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 Absolute
Playstation recently got their hands on the Japanese import of Dino
Crisis and set about putting their most primal fears to the test. After
a brief description of the game we offer our first thoughts on this new
journey into survival horror from Capcom, the creators of Resident Evil.Crisis...What Crisis..? Suspicious and terrifying... the world's most renowned scientist has disappeared and you've been recruited to investigate on a mysterious, remote island. Suddenly, out of the mist appears a predator, which has haunted mankind's imagination for centuries... experience pure terror! Capcom debuts Dino Crisis, a new brand in the survival horror game genre. Produced by Shinji Mikami, creator of the award-winning Resident Evil series, Dino Crisis showcases the talents of one of industry's most talented producers. Dino Crisis delivers an unrivalled gaming experience. It features all new characters and suspenseful story line, huge 3D environments and, as the title suggests, the relentless pursuit of predatory dinosaurs.  In
Dino Crisis, players assume the role of Regina, a member of a special
force operative team. Regina and her team of government agents have
orders to capture Professor Kirk, a genius scientist, and seize the
details of his research. Professor Kirk has set-up a secret laboratory
on Ibis Island to complete his most incredible experiment after his
country discontinued funding for his project.Though only 29 years old, Dr. Kirk's research focused on a revolutionary experiment to compile the "Principle of Clean Energy," the ultimate energy source. When this new source of power called 'Third Energy' is released, it can provide new life to a polluted planet Earth, starved for power. Once a tropical paradise, Ibis Island now runs rampant with carnivorous dinosaurs, including Raptors and T-Rex's that haven't roamed earth in millions of years. What's next? What has happened to Dr. Kirk, the details of his research, and why the island runs rampant with menacing Dinosaurs is up to you to find out. Your greatest challenge may be to just get off the island ALIVE.... Dino Saw-Us...!!!  The
sheer size and speed of the dinosaurs add a dramatic new element to the
survival horror genre. The dinosaurs in Dino Crisis are capable of
disarming a character through vicious attacks; rendering the player
helpless until a new weapon is selected. The enemies are extremely
detailed, fully rendered dinosaurs with the amazing ability to stalk,
attack and toy with their human prey. Players will feel the raw instinct
and vicious nature of the Velociraptors' attacks or while being hunted
down by a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex. In Dino Crisis, players will
experience the panic of facing off against the most terrifying predator
ever to walk the earth.The game makes use of a fully 3D polygonal environment. Players can interact in real time with their surroundings such as activating and deactivating security-tracking lasers on the walls and floors that unexpectedly collapse. The games advance light sourcing and graphical improvements add to its realistic look and feel. Dino Crisis also supports Sony Computer Entertainment's Dual Shock Analog Controller (vibration only) adding to the powerful realism. Using the Dual Shock controller, players experience action, like never before. During intense-action sequences, as players blast away at the ferocious dinosaurs or when the character is being gnawed on, players feel every action as the controller responds to every movement on the screen. The game also incorporates an inventory and item system allowing the player to utilize various methods of character healing and combine weapons leading to the creation of a unique and potentially devastating arsenal. Dino Crisis introduces brand new chilling effects, such as trails of blood when the character is severely injured, or walking in a cautious manner when suspecting danger is near. In Dino Crisis, players should prepare to be scared, startled and ready to face the ultimate terror that lived before man. API Playtest Verdict...  Enough
of the pro-mo, what you really want are the gory details... first
impressions... how big is the T-Rex... is there a code for nude
Regina... yeah?We'll say this once.... and probably many times again... Dino Crisis smells of Resident Evil through and through. Remember when you pressed the 'New Game' button and the announcer's deep voice boomed out "RESIDENT EVIL" each time? Well we reckon that now after each restart a T-Rex roars out "DINO CRISIS" (of course it's in Dinosaur language and may appear to the unintelligent as simply a ear bursting roar... but we know better). Then there's the inner menu where the Maps can be studied and items may be stored, examined and selected for use. Remember those big bottomless boxes in which surplus items could be tidily packed away? Now you get a wall fixed 'cash point' dispenser to load away your goodies when pockets are full. Then there's the control system... face buttons to run, shoot, action and enter the sub-menus, shoulder buttons to aim gun and turn around. Yep... everything reminded us of those Capcom horror classics, but there's certainly no shame in that. After playing Dino Crisis for barely a few minutes we began to wonder why the Resident Evil game engine has not been put to more use. Between zombie missions 1 and 2 there should have been a Ghost Getters... or a Vampire Victims... Shame we had to wait so long for another underwear soiling fright-fest. 
Where shall we begin? Considering that we've played the game right up to
it's thrilling climax (one of them, at least) we suggest there's no
better place to start than the wonderful CG intro. It simply oozes with
the Capcom style that was so prominent in the Resident Evil series
(there we go again). Now before those winging gamers email us to say "computer
generated movies waste valuable memory" we'll head you off with the
news that after the opening scenes all of the cut sequences use the
in-game animations to act out their parts (just like Metal Gear Solid).
So there!Once we're into the game proper we have to admit that the graphics really are quite different from Resident Evil 2. How? They are much, much BETTER! The improvement are remarkable. Stunning lighting... crisp, clearer characters... faster enemies... and those dynamic camera angles... WOW! The camera swoops, spins and even follows the character's every move. It's like taking part in a real movie. Loading times have been drastically reduced although there's still time for the customary door opening scene. Gameplay is similar to 'you know what'. Push objects, collect items, find keys to open new areas, solve puzzles, shoot enemies... blah! blah! blah! The main differences being the many puzzles are much more varied and challenging, while the enemies are great big, pointy clawed, razor teethed, mother..f#?!%' dinosaur's.  Unlike
Resident Evil or Silent Hill there are no typewriters or notepads to
save your progress. Instead there are several Save Game Rooms. Simply
pass through these rooms and you will be given the option to save your
game. This way you can save as many times as you like.There are five main characters and thankfully lessons have been learned from the past. The player takes control of Regina, a flame haired sexy woman who's dressed for an evenings swinging rather than a night of Dino hunting. Low cut top, black tights and tiny knickers that barely cover the crack in her bot. Gail is your leader, and he's a real pain in the butt (obnoxious git). Rick is a useful team member as an excellent hacker and analyzer. He spends most of his time in the control rooms. Dr. Kirk is the main man whom you must find. Finally there's Cooper who disappears when you land. Hmmm? Weapons are readily available but ammo is in short demand. To ease this problem the developers have come up with an ingenious, but complicated system. Health packs and cylinders can be found in abundance. They come in four colors. By mixing together different items poisonous darts can be made. When shot the dinosaur reacts dependant on the strength of the dart. Red kills, yellow sends them to sleep for a couple of minutes, green makes them slightly drunk, while I think blue tickles them. Different colored health packs can be mixed to provide stronger healing items, similar to the green/blue/red herb system.  If
you could stomach Silent Hill then expect a second gory course of blood
and guts because Dino Crisis has it's fair share of severed bodies
strewn all around the sets. What we cannot understand is why a T-Rex
would take the time to chase down a human being, bite him in half... and
then fail to eat the body. Is it just playing games? Wasn't it really
hungry? Are dinosaurs fussy eaters?Overall Dino Crisis is a must for Resident Evil fans. In fact it could almost be titled Resident Evil 2½. While the Japanese version of Dino Crisis is playable we don't recommend that you rush out and buy an imported copy. The lack of English text spoils many of the puzzles while using an essential Walkthrough kills the gameplay. Hold on for a couple of months. We guarantee it's worth the wait. Features •A new adventure in survival horror from the creators of Resident Evil 1 and 2 •Beautifully rendered graphics in a fully 3-D polygonal environment •Photo-realistic, chilling graphics add to the already heart-thumping storyline •Match wits against the most terrifying creatures that ever walked the earth •Control the fate of special tactics agent, Regina, as she searches for Dr. Kirk When Can You Expect..? Check our RELEASE DATES section to find out when its out in your area. |