Blue Heat
Preview by Al Giovetti, 02/16/97
Release: First Quarter 1997
Genre: ful motion video adventure
Price:
Art:
Music:
Programmer:
Producer:
Developer: MPCA Interactive
Publisher: Orion Interactive and Cyberdreams
Phone:
Web site: www.cyberdreams.com
Requirements:

History:

Company line: 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 to 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 order video surveillance and phone taps on numerous suspects.

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.

Plot: In this unusual game of the sex and sin involved in running a nudie magazine, you play an undercover LAPD detective named Holly Jacobson. Blue Heat has Holly playing a nude model, who must sift through the clues, examine crime scenes, interrogate the sixteen suspects, perform video surveillance which is in black and white full-motion-video and wire taps with no video (that is less expensive in equipment and computer space), and send evidence out for examination by the crime lab.

Similar to the Santa Fe Mysteries by Activision, you will have a personal digital assistant (PDA) to help you sift through the evidence.

Game play: Interface is point and click. Interrogations choose from a list of possible text questions while a quarter screen full motion video (FMV) image of the suspect is suspended over the text on the screen. A still frame mat of the suspect's location acts as wall paper to the small FMV window and text.

Graphics:
The game pieces together 5,000 video stills to provide a 360 degree panoramic view of your surroundings in still frame. You can turn around and interact with hot spots in the stills to provide evidence. Over two and one half hours of FMV with an excellent cast is contained within the game.

Animation:

Voice actors: The cast is stirling and easy to recognize, including Corbin Bernsen (the bad guy from LA Law), Paul Sorvino (from many performances including Goodfellas), Rick Rossovich (ER and Roxanne), Elliott Gould (MASH and other great movies from the '70s), Courtney Taylor and Julie Cialini (1995 Playboy Playmate of the year).

Music score: surround sound

Sound effects: surround sound

Utilities:

Multi-player:

Future:

Cheats:

Hints:

Journalists:

References:
Cindy Yans, Computer Games, number 74, March, 1997, pg. 20.
http://blueheat.cyberdreams.com/