Game Club 199X #17 - Blue Stinger (DC)

[kal]

Despite what nickz has said, depending on your tollerance for bullcrap Blue Stinger is pretty fast and loose with items after the first 30 minutes. Once you gain access to the major retail areas you can easily grind for items - due to this the game really isn't very survival horrory outside of a couple of memorable moments other than the Japanese camera angles.

Be careful when collecting coins as sometimes they'll fall into a area change and completely screw you up.

There's no dead ends in Blue Stinger so feel free to save whenever you want, although I think it's possible to place yourself in an unwinnable situation if you save during a certain segment it's really obvious but if you must know because you're paranoid about these things

SPOILER: Click to show

There's a timed segment which you can save during and if you don't leave enough time you'll be stuffed.

From what I remember, Dog's weapons aren't as useful but that might be faulty memory.

[Deleted]

Gonna have to wait till the weekend, my DC's still at my parents' place (and I need to get a copy of the game in the first place, hah).

Anyway, in the meantime, I sent off an email to the manga artist/author Masaki Segawa (Basilisk, Y+M) to see if I could get a response. He did the story and the character design on Blue Stinger (and also on Illbleed), so it would be awesome if he had anything to say about the games (I mean, besides a non-response or "fuck you American bluejeans").

[Snarboo]

There's something very wrong with the economy at Dinosaur Island: for some reason, ammo is cheaper than most food items. Then again, hotdogs aren't known for their restorative powers either.

Here's a quick tip for you guys: when Dogs meets up with you, there should be a crate nearby that he can push. Push it near the building in front of the gate leading to the next area, then climb on top of it to reach the roof of the building. You should then find a key card that opens up the security door. Inside is another key and a hand gun, as well as a save point.

[Deleted]

Welp, I'm already fairly stuck on the game. Without spoiling too much, I'll just say I'm not quite sure exactly where to go after I enter the "staff room." Any help will be appreciated, but until then, I'll just grind on kung-fu kicking zombies.

[kal]

Once you enter the staff room, everywhere is out of the supplies you need except the second floor of the shopping area. You're going to have to get those emergency shutters open - which since its kind of completely illogical - is a control panel in storage room 2 that is accessed through a box puzzle.

[nickz]

Mar 7, 2013 16:28:27 GMT -5 kal said:

Once you enter the staff room, everywhere is out of the supplies you need except the second floor of the shopping area. You're going to have to get those emergency shutters open - which since its kind of completely illogical - is a control panel in storage room 2 that is accessed through a box puzzle.

This actually helps me too. Thanks! Blue Stinger is otherwise not as hard and frustrating as I thought I would be. I'm actually enjoying this one a lot.

[Deleted]

I have a question that has less to do with actual progression and more with gameplay: Does anyone know what special powers Dogs' T-shirts have? I like how his Sumo shirt can keep spamming handslaps, but I'm disappointed to find that the more expensive Wrestling shirt just has him throw out a mild punch. His Karate shirt is also kinda slow... are there any special controller motions I'm missing? I mostly ask this on behalf on the Wrestling shirt.

[pseudo3d]

I know Blue Stinger had some hilariously bad voice acting ("The dachshund. Is that the name of your pills?") but is it really that bad?

[Deleted]

Ah, I figured out the trick with the Wrestling shirt: You have to press the attack button while standing about two feet apart from any given enemy, wherein Dogs busts out an actually pretty powerful dropkick. Too bad the enemies are getting faster so it's kind of hard to pull off, but I'm glad I know the trick to wrasslin'!

Oh, also, MASH THE B BUTTON TO SURFACE WHILE SWIMMING. The swimming controls are... eugh, so just remember that.

[Deleted]

Sorry for the double post, but discussion seems to be a bit lax on this. C'mon, people, let's discuss Eliot and Dog's Excellent Adventure!

Also, more wrestling shirt mysteries: If you put a great distance between yourself and an enemy, Dogs rushes at them with a shoulder tackle. A bit of a risky maneuver as you're not invincible while running, but it's still interesting how this shirt gives him magical context-based attacks.

[Snarboo]

Having cleared the freezer, here are some things to note about Blue Stinger's swimming controls:

• In order to surface, you need to be idle in the water, then tap the B button.
  
• If you want to sink, simply press nothing.
  
• If you press a direction and the B button, you will swim in that direction, although turning underwater is a bit dicey.
  
• It's best to sink before you start swimming.
  
• You can use Eliot's handgun while submerged, although I'm not sure about the other weapons.

[roushimsx]

I need to finish up my current game (Oath in Felghana) and then I'll be hopping right in with the Blue Stinger discussion

[Snarboo]

Here are some spoilers for Rat's Bar:

SPOILER: Click to show

In Rat's Bar, there's a button you need to hit to enter the wine cellar, but for whatever reason, it's too high to reach. The trick is to have Dogs push the pool table over to the wall and then have him press the button. Once you've done this, the entrance to the wine cellar opens. Talk to the owner, then push aside the wine rack to find a hidden cubbyhole. Make sure you pick up three items before heading out: Chris' ID card, the driver's license, and the key to the tackle shop. The last one is important because it opens the bait and tackle shop, which has a much needed item inside.

[nickz]

Sorry, haven't had as much time as I thought I would have had with this. Is anyone in the Power Plant, or is everyone ahead of me? I figured out the place after some arduous trial and error.

SPOILER: Click to show

Download the map in th basement. Then, go up to Floor 1. Look for room B5 and go int. You can find stun rod there. Go look for room R-7 after that. You need a cable in there. After that, run back to room Y4 and get the key. After that, run to room G-1 and get another cable. Okay, you got all of that? Good, because there's more.

Look on your map that you downloaded earlier and find the room marked "Cable Warehouse". You can get Bermuda Bank Card and some gloves there. After that, look at the second panel. Run all the way back to room Y-1 and look at the third panel. Run to R-6 and look at the first panel. Now go to B-4 and look at the third panel. Are you tired to running around and looking at panels? It doesn't matter. You turned the power back on. Time to keep moving. There is more to do here.

Go back to that map you downloaded in the begining. Find the room mareked as Administration office. Get the condenser room key and take the elevator up to floor 2.

Floor 2 is pretty simple. Take the path and follow it to an open door. Go into the blue door and then the very next door after it. Next, go into the old beaten up door. After that, you'll find a creepy door. Go in and get Omega Key. You can download a map here. After that, take the right door. Take the path and take the Plant Card. Go into the next room, fight an encounter, and you're done. You can finally leave this place.

General discussion topic- Is anyone actually scared by this game? I don't think it's actually that scary. Part of what I think makes a video game scary is taking the control out of the player's hands. In Blue Stinger I almost always feel like I'm in control of the situation, like the game can throw whatever it has at me and I can blast it. It's not like ammunition is a thing I need to think about. I don't need to conserve it or anything. I don't know. I'm starting to see why some people don't like this game.

[kal]

That's why I don't consider it a Survival Horror, it gets put there because that's the easiest category to dump it in. It's less Horror than Parasite Eve - heck it might be less horror than Fear Effect since even that game has horror segments. Illbleed itself is probably scarier as well (I mean HORROR is its theme...) but it breaks the fourth wall...holy crap Illbleed is almost Cabin In The Woods but years earlier and a video game...

Back on topic - Blue Stinger stops being very scary the moment you get the opportunity to grind. But there are a couple of scarier moments I don't think anyone has gotten to yet - those timed segments? There's a few later in the game that if you don't complete it's game over. Now while of course you could grind BEFORE them once you hit them it's on. That ultimately is Blue Stinger's gift to the gamer - you can play it how you want.