Blue Stinger

"Not the Best Survival Horror the Dreamcast has to Offer, but Its In the Top 3!"

Blue Stinger is one of those love hate games, however when I purchased it in October, I was actually quite excited about it. After playing through and beating it this past week, I must say that it was one of the most enjoyable games I have ever had the privilege to play through. Some sequences just had me with a big smile on my face, even if there were tough enemies that I had to face. As always, game play will start us off.

Game play: 8/10

This is a quirky game, but after about fifteen minutes of playing it, you will realise that this game is very similar to other Survival Horror titles in terms of the life bar system, the weapons, and the, "death screen," In Blue Stinger, you can choose from 2 different characters to play through, Eliot, the main protagonist who has more of an emphasis on movement and accessibility, and Dogs, who has a shady back story, and whose emphasis in on weapons and ability to take damage. Traversing Dinosaur Island is not as difficult as other Survival Horror titles in that while there are just as many enemies, all are either slow moving, or all are not too difficult to defeat (in comparison to Resident Evil Code: Veronica for example). This game is just as much fun though as the aforementioned title, in that it has more side tasks that are not frustrating in the slightest. The one gripe that I never had, but it can be a bit of a nuisance at times, is the jerky camera. I will admit though that I completely screwed up one of the first tasks due to the camera, however it did not affect the game in any way, nor did it affect my experience in any way, thus it is not important. The story though, is.

Story: 9/10

65 million years ago, a gigantic meteorite hits the earth around the Gulf of Mexico, and it instantly destroys all life on planet Earth, and at the same time, creates an island. Fast forward to the year 2018, and the island is now a brimming city, also home to a massive research facility on the study of, well, dinosaurs. Eliot Balade is on a boat just off the coast of the island, when another meteorite lands on the island, and creates a blue dome, that seals off the outside world. Eliot is baffled, and then a mysterious blue creature (known as Nephilim) appears to him, and she seems to want Eliot to follow her, and as Eliot swims for Dinosaur Island, the rest of the story unfolds... as do graphics.

Graphics: 8/10

No question about it, Blue Stinger has excellent graphics, however Blue Stinger is not among the Dreamcast's best graphics. The graphics have a more anime feel to them compared to other games, and this can be seen in Eliot's look. Each character looks unique, though the enemies all look the same with slight variations in the colour of their clothing. Dinosaur island looks great, though it is not very detailed. Water animations look fantastic, and the lighting effects are very good, especially for a game of its time. Sounds are just as good.

Sounds: 9/10

Is the voice acting really that bad? No, its actually middle of pack: not too bad, not too good. The real area of sounds that gets big ups is the music. Such fantastic, epic music that reminds one quite a bit of Richard Jacques' music. The tunes do not get out of your head, no matter how much you try! A notable example is the music in Labo Town. Especially since Christmas is right around the corner, this festive music gets you in such a cheery and good mood, it fits the game so well. Is this game a replay-able one though?

Replay ability: 5/10

This is where Blue Stinger falls a bit short. I completed the game in a little over 6 hours, and I did a lot of things out of the way (just for check up purposes, in case I missed something), thus the, "sage," Survival Horror gamer could easily beat the game in around 5 hours or so. There are no extra modes either nor are there any unlock-ables.

Buy or rent?

This is a game that most Dreamcast owners should own, its a very good and fun game. If you have a choice of renting it first though, it would be advised to do just that.

Blue Stinger is a very enjoyable and fun game, and I'm glad that I did decide to buy it after all, because it was some of the most fun I have had on the Dreamcast. Granted it is not the best game out of them all, but it comes close! "Janine... (hangs up). I guess she doesn't like you!"

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/08

Game Release: Blue Stinger (US, 08/31/99)