Carrier

"Bad plant! Bad!"

I guess when you think of evil or zombies the first thing that comes to mind is either a Resident Evil or Silent Hill game title. Well this is not Silent Hill and this is not Resident Evil, this is Carrier. Carrier is an old action horror title for the Sega Dreamcast that is often overlooked and/or unheard of. When it comes to fond gaming memories on the Dreamcast, this is one of the games I turn to and give a smile over. The funny thing is, that I had too one too many times just passed over this game with the thought that it was just “a cheap rip-off” but I couldn't have been more wrong. Luckily, one day I had a little extra money and purchased this game used for cheap, and it turned out as the best game I had bought that day.

Gameplay

The game does resemble it's more popular competitors in many ways. Carrier is a game fighting to survive against infected, plant-like zombie creatures, genetic enhancements, and other types of mutations. The setting as the title suggests (in a non-obvious way) takes place on a giant ship, also known as a carrier because of the large cargoes it takes in. From the moment you arrive on the ship with your comrades, things go seriously wrong. Separation occurs, death scenes are immediate and confusion is all just the beginning. As the struggle to stay alive continues you must use various items and weapons you acquire to get past the puzzles and advance farther in the game. Combat is a bit like that of many other horror titles but the controls are much more polished than that of Resident Evil.

8/10

Story

You and your comrades set out to land on a carrier ship as part of your mission. As soon as you arrive at the destination things go wrong, and you must survive the hellish environment by any means necessary, all while searching for the rest of your party, and discovering the truth behind what happened. Dealing with the mutations and happening upon scared/crazed crew members you start to get the lowdown on what's happening. By the end of the game you won't be green with envy you'll just be completely smothered in it. Extermination is your only choice.

8/10

Graphics and Sound

It's the Dreamcast, so what do you expect? Everything from characters to environments are beautiful. They might not stand up to the likes of powerhouses like the X-Box 360 in today's standards but in the time of the Dreamcast it was a pure joy to become engrossed in its game's vibrant beauty. Expect to be thrilled. The sound here is also equally great. You have your assortment of creepy and foreboding musical assortments throughout the game, and I find them more enjoyable than Silent Hill and Resident Evil's.

10/10

Playtime/Re-Playability

The game has its typical length for one in the horror genre. 10-15 hours seems reasonable enough, not to mention it has a bonus mode to play with another character adding an extension to the story and game play. The replay value is pretty moderate. I spent two plays on this game before wanting to move onto something more interesting.

8/10

Final Verdict

If you have a Dreamcast, purchase this title. Although, this is not the best horror title on this Sega system, that isn't enough to warrant an avoidance of purchase. Grab this along with some other Sega classics and relive the happiness of a once great civilization. RIP Dreamcast.

8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/06