Jurassic Park

"More fun than killing dinos....uhhhh...."

Some games simply fade into the gaping maw that is time and poor sales. Jurassic Park for Sega Genesis may be one of those games. I have to say this game is revolutionary in that it is the first good movie-to-game translation. Truly a flawless change from book to movie. The player will actually feel as if they are trying to escape from Dinosaurs and Isla Nublar while playing as Dr. Grant. If you make strange snarling noises playing as the Raptor I would not be the least bit surprised. 16 Mammoth megs of action is the purported claim on the back of the box-and this game delivers an experience that truly transcends the 16-bit limitations of the Sega Genesis and shows itself to be an action/survival game many steps ahead of the pack. Mammoth megs indeed.

The graphics are quite the gritty affair. It's alright. Nothing horrendous. Then again, one must take into account the graphics at the time. This actually do hold up pretty well; time still can't completely ruin the graphics for the player. An 8/10. Nothing I'd write home about, but then again, I certainly wouldn't write to complain. The dinosaurs for the most part look like dinosaurs, so on and so forth. There are nice little touches to be had among the graphics, for example little live wires crawling with electricity, green muck running through the sewers, shafts of light coming through a lush jungle. These small effects coupled with the backgrounds make the game a truly immersive experience-one of the best for its time. However, it's not the graphics that really draws you in...The Sound performs that function admirably. It is quite good, I give it a 9/10. Great sounds, from the firing of tranquilizer darts to the warning cacophanies of various dinosaurs, this game is great. The music is exactly what you'd expect-dark, moody, foreboding-perfect for this game. Truly atmospheric-especially exemplified when in the second level in the game you hear a deep rumbling, and when you close in to the epicenter of the sound, a T-Rex bursts through! Roaring mightily, thrashing it's giant head around, you are left to find a way around this behemoth.

Which is how we find our way at the gameplay. 10/10. Truly ahead of its time in every way. Essentially, the player can control Grant (The intelligent Doctor from the movie). When you select Grant you are treated to a graphically limited cutscene-yet one that is quite well done wherein the player is shown the circumstances surrounding the prologue of the game...rain...music...A very cinematic look in the rearview mirror *GASP* A T-REX! This is quite a clever scene, as the action is conveyed yet most of it is left to the gamer's imagination. Such skill with limited graphical storytelling tools is one thing that sets this game apart from its cookie cutter competition. So you begin near Grant's wrecked Jeep...thus the adventure unfolds.
Arguably the first survival/horror game ever, this forerunner to the highly acclaimed RE series and its spawn has its own interesting brand of surviving. Grant can pick up tranquilizer darts for stunning animals (except the T-Rex), Rockets, Flash grenades, electric shock guns, Grenades-a whole aresenal presents itself to the player. This is helpful, because without your weapons your are simply so much dino-fodder. Essentially with Grant you are trying to escape the island, avoiding the ignominious demise of being a T-Rex appetizer. Of course, not all dinosaurs are dangerous; in fact, some will help you further your quest by doubling as stepping stones! With Grant, you must solve action puzzles, avoid dinosaurs, and use your wits to survive.

The player can also play as a Velociraptor. It's a little less survival here, and more of a...boring afterthought. You simply go around maiming dinosaurs and people and eat them to regain health. I dunno, boring afterthought is too harsh, more of an underdeveloped adventure game. Not the game's best mode of play, still, a fun mode to play if you're just fooling about. Nothing like killing security guards to release a little pent-up stress eh?

Of course, even with the best ides a game can be rubbish if the controls are hideous. Luckily, Jurassic Park succeeds here. The controls are good and intuitive for the most part. It's not a difficult game to learn. However, the difficulty can be a little rough at times. There are some frustrating jumps and I'll admit at first the final area of the game is baffling-as in, ''What do I do now'' baffling. Still, experimentation can eventually find you an answer, and you will get to the end of the game. Not a terribly satisfying ending, but then again-it's only an adventure game.

The replay value is a 6/10. You can play as Grant or the Raptor. There aren't that many branching pathways (if any) to take (something I would have liked) in each level. There aren't many secret things save for extra weapons ammo. I play the game again for posterity every now and again-and consequently realize how ahead of its time this game was-not to say it inspired later survival/action games, but it certainly predated them by quite some time. This originality deserves some recognition.

Quite the extraordinary event, that in this era of videogames (a licensed game no less) could be so far ahead of its time. Buy this game, as a rental would be nigh impossible to find-and it won't be that expensive anyways. I don't doubt you will come away with some sense of history-and hopefully one of enjoyment. A licensed game that was years ahead of its time as well as good-truly a rarity. Pick up this rare survival gem from somewhere. It's a purchase you won't regret.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/03, Updated 01/08/03