Dino Crisis (Dreamcast)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Shane Satterfield
• Reviewed on: 09/19/2000
• Updated on: 11/16/2000
• Released on: 11/14/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: Dino Crisis (Dreamcast) Review

While the upcoming sequel to Dino Crisis is its own beast entirely, the original is so similar in theme and execution to Capcom's Resident Evil series that it seems more like a side story to Resident Evil than a new game altogether. Replace the zombies and lickers with raptors and tyrannosuars, and you have the general idea. With Capcom remaining one of the Dreamcast's most staunch supporters since the system's launch, it comes as little surprise that the original title has made the transition from the PlayStation to the Dreamcast. Unfortunately, Dino Crisis is an example of what can go wrong while porting a game from an underpowered system to a next-generation system.

Dino Crisis takes place on a secluded island where energy experiments have gone awry. You play as Regina, a member of a governmental special forces squad. You've been called in to take care of the situation and rescue any survivors, including the scientist behind the experiments, Dr. Kirk. As you proceed through the game, interaction with other teammates is plentiful. Many times your directives include a rendezvous with fellow team members or acquiring specific technologies. But for the most part, it's the same old survival-horror staples - finding keys, solving simple puzzles, pushing statues, and shooting enemies - that drive the game forward.

Throughout the game, you are confronted with branching paths that lead to different areas. While taking one path doesn't necessarily mean that you won't later stumble onto the other path, it does create a sense of freedom that most survival-horror titles do not bring to the table. It also results in a great deal of backtracking, which can become cumbersome once the levels have been cleared of dinos. Depending upon the quality of your performance, there are three separate endings and extra costumes that boost the replay value slightly. Dino Crisis' FMV sequences are excellent, as the T-rex is introduced from the very beginning, which causes an overlying tension throughout.

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