Dino Crisis for PlayStation 1

Survival horror fanatics have Steven Spielburg to thank for his Jurassic Park movies, which would later play a role in an idea that was to become Capcom?s Dino Crisis. At first look, Dino Crisis seemed a lot like an exact replica of the Resident Evil games with a couple of nifty adjustments thrown in. One can?t help but notice its scenario bearing a striking resemblance to that of Jurassic Park. Like the movie itself, the setting is focused on an isolated, carnivore infested island with some deep, dark secret relating to the origin of its prehistoric inhabitants.

In an attempt to please the predominantly male gaming community, Capcom scores a home run with their version of Lara Croft, in a strikingly attractive redhead named Regina. As a member of some top secret IMF-type team, she is sent to locate a mad professor who calls himself Kirk and to find out if his dumb experiments had anything to do with the dinosaurs on the island.

Gameplay & Controls
Almost everything about DC?s gameplay engine is virtually identical to that of RE. To begin with, the controls were basically ported over from RE with the ability to shoot while walking added in. Gamers will also notice the ever so useful 180-degree turn present here. The dinosaurs were like super fast zombies with brains, which made them a little harder to dispose of compared to their IQ deficient counterparts in RE. Speaking of dinosaurs, I noticed a serious lack of variety here with over 90% of enemies made up of raptors during the first 2 hours or so into the game. An occasional T-Rex is thrown in alongside some annoying flying lizards but this does little in enhancing the game?s overall fun factor.

After blowing away an army of raptors, I found the action hitting a stale note, much like how I felt with Fighting Force. You?d basically have to face the same enemies over and over again. They all look, think and sound alike. Where?s the fun in that? Will somebody please point me to the nearest T-Rex? I don?t care if it kills me as long as I don?t have to put up with another one of them useless raptors.

The weapon selection was like a poor man?s version of those found in RE. Handguns had the punch equivalent to a miserable pea-shooter while the shotguns were equally unimpressive. Many of the puzzles were difficult, some exceedingly so. Most notable among them is the DDK system, where you?d have to locate hidden discs to unlock new areas. The later puzzles get even tougher and would usually involve the correct arrangement of certain alpha-numeric characters in addition to the already frustrating DDK. Before going on, I?ve been waiting to say this a long time, so here goes. ?I hate puzzles!?. Especially those involving stupid alpha-numeric combinations. Maybe it?s just me or am I the only one who?s not getting the hang of this?

One other feature which I found realistic but on a relative down side was the fact that you could lose your weapon during battle. Surprise attacks may result in Regina's weapon being knocked from her hands, which means you?d have to immediately regain control of it to avoid becoming the main course. Limping and bleeding around the screen, attempting to grab hold of my lost pea-shooter isn?t exactly what I?d call fun. Suspense buffs might find this entertaining but as for me, I?d rather stick to the old RE/PE format where the main character would apply a generous amount of crazy glue to her hands before picking up a weapon. Overall Grade: C

Graphics
Anyone who?s played or even seen a screenshot from RE/PE would have instantly noticed the lack of color present on Dino Crisis. Sure, the backgrounds look pretty realistic but poor use of colors make them appear bland or ?dead? as some of you might call it. The color combination in most scenarios consists of black, grey and brown/reddish overtones, lacking the bright neon-like variety present in its other well-known Capcom cousins. In all, the graphics weren?t bad but they could sure use a lot more color! Overall Grade: C +

Sound
Sound is yet another area in which Dino Crisis scores an average rating. When firing a shotgun, for instance, I was expecting to hear a loud boom-like blast but instead, the game delivers something that would have sounded more like a modified pea-shooter. The blast from a 12-gauge shotgun is nothing to laugh about, however I can?t help myself here. Whether you?re armed with a water pistol or shotgun, it doesn?t make a difference. The gunshots are terribly weak and that?s all there is to it. The voice acting was ok. It isn?t as bad as the ones heard in some cheap animes, yet it isn?t good either. As for the dinosaurs, I have only one thing to say. ?ROARRRRR!!!? There, I think I did a better job than 10 T-Rexes combined. Overall grade: C

Conclusion
Alright, I?m giving this game an average rating. Reason? Well, maybe I don?t like raptors. I did enjoy shooting at them initially, but later after seeing way too many clones, I pretty much got sick of the whole thing. So folks, this partly explains my non-recommendation on DC. I have yet to get my hands on the much talked about sequel. Be on the lookout for another negative review on the horizon should DC2 turn out to be every bit like the original. Final grade: C