Jurassic Park The Game: Review thread - post your impressions here!

[stkmks]

Hi is anyone still reading this thread?

Just finished the game. Here's mine:

- The story is excellent. If you like jp movies this will make you perfectly happy.

- Not sure about why people are complaining about graphics. They're good for what they're trying to do.. above average even. Being a PC gamer, they seem to be on par with a console game (ignoring the recent few big releases), so ok.

- Definitely an interactive movie, no problem with that.

- The more "difficult" interactive sequences feel very cheap. From reading around, it seems that there was some effort put into dinosaur deaths, and making you die is the only way to see those.. but its a really really cheap mechanic.. making a sequence near impossible the first time, so that you get to see a death plus play again to get the gold medal. REALLY CHEAP. There are better ways to build in replayability. What was worse was in some of these sequences, you have to keep failing them multiple times to learn what the key presses are. The first time was tense sure, but the 3rd time i felt was unnecessarily frustrating.

That was the only negative from the experience. I like to be responsbile for my own death, not get cheated into it...

.. Well, for something constructive.. perhaps the simiplified version that becomes available after a few fails happens on the -second- attempt?

Anyways, for the fans (of JP which i am). I hope a future patch (or next game ) can address the timings on those few event sequences to not be so cheap!

Also thanks and credit for the excellent story!

[rwlowe]

Six mo. old computor . high end graphics card and processor. Exceed recommended requirements. I'm just saying they could have put a little effort into developing this game. Finished episode one in an hour. And good for you.
Glad you have the best system out there.

[AndrewF]

My computer is somewhat new, but I wouldn't say 'BRAND SPANKIN' NEW!'. This game works fine for me. What exactly is it doing, just when you try to play the 2nd episode, it restarts at the beginning of the 1st?

[RaventheBlack]

Good points of the game
1-Mutiple Choices:In a similair fashion to games such Mass Effect or Dragon Age,choices you make can have different outcomes,like for instance choosing the intruder girls profession to the guard will be mentioned several more times in the game,i chose exterminator.

2-Mutiple Endings:Although both are similair and based just on 1 choice

3-Good Graphics:The T-Rex and Mosasaurus looked fantastic as well as the enviroments,however the Troodons looked very poorly in fact they looked more like aliens then dinosaurs with their big buldging eyes O___O

Bad points of the game:

1-No Island Exploration:Most people wanted to explore the island,the vistors center,and many dinosaur exhibits,perhaps even take a tour ride,very few dinosaurs were featured

2-Short Gameplay:I beat this game in literally 4 hours then quickly returned it

3-Lack of puzzles,Repetitive Sequences:The biggest puzzle in the game was in fact when your looking for the shaving cream can,none of the other puzzles even came close to the excitement or the length,most the game your either running or sneaking around dinosaurs and being a short game as it is i was hoping for variety.

4-Main focus on Troodon:Most dinosaurs were overlooked to make the Troodon seem most active and important in the game,many other dinosaurs from the movies and Books were not included at all,the troodons also looked poor like they were not even dinosaurs.

5-The Ending:The Ending was really pretty lame,you run from a T-Rex jump in a boat and sail away,didnt feel very climatic at all with no twist at the end,felt more like the end of the third movie cept worst.

6:The T-rex aka Pac-manubbed pac-man due to the fact it behaves like jaws from the speilberg movie in the fact through the game it constantly kept eating nonstop clearly not possible able to fit and digest everything it consumed,also was clearly not normal animal behavior,in 2 days it managed to eat enough to clearly feed 3 T-Rex'es for a week each.

I know people are gonna hark and put me down but i try and be fair to each game i approach,however with all respect i knew this game was gonna be like a interactive movie but it just didnt have the feel of jurassic park in it,nor the hands on dinosaur experience,most the game i was simply running from a t-rex,raptor,or troodon,it was also clearly too short a game for this day and age.

[jpark_08]

Originally Posted by RaventheBlack

Good points of the game
1-Mutiple Choices:In a similair fashion to games such Mass Effect or Dragon Age,choices you make can have different outcomes,like for instance choosing the intruder girls profession to the guard will be mentioned several more times in the game,i chose exterminator.

I would move this point to the 'Bad points' section. The game offers the player choices, but these choices have no effect on the story. The game is in fact very linear and shallow.

[jpark_08]

Characters:

I'm shocked with all the love the characters are getting, not one of them is original or well written. Each one of them is a walking cliche. From the soldier with a troubled past seeking redemption, to the mad scientist or rebellious teen with daddy isssue. It's all very predictable and superficial.
(It also didn't help that Telltale doesn't define half these characters until the very end of the game.)


Story:

I loved how Telltale begins the story that parrallels the events of the original film. It was great to relive some of those moments. Unfortunately, after the first episode the story seemed to be irrelevant and non-existent. The designers ditch compelling storytelling and character development for endless action sequences and tedious button prompts. The writers had the chance to explore the themes of the original film, raising deep ethical questions about creationism and technology. But instead they go for the lazy rescue mission approach, which was very disappointing. I felt there was alot to de desired in this area, and didn't really feel true to the original film.


Gameplay:

I'll just leave this section blank. Taking apart this portion will just get me upset.

[anashastar]

NO REGRETS. Sure something could have been better, didn't like the Troodons much, and I hated a few characters *cough*Sorkin*cough* But it did it's job and I freaking Loved the game! Thanks Telltale E>

[Tanshaydar]

Umm, are you guys even aware of what you are talking about? A cinematic experience should be linear, please don't act like every game should have freedom, exploration and multiple choices/ways.

[Strayth]

Originally Posted by Tanshaydar

Umm, are you guys even aware of what you are talking about? A cinematic experience should be linear, please don't act like every game should have freedom, exploration and multiple choices/ways.

I almost choked to death.

You realize all those "games with choices" actually are ten times more cinematic that JP the game ? Right ?

If not, then I am so sorry for you.

Also, to the author, "multiple choices like Mass Effect and Heavy Rain". I laughed.

The actual thing to say was "choices as wide the ones you get in the Back to the Future game !!!!".

[Strayth]

Gameplay:

I'll just leave this section blank.

Perfect summary.

[rich42]

Well, I've just finished all 4 episodes. I am now ready to do my review, but I want to keep it short and as spoiler-free as possible. So here goes.

The first two eps are fantasic. They replicate the atmosphere and intensity of the films (especially the first film) perfectly. These episodes are also chock-full of JP film references that I think the efacionados will really enjoy. Best of all they both feature some brillant cinematic set-pieces, including (these will be the only spoilers (promise)) a titanic fight between two iconic dinos in the first episode and a brillant section involving a roller-coaster style ride in the second. The difficulty level is also set about right with two or three of the sceneros being genuinely difficult, whilst the rest is reasonably easily managed. The storyline flows rapidly, and the balance of play between the different parties of characters is well-balanced. Many critics have cited bugs in the game, however I got to be honest I didn't really come across any in these first two episodes (although I did get some slow-down in the cinematic real-time button pressing sequences at times, which was irratating). Excellent start to the series! Ratings- ep1 9/10, ep 2 8/10.

We start to hit problems with the third episode. In fact, it is so much worse than the first two episodes that it almost felt that it wasn't part of the same game. Playing the third episode was the first time I considered the game too hard. The number of times I was dying made the thing almost comical, but still slighly irratating. Worse still the story-line seemed to have dried up, and there is nothing comparible to the brillance of the aforementioned roller-coaster ride or climatic dino battle. The episodes switches from one party of characters to the next with wanton abandon, making it difficult to really get into the flow of the story. Worst of all though is that those bugs that the critics mentioned suddently reared their ugly heads, particularly in the power plant section. I had cursor icons go missing, characters climb up ladders even though they had already climbed them and several other problems. I shouldn't be too negative, this episode isn't absolutely terrible, but it came as a shock to me just how less enjoyable it was to play then eps 1 and 2. I am curious, does anybody else who has played all the eps agree with me on this? Rating 5/10.

Episode 4 does signal something of a recovery from the dissappointment of ep 3. But it still isn't quite as good as eps 1 and 2. Firstly, the difficulty level has improved slightly although the Troodon fight (sorry, another spoiler) is still too hard in my view (I died an awful lot on that bit!). There is no annoying to-ing and fro-ing between the characters that plagued the third episode (thankfully!). The ending is also pretty good (with at least two possible variations that I can detect). There is also a return to some of the good puzzle elements of the first two games (ep 3 is lacking in that department as well). Rating- 7/10.

I guess there are two other general comments that I would like to make. The first is that the style of game (real time action, or whatever you want to call it) generally lends itself to dieing many (MANY) times. If you are the kind of person who gets frustrated easily, then this probably isn't the type of game for you. On the plus side though Telltale have cleverly worked in a couple of features to ease this frustration considerably, the first is that the game auto-saves very frequently and so you only need to succesfully finish a little piece of real-time action in order to make some progress in the game. The second is that the buttons you have to press are made easier if you fail on the same bit twice or more.

The second general comment is that this is difficult to compare to other Telltale games, simply because it is so different. If I was forced into making a comparison I would say that I enjoyed eps 1 and 2 just as much as Sam and Max or Monkey Island. Unfortunately, ep 3 kind of spoilt it for me a little (and was probably the least enjoyable Telltale experience I have had). Overall rating 7.5/10.

[jpark_08]

Originally Posted by Tanshaydar

Umm, are you guys even aware of what you are talking about? A cinematic experience should be linear, please don't act like every game should have freedom, exploration and multiple choices/ways.

I'm not saying the game had to have freedom or exploration. The game is linear, so using the multiple choice system as a positive attribute makes no sense.

[jean70]

The Jurassic Park the game is the worst game of the year 2011,you have dishonored the movie, low quality 'graphics and little interactivity with the game.

[BlankCanvasDJ]

Sorry to hear that. Most of us liked it. Didn't know that a film was capable of being...uh...dishonored.

By the way, have you tried this 2011 game? Because I think you might change your mind.

[Irishmile]

just out of curiosity what did you want in the game?

[Strayth]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

just out of curiosity what did you want in the game?

Personally, I wanted the game to be a game.

It wasn't. And it was ugly. (so I can't even see it as a movie)

[kasaki89]

are you dumb...it was never meant to be a game or a shooter as all u homosapiens now a days want it to be , it was a cinematic adventurer , it has been stated over a 1000000 times , if you werent so dumb or stupid enough to open your eyes and actually read , u would of known that

[Vainamoinen]

I have an answer to that post. Move along.

[Mike55]

Before I start my review let me say this. I am not much of a gamer. So my opinion may not be for the average gamer. But as a JP Fan here is what I thought.

Story-9.5/10
One of the biggest points where JP:TG succeds in is its story. The story itself is not very complex but Telltale layered it to where I was excited to play through the game to see what happens. The story also has a lot of heart and unlike other games which promised great stories *coughmarvelultimatealliance2cough* actually succeded in its promise. Though there are a few bumps with there story it isn't awful.

Characters-10/10
Never before have I liked VG-Only characters as much as this. The cast is a well rounded bunch with ALL the characters having flaws to them. All of them do good and bad things and act like people.

Gameplay-8/10
Like many reviews have said the gameplay is somewhat lacking but not by much. It is button mashing/exploration type gameplay which you have to keep a level-head to do well in. I can see this type of gameplay annoying some people but I really didn't mind much besides some things with the joysticks.

Models/Graphics-9/10
Despite these getting criticised a lot I really liked the graphics besides a few shots. They are nicely rendered and I love the models for the creatures. The humans could've been better but humans are hard to render. I've tried it before and we're a pain in the ass to model.

Creatures-9.5/10
Troodons-Holy **** are these bastards creepy. By far the scariest dinosaurs in the game. I mean those eyes are creepy as hell and there are other things which they do which are Alien-esque.
Dilophosaurs-The Dilos have never returned after there apperance in JP so I was glad that they got focus in the game. Despite them not being as scary as the Troodons there parts where great. Especially because we learn some new things about them in the game.
Triceratops-My favorite dinosaur of all time had some GREAT scenes in the game. My favorite boss battle was the Triceratops vs Rex fight. Thre models where great and I was glad to see them get the focus that they deserved.
T.Rex-By far the most popular dino besides Apatosaurus the Rex is the only dinosaur besides Troodon to be in all 4 episodes. You have the most boss fights with her as well.
Pteranadons-Despite having a small apperance they have a great scene at the beggining of episode 2 with them flying. They get talked about more then we see them though.
Compys-There roles are small and they mostly just run around certain stages. Kind of dissapointing but its nice to see them.
Herrerasaurs-These dinos have been known to be on Nublar but we never saw them but JP:TG confirmed there appearence. They act like Raptors but aren't anywhere near as bright. They also only have one fight in the game.
Parasauralophus-They are the second Herbivore in the game and after your intial challenge of herding them don't appear much besides being eaten.
Raptors-By far one of the coolest JP creatures and they where rightfully portrayed. I can't say much about them due to the fact that if I say more CF3 will get spoiled.
Mosasaur-May I say this. Jaws eat your heart out. The Mosasaur fight was intense what else can I say?
The only thing is the lack of herbiovores in the game. I mean seriously only two and Brachisoaur sounds. Though the Brach got cut but still semi-dissapointing.

Fan-Service/Movie Refrence-10/10
Oh. My. God. SO MANY REFRENCES! But in all seriousness there where many refrences to the move and lots of fan service.

Overall Thoughts-
This is by far the best JP Game of all time. Beating out Tresspasser,TLW Shooter, and JP:OG. The game is one fo my favorites and I higly recomeend it.

Rating-
9.5/10

[anthoto1]

I agree, this is not a game. This is an interactive movie with no other challenge than smashing buttons. The casual gamers who like JP may like it. Experienced gamers will not. Telltale is obvioulsy trying to cash in on a famous franchise with a large fan base. That's what I was trying to explain a few months ago and I manly received sarcasm here. Now the press and the users on Metacritic seem to agree...