Blue Stinger

Blue Stinger is a relatively unorthodox survival horror game that is somewhat lacking in the suspense department. Sure, there are scary monsters and you're stranded on an island, but the game doesn't quite deliver well enough with its source material.

The sound is partly to blame for this, with a musical score that often feels more cinematic than ominous (I felt more like Darth Vader just entered the room in a Star Wars film rather than being doomed to a monster infested island). Also, the game doesn't have Capcom's talent for giving the player the spooks via scripted, creepily calculated creeks, moans, and shattered glass. As a matter of fact, the only groans being produced in the game usually come from the player after hearing the bad voice acting and cheesy dialogue (Halo this isn't). Overall, Blue Stinger doesn't establish a creepy enough atmosphere for you to call your mom into the room or leave the lights on.

But really, although it essentially fails to be terribly scary (what most survival horror games tend to try to accomplish), that doesn't mean Blue Stinger is a mutilated, hideous, monster of a game. It makes a few innovations and has some strong points.

You're given control of two characters with different attributes -- Elliot is quicker and better with hand to hand combat, while Dogs can use more powerful weapons but is slower and limited to merely blocking when unarmed. This adds a layer of strategy not usually found in games of the genre. Killing monsters is rather satisfying due to gratuitous blood, decent graphics/animation, and a "real-time" behind-character's-back style camera that makes it easier to kick creature ass.

The story starts off mildly interesting, although it does get very incoherent real quick, but it's still refreshingly unconventional. I also liked the digital currency system which lets you buy weapons, food and other items (saving up enough cash can lead to some seriously awesome toys such as tasers and acid launchers). But all this doesn't quite compensate for much when the whole shebang isn't outstandingly spooky.

Overall, Blue Stinger is a midly fun and functional game that induces (wavering hand) a few jolts here and there, but in comparison to a game like Code Veronica, Blue Stinger is about as intimidating and scary as Count Chocula. And instead of inducing groans and gurgles and splurts and various other spooktacular goodness, Blue Stinger musters up a tepid, Nosfaratu-with-denchers caliber "blah". And "blah" was exactly my impression of the game as a whole.