Blue Heat - Review
(Originally published on AAG, All About Games, a site which disappeared from the web in 1999)
Genre: PCDOS Interactive Mystery Fiction
From: Cyberdreams, Inc., Developer/Publisher (this is wrong J.M.)Reader Rating:
Loved It - 63
Liked It - 10
So-So - 1
Hated It - 2
Description:
In Blue Heat (TM), the player assumes the role of Holly Jacobson, an LAPD detective who must go undercover to catch a serial killer preying on the enticing cover girls of LA Erotica Magazine.
Gamers delve into the steamy world of erotic dancers, Mafia thugs, fashion photographers, drug dealers, religious zealots and seductive models to prevent the murderer from striking again.
This mature-theme photo-realistic adventure is brought to life with a star-studded cast featuring Corbin Bernsen ("L.A. Law"), Paul Sorvino ("Goodfellas"), Rick Rossovich ("E.R." and "Roxanne"), Elliott Gould ("M.A.S.H"), Courtney Taylor and Julie Cialini (Playboy's 1995 Playmate of the Year). The story's labyrinthine plot twists and character-driven narratives propel this compelling thriller.
Orion Interactive's proprietary gameplay engine creates an immersive, photo-realistic environment. The player navigates through a number of 360-degree panoramic photographs which "wrap" around the screen. Blue Heat (TM) contains over 5,000 digitized still photographs combined with 2 hours of full-motion video, resulting in a stimulating real life edge.
The player must rely on his/her own ingenuity and a high-tech personal digital assistant to sift through the tangled web of alibis and motives of sixteen suspects in order ot catch the killer - or suffer the same fate as the stalker's other victims. The game utilizes an intuitive point-and-click interface as opposed to complex object-to-object interactions. Players can easily examine crime scenes, send evidence to the police lab, interview characters, and other video surveillance and phone taps on numerous suspects.