oh my god it burns
How do you tackle a game as.... distinctive as blue stinger?
Back at the release of the dreamcast it was being held up as the best looking game , like , ever man!, in the games press of the time (the now no longer with us Computer and video games for example.
But when it hit, not only did its ripples cause no impact on the surface of videogames the world over... It was FAR from a graphical powerhouse. Now don’t get me wrong, ill be honest from the off. This is a very bad and very flawed game. Its not going to win any little miss pageants... The visuals are cheap, and tacky, the running animation looks and feels horrible. The world around you is not a pretty site. And I don’t mean, its dark and moody ugly, its REALLY BLOODY UGLY.
It all starts so well though, the opening video, although still a little bad in the voice acting dept (name one English dubbed game that isn't), But it’s good for its time. Well scored and interesting, as intro videos go.
And add to it, the ending also is very good. A total mind bender... that is if you managed to sit through the game and its terrible acting and cut scenes to the end.
But there’s something strange about this game. Even with the single track of music looped all the way till the end, It’s endlessly playable. It’s almost as if it’s so flawed and ugly and horrible in every way, that it bypasses that part of your brain that tells you should hate it and makes you play endlessly.
The wide range of weapons available always entertains (especially the 5 laser shooting thing you unlock with repeated plays). The comically named hassy drinks... mmmmm hassy. Dogs and his many fun costumes, each which give him new attack abilities, which at the end of the day are totally useless against the monsters. (Sumo?? Santa!!?) And the pure fact you get to play as dogs, for someone who always wanted to play as Barry Burton in the resident evil games, this is a highlight. I wonder if poor old Barry knows he has a long lost brother...
Sure some parts really drain on you. (Elliot slowly tuning into a mutant... and then his mutant abilities making him 1.crawl up walls, but 2. even slower and more useless.) But it’s still strangely fun. And the last boss battle is one of my favourite of all video games. Its like this frustrated release after the trial that is blue stinger. And when you beat the monster clone dragon thing, you actually feel a level of pride in yourself.
Most importantly, Blue stinger would never happen in a day and age like this. Even horrible games are on such a high level of quality that you'd have to work really hard to make it happen. And that’s a brilliant thing, but a sad thing too.
