Carrier

"The best non-franchise survival horror for the Dreamcast..."

Playing CARRIER to write this review over three years since it's original release, makes the game feel like one massive cliche. After experiencing RUN LIKE HELL, MARTIAN GOTHIC UNIFICATION, THE THING and especially EXTERMINATION before getting round to completing this, I must admit that it felt pretty hackneyed, so to speak. But the fact of the matter is that Jaleco's survival horror attempt was one of the originators of the alien infestation scenario. Certainly not the first, but at the time the story still should've felt fresh. The game itself boasts an interesting and involving storyline where as much like the original RESIDENT EVIL, you are part of a small group working together in a dark and desolate situation...

In the year 2023, Earth is in the midst of a vicious war between the new rulers of the planet, The Northern Countries and a group of terrorists from the South that are appropriately titled, 'The Southern Cross Terrorist organisation'. You are Jack Ingles, a member of the military rescue team SPARC, which has been dispatched to investigate the sudden radio silence of a battle ship named The Heimedel that was last tracked afloat in the South Pacific. Jack volunteered for the mission because his brother Robert was aboard the boat when it left to destroy the home base of the terrorists. When you arrive of course, there are various beasties including the now essential zombie infestation that are waiting aimlessly to bite huge chunks out of you; and it's your job to figure out how they got there and how to get rid of them. Chuck in a few exemplary puzzles, some wooden voice acting and the typical amount of impressive CG sequences and you've pretty much got a decent-ish recipe for a diverting gaming experience.

Graphically, the game shines in places. The characters and the monsters are satisfying enough, although the futuristic locations don't quite create the same eerie atmosphere as the old mansions or haunted hospitals that we've already been treated to in the past do so successfully. You're given quite an impressive array of weapons and just about enough ammo, although health drinks are often scarce, which provides a real challenge for you to avoid the getting grappled by the hordes of of various mutants that get tougher as the game progresses. Along with the guns, Jack also comes equipped with a decent scanner that puts you in a first person perspective and tells you the difference between friends and foes and even helps to locate objects that are needed to fulfil your quest. At the end of each stage you'll battle bosses that range from pretty simple to outright tough-nuts and they'll pop up at unsuspecting intervals throughout. Although the game's not massive, there's plenty to do and once you've finished the first part, you get to play through again as Jack's colleague Jessifer and it's fresh and different from the first outing. The controls are simple enough to anyone that's already played a similar title before and the maps are easily understandable and prove to be quite useful. The gameplay flows generally well and you wont waste too much time getting stuck in those awkward 'what do I do now' situations that can often ruin an otherwise decent game.

Sadly, CARRIER isn't without it's share of minor flaws. Firstly, there seemed to be far too many glitches throughout the game; and in some places the collision detection was noticeably poor. Fixed camera angles and survival horror go together like cheese and onion, but on rare occasions, it seemed as if we were getting the worst possible view of the action and it was, at times a struggle to see the enemies that were directly in front of us. Although you have the eye scanner that is supposedly meant for those situations, after pressing B it takes a short while to get into focus and only too often it's just long enough for a zombie to seriously drain your health. Also, the music that could have created a much spookier atmosphere is far too underused and leaves you in complete silence for too long. Certainly a bad move for a 'hooror' game. The targeting system only seems to work 75% of the time, meaning that every now and then you'll be firing at an enemy and not hitting him. However these moments are few and far between and even RESIDENT EVIL suffers from the same problems, so generally the combat works pretty well. The extreme lack of any really brain teasing puzzles is a bit of a disappointment to fans, it's more a case of object retrieval and use. The hero of the mission, Jack, is completely charisma free and holds none of the magic that the Redfields, Jill Valentine or for that matter even Harry Mason possessed, which probably meant that this was never going to become a franchise. A fact proved recently when Jaleco canned the work for the PS2 sequel midway through production.

Still, those gripes aside, fans of survival horror will surely relish in this attempt at a rival for the kings of the genre. It certainly includes everything that's grown so popular over the years and will keep you hooked until the game's completion. The plus points easily outweigh the negatives and if you stick at it, you're bound to find some satisfying moments throughout, that will reward your persistence. It's a real shame that CARRIER couldn't have showed a little more flair and originality instead of sticking so close to it's obvious inspirations. But still, it is without a doubt the best non franchise horror game available for the Dreamcast and although games like THE RING and BLUE STINGER don't make that sound like much of a compliment, actually it is...

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/03