Blue Stinger
Encyclopedia
is an action
survival horror game released in 1999 for the Dreamcast game console
. It was localized in North America, Europe and Australia by Activision. This game was originally developed by a Japanese video game studio, Climax Graphics.
It was released in North America
nine days before the Dreamcast and in Europe and Australia it was released three weeks before the Dreamcast.
crashes into the Yucatán Peninsula
, subsequently wiping out the dinosaur
s and paving the way for humans. Now, in 2000, an island emerges where the meteorite is thought to have landed, and is granted the name "Dinosaur Island." A biotech
corporation then takes up shop on the island. In 2018, Eliot Ballade, an elite member of the ESER (Emergency Sea Evacuation and Rescue) forces, is vacationing near Dinosaur Island when something falls from the sky and leaves the island sealed under a mysterious dome of energy. When a mysterious, ethereal being called Nephilim shows up to chase Ballade, he takes it upon himself to solve the enigma of Dinosaur Island.
At the ending of the game, it says "to be continued" so there will be a possible future sequel. Famitsu reports that preliminary work has begun on a sequel developed for use with the Kinect peripheral for XBox 360
. The game is planned to be an arcade-style on-rails shooter. Development is being handled by Vicious Cycle Software
in conjunction with Altron
.
, something that, at the time, was a rarity. Players heal themselves in real-time using food and drinks bought from vending machines, forcing players to heal only when it was safe. Combat consists of purchasing weapons and ammunition in the same manner, including swords, rocket launchers, Napalm launchers and triple-barreled shotguns. Eliot starts out with a pistol while Dogs starts with a crossbow. Besides shooter game
elements, the game also uses beat 'em up
elements when weapons are not equipped.
. This revamped camera style was met with both critical acclaim and criticism. Some argued that the change took away from the dramatic tension for which the Japanese version had become famous. However, others celebrated the new camera style as a feature that gave the game an edge over survival horror games that utilized fixed angles, such as Resident Evil.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
survival horror game released in 1999 for the Dreamcast game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was localized in North America, Europe and Australia by Activision. This game was originally developed by a Japanese video game studio, Climax Graphics.
It was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
nine days before the Dreamcast and in Europe and Australia it was released three weeks before the Dreamcast.
Story
Sixty-five million years ago, a meteoriteMeteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
crashes into the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, subsequently wiping out the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s and paving the way for humans. Now, in 2000, an island emerges where the meteorite is thought to have landed, and is granted the name "Dinosaur Island." A biotech
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
corporation then takes up shop on the island. In 2018, Eliot Ballade, an elite member of the ESER (Emergency Sea Evacuation and Rescue) forces, is vacationing near Dinosaur Island when something falls from the sky and leaves the island sealed under a mysterious dome of energy. When a mysterious, ethereal being called Nephilim shows up to chase Ballade, he takes it upon himself to solve the enigma of Dinosaur Island.
At the ending of the game, it says "to be continued" so there will be a possible future sequel. Famitsu reports that preliminary work has begun on a sequel developed for use with the Kinect peripheral for XBox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The game is planned to be an arcade-style on-rails shooter. Development is being handled by Vicious Cycle Software
Vicious Cycle Software
Vicious Cycle Software is a video game development company based in Morrisville, North Carolina, United States.-History:Vicious Cycle was founded in 2000 by Eric Peterson, Dave Ellis, Marc Racine and Wayne Harvey after layoffs at the local MicroProse development studio forced several game...
in conjunction with Altron
Altron
Altron is a Japanese video game developer and publisher located in: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It was found in: 1983...
.
Characters
- Eliot G. Ballade: The game's protagonist, an ESER member on vacation with his friend Tim. He quickly gets wrapped up in the events around Dinosaur Island once his ship (and Tim) get trapped in the energy dome around the island. Voiced by Ryan DrummondRyan DrummondRyan Drummond , is an American voice actor, actor, singer, comedian, clown, and mime. He was best known as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the popular Sega video game franchise. He has been the bass vocalist in The A.Y.U. Quartet since 1991...
.
- Dogs Bowser: Eliot's teammate, Captain of an HMS Sienna. A long time resident of Dinosaur Island who has his share of friends and rivals there. Dogs' design is based (loosely) on Resident Evil's Barry Burton. Voiced by Deem Bristow
- Janine King: A member of KISS, Kimra's security team; both a genius in computers and shooting. Some things remain a mystery about her, but strangely enough, she seems to know a lot about Dogs. Voiced by Lani MinellaLani MinellaLani Minella is a voice actress who has voiced in over 500 computer and video games as well as several TV and anime series. She is best known for voicing Nancy Drew, Millie Strathorn, Loulou the Parrot and Freddie in the Nancy Drew computer games, Ivy Valentine in the Soulcalibur video game...
.
- 'NephilimNephilimThe Nephilim are the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:4, or giants who inhabit Canaan in Numbers 13:33. A similar word with different vowel-sounds is used in Ezekiel 32:27 to refer to dead Philistine warriors....
': An alien creature that often observes Eliot and Dogs' progress. Although taking the shape of a fictional goddess from a fictional series, Nephilm has no distinct original shape.
Gameplay
The environments in Blue Stinger are entirely 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, something that, at the time, was a rarity. Players heal themselves in real-time using food and drinks bought from vending machines, forcing players to heal only when it was safe. Combat consists of purchasing weapons and ammunition in the same manner, including swords, rocket launchers, Napalm launchers and triple-barreled shotguns. Eliot starts out with a pistol while Dogs starts with a crossbow. Besides shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
elements, the game also uses beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
elements when weapons are not equipped.
Reception
The North American port of the game removed the original cinematic style camera system, instead using a fixed, behind-the-player third-person view, such as that of Tomb RaiderTomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
. This revamped camera style was met with both critical acclaim and criticism. Some argued that the change took away from the dramatic tension for which the Japanese version had become famous. However, others celebrated the new camera style as a feature that gave the game an edge over survival horror games that utilized fixed angles, such as Resident Evil.
External links
- English game audio samples at AudioAtrocities.com
- Blue Stinger at Game RankingsGame RankingsGameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
- Blue Stinger at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...