Lost Classics: Dino Crisis 2 (PS1)

In 1999, Capcom’s Flagship Studios was still riding high off the success of Resident Evil. They were gearing up to release not only the third game in the franchise, but also Dino Crisis, a survival horror game in a similar vein. The game was good, but it’s slow pacing and control scheme basically regulated it to being Resident Evil with Dinosaurs. Taking the criticisms to heart, Capcom released this sequel the following year which not only gave the series its own identity, but made it into a fast paced enjoyable action game for Playstation 1 games not yet ready to make the jump to the next generation. In fact, this game was a lot better than most of the Playstation 2’s launch lineup. After this game, no one would confuse Dino Crisis with Resident Evil again.

You once again play as Regina, the special agent from the original Dino Crisis. One year after the events of the original, (in which Regina investigated a government-ran facility overrun by dinosaurs) you travel to Edward city an island accidentally transported back in time to the prehistoric ages. This time you are joined by Dylan Mortan, another government agent sent to investigate the incident. Throughout the game, you’ll switch between the two during certain segments. The game opens with one of this best CGI rendered sequences on the Playstation (even rivaling some of the stuff on PS2 which had just been released at the time), and when you begin, you immediately notices several significant changes to the game.

For starters, the game uses pre-rendered backgrounds instead of the real time graphics of the original. While this has an unfortunate tendency to lead to some “I can hear them but I can’t see them” encounters, it also shows off some excellent graphical detail. However, you won’t have time to notice it, because the game is now 10 times more fast paced then the original, and the game forces you to constantly be on your toes as Dinosaurs constantly assault you every step of the way. You gain credits for taking them out as quickly and efficiently as possible, and you are awarded bonus credits for making it through each area quickly and without taking any damage. You can then spend the credits on weapons, item, and upgrades as you made your way through the game. Even the puzzles took a more action-oriented approach. One tasked players with using a turret to keep dinosaurs from getting to an ally as he was opening a switch. There is also an underwater level and a few track-shooting sequences to offer a nice change of pace to the action. The game can be completed in a weekend, but scores of unlockables including new weapons, a one-on-one fighting mode, and a time challenge mode will keep this disc in your Playstation long after you’re finished with the main game.

Dino Crisis 2 was an improvement over the original in every way. Unfortunately, it never received a proper follow up. Just an entry in the Gun Survivor series (strangely enough usually associated with Resident Evil). A sequel was released on the Xbox. However for reasons known only to Capcom, the game decided to take a completely different approach, with the game simply being just an action shooter set in the distant future. The game controls were awful, and it had very little to do with the events of the previous games. Due to the lackluster its lackluster reception, its doubtful that we’ll ever see much from this series again, or at the very least, a sequel done right. Still, fans of Capcom, dinosaurs, and action games should seek this disc out. It’s the dino story that Jurassic Park wish it could be.