Favourite non-Telltale Jurassic Park game?
There have been quite a few Jurassic Park games released over the years, and unlike many other games based on movies... several of the JP ones aren't bad at all.
I'm not including the three light-gun arcade games here as I wanted to focus on the various home-system versions, and arcade games feel like they somewhat belong in a seperate category.
I will list the ones I know of here, and include some screenshots.
The screenshots are mostly taken from Mobygames.
Jurassic Park for the Nintendo (NES) and original Gameboy (1993)
These are quite identical, the only real difference I can tell is the NES version has some more levels, and obviously color graphics.
Other than the color, the graphics seem quite identical as well.
These are top-down action/exploration games in which you collect eggs and shoot dinos... that's pretty much it for the most part.
Not bad games but they get repetitive quickly.
Also - for whatever reason they decided to use the tune from the C64 game "Comic Bakery" as the music in this game, which doesn't fit very well at all and draws me out of the games... I'm obviously contantly reminded of Comic Bakery as I used to play that game long before I played these.
Screenshots (first Gameboy version and then NES version) -
Jurassic Park for the Super Nintendo (SNES) (1993)
Like the NES & GB versions, this is also a top-down action/exploration type game, but other than that it's not similar at all.
Unlike the NES and SNES versions, this one isn't level based - it's all one big map. And there are more things than eggs to collect, and some 'puzzles' such as using the correct keycards in the correct doors, etc.
It also features first person shooter sections, whenever you enter a building.
These sections can be quite large, with several floors. These parts actually support using the SNES mouse, which is pretty cool.
The 2D (top-down) graphics in the game are quite good in my opinion, and it has a nice variety of quite good looking dinosaurs.
The music also deserves a mention, really nice music in this one.
This first Jurassic Park game I played, and I loved it to death.
But taking off my nostalgia glasses, the game has some serious issues such as very (!) much backtracking, and much too repetitive tasks.
And as cool as having both 2D top-down and 3D FPS sections in the same game is, the FPS bits have really low framerate and are very pixellated.
Also - for being a rather long game, having no password or save system is a very big problem.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park for Sega Master System (SMS) and Sega GameGear (1993)
Though I've only played the Sega Master System version, I'm fairly sure these are quite similar games. There seem to be some differences in the level design, and the graphics aren't exactly the same (though similar)... stuff like that. And the character you control looks really different in each version.
But from what I've seen, they're both still quite similar.
Anyway, about the SMS version - this is actually a solid sidescrolling platformer/action game where you control Alan Grant, going through several reasonably varied and good looking stages.
The stages consist of two parts... the first has you watching Grant driving along in his car while controlling crosshairs you use to shoot at dinos attacking the car.
After that you get to the normal platforming/action stages where you control Grant on foot.
Oh, and it has a nice and long intro sequence which I found pretty cool.
Admittedly I haven't played this game very much but it seems like a nice JP game to me.
Screenshots (first SMS and then GG version) -
Jurassic Park & JP - Rampage Edition for the Sega Genesis (1993,1994)
I'm lumping both these in under the same section here as Rampage edition feels more like an expansion than a sequel.
Rampage Edition is the sequel to the first game, but as I mentioned, I thought it felt more like an expansion.
They both seem to use pretty much the exact same engine without much change, so they control and 'feel' similar in that respect.
The only really new about this game is brand new levels.
Apparently even though the games look and control similarly, the design is quite different as explained in this post -
In any case - these are quite cool sidescrolling platformer/action games where you explore rather large stages... stages that don't follow the simple 'left to right' design but can sometimes be rather maze-like (especially in Rampage Edition)... you move around in all directions.
They have good graphics and plenty of cool areas... and they have nice variety too - such as in one level you're in a boat, etc.
And - you can play through the game as either Alan Grant or a raptor - which changes the gameplay quite a bit as they naturally control very differently and have different abilities (the raptor can't use weapons but can jump much higher and generally reach areas much more easily).
Screenshots (first from Jurassic Park, then from JP - Rampage Edition) -
Jurassic Park for PC DOS and Amiga (1993)
The Amiga and DOS versions of this game are identical except for the 3D FPS stages and the Amiga has better music quality than the PC floppy version... they're much better looking in the PC version as the Amiga release was intended for stock A1200 machines.
The A500 is identical to the A1200 version only with less colors and even uglier looking 3D levels.
Also, about the music quality - even though the Amiga version has better quality music than the PC floppy version (well, unless you use the MT-32... never tested so don't know what that would sound ilke), there is a CD version for PC which has really nice CD audio music.
This was the second Jurassic Park game I played, after the SNES version.
I played the SNES version at a friends place as I didn't have a SNES myself back then (was quite young, couldn't afford to buy these things myself)... but I always wanted to play the game at home.
So a year or two later, while on vacation in England, I found a PC version of Jurassic Park... looking at the screenshots on the box, I thought it looked very similar to the SNES version and figured it was probably pretty much the same... which turned out not to be the case and I was initially very disappointed.
But luckily it turned out to be quite a good game and I ended up playing it a lot.
The game does have some similarities to the SNES version though - it has both top-down and first person shooter sections.
But that's where the similarities end - this one is divided up into several levels. The first half of the game is played in the top-down mode, while the remaining half is played as an FPS game.
Quite good game, good variety in how levels look and level objectives... but my biggest issue with it is how the levels often tend to feel much too empty... they should've put many more dinos in there, and a better variety of them too.
Also, you only have two weapons - an electrical 'prod' gun (which you start out with and has unlimited ammo... just has to recharge for a very short amount of time), and a rifle.
Sadly the gun you start with is very overpowered and can take down anything much too easily... leaving the rifle useless (except in the FPS stages where you have to use it).
Screenshots (first from DOS, then Amiga) -
(Amiga screens from Hall of Light and Lemon Amiga)
Jurassic Park for Sega CD (1993)
This version is completely different from the other Sega JP releases.
I've never played it but I've seen clips on Youtube and from what I gather (and from how Mobygames describes it)... this is sort of a point & click adventure game.
The perspective is first person, like in Myst... but you can pan around 360 degrees (kinf of like in later Myst games).
Being a CD game, it obviously has plenty of FMV and that kind of stuff.
I really don't know much about how this game works, what the puzzles are like etc... but this is one I'd love to try out someday.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park Interactive for the 3DO (1994)
Though I've never played this game myself, I've watched quite a bit of it on Youtube.
You play as a security guard and your objective is to guide visitors to the heli-pad, which is done by playing various mini-games (randomly selected).
Being a CD based game, it has quite a bit of FMV and stuff like that.
I don't know if this game is any good or not, but I do think it looks quite interesting, I'd love to try it out.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues for Gameboy (1994)
Not much to be said about this game, it's a decent enough 2D sidescrolling platformer.
Has some variety, in some stages you're hunted by the T-Rex and have to collect some 'boxes' or whatever they are, while other levels are ordinary platform levels where you collect eggs, etc.
The graphics are very good for a Gameboy game, that's one of the highlights of this game in my opinion.
The biggest downside is that it's much too short and easy.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues for Super Nintendo (SNES) (1994)
This is a sidescrolling action/platformer game, with heavy emphasis on the action part.
Interestingly, this one was released before the second JP movie and thus it follows the storyline from the second Jurassic Park book rather than the (lame) storyline from the movie.
The game features several levels you can finish in any order (you select them from a list), but obviously you have to finish them all to finish the game.
It has a good variety of enemies, from several different dinos to various types of human soldiers.
You have a nice selection of weapons as well... some of which will only put your enemies to sleep, and other normal weapons that kill enemies.
The reason for this is you have to try your best to put dinosaurs to sleep instead of killing them... kill too many and that's it.
It has a good coop two player mode.
Personally I found this game quite difficult... many enemies are pretty hard to avoid, and deal quite a bit of damage.
Also, the level design is not straight forward 'left to right'... levels often have several doors you can enter, etc.
Not to mention the very strict time limits you encounter from time to time.
I remember being very impressed by both the graphics and sound in this game... it looks amazing and the music is really good.
It also has quite high quality (for a SNES game anyway) speech during the introduction sequence.
Screenshots -
Chaos Island for Windows (1997)
I never played this one but I've seen several gameplay clips from it so I have a general idea what it's about.
Basically, this is an RTS (real time strategy) type of game, based on the second Jurassic Park movie and aimed at a younger audience.
You control various characters from the movie and play through 12 (or so, I can't remember exactly) stages, with varying mission objectives such as typical RTS elements like building a 'base' etc.
It's a rather short and easy game, but from what I gather it's actually not bad... but never having played it myself, I obviously can't say for sure what I think.
Screenshots -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Gameboy (1997)
Another side scrolling platform game, and like many other JP sidescrollers the levels aren't simple left to right affairs but rather more complex levels where you can move in all directions.
Each level requires to collect a certain amount of 'samples' (eggs and dna vials) before you can proceed to the next stage... and this gets repetitive very quickly.
The graphics are unimpressive, especially the character you control looks very ugly (though the animation is nice enough).
It also has quite possibly the smallest T-Rex in any JP game.
I think it has support for the Super Gameboy though, so if you play it using that thing, you get nicer colors at least.
Also, the game is very easy and finished quickly... unless one becomes too bored to continue, which I think is likely.
As you can tell, I didn't enjoy this game much at all.
Screenshots -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Sega GameGear (1997)
This is a fairly standard sidescrolling platform/action games, nothing very special about it.
Graphically it's quite decent, though not fantastic by any means... sound is passable but not great.
The controls are also quite decent, nothing wrong here.
Instead of lives, in this game you have differently colored vests... changing color when you get hit until you eventually run out and die.
You can collect new vests spread around the levels.
The game features a map where you can select in which order to finish levels, so in that way it's not completely linear.
The biggest problem with the game is that it's very short and quite easy - because even though you don't have any kind of password/save system, you have unlimited continues. Which makes it quite easy and lets you finish the game in very little time.
Overall though, a quite enjoyable little platformer game, certainly better than the Lost Word game for the Gameboy!
Screenshots -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Tiger Game.com (1997)
Anyone remember the Tiger Game.com console? I remember seeing some adverts for it back in the day, and I've seen it in some Youtube videos but that's about it.
I've known of this game for quite some time, but I've never played it and I've never known much about it either.
The game takes place on Site B, and you control either a guy trying to take dino eggs back to the mainland, or a woman wanting to collect the eggs and keep them out of the hands of that guy.
The game has six levels, and it seems to have at least two sections that are quite different from eachother such as an area where you're driving and having to avoid dinos, taking place in first person view.
There's also a sidescrolling platformer section in which you traverse the jungle collecting eggs and fighting off dinosaurs using some different weapons.
Screenshots (very hard to find screenshots from this game) -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn (1997, SE 1998)
I've only played the Playstation version of this game but from what I understand both versions are near identical.
Anyway, this is a 3D sidescrolling platformer/action game where you control a variety of dinos, from the lowly Compy to the Raptor and even T-Rex.
In some parts you also control a human.
I didn't play more than the first few levels of this game, but it seemed decent enough... though I found the controls a bit clumsy, especially in the platforming sections.
Worth noting is a special edition of the game was released, for the Playstation, featuring several modifications (don't ask me what those are).
Screenshots (Playstation version) -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for the Sega Genesis (1997)
This game was released very late in the Genesis lifespan, and it shows... the game has really nice graphics.
It's also one I managed to miss out on until quite recently, didn't even know it existed.
Basically, it's a top-down action game... when you first see the game, you might think it looks a bit similar the first JP game for the SNES, but it's really completely different.
Unlike older top-down JP games, this one isn't focused on puzzles and all of that... this is a 'simpler' game focusing only on action.
Basically, what you do is complete simple mission objectives such as capturing dinos or rescue people, while blasting away everything that comes at you.
You also encounter some stages that completely different from the normal ones, where the game gives you a first person view (I've only encountered one so far, haven't played through the full game yet... but I assume there will be more).
Also has a nice two player mode.
Very nice game, I like this one a lot.
Screenshots -
Trespasser: Jurassic Park for Windows (1998)
This is an FPS type of game for Windows.
It's quite an interesting game as it seems the developers were quite ambitious when designing this game... however, you get the feeling they fell short of their vision when playing the game... it feels unfinished.
You play as a woman that has survived a plane crash and is stranded on Site B, and you have to find your way off the island.
Throughout the game you get voice clips from John Hammond, a quite cool feature.
Some of the things that set this game apart from traditional FPS games at the time (and even still) is there is a lack of the traditional ammo/life displays, there aren't any 'power-ups' and then there is... the hand!
Basically, you can see the hand of your character and control it (both arm and wrist movements)... and instead of simply walking over items to pick them up, you have to use the hand.
One thing about this arm though is - it looks really ridiculous. You'll know what I mean if you've played it!
The hand is also used to interact with the environment in other ways.
Also, they tried implementing A.I. for the dinosaurs in a way so that they'd behave like natural dinosaurs and not just monsters out to attack you (they will try to run away when injured, etc).
They also implemented quite an advanced physics system for the time.
However, I seem to remember this game being quite buggy.
I got this game back when it was new, but only played it for a little while... mostly because my computer was too slow to run it properly.
I remember some annoying sections where I had to stack crates to reach areas, which was annoyingly difficult.. but that might have been because of the low frame rate I was getting.
Luckily I still have the game and I'm planning to play through the entire thing someday.
Screenshots -
Warpath: Jurassic Park for Sony Playstation (1999)
This is a 3D fighting game in the style of Tekken and similar games, only instead of normal fighters, you have dinosaurs from the two first Jurassic Park movies and the arenas you fight in are various locations from the movies as well.
You have the typical stuff such as unlockables and all that.
I have tried it out but never played it much, I was never big on fighting games in general.
It seems to have received mixed reviews so I guess this one is best reserved for people that are big fans of both JP and fighting games.
Screenshots (taken from Jurassica.net) -
Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender for Windows (2001)
This is the first Jurassic Park game I had never heard of when starting this thread.
In any case, it's apparently some kind of platformer'ish game aimed at kids where you control a kid in a little robot suit, trying to restore power to the dino fences while dodging dinos or firing tranquilizer balls at them.
Looks pretty lame in my opinion, not something I'd even bother to check out.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park III: Danger Zone! for Windows (2001)
The second game I'd never heard of before starting this thread, this seems to be a JP themed boardgame of sorts.
The game has you pick one out of 8 characters, and then you roll dice to move around on a game board.
After each turn, you play a mini-game which is decided by where you end up.
I had a look on Youtube and these mini-games look pretty poor and annoying to play.
Screenshots -
Scan Command: Jurassic Park for Windows (2001)
The third JP game I had never heard of, and this one looks possibly even more lame than the previous one.
Basically, this seems to be one of those kids games where you get a scanner and have to go around scanning random barcodes in stores.
In this game, you scan barcodes to get DNA power-ups for your in-game dinosaur.
Gameplay seems to consist of navigating your DNA-enhanced dinosaur through 6 levels.
I don't know, maybe good for kids, I have no idea.
Screenshots (hard to find good screens, these will have to do) -
Jurassic Park III: Dinosaur Battles for Windows (2001)
The fourth game I had never heard of until now, this one is according to Wikipedia somewhat similar to Scan Command, though it seems this one doesn't use a barcode scanner.
The game has you trying to find a tour guide and some kids that got lost on Isla Sorna.
Apparently you use some kind of dinosaur communicator to control dinosaurs... you start out with a raptor but gain more as you play.
You have to fight to gain more experience and more attacks... each attack must be created by placing DNA pieces in a DNA grid.
Also, instead of controlling your dinosaurs directly, you have different 'positions' you can put them in... offensive, defensive, etc.
I have no idea if this game is any good but I feel pretty certain it's not.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park III: Island Attack for the Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
This is an isometric action game where you control Alan Grant and have to get through a total of 8 levels to get off the island.
Not much to say about it... nice enough variety of dinos, graphics are OK.
I did find the controls slightly clumsy, though... and the weapons I got seemed to only stun the dinos (but I didn't play it for very long so I don't know what weapons you get later on).
Anyway, the game seemed bland and uninspired to me, and I got bored with it quickly. Somehow it just doesn't feel any fun at all to play.
Looking at the screenshots I got from Mobygames for this game though... they do make it look somewhat decent and it's a long time since I tried it out... I might give it another chance.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor for Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
Another GBA platformer, by the same company and released the same year, this one seems to share the biggest issue I had with the previous one - even though it seems decent enough when first looking at it, and the concept sounds good enough, it still feels very bland and uninspired.
It also turns out very repetitive very quickly.
Anyway, this time it's a sidescrolling platformer game where you control either a photographer or a pilot and have to collect pieces of DNA while avoiding dinos.
You then use this DNA in another part of the game called 'dinosaur creation' where you match the DNA pieces together to create dinosaurs.
You can encounter the dinos you've created as enemies in future levels.
Sounds decent enough, right? But I found actually playing it to be a chore... didn't get very far at all. Been years now though, I can't remember it all that well anymore.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park III: Park Builder for the Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
Another game by the same company and released the same year, but this one is very different.
As the name suggests, this one is a park builder kind of game.
Never played this one myself, but as with many of the other games, I have looked at some screenshots and gameplay clips out of curiousity.
My impression of the game is that it's a quite simplistic simulation style game, which I guess might be a good thing as it could probably be quite a hassle to play a complicated game in this genre on a handheld with such a small screen as the GBA has.
The gameplay has you digging for dinosaur DNA to get various dinosaurs you can display in your park. You also naturally need to build stuff such as restaurants, roads, etc.
Also, your dinosaurs need to be taken care of as they can die in various
ways, such as them eating one another.
Overall the game seems decent enough but nothing special (but keep in mind I never played it).
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis for Windows, Xbox and PS2 (2003)
I've only played the Playstation 2 version of this (and only for a few hours, years ago at a friends place) but I assume they're all pretty much identical other than maybe some small graphical differences and the like.
This is another park builder game, though obviously more complex and better looking than the GBA one.
The gameplay is what you'd expect from a game like this... you are presented with various challenges involved with running a park full of dinos, like for instance you have to build secure areas to place the dinos, electrical fences, etc.
Of course you also have to make sure you keep your dinos and park visitors happy, and also pay attention to the layout of your park.
The dinosaurs are obtained by searching for fossils to get DNA in order to hatch them.
The graphics are quite good, with detailed and accurate dinosaurs... which is obviously important in a Jurassic Park based game.
The same can be said for the music, not bad at all. Creates a nice JP atmosphere.
Screenshots (Windows version) -
Jurassic Park for mobile phones (2010)
The most recently released Jurassic Park game.
There are two versions of this game (unless you count all the different resolution for various phones as different versions, but these basically look the same... the difference in resolution only means you get more or less of the map at screen at a time) - the normal version which is the one advertised, and a much more basic version for older phones.
The description here is for the normal version of the game, but I included screenshots from both.
This is a top-down action game where you alternate between controlling Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm (and occasionally a T-Rex) through a number of levels.
The story is quite simplistic and silly, basically Alan and Ian get stuck on Jurassic Park yet again.
Your objective is obviously to get them safely off the island.
Most levels are regular (extremely linear) top-down shooter levels where you shoot dinosaurs and poachers, but there are three levels that differ - one where you're driving a car while hunted by the T-Rex, and two where you control the T-Rex trying to get back your stolen egg.
Throughout the game, you get little 'scripted' sequences progressing the story, such as poachers stealing a T-Rex egg.
You also get story bits in a text box at the bottom of the screen.
The game only has a few different kinds of dinosaurs - raptors, 'flying dinos' (not sure what they're called, think JP3), compys, the T-Rex and brachiosauruses (but the brachiosauruses are only decorative... the only gameplay purpose they serve is to jump on their backs to cross rivers from time to time).
The main problem with the game is it lacks any challenge whatsoever.
The graphics are very good though, and for die-hard JP fans it's probably worth playing through the game for that reason alone.
You can easily play through the nine levels on the hardest difficulty level without any problem at all, and without ever having to be careful.
Screenshots (normal version first, then the one for really low-end mobiles) -
I'm not including the three light-gun arcade games here as I wanted to focus on the various home-system versions, and arcade games feel like they somewhat belong in a seperate category.
I will list the ones I know of here, and include some screenshots.
The screenshots are mostly taken from Mobygames.
Jurassic Park for the Nintendo (NES) and original Gameboy (1993)
These are quite identical, the only real difference I can tell is the NES version has some more levels, and obviously color graphics.
Other than the color, the graphics seem quite identical as well.
These are top-down action/exploration games in which you collect eggs and shoot dinos... that's pretty much it for the most part.
Not bad games but they get repetitive quickly.
Also - for whatever reason they decided to use the tune from the C64 game "Comic Bakery" as the music in this game, which doesn't fit very well at all and draws me out of the games... I'm obviously contantly reminded of Comic Bakery as I used to play that game long before I played these.
Screenshots (first Gameboy version and then NES version) -
Jurassic Park for the Super Nintendo (SNES) (1993)
Like the NES & GB versions, this is also a top-down action/exploration type game, but other than that it's not similar at all.
Unlike the NES and SNES versions, this one isn't level based - it's all one big map. And there are more things than eggs to collect, and some 'puzzles' such as using the correct keycards in the correct doors, etc.
It also features first person shooter sections, whenever you enter a building.
These sections can be quite large, with several floors. These parts actually support using the SNES mouse, which is pretty cool.
The 2D (top-down) graphics in the game are quite good in my opinion, and it has a nice variety of quite good looking dinosaurs.
The music also deserves a mention, really nice music in this one.
This first Jurassic Park game I played, and I loved it to death.
But taking off my nostalgia glasses, the game has some serious issues such as very (!) much backtracking, and much too repetitive tasks.
And as cool as having both 2D top-down and 3D FPS sections in the same game is, the FPS bits have really low framerate and are very pixellated.
Also - for being a rather long game, having no password or save system is a very big problem.
Screenshots -
Jurassic Park for Sega Master System (SMS) and Sega GameGear (1993)
Though I've only played the Sega Master System version, I'm fairly sure these are quite similar games. There seem to be some differences in the level design, and the graphics aren't exactly the same (though similar)... stuff like that. And the character you control looks really different in each version.
But from what I've seen, they're both still quite similar.
Anyway, about the SMS version - this is actually a solid sidescrolling platformer/action game where you control Alan Grant, going through several reasonably varied and good looking stages.
The stages consist of two parts... the first has you watching Grant driving along in his car while controlling crosshairs you use to shoot at dinos attacking the car.
After that you get to the normal platforming/action stages where you control Grant on foot.
Oh, and it has a nice and long intro sequence which I found pretty cool.
Admittedly I haven't played this game very much but it seems like a nice JP game to me.
Screenshots (first SMS and then GG version) -
Jurassic Park & JP - Rampage Edition for the Sega Genesis (1993,1994)
I'm lumping both these in under the same section here as Rampage edition feels more like an expansion than a sequel.
Rampage Edition is the sequel to the first game, but as I mentioned, I thought it felt more like an expansion.
They both seem to use pretty much the exact same engine without much change, so they control and 'feel' similar in that respect.
The only really new about this game is brand new levels.
Apparently even though the games look and control similarly, the design is quite different as explained in this post -
The Rampage edition had very big and almost open levels with non stop action, also the graphics had some kind of cell shading and some levels where a bit silly like african savanna where you could ride a Gallimimus. While both are platformers, the first was better balanced and felt more like the movie, while the Rampage edition was totally over the top, way too much action!
In any case - these are quite cool sidescrolling platformer/action games where you explore rather large stages... stages that don't follow the simple 'left to right' design but can sometimes be rather maze-like (especially in Rampage Edition)... you move around in all directions.
They have good graphics and plenty of cool areas... and they have nice variety too - such as in one level you're in a boat, etc.
And - you can play through the game as either Alan Grant or a raptor - which changes the gameplay quite a bit as they naturally control very differently and have different abilities (the raptor can't use weapons but can jump much higher and generally reach areas much more easily).
Screenshots (first from Jurassic Park, then from JP - Rampage Edition) -
Jurassic Park for PC DOS and Amiga (1993)
The Amiga and DOS versions of this game are identical except for the 3D FPS stages and the Amiga has better music quality than the PC floppy version... they're much better looking in the PC version as the Amiga release was intended for stock A1200 machines.
The A500 is identical to the A1200 version only with less colors and even uglier looking 3D levels.
Also, about the music quality - even though the Amiga version has better quality music than the PC floppy version (well, unless you use the MT-32... never tested so don't know what that would sound ilke), there is a CD version for PC which has really nice CD audio music.
This was the second Jurassic Park game I played, after the SNES version.
I played the SNES version at a friends place as I didn't have a SNES myself back then (was quite young, couldn't afford to buy these things myself)... but I always wanted to play the game at home.
So a year or two later, while on vacation in England, I found a PC version of Jurassic Park... looking at the screenshots on the box, I thought it looked very similar to the SNES version and figured it was probably pretty much the same... which turned out not to be the case and I was initially very disappointed.
But luckily it turned out to be quite a good game and I ended up playing it a lot.
The game does have some similarities to the SNES version though - it has both top-down and first person shooter sections.
But that's where the similarities end - this one is divided up into several levels. The first half of the game is played in the top-down mode, while the remaining half is played as an FPS game.
Quite good game, good variety in how levels look and level objectives... but my biggest issue with it is how the levels often tend to feel much too empty... they should've put many more dinos in there, and a better variety of them too.
Also, you only have two weapons - an electrical 'prod' gun (which you start out with and has unlimited ammo... just has to recharge for a very short amount of time), and a rifle.
Sadly the gun you start with is very overpowered and can take down anything much too easily... leaving the rifle useless (except in the FPS stages where you have to use it).
Screenshots (first from DOS, then Amiga) -
(Amiga screens from Hall of Light and Lemon Amiga)
Jurassic Park for Sega CD (1993)
This version is completely different from the other Sega JP releases.
I've never played it but I've seen clips on Youtube and from what I gather (and from how Mobygames describes it)... this is sort of a point & click adventure game.
The perspective is first person, like in Myst... but you can pan around 360 degrees (kinf of like in later Myst games).
Being a CD game, it obviously has plenty of FMV and that kind of stuff.
I really don't know much about how this game works, what the puzzles are like etc... but this is one I'd love to try out someday.
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Jurassic Park Interactive for the 3DO (1994)
Though I've never played this game myself, I've watched quite a bit of it on Youtube.
You play as a security guard and your objective is to guide visitors to the heli-pad, which is done by playing various mini-games (randomly selected).
Being a CD based game, it has quite a bit of FMV and stuff like that.
I don't know if this game is any good or not, but I do think it looks quite interesting, I'd love to try it out.
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Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues for Gameboy (1994)
Not much to be said about this game, it's a decent enough 2D sidescrolling platformer.
Has some variety, in some stages you're hunted by the T-Rex and have to collect some 'boxes' or whatever they are, while other levels are ordinary platform levels where you collect eggs, etc.
The graphics are very good for a Gameboy game, that's one of the highlights of this game in my opinion.
The biggest downside is that it's much too short and easy.
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Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues for Super Nintendo (SNES) (1994)
This is a sidescrolling action/platformer game, with heavy emphasis on the action part.
Interestingly, this one was released before the second JP movie and thus it follows the storyline from the second Jurassic Park book rather than the (lame) storyline from the movie.
The game features several levels you can finish in any order (you select them from a list), but obviously you have to finish them all to finish the game.
It has a good variety of enemies, from several different dinos to various types of human soldiers.
You have a nice selection of weapons as well... some of which will only put your enemies to sleep, and other normal weapons that kill enemies.
The reason for this is you have to try your best to put dinosaurs to sleep instead of killing them... kill too many and that's it.
It has a good coop two player mode.
Personally I found this game quite difficult... many enemies are pretty hard to avoid, and deal quite a bit of damage.
Also, the level design is not straight forward 'left to right'... levels often have several doors you can enter, etc.
Not to mention the very strict time limits you encounter from time to time.
I remember being very impressed by both the graphics and sound in this game... it looks amazing and the music is really good.
It also has quite high quality (for a SNES game anyway) speech during the introduction sequence.
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Chaos Island for Windows (1997)
I never played this one but I've seen several gameplay clips from it so I have a general idea what it's about.
Basically, this is an RTS (real time strategy) type of game, based on the second Jurassic Park movie and aimed at a younger audience.
You control various characters from the movie and play through 12 (or so, I can't remember exactly) stages, with varying mission objectives such as typical RTS elements like building a 'base' etc.
It's a rather short and easy game, but from what I gather it's actually not bad... but never having played it myself, I obviously can't say for sure what I think.
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The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Gameboy (1997)
Another side scrolling platform game, and like many other JP sidescrollers the levels aren't simple left to right affairs but rather more complex levels where you can move in all directions.
Each level requires to collect a certain amount of 'samples' (eggs and dna vials) before you can proceed to the next stage... and this gets repetitive very quickly.
The graphics are unimpressive, especially the character you control looks very ugly (though the animation is nice enough).
It also has quite possibly the smallest T-Rex in any JP game.
I think it has support for the Super Gameboy though, so if you play it using that thing, you get nicer colors at least.
Also, the game is very easy and finished quickly... unless one becomes too bored to continue, which I think is likely.
As you can tell, I didn't enjoy this game much at all.
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The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Sega GameGear (1997)
This is a fairly standard sidescrolling platform/action games, nothing very special about it.
Graphically it's quite decent, though not fantastic by any means... sound is passable but not great.
The controls are also quite decent, nothing wrong here.
Instead of lives, in this game you have differently colored vests... changing color when you get hit until you eventually run out and die.
You can collect new vests spread around the levels.
The game features a map where you can select in which order to finish levels, so in that way it's not completely linear.
The biggest problem with the game is that it's very short and quite easy - because even though you don't have any kind of password/save system, you have unlimited continues. Which makes it quite easy and lets you finish the game in very little time.
Overall though, a quite enjoyable little platformer game, certainly better than the Lost Word game for the Gameboy!
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The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Tiger Game.com (1997)
Anyone remember the Tiger Game.com console? I remember seeing some adverts for it back in the day, and I've seen it in some Youtube videos but that's about it.
I've known of this game for quite some time, but I've never played it and I've never known much about it either.
The game takes place on Site B, and you control either a guy trying to take dino eggs back to the mainland, or a woman wanting to collect the eggs and keep them out of the hands of that guy.
The game has six levels, and it seems to have at least two sections that are quite different from eachother such as an area where you're driving and having to avoid dinos, taking place in first person view.
There's also a sidescrolling platformer section in which you traverse the jungle collecting eggs and fighting off dinosaurs using some different weapons.
Screenshots (very hard to find screenshots from this game) -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn (1997, SE 1998)
I've only played the Playstation version of this game but from what I understand both versions are near identical.
Anyway, this is a 3D sidescrolling platformer/action game where you control a variety of dinos, from the lowly Compy to the Raptor and even T-Rex.
In some parts you also control a human.
I didn't play more than the first few levels of this game, but it seemed decent enough... though I found the controls a bit clumsy, especially in the platforming sections.
Worth noting is a special edition of the game was released, for the Playstation, featuring several modifications (don't ask me what those are).
Screenshots (Playstation version) -
The Lost World: Jurassic Park for the Sega Genesis (1997)
This game was released very late in the Genesis lifespan, and it shows... the game has really nice graphics.
It's also one I managed to miss out on until quite recently, didn't even know it existed.
Basically, it's a top-down action game... when you first see the game, you might think it looks a bit similar the first JP game for the SNES, but it's really completely different.
Unlike older top-down JP games, this one isn't focused on puzzles and all of that... this is a 'simpler' game focusing only on action.
Basically, what you do is complete simple mission objectives such as capturing dinos or rescue people, while blasting away everything that comes at you.
You also encounter some stages that completely different from the normal ones, where the game gives you a first person view (I've only encountered one so far, haven't played through the full game yet... but I assume there will be more).
Also has a nice two player mode.
Very nice game, I like this one a lot.
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Trespasser: Jurassic Park for Windows (1998)
This is an FPS type of game for Windows.
It's quite an interesting game as it seems the developers were quite ambitious when designing this game... however, you get the feeling they fell short of their vision when playing the game... it feels unfinished.
You play as a woman that has survived a plane crash and is stranded on Site B, and you have to find your way off the island.
Throughout the game you get voice clips from John Hammond, a quite cool feature.
Some of the things that set this game apart from traditional FPS games at the time (and even still) is there is a lack of the traditional ammo/life displays, there aren't any 'power-ups' and then there is... the hand!
Basically, you can see the hand of your character and control it (both arm and wrist movements)... and instead of simply walking over items to pick them up, you have to use the hand.
One thing about this arm though is - it looks really ridiculous. You'll know what I mean if you've played it!
The hand is also used to interact with the environment in other ways.
Also, they tried implementing A.I. for the dinosaurs in a way so that they'd behave like natural dinosaurs and not just monsters out to attack you (they will try to run away when injured, etc).
They also implemented quite an advanced physics system for the time.
However, I seem to remember this game being quite buggy.
I got this game back when it was new, but only played it for a little while... mostly because my computer was too slow to run it properly.
I remember some annoying sections where I had to stack crates to reach areas, which was annoyingly difficult.. but that might have been because of the low frame rate I was getting.
Luckily I still have the game and I'm planning to play through the entire thing someday.
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Warpath: Jurassic Park for Sony Playstation (1999)
This is a 3D fighting game in the style of Tekken and similar games, only instead of normal fighters, you have dinosaurs from the two first Jurassic Park movies and the arenas you fight in are various locations from the movies as well.
You have the typical stuff such as unlockables and all that.
I have tried it out but never played it much, I was never big on fighting games in general.
It seems to have received mixed reviews so I guess this one is best reserved for people that are big fans of both JP and fighting games.
Screenshots (taken from Jurassica.net) -
Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender for Windows (2001)
This is the first Jurassic Park game I had never heard of when starting this thread.
In any case, it's apparently some kind of platformer'ish game aimed at kids where you control a kid in a little robot suit, trying to restore power to the dino fences while dodging dinos or firing tranquilizer balls at them.
Looks pretty lame in my opinion, not something I'd even bother to check out.
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Jurassic Park III: Danger Zone! for Windows (2001)
The second game I'd never heard of before starting this thread, this seems to be a JP themed boardgame of sorts.
The game has you pick one out of 8 characters, and then you roll dice to move around on a game board.
After each turn, you play a mini-game which is decided by where you end up.
I had a look on Youtube and these mini-games look pretty poor and annoying to play.
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Scan Command: Jurassic Park for Windows (2001)
The third JP game I had never heard of, and this one looks possibly even more lame than the previous one.
Basically, this seems to be one of those kids games where you get a scanner and have to go around scanning random barcodes in stores.
In this game, you scan barcodes to get DNA power-ups for your in-game dinosaur.
Gameplay seems to consist of navigating your DNA-enhanced dinosaur through 6 levels.
I don't know, maybe good for kids, I have no idea.
Screenshots (hard to find good screens, these will have to do) -
Jurassic Park III: Dinosaur Battles for Windows (2001)
The fourth game I had never heard of until now, this one is according to Wikipedia somewhat similar to Scan Command, though it seems this one doesn't use a barcode scanner.
The game has you trying to find a tour guide and some kids that got lost on Isla Sorna.
Apparently you use some kind of dinosaur communicator to control dinosaurs... you start out with a raptor but gain more as you play.
You have to fight to gain more experience and more attacks... each attack must be created by placing DNA pieces in a DNA grid.
Also, instead of controlling your dinosaurs directly, you have different 'positions' you can put them in... offensive, defensive, etc.
I have no idea if this game is any good but I feel pretty certain it's not.
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Jurassic Park III: Island Attack for the Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
This is an isometric action game where you control Alan Grant and have to get through a total of 8 levels to get off the island.
Not much to say about it... nice enough variety of dinos, graphics are OK.
I did find the controls slightly clumsy, though... and the weapons I got seemed to only stun the dinos (but I didn't play it for very long so I don't know what weapons you get later on).
Anyway, the game seemed bland and uninspired to me, and I got bored with it quickly. Somehow it just doesn't feel any fun at all to play.
Looking at the screenshots I got from Mobygames for this game though... they do make it look somewhat decent and it's a long time since I tried it out... I might give it another chance.
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Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor for Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
Another GBA platformer, by the same company and released the same year, this one seems to share the biggest issue I had with the previous one - even though it seems decent enough when first looking at it, and the concept sounds good enough, it still feels very bland and uninspired.
It also turns out very repetitive very quickly.
Anyway, this time it's a sidescrolling platformer game where you control either a photographer or a pilot and have to collect pieces of DNA while avoiding dinos.
You then use this DNA in another part of the game called 'dinosaur creation' where you match the DNA pieces together to create dinosaurs.
You can encounter the dinos you've created as enemies in future levels.
Sounds decent enough, right? But I found actually playing it to be a chore... didn't get very far at all. Been years now though, I can't remember it all that well anymore.
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Jurassic Park III: Park Builder for the Gameboy Advance (GBA) (2001)
Another game by the same company and released the same year, but this one is very different.
As the name suggests, this one is a park builder kind of game.
Never played this one myself, but as with many of the other games, I have looked at some screenshots and gameplay clips out of curiousity.
My impression of the game is that it's a quite simplistic simulation style game, which I guess might be a good thing as it could probably be quite a hassle to play a complicated game in this genre on a handheld with such a small screen as the GBA has.
The gameplay has you digging for dinosaur DNA to get various dinosaurs you can display in your park. You also naturally need to build stuff such as restaurants, roads, etc.
Also, your dinosaurs need to be taken care of as they can die in various
ways, such as them eating one another.
Overall the game seems decent enough but nothing special (but keep in mind I never played it).
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Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis for Windows, Xbox and PS2 (2003)
I've only played the Playstation 2 version of this (and only for a few hours, years ago at a friends place) but I assume they're all pretty much identical other than maybe some small graphical differences and the like.
This is another park builder game, though obviously more complex and better looking than the GBA one.
The gameplay is what you'd expect from a game like this... you are presented with various challenges involved with running a park full of dinos, like for instance you have to build secure areas to place the dinos, electrical fences, etc.
Of course you also have to make sure you keep your dinos and park visitors happy, and also pay attention to the layout of your park.
The dinosaurs are obtained by searching for fossils to get DNA in order to hatch them.
The graphics are quite good, with detailed and accurate dinosaurs... which is obviously important in a Jurassic Park based game.
The same can be said for the music, not bad at all. Creates a nice JP atmosphere.
Screenshots (Windows version) -
Jurassic Park for mobile phones (2010)
The most recently released Jurassic Park game.
There are two versions of this game (unless you count all the different resolution for various phones as different versions, but these basically look the same... the difference in resolution only means you get more or less of the map at screen at a time) - the normal version which is the one advertised, and a much more basic version for older phones.
The description here is for the normal version of the game, but I included screenshots from both.
This is a top-down action game where you alternate between controlling Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm (and occasionally a T-Rex) through a number of levels.
The story is quite simplistic and silly, basically Alan and Ian get stuck on Jurassic Park yet again.
Your objective is obviously to get them safely off the island.
Most levels are regular (extremely linear) top-down shooter levels where you shoot dinosaurs and poachers, but there are three levels that differ - one where you're driving a car while hunted by the T-Rex, and two where you control the T-Rex trying to get back your stolen egg.
Throughout the game, you get little 'scripted' sequences progressing the story, such as poachers stealing a T-Rex egg.
You also get story bits in a text box at the bottom of the screen.
The game only has a few different kinds of dinosaurs - raptors, 'flying dinos' (not sure what they're called, think JP3), compys, the T-Rex and brachiosauruses (but the brachiosauruses are only decorative... the only gameplay purpose they serve is to jump on their backs to cross rivers from time to time).
The main problem with the game is it lacks any challenge whatsoever.
The graphics are very good though, and for die-hard JP fans it's probably worth playing through the game for that reason alone.
You can easily play through the nine levels on the hardest difficulty level without any problem at all, and without ever having to be careful.
Screenshots (normal version first, then the one for really low-end mobiles) -
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Comments
Tough choice as I like both a lot, but since the DOS version was the one I owned back in the day and the one I played the most because of that... I picked that one.
The other considerations were:
Jurassic Park SNES
The Lost World: Jurassic Park PS1
The Lost World: Chaos Island PC
Operation Genesis PS2
Trespasser
Also a side note: I wanted to buy Operation Genesis from Amazon but did you guys see the prices? Like $200...
While Trespasser delivers the feeling of the sequels and is quite unique, Operation Genesis is the only game wich really brings up memories and the feeling of the first film, wich I didnt expected that much when started playing cause I never been a fan of building simulations.
I think Operation Genesis and the telltale game will be the best and probably only games that will live up to the iconic first movie!
I got mine off a gamestop.com for about 15 or 20 bucks. That was the PS2 versions though. If you still have a PS2 or XBox you could always try and get a copy from their site. But the PC version is harder to find for cheap.
A lot of these Jurassic Park games are easy to find on ebay but that's if you don't mind buying used.
OMG if only they'd make a number 2.
I picked The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Gameboy. I know you weren't the biggest fan but it's the one with the most nostalgia value for me. The only other ones I've played were a couple of the GBA ones and they never really took my interest for very long.
Not the Rampage Edition, though. That one was not the same thing at all.
P.S: That Operation Genesis seems interesting. Is it worth getting? I remember when it came out, but I didn't gave it too much attention.
Naaah... Hear in the UK you can get it from Game for just a couple of pound.
Plus i highley recommend the PC version as ther is soooo much more to the game (mainly mods) but its a fantastically realistic game id say.
At least they've made an effort with many of these, and I think several of them are quite fun to play.
They are very similar games, though - I wrote in the post that Rampage Edition is very similar to the first game as it uses the same engine and both look and play much the same (and you can play as the raptor in both as well, right?), but that the Rampage Edition has all new levels with new graphics and such.
Isn't that correct? I played both long ago and this is what I seem to recall.
No, the Rampage edition had very big and almost open levels with non stop action, also the graphics had some kind of cell shading and some levels where a bit silly like african savanna where you could ride a Gallimimus. While both are platformers, the first was better balanced and felt more like the movie, while the Rampage edition was totally over the top, way too much action!
They are similar, yes. But the gameplay, despite being side-scroller like the first one, is very different. I couldn't even finish RE because of the major difference.
Sadonicus explained it better.
Planting a maintenance shed in the middle of the raptor pen, hiring five workers and watching them dutifully tromp out to their inevitibly messy doom was quite a hoot.
LOL I used to destroy the roads. Hit the panic button. Watch the visitors run to the bunkers. Then build fences around it. Build a hatchery in the fence. Breed raptors then turned off the alarm.
lol
Despite the game being very buggy, it was very innovative at the time it was released and still has a great atmosphere.
By the way, I've been playing Operation Genesis, and although building a park is not what excites me the most, "Site B mode" alone is a great reason to buy this game.
I'll play through Trespasser for the first time, after I watch The Lost World again.
I loved the arcade game, the one where the cabinet looked like the park jeep, and would play it all the time with friends.
Second would be Trespasser, which should be obvious since I'm an admin at the Trespasser Community :rolleyes: I think the main problem of Trespasser is that they were trying to do Crysis in 1998 at a time when people were still figuring out how to do outdoor levels in the first place. A Trespasser remake in Crysis would be awesome, IMHO.
And Third would be Operation Genesis, mainly because I used to play Zoo Tycoon a lot when I was younger and an officially licensed JP version was an awesome idea (Though I do have the Dinosaur Park expansion for ZT, haha). Never could get a rating higher than 3 stars though.
I would sell my soul for somethin like that! But I think the possibility is less than zero!
"Operation Genesis" was great. It had a great atmosphere and the dinosaurs looked really good. We'll see if Telltale can top that. Well, the dinosaurs in the trailer look better so far.
http://www.moddb.com/mods/rtjp-mod
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/98899-13-update-jurassic-park-crysis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey42FRBQVAs&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_240881
That will be one soul please!
LOL, I followed the JP-mod on Crysis and saw how it pitifully died cause the guys working on it lost interest.
There were a few more mods, one for Far Cry and several others for crysis, including a Remake for Trespasser, like here and here, and they all have one thing in common, gruesome death due to teenage amateurs who dont have the slightest idea what they are getting themselves into.
This Return to Jurassic Park mod wich didnt die yet, well, I almost promise you that as soon as the real shit starts like AI, programming, animating and stuff, they will find girlfriends and abandon the mod too! Some nice models and a crysis-map dont make a game. Or it will come out after decades (as the first JP-mod ever) and you'll see the difference of the work between professional game-devs and amateurs.
Of course there are exceptions regarding some good mods, but I tell you one thing, a JP-Mod wont ever belong to those and waiting for mods is nothing but a big waste of time!
http://jurassic-life.game-lab.com/
What about this?
I dont know, maybe it will come out someday (who knows when, they are working on it since HL2 came out), but some of their models kinda look weird. Their new T-Rex has a somewhat flat and long head, looks more like an Allosaurus. And their Visitors Center? We havent seen the new version, but so far it looks way different then the one in the movie. What about voice acting, facial or dino animations since they are using the original cast? I have to be convinced by seeing the final release after so many let-downs with JP-Mods.
And none of this is an actual Trespasser Remake, so I'll keep my soul for now
Really, I bought the PC version of Operation Genesis from Amazon, and it was no where near that price. It was pretty cheap all things considered. Oh, and it's my favorite JP game. It has the licensed music, accurate representation of the dinos (both visually and soundly) fun and easy to pick up and play management gameplay. And surprisingly good graphics given it's age. All in all, a nice JP game.
It's Provided Me With Hours Of Fun And Amazing Voiceovers And It Just Never, Never Gets Old... XD
I Got It On Amazon For £14 Including P&P.
Collector Edition. :P
got Jurassic Park for PC DOS in 1996 and it was a great but very difficult experience.
i liked that it used a lot of novel elements: raft-on-the-jungle-river, the aviary, nedry's jeep, restoring the power in the maintenance-shed.
in 1998 i bought Trespasser which seemed in it's development to become the game I always dreamed of. the promises were at least much too high but I enjoyed the final product a lot. after the trescom-community has been established the game got even more long lasting by just trying out several things with the editor.
finally i also bought Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis which I liked very much too. Graphically it was a treat but the gameplay itself turned out to be a bit too primitive. With some mods it gained more depth.
I could spend hours playing the arcade game. My friends and I have beaten it so many times and yet, we keep playing. It's one of those games that has unlimited replayability.
I'd comment on everything in this post but the whole thing is legit! LONG LIVE JURASSIC PARK: TRESPASSER!!!!!