Carrier | 2000

 

Carrier is a survival horror video game for the Dreamcast, notable for its use of fully 3D graphics, which was rare for survival horror games at the time. Most survival horror games placed 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds. In Carrier, players take on different roles of an investigation team that gets separated due to a sudden attack.

A planned sequel for the PlayStation 2, titled Carrier: The Next Mutation, was scheduled for release in February 2001 but was canceled.

Despite the basic control mechanics, there were additional features that allowed players to experience more unique gameplay.

Aiming: Players can aim while their character is stationary, targeting specific body parts of enemies. When aiming at an enemy, a small blue triangle appears, indicating crucial areas that can be severed, such as the arms, head, and sometimes the torso.

Explosives: During gameplay, players encounter specific doors or blocked areas, which require timer explosives to access. The explosives can be placed on the ground and will detonate after 5 seconds, giving the player time to escape. While the blast radius is relatively small, it is still lethal, so players must flee before it detonates. Primarily used as tools, explosives can also be used as weapons against slow-moving groups of enemies. However, they cannot be thrown, and only one can be placed at a time, requiring strategic planning.

BEM-T3 Scope: Early in the game, players receive an infrared scope designed for biological hazard warfare. This device helps determine whether specific characters are infected with certain strains. During the game, this device is useful for identifying whether NPCs are infected with mutations. The screen indicator shows a large SAFE symbol when crew members are uninfected and a DANGER symbol when infected. Certain sounds also indicate whether crew members or characters are affected by this state. The war-designed BEM-T3 scope can also be used to check for items, weapons, or ammunition in specific caches or compartments. While it doesn’t specify which items are actual weapons or ammo clips, items will be indicated by the sensor, accompanied by a series of sounds. Players can use the scope to zoom in on their surroundings, useful for inspecting dark corridors or gauging the distance of enemies.

The background of Carrier requires an exploration of important past organizations for the story’s progression. In 2008, the world experiences an economic downturn due to diminishing natural resources and agriculture. Leaders of developed countries decide to limit aid and agricultural transport to various countries in the southern and northern hemispheres, leading to significant political divisions.

This results in a sharp decline in trade and employment, prompting strong economic and moral criticism from a political organization known as G77, which consists of 77 southern countries.

As conditions worsen in the southern countries, terrorist activities increase, with terrorist leaders forming a large group called Southern Cross. The activities of Southern Cross attract the attention of the US military in Colombia, prompting a military stance against terrorist activities and initiating the US-G77 crisis. However, G77 claims they did not intervene in Southern Cross activities. Despite this, leaders from the northern countries organize an international enforcement organization known as the NTA (Northern Treaty Alliance) to bolster military efforts against terrorism. The US military establishes a base in Mozambique and constructs a massive and technologically advanced aircraft carrier named Heimdall.

Heimdall is the largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ever built by the US Navy, capable of launching ballistic missiles. The carrier demonstrates its power in Operation Hurricane, where three special forces are deployed to attack Southern Cross bases and retrieve an ancient organism located somewhere in the South Pacific. After the organism is transported, destructive activities occur in the engine room, but Heimdall manages to return to the US coast. Two days later, Heimdall goes radio silent while still heading toward the Pacific.

Here, an NTA investigation team named SPARC is dispatched to Heimdall to determine the cause of the radio silence. The first team safely lands on the ship but soon goes silent, prompting the dispatch of a second team for support. As the second team's helicopter lands on Heimdall, the ship's guns automatically target and shoot down the helicopter, separating the team. At this moment, strange and dangerous mutants attack the main characters, initiating their journey to uncover the truth.

The game has received average reviews according to review aggregation website GameRankings.

Jon Thompson from AllGame noted, “Carrier has many elements for enthusiastic survival horror fans to enjoy, but ultimately, this title does not rise above average due to various issues and peculiarities.” He pointed out that the expansive environments lead to tedious exploration and that “the game slows down significantly when many objects appear on-screen,” making boss battles especially frustrating, as most bosses are large and cause the game to feel like it’s in slow motion. Jeff Lundrigan from NextGen rated it as “well-made and moderately fun, but not different from what has been seen before.” Japan's Famitsu scored it 28 out of 40.

GamePro's Tokyo Drifter stated, “Carrier is unlikely to win awards for the most original gameplay, but it’s definitely worth checking out for gamers who have played Code Veronica or are looking for something different.” Conversely, another GamePro review by Jake The Snake said, “If you loved RE on PlayStation and want to play a similar but lesser game on Dreamcast, you might enjoy Carrier. Otherwise, you might as well wait for the real deal, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica.”