Review:
A mysterious company calling themselves Third Energy has apparently discovered how to warp the very fabric of time and space. Of course simply learning this technology was not enough and the Third Energy crew decided to use a town called Edward City as their starting point to conduct experiments to prove the feasibility of their new discovery.
Naturally things go terribly wrong and Edward City is transported back in time to the Cretaceous period.which we all know was populated by lizards that were slightly bigger and more dangerous than a chameleon
So now it all falls squarely on your shoulders to transport to Edward City using this technology, rescue to thousand or so estimated survivors and retrieve the Third Energy research data.
Good luck.you're gonna need it!
Dino Crisis 2 is an arcade action adventure made by the same company as the Resident Evil series of games. Expect puzzles to solve, a wonderfully imaginitive storyline and of course tons of Dinosaur-killing action from start ot finish.
As we have come to expect from Capcom, the graphics are simply stunning. There is of course the now obligatory opening CG sequence to set up the game (which looks superb by the way). Then the game switches to the in-game engine to complete the sequence which shows the actual character models. Shortly there-after you gain control of the character with no apparent loss in character model or polygon quality.
The character models are solid and smooth, albeit being rather small, but boy do they look nice. The dinosaurs are very realistic looking, with skin tessellation efforts to mimic stretching and silky smooth animations to go along with their movements.
Backgrounds are now mostly pre-rendered instead of the full polygon backgrounds of the original. The result is an absolutely stunning backdrop, but much less interaction with these environments when compared to the first game.
Visually the game is a very real step forward and compares favorably to the most recent Resident Evil Playstation game. About the only thing keeping this title from getting a perfect graphical score is the fact that the main character animations still look like they have a rod stuffed up their butts. The characters also seem slightly out of place traveling through the pre-rendered backgrounds.
Going hand in hand with the graphics are the sound effects and musical score. The music is certainly engaging with a nice ominous score that suddenly erupts at all the right times to properly add the intended adrenaline rush.
Sound effects are pretty much what one would expect. We are treated to the T-Rex roar, the Raptor's squeals and the impact of gun fire and other weapon usage. Things are working well so far.
Now let's talk a bit about the actual gameplay elements here. First up, those of you picking up this title expecting to find DC2 to play out like the first one are going to be rather disappointed. You are now awarded points (a point system?!?) for each kill you make and get this, if you make multiple kills you get additional "combo" points. You can then use these points at selected rest stops to purchase better weapons, special tools, ammo and health power-ups.
Also, the game never really builds up to the same level of tension and fear that the first title did. DC2 is a much more "in your face" non-stop shooting actionfest rather than a slower moving, fear inducing ordeal. Right from the start of the game you can expect to be surrounded and then attacked by no fewer than three Raptors at once. From there things really start to pick up!
Basically instead of slowly building up the tension until you are ready to snap DC2 smacks you over the head, yells "giddy up" and never stops moving. Besides the few rest areas that are present where you can save and re-stock, the game never stops throwing dinosaurs at you. Dino Crisis 2 is without a doubt MUCH more action based than the original and often times falling over into a downright arcade feel. There are actually "mini-games" contained in DC2 that are distinctly arcade in execution and believe it or not, I actually welcomed them to give me break from being constantly attacked by Raptors and worse.
The game offers up multiple character play with Regina returning and being joined by the "studly" Dylan, a recruit from T.R.A.T. Along the way you will encounter various survivors from the tragedy that is Edward City. Being thrown into a time warp, it is up to you to rescue these people and get back to your time alive.
The game offers up a nice variety of locations for you to traverse through, with one of the most memorable spots occurring a bit into the game. You will find yourself in a watery setting that presents some of the best graphics that you are likely to find on the aging PSX console. Just wait until you get a load of the warping effects and intentional motion slowdown that occurs here.you will be amazed!
About the only drawbacks that I found were the character control - which is basically the same as in the Resident Evil series. Yeah, I know it works but it is getting real old. What I would prefer to see is better animated main characters that move and respond to your analog commands. Even though it is supported, you can pretty much forget about using the analog control in this game, you will be all over place.the digital pad is the way to go here and that needs to change. Also, being an action/arcade type game you never really get a sense of reality. It seems that each time I left one screen, a Raptor would appear from that same spot that I had just left.with nothing there previously. Now how could that be? Did they just appear out of thin air?
Features:
· Play as two different characters - Regina who possesses superior speed and agility and Dylan, an all new character and special agent whose specialty is brute force.
· Use two different weapons at one time
· Earn points for defeating Dinosaurs and use these points to obtain weapons, ammo and healing items.
· Mini games containing action oriented tasks.
· Underwater adventures.
· All new targeting system.
Options:
• Number of Disks: 1
• Number of blocks used on Memory card per save: 1
• Maximum number of Players (without a multi-tap): 1
• Multi-tap compatible (max players): No
• Link-cable compatible (max players): No
• Split screen multi-player option (max players): No
• Other accessories: None
• Dual Shock Pad Digital Button compatible: Yes
• Dual Shock Pad Analog Stick compatible: Yes
• Dual Shock Pad Vibration compatible: Yes
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