Blade Runner (1997 video game)

Infobox VG
title= Blade Runner


caption=Original box art
developer= Westwood Studios
publisher= Virgin Interactive Entertainment
distributor=
designer=
series=
engine= Voxel Plus
version=
released= November 21,1997
genre= Adventure
modes= Single player
ratings= vgratings|ESRB=T|ELSPA=15+|OFLCA=M15+
platforms= Microsoft Windows
media= 4 CD-ROMs or 1 DVD
requirements= 90 MHz CPU, 16 MB RAM, 2 MB video card RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 5.0, 150 MB available hard disk space, Windows 95 / Windows NT 4.0
input= Keyboard, mouse

"Blade Runner" is a point and click adventure game, developed by Westwood Studios for the PC. Rather than re-tell the 1982 "Blade Runner" film, the developers created a different story set in the same universe, serving as a side story. The game was published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment and released in 1997.

The player assumes the role of "Blade Runner" Ray McCoy, who must hunt down a group of replicants—bioengineered beings—in 2019 Los Angeles. Although featuring a new story, a few of the film's characters are also in the game, with the original actors returning to voice them. Although the film's main character, Deckard, only appears fleetingly in a non speaking role in "Blade Runner", he is referred to multiple times, and his recent activities are mentioned by non-player characters. Other parallels with the film include the in-game reproduction of several prominent locations, buildings, and scenes.

"Blade Runner" was advertised as "the first real time 3D adventure game", as the player's actions affected the outcome of the game, with thirteen possible endings. Though games at the time were reliant on 3D accelerators, Westwood created their own technology, called "voxel plus", which bypassed the need for a hardware 3D accelerator. "Blade Runner" received generally positive reviews, and was nominated for "Best Adventure Game" of 1997 at the "PC Gamer" awards.

Gameplay

"Blade Runner" is a point-and-click game, meaning that the virtual world is navigated, explored, and manipulated using the mouse; the player does this from a third-person perspective.cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =RPGFan review | work = | publisher =RPGFan | date = | url =http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/bladerunner/Blade_Runner.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-21 ] "Blade Runner's" main focus is the detective work rather than puzzles, and the gameplay consists largely of searching for evidence and questioning suspects.cite web | last =Young | first =Rosemary | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Quandary | work = | publisher =Quandary | date =1997-12 | url =http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=154 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Clue searching is a main element of the game; the player must solve a number of compulsory puzzles and find a number of clues in order to progress in the game's storyline.cite web | last =Young | first =Rosemary | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Quandary | work = | publisher =Quandary | date =1997-12 | url =http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=154 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Clues are found by searching crime scenes, and come in the form of items, photographs, interviews, or unusual markings. The player can also use the ESPER system, a high-density computer with a very powerful three-dimensional resolution capacity: it enables them to enhance photos and to find further crucial information.Game manual, p. 17.]

While combat is not a primary aspect of "Blade Runner", it is needed occasionally. While the only weapon available to the player is Ray's standard issue police pistol, it may be loaded with various types of ammunition.Game manual, p. 13.] Collected evidence is stored in McCoy's Knowledge Integration Assistant, where it is organized for easy reference. One of its functions is performed by the Crime Scene Panel; it lists the crime scene along with known suspects and clues related to it.Game manual, p. 10.] There are occasions when the player will carry out a Voight-Kampff test on suspected replicants;cite web | last =Dulin | first =Ron | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Gamespot | work = | publisher =GameSpot | date =1997-12-03 | url =http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/bladerunner/review.html?sid=2538180&print=1 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] when the true nature of the subject is determined, the test ends automatically.Game manual, p. 22.] The player must then decide what course of action to take based on the results; the decision influences the rest of the storyline.cite web | last =Pickering | first =Chris | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Adventure Gamers | work = | publisher =Adventure Gamers | date =2006-02-10 | url =http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,14 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ]

The game runs in non-linear "real-time", meaning that when McCoy investigates and gathers clues, the computer controlled AI characters do the same, completing their own objectives.cite web | last =Suciu | first =Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Sci-Fi Weekly | work = | publisher =SciFi.com | date =1997 | url =http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue59/games.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] It is up to the player to decide how McCoy will react in different situations, such as interrogating or talking to characters, each reaction affecting the storyline differently.cite web | last =Suciu | first =Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Sci-Fi Weekly | work = | publisher =SciFi.com | date =1997 | url =http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue59/games.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ]

Plot

The game is set in Los Angeles, in November 2019, shortly after the beginning of the film.cite web | last =Young | first =Rosemary | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Quandary | work = | publisher =Quandary | date =1997-12 | url =http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=154 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] The protagonist, Ray McCoy, is a rookie "Blade Runner" under the command of Lieutenant Guzza,Game manual, p. 5.] a police officer. True to the film, the environment is dystopian and heavily-polluted. McCoy tasked with tracking down a group of replicants, who have been killing the few animals left on the Earth.Game manual, p. 5.] McCoy investigates a number of crime scenes, employing various techniques typical of detectives to gather information.

During his investigations, McCoy discovers a black market gun runner, and is framed for the murder of Izo by Lieutenant Guzza, who considers him dangerous to his business at the police station. Forced into hiding, McCoy explores the dark, decrepit underworld of 2019 Los Angeles, and makes contact with the replicant twins Luther and Lance. It's from them that McCoy receives a detailed report containing evidence of Guzza's crimes. McCoy uses this information to blackmail his former superior and force him to set his falsified record straight. Guzza is wounded during this face-off by the replicant Sadik's pulse rifle, and the player must decide to either run away or perform a coup de grâce on the lieutenant.

There are thirteen endings, with variations on three major themes, influenced by the player's actions throughout the game.cite web | last =Presley | first =Paul | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Zone | work = | publisher =Computer and Video Games.com | date =2001-08-13 | url =http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=2774 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] The player can believe that the character, McCoy, is human, and hunt down the replicants; be persuaded that he's a replicant himself, and side with them against the other Blade Runners; or stay neutral, and flee the city.cite web | last =Bates | first =Jason | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Gamer preview | work = | publisher =Blade Zone | date = | url =http://media.bladezone.com/contents/game/BR-PCGame1.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-20 ]

Characters

Ray McCoy (voiced by Mark Benninghofen)cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Voice credits | work = | publisher =IMDb | date = | url =http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126817/ | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-15 ] is the game's protagonist and a rookie police officer. McCoy lives in an apartment building with his pet dog, Maggie, for whom he shows a great deal of affection. McCoy wears a light brown lounge suit, a dark tie and a brown trenchcoat. He uses a standard issue .45 blaster as his sidearm.

Crystal Steele (voiced by Lisa Edelstein) is one of the most effective police officers in the LAPD Blade Runner unit. She is an excellent markswoman and participates in undercover work. She refers to replicants as "skin-jobs" and is very much in favour of their extermination. Her attitude towards McCoy at the opening of the game is playful, with a considerable amount of condescension towards the rookie.

Gaff (voiced by Javier Grajed; credited as Victor Gardell) is a character originally presented in the film. He is a competent and older veteran cop who appears at various intervals to give advice to McCoy, who he seems to see as young and thus unpredictable.

Lieutenant Edison Guzza (voiced by Jeff Garlin) is the boorish, overweight superior to McCoy and in overall command of the Blade Runner unit following Bryant's sick leave. Guzza is rather unkempt and asocial, remaining in Bryant's office for most of Blade Runner's duration.

Clovis (voiced by Mark Rolston) is the leader of the renegade replicants on Earth. Clovis is a man of mystery - on one hand, he appears as a peaceful, highly educated man, eloquent and elegant, on the other he is sometimes a ruthless brute, capable of inhuman acts of aggression.

Minor Characters

Sadik, Zuben, Dektora, Luther & Lance (Siamese twins) and Gordo Frizz are the game's remaining replicants and/or replicant sympathizers. (Within certain limitations, the game decides randomly which characters will be replicants at the start of each completely new game. Those who are not selected as replicants become replicant sympathizers.) Their characters develop in cut-scenes and the player's interactions with them. Their main goal is to evade "retirement", and to acquire the DNA sequences used to create them, which would allow them to live longer. Zuben works in Howie Lee's (the Japanese sushi restaurant seen at the film's beginning) as a chef; Dektora is a model/exotic dancer; Sadik is an assassin; and the twins are recently dismissed employees of the Tyrell corporation turned wheeler dealers; mostly in the business of passing artificial animals off as the genuine article; and Gordo Frizz is a comedian.

Eldon Tyrell is a character originally presented in the film, the founder, CEO and owner of the Tyrell Corporation. He is a remarkable genius, being responsible for developing the basic DNA sequence for the NEXUS-6 series of replicants.

Lucy (voiced by Pauley Perrette) is a teenager who is unsure whether she is a replicant or a human, and is very concerned as to which she truly is. (As with the other characters mentioned above, Lucy is randomly determined to be a replicant or not at the start of each new game.) If she comes to interact with Ray, she grows very fond of him, seeing him as a dependable figure.

Rachael is Tyrell's secretary, and as with Rachael in the film, is a replicant who mimics humans extremely well; she is modeled after Tyrell's niece. She is well spoken, brusque, and appears only briefly within the game.

J.F. Sebastian is also similar to his film counterpart, a reclusive, genius, loner residing in the enormous, bleak and dilapidated Bradbury Building. He is accompanied only by his eerie robotic puppets and owns several futuristic devices, such as a synthetic egg creator. He is one of the chief scientists who assisted in the creation of the Nexus 6 replicant models.

Chew is a scientist who assisted the Tyrell corporation in the creation of replicants, unlike J.F Sebastian, his speciality is eyes. A man of Asian descent, but at the same time a wary, eccentric and cautious person. He conducts his work in a small laboratory opposite the twins' apartment. James Hong reprised his role.

Izo is a gun dealer of Asian descent specializing in the dealing of rare, high specification automatic guns. He supplies these weapons to the replicants and sympathizes with their cause. He also owns a Samurai sword, and when cornered he becomes highly aggressive.

Bob is a grizzled veteran of World War III. He mentions that he served for around three and a half years. He owns a gunshop across the street from Animoid Row, and is suffering from physical disabilities.

Development

The game design was ambitious for the technology at the time. In contrast to other games at that time the 2.5D game engine (meaning backgrounds were pre-rendered and only models are calculated in 3D) did not require or use hardware 3D graphics accelerators.cite web | last =Harris | first =Duncan | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =A classic PC adventure revisited | work = | publisher =Computer and Video Games.com | date =2007-08-13 | url =http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169943 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Game designers, David Leary and James Walls, achieved this through a self-developed technology based on voxels (pixels with width, height and "depth"). They went with the idea and expanded it, calling it "Voxels Plus".cite web | last =Bates | first =Jason | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Gamer preview | work = | publisher =Blade Zone | date = | url =http://media.bladezone.com/contents/game/BR-PCGame1.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-20 ]

Basically, instead of just having one two-dimensional voxel, dozens of rotating voxels were used in the "shape" and "depth" of the actual polygon model data, making it "true real-time 3D without requiring 3D hardware". In layman's terms, it was piecing together flat "picture panels", rotating and positioning them in 3D-space thereby giving the illusion of a 3D object.

However, the technology had shortcomings. A powerful processor was required since the engine relied on the processor doing all the work of creating the 3D models. Since processor power at that time was limited, the 3D models looked quite rough in-game due to the low amount of voxels used to display them; had the number of voxels been raised to increase the detail the game would have become too slow to play. With the level of detail Westwood settled on, the game ran at a minimum of 15 FPS on slow systems.. There where plans to comeout for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Game Boy Color but they where cancelled due to the developers did not had enough time to port them other then the PC.

The film's original soundtrack could not be secured for the game so Westwood brought in Frank Klepacki to recreate the feel of the film. He re-recorded the "Blade Runner" soundtrack as well as creating original tracks in the style of the film. Original cast members from the film returning for Cameo appearance voice overs include Sean Young as Rachael, Brion James as Leon, James Hong as Chew, Joe Turkel as Eldon Tyrell, and William Sanderson as J.F. Sebastian.cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Blade Runner Game | work = | publisher =BRmovie.com | date = | url =http://www.brmovie.com/BR_Game_MW01.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ]

Film references

, and the L.A.P.D.'s cylindrical skyscraper.cite web | last =Bates | first =Jason | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Gamer preview | work = | publisher =Blade Zone | date = | url =http://media.bladezone.com/contents/game/BR-PCGame1.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-20 ]

When the game begins, Deckard has already been sent off on his own assignment, and the player will hear references of his activities, though they never meet, so as to remain consistent with the film's plot.cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Blade Runner Game | work = | publisher =BRmovie.com | date = | url =http://www.brmovie.com/BR_Game_MW01.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-21 ] When visiting the Tyrell building, Rachael mentions that she has already spoken to another Blade Runner and Tyrell himself tells McCoy that "as I explained to Mr. Deckard earlier, I've given the Nexus 6 a past." One of Izo's pictures, taken at Animoid Row, shows Deckard in the background. While searching the Yukon hotel McCoy discovers Holden's badge and Guzza questions how Deckard missed it and goes onto to say "Deckard, he feels too much, ya' know? He's too far along that curve."

Reception

Sales of the game were in excess of one million, [cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9284 |publisher=Gamasutra |accessdate=2008-07-09 |date=2006-05-12 |author=Chris Woodard |title=E3 Workshop: The Inner Game: What Goes Into The Industry's Best-Selling Titles] and the critical reception of the game was generally positive. In the "Science Fiction Weekly" review, Peter Suciu awarded the game A+, highlighting that the "computer-generated setting of "Blade Runner" is simply one of the best", and "an outstandingly enjoyable adventure simulation."cite web | last =Suciu | first =Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Sci-Fi Weekly | work = | publisher =SciFi.com | date =1997 | url =http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue59/games.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Game Revolution's Marke Cooke stated that the game "is one of the best adventure games out there", and gave it an A- score.cite web | last =Cooke | first =Mark | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Game Revolution | work = | publisher =Game Revolution.com | date =1997-12 | url =http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/blade_runner | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Chris Pickering, in his Adventure Gamers' review, praised the game for its "glorious aesthetics, intriguing storyline, and well implemented controls." giving the game 4.5 stars (out of five).cite web | last =Pickering | first =Chris | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Adventure Gamers | work = | publisher =Adventure Gamers | date =2006-02-10 | url =http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,14 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ]

RPGFan gave the game an overall rating of 93%, praising the game for "the best pre-rendered backgrounds..." with "rain, spotlights, Spinners or blimps advertising off-world vacations. The crisp images never fail to dazzle." The review went on to criticise the graphics, saying they can become a "tad blurry and pixilated..." close up, yet it was pointed out that "this doesn't detract too much from these otherwise stunning visuals."cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =RPGFan review | work = | publisher =RPGFan | date = | url =http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/bladerunner/Blade_Runner.html | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-21 ] In his review for "PC Zone" Paul Pressley gave the game a score of 8.8 (out of ten) and stated that "the story is strong and intelligent enough to compensate for the problems I have with the technical side of the game..." and "while I'd argue that the challenge could have been a lot higher, it's by no means an easy game and the urge to keep playing is there. The multiple ending factor also helps."cite web | last =Presley | first =Paul | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Zone | work = | publisher =Computer and Video Games.com | date =2001-08-13 | url =http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=2774 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] The game achieved a 3.5/5 rating at Quandary, where Rosemary Young pointed out that "though some aspects of "Blade Runner" aren't all that sophisticated, it is worth considering for fans of 'hard-edged' crime/science fiction."cite web | last =Young | first =Rosemary | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Quandary | work = | publisher =Quandary | date =1997-12 | url =http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=154 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ]

In the Gamespot review, Ron Dulin gave the game a 6.0 score (out of ten) and stated that the game was "an interesting mood piece, built upon some very detailed graphic work and an interesting premise — but somewhere along the production line, someone forgot to include a game."cite web | last =Dulin | first =Ron | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Gamespot | work = | publisher =GameSpot | date =1997-12-03 | url =http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/bladerunner/review.html?sid=2538180&print=1 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] Duncan Harris emphasised, in his Computer and Video Games article 'Blade Runner: A classic revisited,' that "critics may have been divided over the means by which you got there: a logical trail of clues, many of which were less the result of detective work than blind luck and idle exploration...", "But you couldn't deny that here, for once, was a movie tie-in which put the movie first, dismissing thoughts of its own genre and letting the subject dictate the design. With its insular thinking, it's something the games industry all too rarely sees."cite web | last =Harris | first =Duncan | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =A classic PC adventure revisited | work = | publisher =Computer and Video Games.com | date =2007-08-13 | url =http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169943 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] The game was nominated for "Best Adventure Game" of 1997 in the "PC Gamer" awards in 1998, but lost out to "The Curse of Monkey Island".cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =PC Gamer awards | work = | publisher =www.cdaccess.com | date = | url =http://www.cdaccess.com/html/pc/pcgam97.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-05-19 ] The game did however win "Best Adventure Game" of 1998 by the Interactive Achievement Awards.

References

* "Blade Runner" Game manual, Westwood Studios / Virgin Games, 1997.

External links