Jurassic Park (SMS, 1993)
Graphics-8 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-7.5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Good variation (two different game modes, new and more varied levels compared to the MD game, each level ends with a boss fight here), 3 different weapons that all have their uses (these are available from the get go), weapon inventory, choose your own path (mega man style level select map screen), nice cutscenes, some large and detailed sprites, good use of color (better on GG), upgradeable life bar - collect the fuel tanks in the car segments,
+/-
Have to collect the three JP logos in each level to unlock the final one or you'll get a bad ending (pretty easy to do though)
-
Some trial & error, simple bosses overall, no difficulty options, pretty short, can't play as the raptor here
Review:
The SMS and GG received quite a few 16-bit to 8-bit demake ports in the '90s, in fact it made up the bulk of releases for the system in 1993. If you're american it might come as a surprise that this was also one of the most productive years for the system.
Interestingly, a good chunk of these (mainly the ones by Sega or a second party developer) were basically unique games in their 8-bit iterations, and occasionally provided more fleshed out and polished experiences akin to some arcade to NES ports back in the '80s.
Jurassic Park is one such title. Booting it up you'll notice a new intro and soundtrack, and an added level select screen similar to Mega Man, showing a map view of the island from the movie (four levels are available from the start, and beating them unlocks the fifth and final one).
Selecting one of these levels, you'd expect to be taken to the location and start jumping and shooting, right? In a fairly unique twist, this game makes you drive to each location before the platforming starts and these actually play out more like a gallery shooter, with the player controlling the crosshair of whoever's holding the gun and shooting from within the car (this isn't quite clear) while the car itself is CPU controlled, making these segments qualify as escort missions of sorts.
Thankfully these are rather simple affairs, avoiding the mistakes made by other such games. And while they're not too terribly exciting for the most part, they allow a skilled player to increase their health bar and life count for the upcoming level, and they all end with a boss fight of sorts where the car is chased by a larger dinosaur and has to be shot enough times to let up the chase.
Getting to the meat of the game, we can see some decent improvements in controls, a more zoomed out view, and a generally more polished take on the original's levels with less trial & error and a bit more variety in each one as well - both visually and in terms of gameplay. One level finishes with a boat ride and shows off some large and detailed spritework, while another starts off with a sort of forested valley that, not long after the player starts moving into it, is struck by lightning which causes a fire that the player has to escape. As one makes their way inside the facilities on the island, the tone shifts to horror, with raptors making sudden leaps towards the player as they navigate lifts and open gates. They're good places to go into the weapon inventory menu and start experimenting with Grant's arsenal, which while small feels tailor made for the game's level design and is given to the player from the beginning.
The game carries on like this until the final level, introducing one or two new gimmicks per level and ending them with the player fighting off a dinosaur as a standard boss fight, followed by a minor cutscene. Then, provided you've collected the JP logos in the levels (which is pretty easy), the game puts you in the final level which is a fairly big maze made up of the visitor center building that the movie's climax took place in. Sadly, the game dips a bit in quality here as many rooms look pretty much the same and there's no map, but the game sitll ends on a positive note with a cool fight against the T-Rex.
While it could've had an extra level and weapon or two, as well as a hard mode difficulty and the option to play as a raptor like on MD/GEN, this is a solid pick for fans of 8-bit action games in general and run 'n gun platformers in particular. And if you don't like the idea of going to an island and massacring its wildlife, note that none of the dinos in this game are actually killed when defeated, but merely tranquilized and returned to their caged home territories!
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Good variation (two different game modes, new and more varied levels compared to the MD game, each level ends with a boss fight here), 3 different weapons that all have their uses (these are available from the get go), weapon inventory, choose your own path (mega man style level select map screen), nice cutscenes, some large and detailed sprites, good use of color (better on GG), upgradeable life bar - collect the fuel tanks in the car segments,
+/-
Have to collect the three JP logos in each level to unlock the final one or you'll get a bad ending (pretty easy to do though)
-
Some trial & error, simple bosses overall, no difficulty options, pretty short, can't play as the raptor here
Review:
The SMS and GG received quite a few 16-bit to 8-bit demake ports in the '90s, in fact it made up the bulk of releases for the system in 1993. If you're american it might come as a surprise that this was also one of the most productive years for the system.
Interestingly, a good chunk of these (mainly the ones by Sega or a second party developer) were basically unique games in their 8-bit iterations, and occasionally provided more fleshed out and polished experiences akin to some arcade to NES ports back in the '80s.
Jurassic Park is one such title. Booting it up you'll notice a new intro and soundtrack, and an added level select screen similar to Mega Man, showing a map view of the island from the movie (four levels are available from the start, and beating them unlocks the fifth and final one).
Selecting one of these levels, you'd expect to be taken to the location and start jumping and shooting, right? In a fairly unique twist, this game makes you drive to each location before the platforming starts and these actually play out more like a gallery shooter, with the player controlling the crosshair of whoever's holding the gun and shooting from within the car (this isn't quite clear) while the car itself is CPU controlled, making these segments qualify as escort missions of sorts.
Thankfully these are rather simple affairs, avoiding the mistakes made by other such games. And while they're not too terribly exciting for the most part, they allow a skilled player to increase their health bar and life count for the upcoming level, and they all end with a boss fight of sorts where the car is chased by a larger dinosaur and has to be shot enough times to let up the chase.
Getting to the meat of the game, we can see some decent improvements in controls, a more zoomed out view, and a generally more polished take on the original's levels with less trial & error and a bit more variety in each one as well - both visually and in terms of gameplay. One level finishes with a boat ride and shows off some large and detailed spritework, while another starts off with a sort of forested valley that, not long after the player starts moving into it, is struck by lightning which causes a fire that the player has to escape. As one makes their way inside the facilities on the island, the tone shifts to horror, with raptors making sudden leaps towards the player as they navigate lifts and open gates. They're good places to go into the weapon inventory menu and start experimenting with Grant's arsenal, which while small feels tailor made for the game's level design and is given to the player from the beginning.
The game carries on like this until the final level, introducing one or two new gimmicks per level and ending them with the player fighting off a dinosaur as a standard boss fight, followed by a minor cutscene. Then, provided you've collected the JP logos in the levels (which is pretty easy), the game puts you in the final level which is a fairly big maze made up of the visitor center building that the movie's climax took place in. Sadly, the game dips a bit in quality here as many rooms look pretty much the same and there's no map, but the game sitll ends on a positive note with a cool fight against the T-Rex.
While it could've had an extra level and weapon or two, as well as a hard mode difficulty and the option to play as a raptor like on MD/GEN, this is a solid pick for fans of 8-bit action games in general and run 'n gun platformers in particular. And if you don't like the idea of going to an island and massacring its wildlife, note that none of the dinos in this game are actually killed when defeated, but merely tranquilized and returned to their caged home territories!
