Dino Crisis 2

Release Date: November 24, 2000

"A military outpost has taken over Dr Kirk’s experiments to breed the killers"

Dino Crisis 2 is a mass of contradictions akin to one of those 'good news, bad news* jokes you used to hear as a kid. The good news, for example, is that it fulfils the main criteria of a sequel of having more of everything - especially dinosaurs. The bad news, however, is that Dino Crisis 2 no Longer falls under Capconrs survival horror mantle. Instead, its creator Shinji Milcame has pre-empted criticisms that the rigid structure of the Resident Evil series and the original Dino Crisis have been taken as far as they can. As such, Mikame-5an has created a game that is more action orientated - even arcade- ike in its simplicity * yet still contains many of the traits that made the original so entertaining. The good news is that this is a bold step away from what could have been a safe and predictable follow-up. And it works well.

The key differences from the original are obvious from the start and it is at this point that fans of survival horror wilt either recoil in disgust or embrace the game as the new departure it is. White Dino Crisis was a straightforward story well told, the follow-up is more episodic in its content.

The game is split into a series of small vignettes within which the scenario unfolds via a succession of sub-stages comprising of roughly five Locations. As these are explored and the obligatory dinosaurs enter stage right an on-screen score system tots up bonuses for every reptile that is laid to waste. These scores are then added up at the end of the five-screen segment, with additional bonuses for getting through without a scratch and taking out several targets with one shot also added.

While this could easily be dismissed as a move towards the shallow end of the gaming scale, this tally system actually worth because it is integral to your progression through the game.

Rather than finding weapons via the accumulation of keys, door cards and the tike, Dino Crisis 2 Lets the player buy whatever they wish providing they have sufficient cash. Computer banks are dotted throughout the game and act as both save points and weapon and ammo

dispensers, enabling Capcom to dispense with the stalwart inventory screens and associated item juggling. The beauty of the system is that players can then lay waste to dozens of rampaging Velociraptors or Plesiosaurs in the pursuit of rocket-launchers and flame throwers or bottle it completely and worry about the heavy artillery later. However, with bigger and hander-to-kill dinosaurs introduced throughout the course of the adventure, a fine line is needed as certain weapons are ideally suited to dealing with particular species. More than a few familiar ideas from Capcorrfs previous games have been gathered together for this sequel.

Key cards and the occasional logic test still form the bulk of the puzzles, for example, while the cut scenes with their inadvertently amusing conversations and manner Isms still raise a smirk and those interminable door animations are still There. The rotational control system has also been retained, complete with ISO* 1 spins and a tidy auto-targeting system. With the majority of Dim Crisis 2 set in the lush foliage of a rain forest, though, the more open spaces contribute to Mikames hopes for a more immediate game, with the simplistic yet effective control system perfectly balanced to deal with attacks of up to three dinosaurs simultaneously. But, oh those dinosaurs...

"It is resplendent with clever touches that make it a singularly clever and playable game..."

An additional benefit of both the open locations and Dino Crisis 2s action emphasis is that it has allowed Capcom to completely rework the graphics. The two heroes, Regina and Dylan, are considerably larger and more detailed than other Capcom survivalists and the animation as they run, stroll and take arms is incredibly smooth and realistic. Rightfully taking centre stage, though, are the dinosaurs. One of the biggest disappointments of the original game was the limited nature of the dinosaur attacks. Sure they looked good, but compared to the multiple 'raptor attacks of Spielberg's The Lost World the reptiles Sacked the canny attack patterns of their silver screen counterparts. No more, though.

Signified by a slight rustling of foliage or a distant scratching,

Dino Crisis Is dinosaurs are every bit as clever as the ones that tore Bob Peck to bits in Jurassic Park. For a start, they now attack in packs of three, and they also seem to come from nowhere. The raptors will try to outflank the player via attacks from out wide, while this level of cunning continues throughout the game, A Triceratops will attack to defend her babies, for example, while Plesiosaurs rule the waves and Pterodactyls the skies. By far the star of the show, however, is the huge Gargantosaur that appears in the games intro and adopts a similar role to Resident Evil 3k Nemesis creature by appearing throughout the course of the adventure. In total, 12 species now inhabit Dino Crisis 2, with Capcom explaining the larger number via a convoluted time travel scenario.

Set directly after the events of the first game, a military outpost has rather unwisely taken over Dr Kirks experiments to breed the prehistoric killers, As is always the case, things have gone tits-up and a time travel experiment has thrown the scientific base back to the Cretaceous period with a mass of dense jungle appearing in its place. Following her experiences in Dino Crisis, Regina is paired with the gung-ho Dylan and an army of soldiers and sent back in time to find and rescue survivors and bring them back. The resulting journey means - just as Ripley returned to the home of her foe in Aliens - Regina is on Dino turf for the sequel, Indeed, as the games stunning CGI intro of the army camp dissected by a marauding Gigantosaur and hundreds of raptors shows, Mika me s obvious love of cinema results in visual influences from everything from Predator and Platoon to, logically, the two Jurassic Park films,

The Cretaceous setting is also put to excellent use as a means to keep you constantly on your toes. The game is evenly split between locations based on the displaced scientific complex and the surrounding jungle location. As with the original, parts of the complex cannot be accessed until the relevant keys are found, but as the game gradually reveals its secrets it proves that Dino Crisis 1 is more than a match for its stablemates in terms of taut plot and shocks. It also ups the ante slightly, with the addition of a wider range of locations and the inclusion of sub-games that dovetail beautifully into the CGI scenes and in-game events.

Of particular note are the underwater scenes where Dylan dons a divers suit to explore a submerged base. Mot only does this add a number of aquatic species to the dinosaur count, but the shimmering effect of the water and the addition of a jump move create the feeling of playing a completely different game. The same can be said of the first-person sub¬ games that throw up additional moments of suspense and terror, One, for example, sees Regina trying to steer a jeep away from a rampaging Triceratops while the player controls Dylan as he looses off round after round of rockets at the pursuing beast, Its just a bit of fun, but like a lot of things in Dino Crisis 2 it's a risk that pays off.

Ultimately, Dino Crisis 2s good news elements easily outweigh -its bad. It is resplendent with clever touches that are only noticeable after prolonged play, yet make it a singularly clever and playable game. The camera angles, for example, are all positioned to make it look as if you're being permanently persued.

This isn't the case, of course, but they add tension nevertheless. The game world is also well worked, with dinosaurs mooching around under walkways and on the horizon to indicate a bustling reptilian world, while the way the game gently entices the player into new areas is beautifully handled..

The main bad news aspects are that the game's move towards action has made it rather unrelenting at times. It becomes predictable that three dinosaurs will appear with every switch of the camera angle and the control method Lacks the necessary precision to make climbing out of harm's way as instant and smooth as it should be. All the same Shinji Mikame and Capcom deserve applause for this bold step. Dino Crisis 2 is by no means perfect, but at its heart it is a playable and entertaining game that, through a wealth of ideas and set pieces, elevates itself above its inherently simplistic nature.

Dino Crisis 2 doesn't show the way ahead for survival horror, but it is a far more accessible game than its predecessor and one that doesn't sacrifice content in Its pursuit of simple gameplay. Good news indeed.