is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by Climax Graphics for the Dreamcast. It was published by Sega in Japan, and by Activision in Western territories as a console launch title. The story follows emergency rescuer Eliot Ballade as he is stranded on the monster-infested Dinosaur Island, allying with fellow survivors and the alien being Nephilim to find the source of the monsters. Gameplay has Eliot navigating Dinosaur Island, fighting monsters using a variety of weapons found or purchased during the game and finding items to progress to other areas.
Producer and co-writer Shinya Nishigaki was inspired to make Blue Stinger as a tribute to Western action movies. Preproduction began in 1996 with a team of eighteen. Notable American staff included Robert Short as monster designer, and Pete von Sholly as storyboard artist and camera consultant. The music was composed by Toshihiko Sahashi. The game met with mixed reviews from journalists, with the gameplay and presentation seeing praise, while several outlets criticised its camera and voice acting. While it sold poorly in Japan, it was successful in North America, going on to sell 500,000 copies worldwide.
Gameplay
Blue Stinger is an action-adventure game in which players alternately take control of Eliot Ballade and Dogs Bower on Dinosaur Island after it is overrun by monsters. The game's environments are all in 3D, with players exploring them to progress the story by unlocking new parts of the island complex. The Japanese version uses fixed third-person camera perspectives similar to the early Resident Evil series, while the Western version uses a third-person camera fixed behind the player character with an optional first-person mode. In addition to the main mission, there are optional side missions which can grant a new weapon or item. If the current character loses all health, the player reaches a game over and is sent back to the title screen to reload an earlier save.
Gameplay revolves around Eliot or Dogs−whom the player can switch between once they are together−exploring different areas of the Dinosaur Island complex, finding key items to progress such as key cards for unlocking doors Dinosaur Island. The game is made up of eight large environments ranging from outdoor areas like harbours, to indoor locations including laboratories and a shopping mall. Some environments include passive hostile elements such as extreme temperatures, with their effects shown using a status bar. Enemies are encountered while exploring and can be fought using a variety of weapons either found or bought from vending machines using money dropped from enemies. Larger enemies and bosses have dedicated health bars. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses; Eliot can use multiple weapons and can swim underwater for a limited time, while Dogs can only use one weapon but can defend and use his fists to fight enemies.
Synopsis
Sixty-five million years ago, a meteorite crashes into Earth, subsequently wiping out the dinosaurs and paving the way for humans. In 2000, an earthquake sinks the entire Yucatán Peninsula aside from one island over the meteorite impact area; dubbed "Dinosaur Island", an international biotech corporation dubbed Kimra sets up a research community on it. In 2018, Emergency Sea Evacuation and Rescue member Eliot Ballade is on vacation with his friend Tim off Dinosaur Island when a small meteorite crashes near it, generating a large barrier that traps Tim in stasis. A light source emerges from the meteorite and takes the shape and name of Tim's good luck boat charm Nephilim, connecting with Eliot before monsters appear and attack the boat, seemingly killing Tim. Eliot escapes with Nephilim's help to Dinosaur Island, which has become overwhelmed by monsters born from mutated animals and humans. On the island Eliot is guided by Nephilim, receives information via radio from security team survivor Janine King; and teams up with Dogs Bower, the island's original discoverer and Janine's estranged father.