GAMECENTER.COM - Video Games - Blue Stinger

Third-person survival-horror games hold a distinct appeal for obvious reasons, much as monster and horror movies do. So it's no surprise that there are so many games trying to capitalize on Resident Evil's success and gameplay style. Thanks to Activision, the Dreamcast now has its first survival-horror game: Climax Graphics' Blue Stinger. It's a mixed bag to be sure, but Blue Stinger isn't a bad first-generation attempt at the popular genre for the Dreamcast system.

Island Escape
Graphically, Blue Stinger is sharp and good looking, but oddly bright and colorful for this sort of game, giving it a much less grim feel than other such games. The characters make sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek remarks, despite the fact that there are corpses, killer mutant zombies, and other horrific creatures everywhere. It's actually a refreshing change from most of the overly dramatic, somber horror games out there, and it makes Blue Stinger entertainingly campy.

The game takes place on Christmas Eve on a research base located on Dinosaur Island, a strange land that appeared in the ocean after an earthquake near the Yucatan Peninsula. When a mysterious energy burst hits, trapping the island beneath an impenetrable energy dome, Emergency Sea Evacuation and Rescue (ESER) member Eliot Ballade finds himself stranded. He soon meets up with gruff seaman, Dogs Bower, and the two venture forth to discover what's going on and, they hope, a way out.

You'll also encounter Janine King, a genius who handles security on the island. Disappointingly, she only provides intelligence reports and fodder for the two sardonic male leads, particularly because Elliot lusts after her. There's also a glowing, flying femme doll, Nephilim, who is mainly there to provide pretty lighting trails and blue sprinkles in the air, but occasionally adds to the plot.

Familiar Residency
Blue Stinger's gameplay is pretty standard. It has a third-person perspective with controls for attacking and using and picking up objects; an option to look around (but not move) in a first-person mode; and a menu for your inventory, character selection, and maps. You can switch control between Elliot and Dogs at any time, and each has his own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Elliot is much quicker and can fight hand-to-hand or with weapons without having to switch between the two fighting modes. Dogs can use heavier weapons and block, but is much slower and can only fight hand-to-hand if he isn't holding another weapon.