The Sega Zone - Previews (Blue Stinger)

Blue Stinger

Developer:	Climax
Publisher:	Sega
Players:	1

Release Date:	14/01/1999 - Japan
Platform:	Dreamcast
Style:	Action / Adventure

Blue Stinger is Climax's newest Real-time 3D Action / Adventure game for the Sega Dreamcast.

Story:

In the year 2000 a massive earthquake hits Mexico. The damage to the area is minimal but a new island suddenly emerges of the Yuctan Peninsula. A year after the earthquake, the American and Mexican governments decide to name the island "Dinosaur Island". A joint investigative task force is dispatched to the new island. A lot of geological surveys and other tests were done but the results remained secret and were never published to the public. All of the data collected by a second team of biologists was also concealed. In a matter of time everything was forgotten. However, research continued secretly for 17 years. Eventually a full scale city was built on the island and a few of the researchers remained to start new lives on the great island. Life seemed calm, but their peaceful lives would not continue. Something was about to happen.................

Characters:

Elliot G. Ballade
He is the main character in Blue Stinger. He is part of the C730 battalion of the ESER (Especial Sea Rescue), a reserve organisation. He is a hot blooded 28 year old who loves his job. He can't ignore anyone who is in some sort of trouble He was born to rescue and become a hero. The story begins with Elliot on his day off work. He becomes entangled in some sort of incident which ends up bringing him to Dinosaur Island. The plot thickens as Elliot begins to search the island. Throughout his investigation, Elliot will come across other characters, but more importantly he will be confronted by grotesque lifeforms which should not exist in the ecosystem of the island.

Dogs Bower
Dogs is a former heavy weapons expert, who was part of the first investigative unit to the island. At age 43 he is now retired and operates a ferry service from the mainland to the island. The specific details of his career remain a mystery. Therefore, expect some surprises from Dogs throughout the game. Is he an ally or enemy?

Janean King
She is a 24 year old genius who works for the Dinosaur Island branch of Kimura Security Guards. At the age of 16 she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Master's Degree. This along with her many other talents enabled her to join ESER's Class S elite unit. She also has a thorough knowledge of guns and computers.

Neffilim
A strange entity, that suddenly appears out of nowhere, begins to follow Elliot after he becomes involved in an incident on the island. It does not seem to interfere, but its motives remain unclear. Everything about it is unknown including its age and gender. We can only guess it is some kind of spirit. It appears in the form of a woman which has possibly been copied from some other life form. We do not know its true form nor de we know why it follows Elliot.

Note: It emits a beautiful and bright light which reflects off the walls and other objects. The way the light reflects off objects showcases Dreamcast's power and is so stunning that it shouldn't be overlooked.

Graphics:

Sega has been putting a lot of effort into Blue Stinger. Hollywood artists were hired by Sega to create the many bizarre and often horrific creatures for the game. Motion capture techniques were utilised for the human elements in the game. The human characters are extremely detailed. Even Elliot's eyes move and react to different lighting scenarios. Sega promises to deliver a game that utilises Dreamcast's power and an experience that is "colourful and real action".

Game Control & Highlights:

In the game you play as Eliott and search over the entire island. While you are walking around you will be confronted by grotesque and weird-looking lifeforms (creatures in all shapes and sizes) which should not be part of the island's ecology system. For example, there is a dragon-like monster with a head that looks like a fish. There is also a hermit crab-like monster with a car, instead of a shell, on its back. The control of the game is very simple: move Eliott with the analogue pad and attack enemies. There are two attack buttons. Both of which are analogue This means the harder you press the button, the faster you shoot ammo.

The game utilises 3 camera angles, which have been painstakingly and well thought out. The result is brilliant. The camera angles automatically adjust, like a movie, as you move and look around. This is promised to be one of the many spectacular aspects of the game.

Being a rescue member, Eliott is good with his hands, which makes it possible for him to sometimes fight with his bare hands in close-combat. However, there will be times when this would be complete suicide. We advise you to use the weapons, which you will have to search for. The weapons respond very realistically. The explosions are powerful and picturesque. Everything is extremely detailed from the smoke of the bazooka to the empty bullet shells flying out of the guns. Weapons include: bazookas, napalm bombs, lasers, electric guns and a variety of powerful guns.

In addition to fighting the creatures there will also be puzzles to solve scattered throughout the city. There is even a shooting gallery game in a video arcade that looks playable.

The look of the city is one of the best features of the game. It is designed to resemble a REAL city, which makes it feel like you are actually walking down the street. You can walk anywhere in the city and enter any room or building you desire. Each room has been modelled after a real room, and each room is highly detailed. There are a variety of places to see in the city. There are movie theatres, public halls, gun shops, bathrooms, dining rooms, clubs, barber shops, video game arcades, banks, supermarkets, living rooms, offices, waterfronts and piers.

If this is any indication of upcoming Dreamcast software, then Sega indeed has a bright future for its dream machine.

Preview by: Ryoni Schouten
Contributed to by: Mike Weatherup and Douglas Abe Jr.

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