Blue Stinger

Blue Stinger
Developer(s)	Climax Graphics
Publisher(s)	Sega (Japan) Activision (USA)
Platform(s)	Dreamcast
Genre(s)	Action Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single player

Blue Stinger is an action survival horror game released in 1999 for the Dreamcast game console. It was localized in North America by Activision.

It was released in North America nine days before the Dreamcast.

Story

Sixty-five million years ago, a meteorite crashes into the Yucatán Peninsula, subsequently wiping out the dinosaurs and paving the way for humans. Now, in 2000, an island emerges where the meteorite is thought to have landed, and is granted the name "Dinosaur Island." A biotech corporation then takes up shop on the island. In 2018, Eliot Ballade, an elite member of the ESER forces, is vacationing near Dinosaur Island when something falls from the sky and leaves the island sealed under a mysterious dome of energy. When a mysterious, ethereal being called Nephilim shows up to chase Ballade, he takes it upon himself to solve the enigma of Dinosaur Island.^[1]

Characters

• Eliot G. Ballade: The game's protagonist, an ESER member on vacation with his friend Tim. He quickly gets wrapped up in the events around Dinosaur Island once his ship (and Tim) get trapped in the energy dome around the island. Voiced by Ryan Drummond.

• Dogs Bowser: Eliot's teammate, Captain of an HMS Sienna. A long time resident of Dinosaur Island who has his share of friends and rivals there. Dogs' design is based (loosely) on Resident Evil's Barry Burton. Voiced by Deem Bristow

• Janine King: A member of KISS, Kimra's security team; both a genius in computers and shooting. Some things remain a mystery about her, but strangely enough, she seems to know a lot about Dogs. Voiced by Lani Minella.

• 'Nephilim': An alien creature that often observes Eliot and Dogs' progress. Although taking the shape of a fictional goddess from a fictional series, Nephilm has no distinct original shape.

Gameplay

Blue Stinger does offer some features unique to its genre. The environments are entirely 3D, something that, at the time, was a rarity. With the US release, the game camera was changed to something more analogous to Tomb Raider.^[2] The North American port of the game removed the original cinematic style camera system, instead using a fixed, behind-the-player third-person view, such as that of Tomb Raider. This revamped camera style was met with both critical acclaim and criticism. Some argued that the change took away from the dramatic tension for which the Japanese version had become famous. However, others celebrated the new camera style as a feature that gave the game an edge over survival horror games that utilized fixed angles, such as Resident Evil. The triumphant action score that accompanies every area does little to build the suspense typical of the genre though and despite the game's gruesome art design, slain enemies sprinkle the area with gold coins.

Players healed themselves in real-time using food and drinks bought from vending machines, forcing players to heal only when it was safe. Combat consisted of purchasing weapons and ammunition in the same manner and the technology of each weapon was very high; players could afford swords, rocket launchers, Napalm launchers and triple-barrelled shotguns. Players could access melee or fire arms in the player's inventory with the press of a trigger and each weapon was exclusive to the character they played as: Eliot started out with a pistol while Dogs started out with a crossbow.

References

1. ^ ^ Bartholow, Peter. Blue Stinger review for DreamCast at GameSpot. GameSpot. Accessed July 17, 2005.

External links

• Blue Stinger at MobyGames
• Blue Stinger at Game Rankings
• Blue Stinger at GameFAQs