Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey

"Average at best"

Well this is my first review, basically because I got bored. I picked this game up for 10 bucks at a place in town, just because it looked alright. Before this, I have never heard of Dinotopia so this was all completely new to me. But anyway, on with the review.

Graphics 4/10
Wow what a let down. These were poor graphics for this generation of consoles. I'd rate them around n64 style. I'm not a big graphics person because personally they don't mean very much, but they count in a small part.

Music 6/10
Not to bad at all. The music fit the land's as they should have. The music is pretty much all calm and quiet and relaxing. It would have been better if the music got more intense during "boss" battles and more harsh environments.

Story 5/10
It wasn't anything very special. It was one of those stories that you've heard before and are getting tired of. You're a young man and your father "dies" and your brother gets taken away and you have to rescue them and save the land. Hmm... doesn't that sound a little familiar (like 50% of all games) lol. I don't want to spoil it for any of the few people that have this, but you end up saving them and the land of dinotopia.

Gameplay 6/10
There was a little fun to be had in this game. You have to travel the land and do tasks for the local people and dinosaurs. Most of which are quite simple, but some can agrivate you. For example, when you have to collect a certain number of items for someone, if you don't look hard enough, you won't find them. Another one was having to cure the old man's hiccups, I never got that finished. You get 4 mallet heads- wood, bone, stone, and metal. And throughout your travels, you will get armor that can get upgraded by doing tasks. The combat system kind of reminded me of The Scorpion King: RotA... which most of you haven't played lol. It's really quite simple.

Replay 3/10
There really isn't much replay value at all. It will take you around 4-6 hours to completely finish it if you know what you're doing. There's nothing to unlock afterwards. Instead I say you'd be better off playing Scorpion King. At least in that you get a ton of weapons throughout, and a lot of stuff to unlock during the game... and of course the awesome Godsmack song lol.

Overall 4.8/10 rounded to 5

If you're a collector like me, get it and beat it quick then add it to your collection because you won't play it again. If you want it just to have the feeling of accomplishment, then rent it. Other than that... get Scorpion King lol

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/06