This is what happens when you put "Resident Evil" and "Jurassic Park" in a blender. Any fan of either dinosaurs or survival horror games, both old and new, must give this Capcom classic a try.
It's the year 2009. Dr. Edward Kirk, believed to have died in an accident three years prior, is discovered alive and continuing his research on a remote island called Ibis. S. O. R. T. Agent, Regina, and her teammates, Gail, Rick, and Cooper are sent in to apprehend the scientist, only to discover the facility is inexplicably overrun by vicious dinosaurs. Now Regina and her team must capture Kirk and escape, and discover just where the dinosaurs came from in first place...
You'll control red-headed agent Regina and guide her through a research facility with only three weapons, the handgun, shotgun, grenade launcher.
Instead of slow, weak, and dim-witted zombies, you'll battle quick, cunning, and tough dinosaurs of various species. Velociraptors are the most common threat. Others include the swift flying Pteranodon, the small and annoying Compsognathus, and the unrealistic but lethal Therizinosaurus. Rounding them out is the mighty T-Rex, who is invulnerable to all of your weapons, and its attacks almost always result in instant death.
The game has more advanced features than Resident Evil titles released the same year, with fully rendered 3D environments, the ability to move and aim at the same time, a dynamic camera, and others.
The sound effects are great, especially the dinosaurs, from the raptor's blood curdling shrieks and hisses to the T-Rex thunderous roar. The voice acting was good too; Stephanie Morgenstern did a nice job voicing Regina.
Like its sister franchise, Dino Crisis relies on solving various puzzles and collecting key items to advance. The horror aspect is quite strong. You'll discover the mutilated or half-eaten corpses of the facilities staff, the Velociraptors behave much like the Xenomorphs from the alien franchise, ambushing you from windows and vent shafts. Plus, the scare cords and music are outright hair-raising during jump scare encounters.
The games main downside are the puzzles, which can be tedious and frustrating. Plus, the enemies are total bullet sponges, so you'll likely spend more time running away from than fighting them. The narrow corridors you often encounter them in and their ability to sometimes follow you through doors adds to the tension. There's more emphasis on survival than combat, given the scarcity of ammo and relative weakness of your weapons.
While it didn't reach the same level of success as the better-known Resident Evil, Dino Crisis was still a remarkable addition to the survival horror genre.
