Dino Crisis Review

You are Regina. No last name. You're on a mission for your country. Don't ask which country it is. It's yours.

You're a member of an elite special forces team. You've been dropped on a remote tropical island with three other agents. Your target is an eccentric scientist named Dr. Kirk. No first name. Find him, take him back, and you'll be welcomed home as a hero.

Problem One: A member of your team is missing.

Problem Two: The research facility is completely abandoned.

Problem Three: The island is crawling with carnivorous dinosaurs.

As Regina, you must search the ruins of Kirk's compound and unravel the mystery of the island. To do that, you have to explore the facility and read through the Professor's research. To do that, you'll have to break through the base's security systems and bypass the problems that pop up along the way. To do that, you'll have to find a lot of keys, solve a lot of puzzles, and carry a lot of items back and forth between rooms. Standard adventure stuff. You're better off avoiding battle, if at all possible. Regina got jipped when they handed out the supplies for this mission-- she begins the game with one clip of pistol ammo. That's enough bullets to finish off one raptor and annoy his pal. You won't find much more hidden in the compound, so if you want to live, you'll have to conserve your ammo and only attack when it's absolutely necessary. You'll also have to conserve healing items-- you need two kinds to do the job here since Regina bleeds when she's wounded. You can get more medical supplies by mixing items, but you'll still need to keep your consumption low.

That was a cool concept for the Resident Evil games, but it doesn't work as well in Dino Crisis. Getting past the raptors-- and I keep saying raptors, because they're about the only enemies you ever meet in this game-- becomes a repetitious puzzle. It's fun the first time you do it, but the more you raptors you have to avoid the more annoying it becomes. I like the concept, though, and I think I would've enjoyed dancing with the dinos more if the controls weren't as clumsy.

The graphics in Dino Crisis are sharp-- lighting effects are spectacular, the dinos look real, and the backgrounds are gorgeous. However, I don't think the camera angles worked as well here as they've done in the Resident Evil games. I liked a few of the effects, such as cameras following Regina down halls like pursuing dinosaurs, but more often than not I knew what was coming and just wanted a good angle so I could shoot it.

Rent it if you're a Resident Evil fan, but please wait before you buy. I know that some survival/horror fans will love this game even with its flaws, but I'd hate to see others disappointed.

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