---

I refered to the individual level runs on SDA a few times in my comments, so my thanks go to:

• Astra Piper & Brandon Sanford: their videos and strats helped me a lot.
• David Schiering & Paul Burgum: they both have a few PAL videos, that helped me.
• The SDA team for capturing & uploading the run.
• Everybody who watches the run. I hope you enjoy it.

Stefan Mahrla

There are 57 levels in the game. The goal of each level is to blow certain stuff up, except when it's to collect dots or drive in circles. But most of all, the game is about doing it fast. Depending on how quickly you complete a level, you can get a medal - Bronze, Silver, Gold, or the fabled Platinum.

Some time ago, I collected all the Platinums and attained the final rank, "You Can Stop Now." But I didn't want to stop... I kept playing, improving my times more and more, and eventually decided to record videos of my best. And so, these were created.

All the runs in these videos meet the Platinum time requirements. Many of them are quite a bit faster than Platinum. They're all fully legit; recorded from an actual N64. No cheats or glitches are used - not the well-known "Z-Trick", and not the lesser-known glitching through walls.

Note: These runs are from the NTSC version. The PAL version runs at 5/6 speed.

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Level Commentary
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These were written as soon as I finished each level, and are whatever I was thinking at the time.

--- Angel City - 54.1 (Platinum: 1:35) ---
This level is hard. Most of it goes well in this run, but I mess up a lot on the last building.

--- Argent Towers - 15.5 (Platinum: 0:28) ---
Like most backlash levels, this one has quite a bit of leeway in the Platinum time requirement. And, like most backlash levels, it's incredibly hard to take advantage of that leeway.

--- Baboon Catacomb - 40.5 (Platinum: 0:45) ---
This route is a real pain, because of one particular RDU that doesn't light up correctly, necessitating a weird skid-bounce later on to get it without going too far off the path.

--- Backlash - 7.2 (Platinum: 0:11) ---
You don't want to know how long it took me to get this time.

--- Beeton Tracks - 1:05.7 (Platinum: 1:15) ---
The prelude to Oyster Harbor... though it's not nearly as hard. All you Z-trick users don't know what you're missing.

--- Bison Ridge - 1:02.0 (Platinum: 1:07) ---
Yay for the Blast Corps physics engine! It may not be at all realistic, but it's sure fun!

--- Blackridge Works - 19.1 (Platinum: 0:23) ---
It's possible to go straight through buildings 4 and 5 without bouncing, but you have to be really lucky.

--- Carrick Point - 35.1 (Platinum: 0:36) ---
The Sideswipe is the most useless vehicle in the game. Fortunately, you don't have to do the level with it.

--- Cobalt Quarry - 35.5 (Platinum: 0:36) ---
There are a lot of racing levels in the game. They're not bad, but they're generally not as interesting as the other levels.

--- Cooter Creek - 24.9 (Platinum: 0:25) ---
The invisible walls bounding the trees are what give this level that special Blast Corps touch.

--- Corvine Bluff - 45.7 (Platinum: 0:46) ---
Finding the right path over the bumps is the key to getting an excellent time. Too bad I don't know what that path is.

--- Cromlech Court - 17.4 (Platinum: 0:22) ---
This level isn't too hard to get Platinum on, once you understand how the Thunderfist works. The trick is to know the times during a roll when you have enough power to destroy a building in one hit.

--- Crystal Rift - 48.4 (Platinum: 0:57) ---
Normally, the beginning of this level gives you a nice overlook of the canyon the carrier is driving through. But all the polygons slow down the game, and oddly enough, the timer does not slow down to match. So you reach the station a few seconds faster if you change the view. There's not much else to say about the level; it's pretty straightforward.

--- Dagger Pass - 36.2 (Platinum: 0:50) ---
Despite how it looks, this level really isn't very hard to get platinum on. If you can beat it at all, you shouldn't have a problem with it.

--- Dark Heartland - 36.5 (Platinum: 0:44) ---
Like Mica Park, but with less ammo. Even so, I find it to be the easier level of the two.

--- Diamond Sands - 1:38.8 (Platinum: 2:35) ---
Elegantly simple yet extremely challenging, Diamond Sands is one of the most beautiful levels in the game. This run is pretty messy - it could certainly be better, but it's the best I've managed so far.

--- Ebony Coast - 53.6 (Platinum: 1:12) ---
Take that, you stupid slow train! I push the last TNT crate in a bit of a zigzag, but not because I'm messing up - if I didn't push it that far back it wouldn't destroy the whole building.

--- Echo Marches - 37.3 (Platinum: 0:45) ---
This is the easiest Platinum in the game.

--- Ember Hamlet - 18.0 (Platinum: 0:40) ---
Cyclone Suit? What Cyclone Suit? I went a bit crazy at the end here, because I had four or five more missiles than I usually end up with.

--- Falchion Field - 19.7 (Platinum: 0:21) ---
It didn't take me very long to get this run. There's not much to perfect here, but there's still more time to spare than it seems at first glance.

--- Geode Square - 14.9 (Platinum: 0:20) ---
The first of the J-Bomb bonus level ring, and the only level in it that's not covered in stuff that'll kill you instantly if you touch it. That makes it a lot easier than the rest.

--- Gibbon's Gate - 1:12.1 (Platinum: 1:15) ---
I've never liked pacman. I didn't try to get very far beyond Platinum on this level.

--- Glander's Ranch - 1:29.0 (Platinum: 1:33) ---
Who is Glander? And why am I driving in circles around his ranch?

--- Glory Crossing - 28.9 (Platinum: 0:40) ---
I've always loved this level, even back when I sucked at it. The music, the name, coming across the bridge and driving into the town just before the Carrier gets there, trying to clear a path through that cramped tangle while further hindered by the high-traction grass - everything just fits together so well. This run is a little messy, but I don't make any major mistakes on it.

--- Havoc District - 21.4 (Platinum: 0:28) ---
I have nothing to say about this level.

--- Ironstone Mine - 41.3 (Platinum: 0:54) ---
This level is incredibly finicky. If the buildings don't like the way that you hit them, they don't fall over. You can see one of them grab my nose for a second at the beginning.

--- J-Bomb - 22.0 (Platinum: 0:30) ---
This time could be better. I fly too high on the 4th and 7th buildings... it's entirely possible to take them out in one hit from the side.

--- Jade Plateau - 1:10.1 (Platinum: 1:13) ---
Ugh. That turn coming off the second bridge is damn near impossible to make properly.

--- Kipling Plant - 10.3 (Platinum: 0:12) ---
I mess up before the 3rd gas tank, but still get a good time.

--- Lizard Island - 1:14.2 (Platinum: 1:30) ---
There's not much time to spare if you want to get to building #6 while it's in a good position.

--- Magma Peak - 52.5 (Platinum: 1:00) ---
There may be a better route, and you could save time by stomping more of the pillars. Even so, this time isn't too bad.

--- Marine Quarter - 34.9 (Platinum: 0:36) ---
Ph34r th3 uncontroll4bl3 Dr34m.

--- Mars - 1:04.2 (Platinum: 1:50) ---
Of all the levels in this game which make no sense, this level makes the least sense of all. But it's fun, so who cares about sense?

--- Mercury - 59.4 (Platinum: 1:10) ---
You want to know a secret? Never do this level with a ghost. Trust me.

--- Mica Park - 27.1 (Platinum: 0:30) ---
They could have given you a better camera for this level. At least you get plenty of ammo. I'm not very good at this level.

--- Moon - 1:49.7 (Platinum: 2:20) ---
Ah, the joys of low gty. As if the Backlash weren't hard enough to control in the first place.

--- Moraine Chase - 59.3 (Platinum: 1:01) ---
I love the level names in this game. "Moraine", "argent", "cromlech", "skerries"... so many cool words.

--- Morgan Hall - 24.7 (Platinum: 0:35) ---
Buildings explode when you push TNT into them. Some buildings also explode when you push TNT into another building thirty feet away. Some buildings won't explode unless you hit them directly, even if you set off a TNT crate two feet from them. The code behind the TNT crates must a sight to behold.

--- Neptune - 1:21.8 (Platinum: 1:28) ---
It's kinda strange that Neptune has low gty, but who am I to argue with the game designers? (Actually, there are a lot of strange things in this game...)

--- Obsidian Mile - 35.8 (Platinum: 0:55) ---
The Cyclone Suit is aptly named.

--- Orion Plaza - 26.9 (Platinum: 0:30) ---
This run kinda sucks, but Orion Plaza is annoying as all hell. Most levels with TNT crates are annoying, and this is the worst of them.

--- Outland Farm - 46.6 (Platinum: 1:00) ---
Hahaha, this one was a challenge both to figure out and to execute. It took me a while, but the time I got is worth it!

--- Oyster Harbor - 2:19.9 (Platinum: 2:55) ---
When you first reach it, this level is as hard to crack as an oyster. But once you're going for Platinum, it's a lot easier, since you don't have to worry about minor details like holes that'll send the Carrier plunging into the ocean. This run has a few moments where I lose a second or two to annoyances like unruly TNT, but overall it's pretty good. And no, I don't know how to drive the boats.

--- Saline Watch - 26.7 (Platinum: 0:45) ---
This is not nearly as easy as it looks.

--- Salvage Wharf - 34.2 (Platinum: 0:37) ---
All you have to do is drive through the middle of the stacks and not miss any boxes. But that doesn't mean it's easy. It's a shame the boat isn't worth enough to make using the Ballista a viable strategy.

--- Shuttle Clear - 47.5 (Platinum: 0:54) ---
This run shows yet another reason TNT crates are annoying. Not much else goes wrong, though, and it's hard to get this level done perfectly.

--- Shuttle Gully - 34.4 (Platinum: 0:44) ---
I'm not the greatest with the Skyfall... this run could be better.

--- Sideswipe - 10.9 (Platinum: 0:12) ---
It's not perfect, but the sideswipe is annoying, so it's good enough.

--- Silver Junction - 27.1 (Platinum: 0:30) ---
One of these days, I'm going to map out this level and find what the fastest path really is.

--- Simian Acres - 12.4 (Platinum: 0:14) ---
Go ahead, try to beat this time. I dare you.

--- Skerries - 1:31.7 (Platinum: 1:35) ---
Not a very hard level. I didn't spend much time on it. The only tricky part is coming out of the hidden tunnel the right way, so you don't skid wide.

--- Skyfall - 3.3 (Platinum: 0:04) ---
Short level.

--- Sleek Streets - 38.8 (Platinum: 0:40) ---
Don't skid too much coming out of the gully... don't get stuck between the tree and the wall... I pity the foo who can't get Platinum on this level.

--- Tempest City - 16.2 (Platinum: 0:27) ---
Now this is fun. I love the Ballista. None of the other vehicles can rampage quite so well.

--- Thunderfist - 12.4 (Platinum: 0:15) ---
Ye olde Thunderfist training level. Not very hard.

--- Twilight Foundry - 26.9 (Platinum: 0:29) ---
It can be hard to find a good path on this level. Fortunately, most of the RDUs play nice, except that one in the nook behind where you start. That one doesn't like to trigger unless you're right over it.

--- Venus - 1:38.7 (Platinum: 2:15) ---
More low-gty fun, with nothing but crates as far as the eye can see. Until I destroy them, that is.