Blue Stinger
Score: 100% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Activision Developer: Activision Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure
Graphics & Sound: This Dreamcast treasure really shows what the system is capable of. The transition from the intro FMV to the actual gameplay (and future FMV's as well) is seamless and really quite impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. Well, except for the fact that your character is just standing there, waiting for you to move him. That's a big hint. The worlds are incredibly expansive and very well done. I found myself just gawking at the areas, especially once I entered Lab Town. It's Christmas time and Christmas music is playing and everything is decorated for the holidays. And the characters. My, my, they sure look good. The characters are nicely detailed and very smooth. The creatures you battle are rather interesting. There is always something disturbing about an enemy that seems to attack you with more vigor AFTER its head has been shot off. Oh joy. The voice acting is slightly cheesy, but nowhere near the level of say, Resident Evil. I actually found it to be enjoyable. The sound effects are very good and create quite an immersive environment for the player.
Gameplay: Here's where Blue Stinger excels. It's got gameplay and loads of it. I am a huge fan of the 3rd Person genre, myself, and I was hooked on Blue Stinger from the get-go. You begin the game as Eliot Ballade, member of the ESER team (aren't they all members of one team or another?), only he's on his Christmas vacation, boating off of an island that undergoes some strange transformation involving a meteor and a big blue dome that envelops the entire island. He soon meets up with Dogs Bower, the captain of a local ship, who becomes another playable character. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, and you can switch between the two as needed. Nice touch. Also, every time you kill an enemy, coins fly out from the body. Ok, so it's not very realistic, but hey, it's money in the bank. Literally. The money can be used at vending machines throughout the island to purchase more ammo, better guns, food and even t-shirts. I like the concept. The levels are very expansive and intricate and I really liked the attention to detail given in their design. There are areas that appear to be straight-forward, but if you don't explore every little part, you miss something integral. A reward for the explorers among us. There are many puzzles to solve - some intricate, some simple. Oh, and for anyone who ran in fear from Pen Pen TriIcelon, the Pens are back. They make their appearance as a mini-game of sorts. You'll see. As far as I'm concerned, if you own a Dreamcast and even remotely enjoy 3rd Person games, buy Blue Stinger now. No, don't even finish reading, just go buy it NOW!
Difficulty: The difficulty level is about what you would expect. Starts off pretty easy and goes on up from there. As long as you use careful planning, you can do well in Blue Stinger. You'll encounter places where you essentially need to do a good deed and save someone's life. Don't just let those people die. You are rewarded with far more than a good feeling in your heart for helping them out. They hook you up with mad weapons and ammo! It does make your mission harder, but it's well worth it.
Game Mechanics: Pretty basic stuff here. Eliot and Dogs can shoot, punch, climb up onto things to explore, and most importantly, use key cards! There are a number of cool weapons you can acquire, but they do not come easily. As I said earlier, you have to either purchase them from vending machines or do some deed where you are essentially rewarded with a weapon. Either way, it's a nice feature. You'll interact with a number of other survivors on the island, namely a security chick named Janine King, who incidentally, Eliot has the hots for. She'll communicate with you via a transmittal device and in the beginning stages, you'll be prompted to hit the Start button to activate it. You'll also frequently run into a creature named Nephilim, who just sort of floats about and makes you slightly uncomfortable. You'll see. There are also downloadable maps positioned in various locations, but I really didn't find them too helpful. When switching between characters or equipping another weapon or item, just hit the Select button. Everything is listed out in separate menus. It seems a bit much to go through, but the management system is well-thought out and easy to use. One beef I had with Blue Stinger was this. I know that the Dreamcast has an internal clock and therefore capable of doing what I am about to suggest. I think it would have been pretty sweet to have the surroundings in Lab Town change depending on the holiday. At the time of this review, it was Christmas time, but it would have been cooler for the environment and decorations to change to reflect either a different holiday or none at all. In fact, I thought the programmers had done just this when I entered Lab Town and heard the Christmas music. But then I tinkered with the clock and changed the settings and it was still Christmas music. : ( But this is minor and in no way detracts from the game. And truly, I can't even penalize Activision's programmers for not exceeding my expectations in that regard, because they certainly exceeded every other expectation and then some. All in all, Activision's first venture into the Dreamcast market is a stellar one. 3rd Person fans, don't miss this one.
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins
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