Publisher: Tsunami
Developer: Tsunami
Year: 1993
Platform: DOS

Jim Walls, who helped develop my favorite games of all time,Police Quest, had a parting with Sierra (something that would happen way too often during the 90’s with their best designers), and joined a renegade group that formed Tsunami. Somehow, I grew up never hearing about this game. If I had, it would have been the first thing on my Christmas list. Ignorance can be bliss. I had read many negative reviews mixed in with a smattering a positive ones. My low expectations were met in full force during the, oh, four hours it took me to win this one.

Take all of the clichés from Police Quest 3, multiply by three, add about a dozen inane and contrived puzzles, take away fifty percent of the police procedure, and insert a bland hero and you have Blue Force. The plot, mostly spelled out at the beginning, includes our bland hero (Jake Ryan), avenging the murders of his parents.

This game is so horribly paced that there’s not adequate time to enjoy the good moments. The game begins well with an intense scene on a boat with an armed man, then denegrates into much tedium until the end of the game, where there’s about seventy-four intense scenes right after another.  Of course, Jake is helpless because half of the things he does are in direct conflict with orders from his superiors. This would be fine if Jake had an attitude, or even a personality. But he makes Sonny Bonds look like Dirty Harry.

The sound is fine and the graphics are rendered very well, which make the game playable for the afternoon you will need. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed playing Blue Force. But as there are no memorable characters and a horrible atmosphere to boot, it is not a game you’ll likely ever have a desire to pick up a second time.