Blue Stinger

"The evolution of the arcade hack-&-slash has begun."

O.k., I admit, when I picked this one up, I expected a poorly ripped off form of Resident Evil, I was sorely mistaken!

Though, there is the obviouse impressions of the survival horror genre, there is a much larger base of old fassioned arcade stomping fun.(e.i. slaughter house, punisher, ect.)

First, the story. This is one of the areas, in which, I deducted points. You play a rescue team member who, coincidentally, happens to be on vacation dear an top security based island. The island is tossed into turmoil, puutiing you into the position of finding out what has happened to the island and it's inhabitants.

Now for the gameplay. The controls are quite smooth, giving you a very arcade feel, using the anolog stick and the ability to pick up money(a.k.a. points.) which in turn can be used to buy new weapons, health, and the like. while the view is tad bit on the touchy side.(another point deducter)

The sound is supurb, until you notice the terrible voice overs, and the shabby lip-syncing. Otherwise, I've seen no other flaws.

The graphics are smooth, as are expected with the new Dreamcast. The sigouys between gameplay and video sequences are smooth and consistant. Which brings me to my favorite part of the videogame universe, the fmv sequences are beautiful and fully rendered. The replay value is there also, although it doesn't give you the option of multiple ending sequences, it does give you the basic amount of secrets to be found and obtained.

While, I'll admit that blue Stinger is typically short,(as are most arcaders and survival games.) it is a unbelievable start to the Dreamcast library, and a must have for most old school and newcomers to the gaming world alike.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/17/99, Updated 12/17/99