I believe that Jurassic Park is very close to being a good game. It's not quite there yet, and it's certainly not a bad game. I liked it, though, which can only be good, but it is a mixed bag. Here are my thoughts.
The Good: Gameplay*: I have to admit when I first heard a lot of the gameplay was going to be QTE based I was quite worried but thankfully the different inputs are varied enough that it keeps you on your toes and doesn't get stale. It feels a lot more like Elite Beat Agents then say the later Resident Evil or Broken Sword games, and that's a good thing. Many criticised BttF (myself included) for being nothing more than an interactive movie, Jurassic Park is also an interactive movie but the key difference is it is actually interactive. Where BttF babied you through puzzles (more on JP's puzzles in The Bad) and had you do nothing else but watch cutscenes, JP actually gives you something to do during the cutscenes, and it really works well to add tension and suspense to the action sequences. Though they can still be improved (more on that later), the QTE based gameplay was a win with this gamer. The characters: I felt the characters were very well written and believable. The core cast was very strong and like in any good horror story I even liked some of the characters that were obviously not going to make it. I'll just say a brief word on the story while I'm at it: it gets better as it goes along. It started off OK but by around the third episode I really got sucked into it. Episode length: I was really happy with the length of each episode, they were very meaty and four episodes felt just right. I kept thinking they were about to end but they kept going, which was nice.
The Bad: Gameplay: OK, so I was fine with the QTE's, though they can be improved, but what made them work was the balance. There was the action scenes, the puzzle scenes and the dialogue scenes. The other scenes were essential because if the game was all action you'd get over it quick. It's all about balancing the excitement and retardation of story structure. However, the problem wasn't the balance, it was that the other elements were lacking. Well, the dialogue was fine so I'll give those scenes a pass, which brings me to... Puzzles: Sadly, Telltale's new-found commitment to patronising the player is still in full swing. The hints in this game were excruciating. I was constantly being told by the game how to solve puzzles even before I had began them, before I even had the chance to think for myself. The puzzles weren't even that hard in the first place but having hints forced upon me actually made me angry. Everytime that little speech button or movement button jumped up and down and made noises at me to click it in the middle of a scene, or a player character said out loud how to solve a puzzle I died a little inside. You can get away with that stuff in a tutorial but when it is still happening even in the final episode there is a serious lack of respect of the players abilities. We have brains, Telltale, please let us use them. I don't even mind when a game has hints, as long as they are OPTIONAL. If this were an adventure game it would be a complete fail, and those who are classifying it as an adventure game seem to be the people who are the most upset. This is not an adventure game, and I don't think it is pretending to be. This is something new; I'm OK with that. But you are still giving us puzzles and you are still holding our hands right to the very end whether we like it or not. The QTE's work because they challenge us, the puzzles fail because they don't. Bugs: I'll save the details for the appropriate threads, I'll just say that yes, there were bugs, and yes, they did distract from the experience.
Things That Can Be Improved: Gameplay: For the puzzles: remove the hints. For the QTE's: I think the icons for the different kinds of QTE's needed to be bolder and more obvious. When it came to the sneaking, time based QTE's I always stuffed the first one up because I didn't recognise what the input was at a glance, I just saw the arrow and clicked. I know they have a large green circle around them but a lot of the inputs use green circles, maybe change up the colours depending on what input you are asking for. Say if you have a time based QTE use a red circle, for a rapid-butting press QTE use a blue circle. Making sure the player can easily differentiate between the different actions is crucial and this is something that needs more work. Episodic format: This is a personal one. I feel it was a missed opportunity releasing all the episodes at once rather than one at a time. The game was clearly designed to be episodic; the cliffhangers were good and honestly, I miss the speculation between episode releases. That was part of the fun of episodic games, but I guess what's done is done. Too much T-rex: He reminded me of Spinosaurus in JP III, seemingly chasing down the tiny, bite-sized survivors over every corner of the island over the entire course of the story despite having plenty of bigger, better things to eat. The other predators: the Raptors, the Dilos and the Troodons were handled just right, they all had their moment in the sun so to speak but old rexy was terribly overused. I know she is the centrepiece of the franchise but she would have been far more effective if used more sparingly. Difficulty: This is a game that NEEDED to have a difficulty setting! I'm not saying the QTE's are too easy, though a lot of people are saying they can get though the game by bashing the keypad so there's that, but there should be a mode that caters to the inexperienced gamer and at least one mode that that contains NO hints for puzzles and is less forgiving. It's the only way to make everyone happy.
In closing, I came into this game with an open mind and while it definitely has its faults, at the end of the day there is a lot to like. Heck, it's so close to being a good game they could probably reach that plateau with a comprehensive patch. I see enough potential here that if Telltale were to make another JP game I would almost certainly buy it, though I really hope that they learn from some of their mistakes. This game was a gamble for them, it's like nothing else they've made before, and I for one am all for experimenting. It's not giving you a high grade, Telltale, but I'm not giving you a fail either.
*Before you flame me for putting gameplay under the good please note that I've put it under every heading. I believe there are good and bad aspects to the gameplay and I also believe that it can be greatly improved.
I believe that Jurassic Park is very close to being a good game. It's not quite there yet, and it's certainly not a bad game. I liked it, though, which can only be good, but it is a mixed bag. Here are my thoughts.
The Good: Gameplay*: I have to admit when I first heard a lot of the gameplay was going to be QTE based I was quite worried but thankfully the different inputs are varied enough that it keeps you on your toes and doesn't get stale. It feels a lot more like Elite Beat Agents then say the later Resident Evil or Broken Sword games, and that's a good thing. Many criticised BttF (myself included) for being nothing more than an interactive movie, Jurassic Park is also an interactive movie but the key difference is it is actually interactive. Where BttF babied you through puzzles (more on JP's puzzles in The Bad) and had you do nothing else but watch cutscenes, JP actually gives you something to do during the cutscenes, and it really works well to add tension and suspense to the action sequences. Though they can still be improved (more on that later), the QTE based gameplay was a win with this gamer. The characters: I felt the characters were very well written and believable. The core cast was very strong and like in any good horror story I even liked some of the characters that were obviously not going to make it. I'll just say a brief word on the story while I'm at it: it gets better as it goes along. It started off OK but by around the third episode I really got sucked into it. Episode length: I was really happy with the length of each episode, they were very meaty and four episodes felt just right. I kept thinking they were about to end but they kept going, which was nice.
The Bad: Gameplay: OK, so I was fine with the QTE's, though they can be improved, but what made them work was the balance. There was the action scenes, the puzzle scenes and the dialogue scenes. The other scenes were essential because if the game was all action you'd get over it quick. It's all about balancing the excitement and retardation of story structure. However, the problem wasn't the balance, it was that the other elements were lacking. Well, the dialogue was fine so I'll give those scenes a pass, which brings me to... Puzzles: Sadly, Telltale's new-found commitment to patronising the player is still in full swing. The hints in this game were excruciating. I was constantly being told by the game how to solve puzzles even before I had began them, before I even had the chance to think for myself. The puzzles weren't even that hard in the first place but having hints forced upon me actually made me angry. Everytime that little speech button or movement button jumped up and down and made noises at me to click it in the middle of a scene, or a player character said out loud how to solve a puzzle I died a little inside. You can get away with that stuff in a tutorial but when it is still happening even in the final episode there is a serious lack of respect of the players abilities. We have brains, Telltale, please let us use them. I don't even mind when a game has hints, as long as they are OPTIONAL. If this were an adventure game it would be a complete fail, and those who are classifying it as an adventure game seem to be the people who are the most upset. This is not an adventure game, and I don't think it is pretending to be. This is something new; I'm OK with that. But you are still giving us puzzles and you are still holding our hands right to the very end whether we like it or not. The QTE's work because they challenge us, the puzzles fail because they don't. Bugs: I'll save the details for the appropriate threads, I'll just say that yes, there were bugs, and yes, they did distract from the experience.
Things That Can Be Improved: Gameplay: For the puzzles: remove the hints. For the QTE's: I think the icons for the different kinds of QTE's needed to be bolder and more obvious. When it came to the sneaking, time based QTE's I always stuffed the first one up because I didn't recognise what the input was at a glance, I just saw the arrow and clicked. I know they have a large green circle around them but a lot of the inputs use green circles, maybe change up the colours depending on what input you are asking for. Say if you have a time based QTE use a red circle, for a rapid-butting press QTE use a blue circle. Making sure the player can easily differentiate between the different actions is crucial and this is something that needs more work. Episodic format: This is a personal one. I feel it was a missed opportunity releasing all the episodes at once rather than one at a time. The game was clearly designed to be episodic; the cliffhangers were good and honestly, I miss the speculation between episode releases. That was part of the fun of episodic games, but I guess what's done is done. Too much T-rex: He reminded me of Spinosaurus in JP III, seemingly chasing down the tiny, bite-sized survivors over every corner of the island over the entire course of the story despite having plenty of bigger, better things to eat. The other predators: the Raptors, the Dilos and the Troodons were handled just right, they all had their moment in the sun so to speak but old rexy was terribly overused. I know she is the centrepiece of the franchise but she would have been far more effective if used more sparingly. Difficulty: This is a game that NEEDED to have a difficulty setting! I'm not saying the QTE's are too easy, though a lot of people are saying they can get though the game by bashing the keypad so there's that, but there should be a mode that caters to the inexperienced gamer and at least one mode that that contains NO hints for puzzles and is less forgiving. It's the only way to make everyone happy.
In closing, I came into this game with an open mind and while it definitely has its faults, at the end of the day there is a lot to like. Heck, it's so close to being a good game they could probably reach that plateau with a comprehensive patch. I see enough potential here that if Telltale were to make another JP game I would almost certainly buy it, though I hope that they learn from some of their mistakes. This game was a gamble for them, it's like nothing else they've made before, and I for one am all for experimenting. It's not a high grade, Telltale, but it's not a fail either.
*Before you flame me for putting gameplay under the good please note that I've put it under every heading. I believe there are good and bad aspects to the gameplay and I also believe that it can be greatly improved.
i agree with you, they need some improvements, but the game is still good in one way and bad in the next, hell in mw3 or black ops or something, you guys find a glitch, you would be happy, if there was a glitch to a deleted scene on this game everyone would be happy, a secrete area or something lol, but its just the usual glitches that they could improve on, also just realizing for the 6th or 7th time beating it, its already starting too get boring, some new episodes with few mistakes, and did a lot better than these episodes would be nice lol i enjoyed it, but dont think i can play it the 8th time, even though i started a new game already mines well beat it, got all gold medals already, some parts were a little tricky, but yeah more episodes so it dont get boring, and fix it before releasing them so people will be happy and not dissapointed:rolleyes:
(this is a review of the xbox 360 disc retail version of the game)
When Jurassic Park the Game was first announced in 2010, i was so excited. As a huge JP fan (of the two novels and the film series) this was a dream come true. seeing screen caps in an issue of game informer, i nearly crapped my pants. I counted down the days till the game was released. as the days kept getting nearer, i started reading previews of the game. I've never played a Telltale Game so hearing that the gameplay was a basic point and click adventure type game, i was slightly disappointed. But i didn't give up on the game. seeing some gameplay video's had me worried about graphical aspects of the game, i hate to say it, but graphics are big thing for me (i know, sad. but i like when things look smooth and detailed, thats why i loved the original JP movies, the dinosaurs looked real), but i never game up on the game. I was the only one at my Gamestop who pre-ordered Jurassic Park. I was faithful even in the end. I was still excited for this game. I'm nearly done with my first play through (I would have beaten it earlier, but i've had other games i've been playing) and I'm overall happy with my purchase, but i do have my complaints.
Gameplay wise, like i stated before, i've never played a TTG before, so the experience was new to me. The QTE scenes i found to be exhilarating and sometimes it was a bit frustrating, But i've never gotten so frustrated that i threw the controller down. during QTE sequences, i was always on the edge of my seat and it was a thrill! Even when i did mess up a combination or missed a button, i was blessed with a gruesome death scene (no blood which was a slight disappointment, but no big deal) The investigation sequences were interesting, most of them felt forced and unnecessary because you would look at everything and most of the "clues" let no where and you had to find a certain one. I didn't take away from the game, it just felt a little forced in some moments. the investigation scene where you are looking for the can of embryos was fun and i enjoyed that! But I enjoyed most investigation scenes. The conversation scenes was in the same level with the investigation scenes, some where interesting and lead you wanted more, but some felt forced and unnecessary. I would get slightly annoyed when i thought a conversation was going in the right direction, but they they shoot you down and you have to start over (trying to convince the doctor to leave the island as billy), like i said before, i didn't turn me off the game though, just slightly annoyed at times.
Okay, like i said before, graphics are a big deal to me in a game, but i understand certain game companies are under budget and most of the time i can look past the graphics. But sometimes certain things are hard to look past. JP had its good and its God awful moments. Character's facials features when zoomed in and focusing on their emotions were really good, but at times their movements where awkward and clunky. The environment was the same, certain distance shots looked really cool, but a lot of the time it felt out dated and could have been touched up. The only shining force when it comes to graphics where the Dinosaurs, each of the T-rex scenes felt as if it was coming straight from the film. The raptor scenes were also really good. the scar on the Raptors eye didn't look to great, but it was a good trait to add to one of the raptors, i loved the blind eye. So the dinosaurs were the thing that made me not hate the graphics.
I'd have to say that the sound was one of the best things about the game (aside from the story). all the sounds and the score was recycled from the film and i think that was the right move. It was nostalgia overload when at the main menu the T-rex walks into the shot and roars, every time i start up the game, i wait until i hear the roar before i load my save. The music in the scenes are brilliant and meshes with the films continuity and makes me feel right at home. The dinosaurs sound amazing! using all the sounds and tracks from the film was the best move TTG did for this project.
The story was also amazing as well. It was good to go back to the frozen embryos and showing what was the fate of the island after the first film. I enjoyed most of the characters (with the exception of Jess) but the new cast of characters was a breathe of fresh air. I don't want to put any spoilers so i won't go in-depth with the story, but i loved it. My favorite episode would have to be episode 1 because i felt most like the film. But each episode was as good as the rest. I also loved how they brought out the darker/greedy side of Hammond as he was in the novel. i think they story was one of the games strongest assets.
Overall, the game has its problems, but every game does. I enjoyed this game and i am going to attempt to get all the achievements. I am also hoping that there is going to be a sequel to the game. I would recommend this game to fans of the series.
I knew the game would get mixed reviews. First, they were making games based on two popular movie franchises, with new story lines. So, if the stories aren't up to snuff with the original movie's stories then they are automatically considered bad by fans. That was the first risky move. Making games based on popular franchises.
Second, they were trying new things. If they don't make their games the same way they always have, then they are considered bad by telltale fans.
Personally, I enjoyed BTTFTG and JPTG. I thought they were a fresh try from Telltale. Yeah, they might have been more like interactive stories than adventure games, but I thought the solutions to the situations were on par with the way the movies played out. Survival and action for JP, and trickery for BTTF.
As for the stories themselves, I thought they were enjoyable. They may have been a little odd at times, and had TOO much of a Telltale feel for some of the jokes. But overall, I thought they fit in well with the movies.
Personally even though a lot of people are against it (Since it's never about guns and shooting the dinosaurs), I'd love to see a L4D-style type of versus for Jurassic Park than another JP:OG. Although that game was fun for a little while it just ended up getting repetitive and once you 5 star there's nothing else to do.
Also, I greatly second this. That would be better than L4D I think.
This game reminds me of something called Daedalus Encounter from 1995 which was first of the "interactive movies", back from the days FMV games were hot. Or not.
There is absolutely nothing to do in this game. I loved chapter 1 though. It's like watching a film. I'm yet to finish chap 3&4, but I wish TellTale would have made a classic adventure game out of this, maybe a simpler one, but still. In adventure games you could even do something yourself. If you're not a huge fan of JP, this will give you nothing.
I'm sorry but why would a sandbox or a First/Third person JP game necessarily be a regular shooter ? Why would it be possible for such a game to offer a good balance between action sequences and puzzles ?
So, I just finished the game and want to share my thoughts.
(to clarify: I am both: huge fan of the franchise (especially Crichton's novels) and a gamer too.)
First of all I was very excited about this game and share most of the other fan's opinion, that Jurassic Park is a franchise which has been neglected by the video game industry during the last decade for reason's I don't get.
This IP would provide so much possibilites for video games to deal with but unfortunately it has just been ignored.
At least TTG came up and the way they approached it felt very fresh and promising. Especially because of their goal to catch the movie's feel and look and probably most important for me was the fact that they wanted to stay true to the source material and focus on good storytelling.
The final result I just played was without a doubt disappointing.
And this in several aspects.
IMMERSION
I wan't to talk about that topic first because this is also what the first moments of Jurassic Park: The Game aim at: To catch the players attention and drag him into the game.
First of all (because it's the first thing you'll notice) the optics. For the Telltale Tool (T³) it's really a huge step forward, especially when you compare it to previous games done with the same engine.
But I have to say that when you wan't to provide a cinematic experience and transport feelings of fear, suspense or shock the optics play a huge role. Models and sets that have the style of plastic figures can kill a lot of atmosphere.
This can be minimized by great use of camera movements and angles. In this case JP:TG does a very good job. Focus and set up of the scenes is very well done. Of course the game uses the same style as the movie and this is a real benefit.
Optical weaknesses can also be concealed with great and fluid animations. Unfortunately this is a point where the game fails very often. There are some scenes where it's really impressive to look at the dinosaurs moving, especially because a lot of the models are actually very well done. But too often the transitions between different animations are roughly done. This already was a common issue in BTTF and is becoming a really severe issue in a cinematic presentation. Furthermore in JP:TG people often moved stiffly and unnatural.
The use of sound and music is also essential for immersion. While JP:TG used the great original sounds for the dinosaurs, voice acting is mediocre and the music that played such a big role in the movie is rather irrelevant in the game. It's just too often a background support and although it uses some elements of the original score there's not a single scene in which the music dominates and evokes the same feelings as in the movie.
But what's worst is the flawed use of sound. Very often there's just no sound at all, allthough you should hear the environment, or steps, or breathing or the movement of the clothes. Mixing is also badly done. You can't hear what people are talking, effects are much too low and so on.
In general video and audio presentation of Jurassic Park: The Game are both flawed. It just feels roughly done overall with bad transitions between scenes where music is cut or essential happenings that would provide a fluent cinematic feeling are just left out.
STORY
TTG always pointed out that they focus on storytelling. Jurassic Park: The Game actually has more of a story than the third film but that's it. For me it basically lacks of interesting characters that provide more than the standard "bad father who neglected his daughter", "the reticent super muscular mercenary", "the native that believes in natural religion" and "the former hippie that became scientist and just acts ethical". They are just too stereotype and skimmed over.
Even worse are confrontations between the people and how they magically turn their opinions. Why should Jess be so happy to see Nima again, when she acutally hold a gun into her face earlier?
I also thought that TTG actually didn't really manage to stay away from their cartooney way of displaying characters or dialogues. Oskar is such a goofy sidekick that doesn't fit into the Jurassic Park universe at all.
Then there are story decisions that do not make any sense: How was Dr. Sorkins able to get control of the JP:OS? What's the control room for when she can edit the tour program from her lab? How did Explorer 02 come to the trike pen without hitting Explorer 05? If the marine was meant to be opened in phase B, why did the tour voice mention it?
Why is the geothermal power-plant so far away from the maintenance-shed?
On the other hand I liked the implementation of the ethic topic how to deal with scientific discoveries, what there's about the dependence of lysine.
THE SOURCE MATERIAL
TTG really tried to stay very close to the universe the movie has established. I liked how they listened also to the fans here in the forum and "Nedry's clearing" was one of the best locations in the game. Little details like his glasses, or the stick he was throwing at the Dilophosaur proved their careful treatment of the license.
Same goes for the ID badge, the numbers on the jeeps, the visitor center and the rotunda.
And of course the dinosaurs. TTG really showed them like they had been displayed and characterized in Jurassic Park. Great work here.
The first episode really caught the spirit of the movie and was a nice parallel story to the film.
I can forgive minor flaws like Sorkin's ability to have control over the JP:OS, the tour car 02 that managed to go past Explorer 05 and get Harding, Jess and Nima from the trike pen.
Episode 2 was a complete letdown by introducing these strange mercenaries especially Oskar. Also Dr. Sorkin's lab was designed totally different than all the other structures. Maybe TTG should have taken a closer look to the making-of book which showed nice sketches and drawings of the visitor center compound, labs and so on.
The bone-shaker sequence was completely irrelevant IMO because it doesn't really provide anything to the story and the topic of using the park for amusement wasn't well portrayed. And why is this structure so far away from the visitor area and nearly isolated in the jungle?
Herrerasaur's implementation was also only ineffectual.
Episode 3 tended to get better again but I think that the T-Rex has already been overused. He showed up much too often and seemed to be always hungry.
The geothermal power plant was a nice location although beeing so far away contradicted the maintenance shed of the movie.
The troodons were actually a very nice invention of TTG. They really felt very creepy and dangerous. I especially liked their sound design.
Episode 4 was then getting a lot better by revisiting a portion of the tour road and the marine facility. A lot of the scenes there felt as if they have been influenced by another Crichton novel: Sphere (which was IMO one of his best).
The only thing I didn't like was the whole design of the facility. It was poorly done by using the typical font but the overal architectural design just didn't feel like part of the park. I actually like this drawning much more: jurassic park aquarium
So finally it was nice (and right) to spot new locations of the park. We all new that there were a lot constructions that haven't been in the movie. Locations that tell us more about the park layout and how it works.
But this game did too much to feel separated from the movie. I mean if it takes place during the actions of the film why aren't there more references than just the East Dock, Nedry's clearing and a short part at the Visitor's center?
What about the T-Rex paddock, the raptor pen, the maintenance shed, the control room, the embryonic cold storage, the auditorium, the restaurant and the kitchen? The control room is a mess (as Harding said) but we didn't get glimpse of it. Why?
GAMEPLAY
Well, I think when TTG mentioned Heavy Rain as an inspiration they actually missed one essential thing about that game:
It was about the consequences of decisions.
And that's also basically what interaction is about.
Jurassic Park: The Game isn't in fact a real game at all. I assumed that it's the evolution of the famous game books where the reader could affect the story. But it's not even that. There are only two possibilities at every button promt: fail or continue.
Fail or continue. Fail or continue. The whole game long.
So it's not really much more like a movie where you have to press buttons to indicate that you really watch it.
The puzzle parts aren't real puzzles too. It's just about finding the triggers for the next cutscene.
The dialogue trees indicate consequences too. But they don't provide them.
So basically the game just fakes interaction.
The only time where you really decide something with consequences is at the very end.
But that's it.
CONCLUSION
Despite all these rather negative aspects I also enjoyed the game.
It had some memorable moments, locations and comments.
For us JP fans it was the first time since 2003 to get into the Jurassic Park universe again.
But the whole situation for us is like this game's concept:
We have no choice. Fail or Continue. Have this game or have none.
So a lot of people said that they are happy with this game.
I guess because there's simply no alternative.
Of course Telltale Games could have done worse.
The whole license could have been handled much worse.
Nothing could have ruined the JP IP more than a brainless shooter.
On the other hand I think this huge famous license that been brought to life by Michael Crichton deserves a worthier realization than this game.
I know that Telltale Games put all their effort into this game and I am sure they tried the best they could.
I have the feeling that for their studio size they have made several wrong design decisions that finally led to a "game" that isn't really good in any of these points: immersion, story, gameplay.
They are all mediocre at best.
I could forgive this story and bad gameplay if the immersion is outstanding with breathtaking optics and sound, or I could also forgive mediocre graphics if the story is top notch, or if both immersion and story are just mediocre but the gameplay is really innovative and interesting I would be pleased too.
But in this case I got several hours of mediocre entertainment within the world of Jurassic Park.
I absolutely loved the game. (Well lets face it not really a game but an interactive movie) And then I saw the ending and it sucked hard. What do you mean they blow up the whole island??? I think the best part of the movie was that they skipped that part because it was cruel and unnecessary. Lets face it the dinosaurs wouldn't be able to survive in today's ecosystem anyway so they might as well stay on the island. Hopefully we'll see a sequel set on Site B. Hopefully telltale won't decide to nuke that as well.
Cannot agree with this more. Shows what happens when you blindly buy a game from a company without researching exactly what the gameplay will be like. I expected an adventure game; I got an animated movie.
I've enjoyed all Telltale games a great deal, but this is just a crappy movie where you have to randomly push buttons or you get your face eaten off. They test your reaction time to push a directional button in less than .1 seconds, and when you can't do it, you fail and have to do it again. I've had much better success by just randomly pushing all the directional keys during these sequences.
The most difficult puzzle I've found so far is organizing roller coaster cars, and that took me less then 2 minutes to figure out. Not much of a challenge there. But I was rewarded by getting to randomly push buttons for another 5 minutes afterwards.
Bottom line: If you wanted to make an animated movie, make an animated movie; don't try to pass one off as a game.
Sorry to say this time you really blew it.
I only did some of it but could not stand it and stopped.
It is not a game, there are no real challenges, you don't have to solve riddles or else.
Rather it's like a mini-movie in which, to pretend it's a game, now and then you get instructions to push buttons. "Push up then push left". What's the challenge in that?
I'm sorry there's no "Satisfied or your money back" policy because, for as much I loved your other games, this one is a joke, I will not play further, and I really would like to give it back for a refund.
I do hope your next one will be back on track. Please!! You were good, get back there. Return to games that DO challenge the player. I like good games, and you were one of my favorite sources.
Let's make this a once in a lifetime slip never to be repeated again. Thank you.
I enjoyed this game way, way more than I was expecting. I don't have a problem with the game essentially being a well-paced, interactive film; who's to say what the video game medium can and can't be?
It does have glitches and hiccups here and there that I really hope are ironed out in a patch (it definitely made a lousy first impression when the very first scene in which Gerry and his daughter are introduced has lines of dialogue repeating), but I found the game to be very immersive and fun to watch and play - it simply doesn't need to be a traditional game. I didn't have any issues with the quicktime events at all since I'm a pretty hardcore game geek, but a difficulty option should really be added for the more casual audience (who I believe this game is directed at to begin with). Given the pacing, this is a game that should challenge you just enough that anyone should be able to get through the areas without being frustrated, but not at the expense of the excitement.
Edit: I should also mention that the best way to play this game, for me, seems to be on a good PC with a 360 controller. Mouse controls feels wonky, and in videos of the console releases I noticed "hiccups" where the game paused when inputs were being entered that ruined the flow of the action sequences. Although I had some odd glitches sometimes, I didn't have that issue on the PC - the action generally flowed really well.
I am quite satisfied with the turnout of the game. I have never experienced a game with this type of gameplay, so it was a bit hard to get used to at first. However, the gameplay is not what got me to fall in love with the game, it was the story! Great job guys on making such an interesting side story for fans of JP like myself.
Also i am aware that TellTale only had rights to the movies, however i couldnt help but wonder if they had put a few references to things that are in the book. The first thing I noticed was in episode 1, when you are in the first scene with the Hardings and you get to investigate the overview. There is a utility shed by the river and Jerry just says its a utility shed. however it reminded me of the utility shed from the book that Grant and the kids stayed in. But I havent read the book in awhile and I may be confused, but I thought it was right along the river.
There are some thrilling scenes in the game, but this style of gameplay ultimately robs them of any actual emotion or scares. You can't even fully enjoy watching the game, as you're forced to keep your eyes on the button prompts.
Even worse are the scenes that feel like an adventure game. The few puzzles you'll come across are ultimately too simple to be challenging, while the investigation sequences don't give you much to explore. You just look at stuff and then the story progresses. You don't even have an inventory or any items to find and use. It's all simplified to the point that the actual "game" aspects feel out of place. This an experience that's more fun to watch than it is to play.
Disappointed, money wasted.
Back to the Future already felt like it wasn't made with much love and just rushed up, but it was somehow acceptable.
But this is no fun to play at all IMHO. The graphics being from like 2004 sure also doesn't exactly help it.
it's pretty crappy so far. hurts me to say so cause i've been telling anyone who will listen how great telltalegames is. i hate the interface. i expected an adventure game not some distant retarded cousin of dragon's lair. what a waste of a great opportunity. i'll definitely be more wary next time telltale releases a game.
Excuse my English translator, but I'm a bit lazy in this language and I have a question related to this game.
Google Looking for some websites commented that the game would have to be translated into Spanish, I wonder if it is available in that language and if they are only the subtitles or dubbing, or not at all in Spanish.
I'm a bit on the fence about this game. There was some great aspects to it - at times I got caught up in the action and tension, the storyline occasionally dragged but not terribly so.
There were some quiet times in the game, and a few crammed attempts at character building... and suddenly, I'd forget that I was meant to be mashing buttons. The gameplay was pretty terrible.
I struggle to call it a game, really. There's no replay value in it, and I didn't even feel inclined to go and retry for gold achievements - the game hangs when I try to load them, and it doesn't change anything if you get them. It just means your timing for hitting a button is slightly better.
I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but does anyone else remember what Harding looked like in Jurassic Park? He was the vet hanging around the Triceratops. This guy. Bit of a difference. http://jplegacy.org/costuming/costumes/Harding2.png
It makes me worry a bit about the Walking Dead game Telltale are developing (apparently, last I heard, still to be released in 2011...).
I see no one has responded with my 2 most important comments that
1-It didnt have the feel of jurassic park
and
2-That T-Rex seriously eats too much
I agree with you on both points. While the game did have great homages to the movies, it just didn't have the same feel. I think the characters are partly to blame. Having one or two characters return from the movies would have helped greatly.
I also had issues with how Telltale handled the dinosaurs, they were nothing more than monsters. Example- A pteradon drop kicks a helicopter, and a T-rex hurls shrapnel with its mouth etc. It's ridiculous and almost insulting. The game goes for cheap thrills and contains no 'wonder' moments that we've come to expect with the Jurassic Park films.
I agree with you on both points. While the game did have great homages to the movies, it just didn't have the same feel. I think the characters are partly to blame. Having one or two characters return from the movies would have helped greatly.
I also had issues with how Telltale handled the dinosaurs, they were nothing more than monsters. Example- A pteradon drop kicks a helicopter, and a T-rex hurls shrapnel with its mouth etc. It's ridiculous and almost insulting. The game goes for cheap thrills and contains no 'wonder' moments that we've come to expect with the Jurassic Park films.
To the first point, it absolutely felt like Jurassic Park and second the T-Rex is always hungry because he only got feed goats like three times a day. It's really more of an opportunist because every chance it had to eat, it ate both in the movies and the game.
To the second I refer to the Trike and Para scenes, also the Pteradon intro. All harken back to the water hole/brach scene from the first movie. Because the game contained mostly carnivores, it stays in line with the movies as there are rarely if any "wonder" scenes for T-Rex, Raptors, etc.
Plus the game showed a strong story WITHOUT any returning main characters. It was never necessary in the first place.
I agree with you on both points. While the game did have great homages to the movies, it just didn't have the same feel. I think the characters are partly to blame. Having one or two characters return from the movies would have helped greatly.
I also had issues with how Telltale handled the dinosaurs, they were nothing more than monsters. Example- A pteradon drop kicks a helicopter, and a T-rex hurls shrapnel with its mouth etc. It's ridiculous and almost insulting. The game goes for cheap thrills and contains no 'wonder' moments that we've come to expect with the Jurassic Park films.
I fully agree with what you say on the dinosaurs,it was somewhat insulting watching a video of telltale members showing them sit down and supposdly educated on animal behavior when in fact aside from the triceratops the rest were just man-eating monsters.
Now just to point this out to everyone just how unrealstic were talking about here a T-Rex has a certain stomach size but a certain amount of calories it burns,normally in theory a T-Rex like most predators would not eat constantly it would have one big meal every so few days,this one in the movie whom i named pac-man has eaten the following in just 2 days:
1-! full sized goat minus a leg
2-The blood sucking lawyer sitting on the toilet
3-One Galimimus(i may have spelled that wrong but its the fast dinosaur)
4-Indicated by the videogame and the broken off triceratops horn its possible he ate the triceratops
5-He ate 2 full sized raptors in the visitors center both of which are pretty big
6-He Ate several more raptors in the videogame
7-he ate the army dude at the end of the videogame
Now im not sure how many lbs and calories between all of that is,but in a 2 or even 3 day period based on its size theres no way any full grown T-Rex can eat that much,thats well over a ton or 2 worth of meat,that T-Rex would be having constant stomach cramps and missing in action to take its dinosaur dump every hour for an hour
Now as for the charectors,the only ones that felt like they were game worthy was the dad and daughter as well as the guy who was killed by the dilophosaurus and finally dr sorkin,the rest kinda felt outta place
I only got to pet a triceratops for 2 mins before everything else tries to eat me,so much for the hands on dinosaur joy
and again i know people are gonna hark about what i say,but all in all im a gamer and i just have a certain standard.(and no i rarely play shooting games,so please dont mention anything about it)
And in The Lost World they were off hunting (albeit something unseen,) hence leaving the baby alone, they eat Eddie Carr, a dog, at least one human if not more in San Diego. Then dong get me started on spino. Two people, killed a rex (which should last at least two days,) and still hunting? Yeah...
I get what people are trying to say, and I agree that it's unrealistic. But the consumption rate of these animals (the large predators of JP) in all the films has been unrealistic.
Story was there, and there were some exciting and unexpected twists. Thoroughly enjoyed the amount of death in the game, and taking on the dinos one-on-one, which is new for JP games and Telltale too. But it's a very sloppy game, with poor controls and sometimes some ugly, ugly graphics. I did however appreciate the attention to detail, regarding canon and the overall look and feel of Jurassic Park in the movies/books. 3/5
If there is a sequel, they need to make it a real game, as opposed to an interactive video.
I fully agree with what you say on the dinosaurs,it was somewhat insulting watching a video of telltale members showing them sit down and supposdly educated on animal behavior when in fact aside from the triceratops the rest were just man-eating monsters.
Now just to point this out to everyone just how unrealstic were talking about here a T-Rex has a certain stomach size but a certain amount of calories it burns,normally in theory a T-Rex like most predators would not eat constantly it would have one big meal every so few days,this one in the movie whom i named pac-man has eaten the following in just 2 days:
1-! full sized goat minus a leg
2-The blood sucking lawyer sitting on the toilet
3-One Galimimus(i may have spelled that wrong but its the fast dinosaur)
4-Indicated by the videogame and the broken off triceratops horn its possible he ate the triceratops
5-He ate 2 full sized raptors in the visitors center both of which are pretty big
6-He Ate several more raptors in the videogame
7-he ate the army dude at the end of the videogame
Now im not sure how many lbs and calories between all of that is,but in a 2 or even 3 day period based on its size theres no way any full grown T-Rex can eat that much,thats well over a ton or 2 worth of meat,that T-Rex would be having constant stomach cramps and missing in action to take its dinosaur dump every hour for an hour
Now as for the charectors,the only ones that felt like they were game worthy was the dad and daughter as well as the guy who was killed by the dilophosaurus and finally dr sorkin,the rest kinda felt outta place
I only got to pet a triceratops for 2 mins before everything else tries to eat me,so much for the hands on dinosaur joy
and again i know people are gonna hark about what i say,but all in all im a gamer and i just have a certain standard.(and no i rarely play shooting games,so please dont mention anything about it)
Even in the movie though the t-rex keeps eating. You think that a goat, a lawyer, and a gallimimus would be enough fill for the day, but no he goes after more food in the form of the raptors.
According to the game however before hunting the raptors in the visitors center he tries to take down a triceratops, but fails. The trike loses its horn, but he didn't successfully hunt it. Its pretty obvious that the trike survived…no corpse anywhere. In the commentary telltale even says they wanted to include the Trike sans horn later.
I do agree about not having enough "dinosaur wonder" scenes. They didn't have enough hervivores in my opinion either.
But I think the T-rex hunger could be easily argued.
Even in the movie though the t-rex keeps eating. You think that a goat, a lawyer, and a gallimimus would be enough fill for the day, but no he goes after more food in the form of the raptors.
According to the game however before hunting the raptors in the visitors center he tries to take down a triceratops, but fails. The trike loses its horn, but he didn't successfully hunt it. Its pretty obvious that the trike survived…no corpse anywhere. In the commentary telltale even says they wanted to include the Trike sans horn later.
I do agree about not having enough "dinosaur wonder" scenes. They didn't have enough hervivores in my opinion either.
But I think the T-rex hunger could be easily argued.
I'm serious when i say if that T-Rex eats that much he would have eaten everything off the island in 1 month,theres no stopping pacman and his lust for hunger,and its not only that im starting to also question how he manages to get around so much on that island in such a fast time despite him being so full.
Your right about not having enough herbivores in fact i think there was only 2,the triceratops and the ones with dr sorkin.
The T-Rex however may have eaten the helicopter pilot since he was in that area,all that metal and clothing cant be good on his stomach
And again i have to mention how it seemed the Troodon seemed like the dominant predator,they looked slim with big eyes O___O,i dont truly beleive ror a second a whole heard of dilophosaurus would run from just 1,and i know for a fact the raptors would tear those things to shreds
More curiously is how far away the quaratine pens on the island is yet they managed to get to the dilophosaurus area which is on the other side of the island in just a mere hour or so which is nearly 40 or 60 miles,uh yeah someone was not doing their math...
And in The Lost World they were off hunting (albeit something unseen,) hence leaving the baby alone, they eat Eddie Carr, a dog, at least one human if not more in San Diego. Then dong get me started on spino. Two people, killed a rex (which should last at least two days,) and still hunting? Yeah...
I get what people are trying to say, and I agree that it's unrealistic. But the consumption rate of these animals (the large predators of JP) in all the films has been unrealistic.
At least in the lost world after they eat eddie carr at some point Roland mentions they wont be hungry for awhile,which was true
I'm serious when i say if that T-Rex eats that much he would have eaten everything off the island in 1 month,theres no stopping pacman and his lust for hunger,and its not only that im starting to also question how he manages to get around so much on that island in such a fast time despite him being so full.
Your right about not having enough herbivores in fact i think there was only 2,the triceratops and the ones with dr sorkin.
The T-Rex however may have eaten the helicopter pilot since he was in that area,all that metal and clothing cant be good on his stomach
And again i have to mention how it seemed the Troodon seemed like the dominant predator,they looked slim with big eyes O___O,i dont truly beleive ror a second a whole heard of dilophosaurus would run from just 1,and i know for a fact the raptors would tear those things to shreds
More curiously is how far away the quaratine pens on the island is yet they managed to get to the dilophosaurus area which is on the other side of the island in just a mere hour or so which is nearly 40 or 60 miles,uh yeah someone was not doing their math...
At this point you're just nip picking. I can see why you didn't enjoy this game now. It seems like you didn't pay alot of attention ot the plot or story. THE PILOT WAS NOT EATEN BY A REX. His body was later found. The troodon had build a nest inside his stomach! Nor was the Triceratops killed by the T-rex.
They never say when the troodon escaped containment. So I don't know what you mean by that. They could have escaped days before.
Also lionesses flee from hyenas all the time when they're outnumbered. So the fact that a few dillos and 3 raptors runaway from other predators is not really that shocking.
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
If it was never meant to be a game then why is it called "Jurassic Park: The Game"?
Jurassic Park finally got the sequel everyone wanted and expected. But it didn’t actually take a movie for it to happen, but Jurassic Park: The Game instead. This doesn’t mean fans don’t love either The Lost World or Jurassic Park 3 (or both, or neither), but neither one of those sequels were what fans expected to see after enjoying the first film. In a way we have Michael Crichton to blame for this, because his second novel went in a direction I don’t think anyone saw coming with the “second island” Isla Sorna plot. Even in the BluRay bonus feature documentary of the films, Steven Spielberg himself said that he had a sustained shot on the Barbasol can because he thought that would have been the catalyst for the next sequel. It never happened.
Now it finally has.
I’m a huge fan of Jurassic Park. I can accurately say it has shaped who I am today, for better or for worse. Without going into a life story, let’s just say I saw the first film when it came out in 1993 when I was about 6 years old. It traumatized me after I first saw it, and oddly enough, after a couple of days, I for some reason begged my parents to let me see it again. I was obsessed ever since. It opened my world to dinosaurs, films, film music, science, technology, and oddly enough, life lessons (read the novels in addition to the films if you don’t believe you can take a lot of life lessons from the series). I can even say my personality is a bit inspired by it all.
The game fills a void with all fans of the series by finally answering that age-old question: what the hell happened to the Barbasol can? Sure, you could always assume after a day or so the coolant inside ran out entirely rendering the embryos inside useless. Or you could take in the amusing approach from the semi-famous parody Jurassic People. But we all like to have some kind of an official answer. Now we got one. And it is the approach the game has made that made it such an amazing idea: a side-along story to the first film that takes place during and directly after it’s events. During the course of it, you encounter many new characters with plenty of references to familiar ones. The same goes for various locations and other nods as well, that are so well-done at times that it makes any diehard fan’s heart almost die from excitement. There are little things to be found that are deeply treasured that really add to the experience. Although the game is primarily only based on the film lore, there are some elements from the novels that sneak their way in that made me even more happy (I feel that many fans of the films disregard the novels far too often, which is really ironic, backwards, and amusingly insulting).
The strongest points of the game are clearly the level designs, characters, and story. The way it all connects and interacts with one another is spot-on and make for a truly engaging experience. The story fits like a glove with the first film so well that I truly bought the whole thing. I really felt like I was experiencing something within Jurassic Park, and not just something “loosely inspired” by it. Every location in each episode was very well designed with just the right amount of exploration and cinematic tone. The use of the camera lens and angles was really impressive. The characters and their expressions from the mocap were very good and helped engage the performance with the superb dialogue aided by the actors renditions. And who can forget the dinosaurs? Each one featured in the game had a shining moment delivered. The two new additions in the game, while I was concerned at first, I really thought they were brought about in the best way, with terrific designs in appearance and sound especially. The music was a fun banter with John Williams famous themes and motifs (including brief references to certain tracks that have never had reproductions in any of the other films or games that I was delighted to hear). There are even some new themes by Jared that I also liked. I am disappointed, however, that the deluxe edition of the game didn’t include all of these occurrences of the Williams material, among many other standout tracks heard in the game, but due to licensing and copyrights I understand why. Williams fans, however, may not be huge fans of the music due to a more synth approach taken here. I admit that I wish the game had a bigger orchestra sound (something more in tune to the score in Trespasser, for example), but with the given limitations to the style of music done here, I think it was very well done.
Speaking of disappointments, I can’t help but point out some more. No game (or film for that matter) is truly perfect, and here is no exception. In playing the PC version, I was surprised by some of the bugs that occurred. Disappearing mouse during gameplay, slow frame rates at times, game not being able to be opened sometimes unless you use the Windows task manager to close the previous session, etc. These are problems I didn’t expect to exist at this point, but maybe they can be remedied with a patch or something. I also was sometimes not a fan of the controls at times, with some button prompts not even working. Luckily, you can proceed all the way through the game even with these problems at hand (although it certainly takes more work than it should because of it). In terms of fan disappointments, I also think that there were opportunities that weren’t explored that should have been. I really, really wanted to see the jungle river cruise (as in the novel and popular theme park ride at Universal Studios) take place in the game in some form. I wanted to explore more of the film’s actual locations as well. The first episode did this perfectly, but I felt the remaining episodes focused too much on showing us the parts of the island that we didn’t see in the film. While it was really fun and interesting to explore those aspects, I felt the game really should have went back to the familiar locations more. I wanted to really explore parts of the Visitor Center we only got glimpses of in the film. I wanted to actually take a tour in the tour vehicle in some way. I wanted to let the raptor out of the freezer by mistake in the kitchen! It’s interesting to note that after watching the commentary videos, some of these ideas actually were once imagined to be in the game, but cut either due to time or expense.
With fan criticism aside, it’s quite telling that my biggest problem with the game was that I simply wanted MORE. For that to be the biggest problem, it is quite a compliment to the creators of the game. I was so pleased with what was going on that I simply wanted more of it. I keep forgetting, however, that Telltale is not a big budget studio. From watching the commentary videos, however, they really did everything they could to deliver a game that they themselves wanted to see as fans of the films. No one seemed simply “hired” as their role, they really were there for the right reasons and put in their best effort. I was surprised at how engaged I got with the characters and how likeable they all were. Even though some ended up bad, or even annoying, they were done so in a way that was fully aware and usually had an arc that really made it fulfilled. And the climax? It was really thrilling in terms of dinosaur carnage and intensity, and the resolution (or at least, the correct resolution) was really pleasing. But I didn’t want it to end when it did. I still wanted more!
I think this leads to me with one other gripe I had… the fact that this was called Jurassic Park- The Game. Now there have been Jurassic Park games before that really were “games”. Either typical platformer of the side-scrolling type, overhead gameplay, or even first-person shooter (the much underappreciated, although hugely flawed, Trespasser). But this new game doesn’t qualify as ANY of those. Actually, that isn’t entirely true if you count the Sega CD edition of Jurassic Park, that featured a storyline involving BioSyn, collecting eggs, an inventory of various items, some shooting elements, 360 degree locations, and even actual video footage. But this new game really is an interactive film, which is actually something I LOVE about it. I love that it has a fairly straight-forward story and consequences. I do wish that the exploration was a bit more wide-open, however. I also wish there were more interactive elements at times, like an inventory for example. I really expected there to be one since the awesome Back to the Future game Telltale did featured one. I feel that an inventory would have added to the appeal of the game and maybe given more of a variety to it, just like in the Sega CD version mentioned. But I can see that maybe by doing so it would have taken away from this film-like approach.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the title is misleading. And that’s what’s amusing. Telltale has been very clear from the beginning exactly what their game was going to be like: an interactive film-like experience. And that is exactly what they have delivered. This isn’t like what happened with Trespasser, with the designers of the game promising all these great features and only delivering a third of them, with very buggy results. These guys have really done a job well done. My problem is that this shouldn’t have been called a game, because for gamers I can see why they don’t like it. It isn’t a game for them. It’s a game for fans of the film as the main priority, which is truly wonderful. But I can see how that may be misleading to some. Perhaps they should have called it something else, like Jurassic Park: Return To Isla Nublar. Or even better, Jurassic Park: Interactive, although this title is kind of already taken by a much lesser game that came out when the film did. But now I guess this a mute argument since the damage is already done.
The last major thing that has to be noted are the deaths. I have never had so much fun dieing in a game before (although it is actually amusing to die in Trespasser since the game doesn’t actually end, you just fall to the ground and usually watch yourself get eaten for all eternity, I suppose). The deaths are so well-thought out, original, amusing, scary, and edgy that it creates it’s own in-game replay value. Has this ever been done before? I’m not too sure. But I’m glad it’s here in a Jurassic Park game!
Jurassic Park: The Game may not have been exactly how I wanted it to be, but it came really close. And that is a major compliment. I had big hopes for it, but had no idea which parts they would have delivered on correctly for me. There are many different types of Jurassic Park fans. Some that are film-centric. Some that are dinosaur-centric. Some that are novel-centric. But I’d like to think of myself as a more well-rounded fan that doesn’t really buy into just one canon or experience. I believe all of it should be respected and explored and included in as possible explanations for things you want answered. And this game really delivers in that department as well. I think it will be something that any type of fan will feel quite easy to accept in their mind. And if not, well I see that as a solitary issue. I myself am a fan of this game, and despite some imperfections, it is definitely the best Jurassic Park game the world has ever seen. Even though Telltale didn’t have the same budget as the latest Zelda or Lego Harry Potter, it gave it’s audience just as much of a thrill and with just as much respect, if not more. They really did spare no expense.
Some Spoiler Notes:
-The inclusion of the Pteranodons puzzled me at first. But I came up with my own explanation. Although not mentioned in the game (and very discreetly mentioned in the film), I believe Isla Nublar must have had an aviary just like it does in the novel. I think that maybe they broke out of it either due to the power failure somehow or even perhaps from damage by the storm, and that’s why you see them freely flying about. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise because, as we see in the game, they are too dangerous of creatures to have loose. And for those that may balk at this idea because an aviary isn’t really mentioned, well, this was actually the case in the novel as well, until the scene occurs. Malcolm in the novel even says something like, “How come this wasn’t mentioned as part of the tour?”, and the answer is of course because of the “problems” they had with the aviary…
-I LOVE that the DX virus is an easter egg of the game, in reference to the Lost World novel. Speaking of which, I also loved that Isla Sorna was mentioned in a few spots as well. It really tied it together.
-The character arc of Billy, from being a charming badass to the game’s ultimate villain, was very well done. It was a strange thing to really like him at first and then really dislike him by the game’s end. His demise was classic Jurassic.
-The Troodons were very well done. They were scary in sound and visual design, especially with the glowing eyes. My only nitpick is that I wish they became more involved in the story in the end. They attack for a while, but I expected more to be done with them, honestly. Although I love their grisly nesting habits…
-I also really enjoyed the Mosasaur. He was an impressive creature and fit will with the wonderfully designed habitat. I think this was something I always expected to end up seeing in a Jurassic Park film and was disappointed that it hadn’t happened.
-Miles Chadwick was definitely one of my favorite characters. I loved his annoying humor and the way he tied into the film.
-There are many references to the film in the game of course, but perhaps the one that made me LOL was the moving cursor on the video surveillance on the computer screen that was a revealing blooper in the film that showed it was just a looping Quicktime video. LOL amazing that they replicated it here!
-I was actually disappointed we didn’t go into Sorkin’s lab. I remember seeing the concept art of this place and really curious to see what was inside. I’m glad we got some exterior shots and the Hadrosaur pen next to it, but I thought it was a big missed opportunity that apparently WAS once explored.
-The climax of the final episode with the T-Rex’s head inside the raptor cage that Dr. Harding is in as it gets swung around was probably the most gratifying moment that made really was intense and made me want to shout “THIS was what it’s all about! Right here!” In fact, that whole final chase through the metal containers was so well orchestrated and cinematic that I was really on the edge of my seat as I watched. Very inspiring and would be an amazing scene in the film. In way the containers and dock setting reminded me of Trespasser. Was this partially inspired or intended by it? Even if not, it will always have that connection for me, which is great!
I'm serious when i say if that T-Rex eats that much he would have eaten everything off the island in 1 month,theres no stopping pacman and his lust for hunger,and its not only that im starting to also question how he manages to get around so much on that island in such a fast time despite him being so full.
Your right about not having enough herbivores in fact i think there was only 2,the triceratops and the ones with dr sorkin.
The T-Rex however may have eaten the helicopter pilot since he was in that area,all that metal and clothing cant be good on his stomach
And again i have to mention how it seemed the Troodon seemed like the dominant predator,they looked slim with big eyes O___O,i dont truly beleive ror a second a whole heard of dilophosaurus would run from just 1,and i know for a fact the raptors would tear those things to shreds
More curiously is how far away the quaratine pens on the island is yet they managed to get to the dilophosaurus area which is on the other side of the island in just a mere hour or so which is nearly 40 or 60 miles,uh yeah someone was not doing their math...
Jurassic park the game has certainly received a lot of hype before its release. In some ways the hype is delivered with this game and in some ways it isn't. The graphical part of the game is fantastic. The dinosaurs are believable, their movement is fluid and they behave in realistic manners. The story has a way of pulling you in and the characters are in some ways bettere than the ones in the film.
The main problem with the game is that there is virtually no gameplay to speak of. Essentially it is one big quicktime action sequence. This actually did not bother me as much as it could have. The story proved to be interesting enough to follow and being forced to press buttons in sequences did in some way enhance the experience. There were a few puzzles which took more than 2 minutes to solve, but this was the exception rather than the rule. It seems that this is a growing tendency in telltale's games seeing as the BTTF series also featured very simple puzzles and little gameplay. In BTTF it was disturbing, but in Jurassic park it was tolerable.
Anyway there is one really big complaint coming from me. The game also discussed ethical and moral choices and their implications. But none of these choices seem to be open to the player. The game has multiple endings, but as far as I know they are decided by marginal decisions towards the very end. This is where the game has a lot of room for improvement. There were times where I wished I could actually make a contribution to the plot and change some of the things the characters did. It would have been extremely satisfying to watch events fold depending on your choices and this would have added more gameplay than smashing buttons in sequence.
<<SPOILER ALERT>>
What really killed the game's replayability for me was the ending. From the moment I learned that InGen was planning to bomb the island, I started waiting for the part where the characters got to stop that from happening. For a while it seemed like it was actually one of the main objectives and then suddenly everybody just went along with the decision. As far as I know there is no way to prevent dr. Sorgen's death and that meant the whole stopping the bombing was hastily wrapped up. I mean like seriously wtf???? You get presented this wonderful game world with so many variable creatures and this really great jungle environment etc. Then the game ends with blowing everything up and murdering dozens of innocent animals?? I mean seriously guys, there was no allusion to this in the movie and in my opinion this part really made the book ending suck. There was no purpose for telltale to add this into the story as it is not part of the Jurassic Park movie canon. Had the game presented a choice to the player whether to stop the bombing or let it happen, then it would have been acceptable. But it just forced a moral message onto the player (in many ways this was similar to the movie) and then declared the decision to destroy the park to be the unilateral right thing to do. So the next time I show one of my friends the Tyrannosaurus vs Triceratops fight, I'm gonna be thinking, it doesn't really matter who won and what happened because both of them are going to die horribly in agony from napalm bombing. This just plain sucked and ruined the gaming experience.
Comments
You must be great at parties. *rolls eyes*
The Good:
Gameplay*: I have to admit when I first heard a lot of the gameplay was going to be QTE based I was quite worried but thankfully the different inputs are varied enough that it keeps you on your toes and doesn't get stale. It feels a lot more like Elite Beat Agents then say the later Resident Evil or Broken Sword games, and that's a good thing. Many criticised BttF (myself included) for being nothing more than an interactive movie, Jurassic Park is also an interactive movie but the key difference is it is actually interactive. Where BttF babied you through puzzles (more on JP's puzzles in The Bad) and had you do nothing else but watch cutscenes, JP actually gives you something to do during the cutscenes, and it really works well to add tension and suspense to the action sequences. Though they can still be improved (more on that later), the QTE based gameplay was a win with this gamer.
The characters: I felt the characters were very well written and believable. The core cast was very strong and like in any good horror story I even liked some of the characters that were obviously not going to make it. I'll just say a brief word on the story while I'm at it: it gets better as it goes along. It started off OK but by around the third episode I really got sucked into it.
Episode length: I was really happy with the length of each episode, they were very meaty and four episodes felt just right. I kept thinking they were about to end but they kept going, which was nice.
The Bad:
Gameplay: OK, so I was fine with the QTE's, though they can be improved, but what made them work was the balance. There was the action scenes, the puzzle scenes and the dialogue scenes. The other scenes were essential because if the game was all action you'd get over it quick. It's all about balancing the excitement and retardation of story structure. However, the problem wasn't the balance, it was that the other elements were lacking. Well, the dialogue was fine so I'll give those scenes a pass, which brings me to...
Puzzles: Sadly, Telltale's new-found commitment to patronising the player is still in full swing. The hints in this game were excruciating. I was constantly being told by the game how to solve puzzles even before I had began them, before I even had the chance to think for myself. The puzzles weren't even that hard in the first place but having hints forced upon me actually made me angry. Everytime that little speech button or movement button jumped up and down and made noises at me to click it in the middle of a scene, or a player character said out loud how to solve a puzzle I died a little inside. You can get away with that stuff in a tutorial but when it is still happening even in the final episode there is a serious lack of respect of the players abilities. We have brains, Telltale, please let us use them. I don't even mind when a game has hints, as long as they are OPTIONAL. If this were an adventure game it would be a complete fail, and those who are classifying it as an adventure game seem to be the people who are the most upset. This is not an adventure game, and I don't think it is pretending to be. This is something new; I'm OK with that. But you are still giving us puzzles and you are still holding our hands right to the very end whether we like it or not. The QTE's work because they challenge us, the puzzles fail because they don't.
Bugs: I'll save the details for the appropriate threads, I'll just say that yes, there were bugs, and yes, they did distract from the experience.
Things That Can Be Improved:
Gameplay: For the puzzles: remove the hints. For the QTE's: I think the icons for the different kinds of QTE's needed to be bolder and more obvious. When it came to the sneaking, time based QTE's I always stuffed the first one up because I didn't recognise what the input was at a glance, I just saw the arrow and clicked. I know they have a large green circle around them but a lot of the inputs use green circles, maybe change up the colours depending on what input you are asking for. Say if you have a time based QTE use a red circle, for a rapid-butting press QTE use a blue circle. Making sure the player can easily differentiate between the different actions is crucial and this is something that needs more work.
Episodic format: This is a personal one. I feel it was a missed opportunity releasing all the episodes at once rather than one at a time. The game was clearly designed to be episodic; the cliffhangers were good and honestly, I miss the speculation between episode releases. That was part of the fun of episodic games, but I guess what's done is done.
Too much T-rex: He reminded me of Spinosaurus in JP III, seemingly chasing down the tiny, bite-sized survivors over every corner of the island over the entire course of the story despite having plenty of bigger, better things to eat. The other predators: the Raptors, the Dilos and the Troodons were handled just right, they all had their moment in the sun so to speak but old rexy was terribly overused. I know she is the centrepiece of the franchise but she would have been far more effective if used more sparingly.
Difficulty: This is a game that NEEDED to have a difficulty setting! I'm not saying the QTE's are too easy, though a lot of people are saying they can get though the game by bashing the keypad so there's that, but there should be a mode that caters to the inexperienced gamer and at least one mode that that contains NO hints for puzzles and is less forgiving. It's the only way to make everyone happy.
In closing, I came into this game with an open mind and while it definitely has its faults, at the end of the day there is a lot to like. Heck, it's so close to being a good game they could probably reach that plateau with a comprehensive patch. I see enough potential here that if Telltale were to make another JP game I would almost certainly buy it, though I really hope that they learn from some of their mistakes. This game was a gamble for them, it's like nothing else they've made before, and I for one am all for experimenting. It's not giving you a high grade, Telltale, but I'm not giving you a fail either.
*Before you flame me for putting gameplay under the good please note that I've put it under every heading. I believe there are good and bad aspects to the gameplay and I also believe that it can be greatly improved.
i agree with you, they need some improvements, but the game is still good in one way and bad in the next, hell in mw3 or black ops or something, you guys find a glitch, you would be happy, if there was a glitch to a deleted scene on this game everyone would be happy, a secrete area or something lol, but its just the usual glitches that they could improve on, also just realizing for the 6th or 7th time beating it, its already starting too get boring, some new episodes with few mistakes, and did a lot better than these episodes would be nice lol i enjoyed it, but dont think i can play it the 8th time, even though i started a new game already mines well beat it, got all gold medals already, some parts were a little tricky, but yeah more episodes so it dont get boring, and fix it before releasing them so people will be happy and not dissapointed:rolleyes:
When Jurassic Park the Game was first announced in 2010, i was so excited. As a huge JP fan (of the two novels and the film series) this was a dream come true. seeing screen caps in an issue of game informer, i nearly crapped my pants. I counted down the days till the game was released. as the days kept getting nearer, i started reading previews of the game. I've never played a Telltale Game so hearing that the gameplay was a basic point and click adventure type game, i was slightly disappointed. But i didn't give up on the game. seeing some gameplay video's had me worried about graphical aspects of the game, i hate to say it, but graphics are big thing for me (i know, sad. but i like when things look smooth and detailed, thats why i loved the original JP movies, the dinosaurs looked real), but i never game up on the game. I was the only one at my Gamestop who pre-ordered Jurassic Park. I was faithful even in the end. I was still excited for this game. I'm nearly done with my first play through (I would have beaten it earlier, but i've had other games i've been playing) and I'm overall happy with my purchase, but i do have my complaints.
Gameplay wise, like i stated before, i've never played a TTG before, so the experience was new to me. The QTE scenes i found to be exhilarating and sometimes it was a bit frustrating, But i've never gotten so frustrated that i threw the controller down. during QTE sequences, i was always on the edge of my seat and it was a thrill! Even when i did mess up a combination or missed a button, i was blessed with a gruesome death scene (no blood which was a slight disappointment, but no big deal) The investigation sequences were interesting, most of them felt forced and unnecessary because you would look at everything and most of the "clues" let no where and you had to find a certain one. I didn't take away from the game, it just felt a little forced in some moments. the investigation scene where you are looking for the can of embryos was fun and i enjoyed that! But I enjoyed most investigation scenes. The conversation scenes was in the same level with the investigation scenes, some where interesting and lead you wanted more, but some felt forced and unnecessary. I would get slightly annoyed when i thought a conversation was going in the right direction, but they they shoot you down and you have to start over (trying to convince the doctor to leave the island as billy), like i said before, i didn't turn me off the game though, just slightly annoyed at times.
Okay, like i said before, graphics are a big deal to me in a game, but i understand certain game companies are under budget and most of the time i can look past the graphics. But sometimes certain things are hard to look past. JP had its good and its God awful moments. Character's facials features when zoomed in and focusing on their emotions were really good, but at times their movements where awkward and clunky. The environment was the same, certain distance shots looked really cool, but a lot of the time it felt out dated and could have been touched up. The only shining force when it comes to graphics where the Dinosaurs, each of the T-rex scenes felt as if it was coming straight from the film. The raptor scenes were also really good. the scar on the Raptors eye didn't look to great, but it was a good trait to add to one of the raptors, i loved the blind eye. So the dinosaurs were the thing that made me not hate the graphics.
I'd have to say that the sound was one of the best things about the game (aside from the story). all the sounds and the score was recycled from the film and i think that was the right move. It was nostalgia overload when at the main menu the T-rex walks into the shot and roars, every time i start up the game, i wait until i hear the roar before i load my save. The music in the scenes are brilliant and meshes with the films continuity and makes me feel right at home. The dinosaurs sound amazing! using all the sounds and tracks from the film was the best move TTG did for this project.
The story was also amazing as well. It was good to go back to the frozen embryos and showing what was the fate of the island after the first film. I enjoyed most of the characters (with the exception of Jess) but the new cast of characters was a breathe of fresh air. I don't want to put any spoilers so i won't go in-depth with the story, but i loved it. My favorite episode would have to be episode 1 because i felt most like the film. But each episode was as good as the rest. I also loved how they brought out the darker/greedy side of Hammond as he was in the novel. i think they story was one of the games strongest assets.
Overall, the game has its problems, but every game does. I enjoyed this game and i am going to attempt to get all the achievements. I am also hoping that there is going to be a sequel to the game. I would recommend this game to fans of the series.
Gameplay - 8.2
Graphics - 7.1
Sound - 10.0
Story - 9.4
(sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. hahaha i'll proof read it later)
Second, they were trying new things. If they don't make their games the same way they always have, then they are considered bad by telltale fans.
Personally, I enjoyed BTTFTG and JPTG. I thought they were a fresh try from Telltale. Yeah, they might have been more like interactive stories than adventure games, but I thought the solutions to the situations were on par with the way the movies played out. Survival and action for JP, and trickery for BTTF.
As for the stories themselves, I thought they were enjoyable. They may have been a little odd at times, and had TOO much of a Telltale feel for some of the jokes. But overall, I thought they fit in well with the movies.
Also, I greatly second this. That would be better than L4D I think.
There is absolutely nothing to do in this game. I loved chapter 1 though. It's like watching a film. I'm yet to finish chap 3&4, but I wish TellTale would have made a classic adventure game out of this, maybe a simpler one, but still. In adventure games you could even do something yourself. If you're not a huge fan of JP, this will give you nothing.
(to clarify: I am both: huge fan of the franchise (especially Crichton's novels) and a gamer too.)
First of all I was very excited about this game and share most of the other fan's opinion, that Jurassic Park is a franchise which has been neglected by the video game industry during the last decade for reason's I don't get.
This IP would provide so much possibilites for video games to deal with but unfortunately it has just been ignored.
At least TTG came up and the way they approached it felt very fresh and promising. Especially because of their goal to catch the movie's feel and look and probably most important for me was the fact that they wanted to stay true to the source material and focus on good storytelling.
The final result I just played was without a doubt disappointing.
And this in several aspects.
IMMERSION
I wan't to talk about that topic first because this is also what the first moments of Jurassic Park: The Game aim at: To catch the players attention and drag him into the game.
First of all (because it's the first thing you'll notice) the optics. For the Telltale Tool (T³) it's really a huge step forward, especially when you compare it to previous games done with the same engine.
But I have to say that when you wan't to provide a cinematic experience and transport feelings of fear, suspense or shock the optics play a huge role. Models and sets that have the style of plastic figures can kill a lot of atmosphere.
This can be minimized by great use of camera movements and angles. In this case JP:TG does a very good job. Focus and set up of the scenes is very well done. Of course the game uses the same style as the movie and this is a real benefit.
Optical weaknesses can also be concealed with great and fluid animations. Unfortunately this is a point where the game fails very often. There are some scenes where it's really impressive to look at the dinosaurs moving, especially because a lot of the models are actually very well done. But too often the transitions between different animations are roughly done. This already was a common issue in BTTF and is becoming a really severe issue in a cinematic presentation. Furthermore in JP:TG people often moved stiffly and unnatural.
The use of sound and music is also essential for immersion. While JP:TG used the great original sounds for the dinosaurs, voice acting is mediocre and the music that played such a big role in the movie is rather irrelevant in the game. It's just too often a background support and although it uses some elements of the original score there's not a single scene in which the music dominates and evokes the same feelings as in the movie.
But what's worst is the flawed use of sound. Very often there's just no sound at all, allthough you should hear the environment, or steps, or breathing or the movement of the clothes. Mixing is also badly done. You can't hear what people are talking, effects are much too low and so on.
In general video and audio presentation of Jurassic Park: The Game are both flawed. It just feels roughly done overall with bad transitions between scenes where music is cut or essential happenings that would provide a fluent cinematic feeling are just left out.
STORY
TTG always pointed out that they focus on storytelling. Jurassic Park: The Game actually has more of a story than the third film but that's it. For me it basically lacks of interesting characters that provide more than the standard "bad father who neglected his daughter", "the reticent super muscular mercenary", "the native that believes in natural religion" and "the former hippie that became scientist and just acts ethical". They are just too stereotype and skimmed over.
Even worse are confrontations between the people and how they magically turn their opinions. Why should Jess be so happy to see Nima again, when she acutally hold a gun into her face earlier?
I also thought that TTG actually didn't really manage to stay away from their cartooney way of displaying characters or dialogues. Oskar is such a goofy sidekick that doesn't fit into the Jurassic Park universe at all.
Then there are story decisions that do not make any sense: How was Dr. Sorkins able to get control of the JP:OS? What's the control room for when she can edit the tour program from her lab? How did Explorer 02 come to the trike pen without hitting Explorer 05? If the marine was meant to be opened in phase B, why did the tour voice mention it?
Why is the geothermal power-plant so far away from the maintenance-shed?
On the other hand I liked the implementation of the ethic topic how to deal with scientific discoveries, what there's about the dependence of lysine.
THE SOURCE MATERIAL
TTG really tried to stay very close to the universe the movie has established. I liked how they listened also to the fans here in the forum and "Nedry's clearing" was one of the best locations in the game. Little details like his glasses, or the stick he was throwing at the Dilophosaur proved their careful treatment of the license.
Same goes for the ID badge, the numbers on the jeeps, the visitor center and the rotunda.
And of course the dinosaurs. TTG really showed them like they had been displayed and characterized in Jurassic Park. Great work here.
I can forgive minor flaws like Sorkin's ability to have control over the JP:OS, the tour car 02 that managed to go past Explorer 05 and get Harding, Jess and Nima from the trike pen.
Episode 2 was a complete letdown by introducing these strange mercenaries especially Oskar. Also Dr. Sorkin's lab was designed totally different than all the other structures. Maybe TTG should have taken a closer look to the making-of book which showed nice sketches and drawings of the visitor center compound, labs and so on.
The bone-shaker sequence was completely irrelevant IMO because it doesn't really provide anything to the story and the topic of using the park for amusement wasn't well portrayed. And why is this structure so far away from the visitor area and nearly isolated in the jungle?
Herrerasaur's implementation was also only ineffectual.
Episode 3 tended to get better again but I think that the T-Rex has already been overused. He showed up much too often and seemed to be always hungry.
The geothermal power plant was a nice location although beeing so far away contradicted the maintenance shed of the movie.
The troodons were actually a very nice invention of TTG. They really felt very creepy and dangerous. I especially liked their sound design.
Episode 4 was then getting a lot better by revisiting a portion of the tour road and the marine facility. A lot of the scenes there felt as if they have been influenced by another Crichton novel: Sphere (which was IMO one of his best).
The only thing I didn't like was the whole design of the facility. It was poorly done by using the typical font but the overal architectural design just didn't feel like part of the park. I actually like this drawning much more: jurassic park aquarium
So finally it was nice (and right) to spot new locations of the park. We all new that there were a lot constructions that haven't been in the movie. Locations that tell us more about the park layout and how it works.
But this game did too much to feel separated from the movie. I mean if it takes place during the actions of the film why aren't there more references than just the East Dock, Nedry's clearing and a short part at the Visitor's center?
What about the T-Rex paddock, the raptor pen, the maintenance shed, the control room, the embryonic cold storage, the auditorium, the restaurant and the kitchen? The control room is a mess (as Harding said) but we didn't get glimpse of it. Why?
GAMEPLAY
Well, I think when TTG mentioned Heavy Rain as an inspiration they actually missed one essential thing about that game:
It was about the consequences of decisions.
And that's also basically what interaction is about.
Jurassic Park: The Game isn't in fact a real game at all. I assumed that it's the evolution of the famous game books where the reader could affect the story. But it's not even that. There are only two possibilities at every button promt: fail or continue.
Fail or continue. Fail or continue. The whole game long.
So it's not really much more like a movie where you have to press buttons to indicate that you really watch it.
The puzzle parts aren't real puzzles too. It's just about finding the triggers for the next cutscene.
The dialogue trees indicate consequences too. But they don't provide them.
So basically the game just fakes interaction.
The only time where you really decide something with consequences is at the very end.
But that's it.
CONCLUSION
Despite all these rather negative aspects I also enjoyed the game.
It had some memorable moments, locations and comments.
For us JP fans it was the first time since 2003 to get into the Jurassic Park universe again.
But the whole situation for us is like this game's concept:
We have no choice. Fail or Continue. Have this game or have none.
So a lot of people said that they are happy with this game.
I guess because there's simply no alternative.
Of course Telltale Games could have done worse.
The whole license could have been handled much worse.
Nothing could have ruined the JP IP more than a brainless shooter.
On the other hand I think this huge famous license that been brought to life by Michael Crichton deserves a worthier realization than this game.
I know that Telltale Games put all their effort into this game and I am sure they tried the best they could.
I have the feeling that for their studio size they have made several wrong design decisions that finally led to a "game" that isn't really good in any of these points: immersion, story, gameplay.
They are all mediocre at best.
I could forgive this story and bad gameplay if the immersion is outstanding with breathtaking optics and sound, or I could also forgive mediocre graphics if the story is top notch, or if both immersion and story are just mediocre but the gameplay is really innovative and interesting I would be pleased too.
But in this case I got several hours of mediocre entertainment within the world of Jurassic Park.
If I have to give a rating it would be like 6/10
I've enjoyed all Telltale games a great deal, but this is just a crappy movie where you have to randomly push buttons or you get your face eaten off. They test your reaction time to push a directional button in less than .1 seconds, and when you can't do it, you fail and have to do it again. I've had much better success by just randomly pushing all the directional keys during these sequences.
The most difficult puzzle I've found so far is organizing roller coaster cars, and that took me less then 2 minutes to figure out. Not much of a challenge there. But I was rewarded by getting to randomly push buttons for another 5 minutes afterwards.
Bottom line: If you wanted to make an animated movie, make an animated movie; don't try to pass one off as a game.
But they can't. Would be the worst animated movie ever.
It does have glitches and hiccups here and there that I really hope are ironed out in a patch (it definitely made a lousy first impression when the very first scene in which Gerry and his daughter are introduced has lines of dialogue repeating), but I found the game to be very immersive and fun to watch and play - it simply doesn't need to be a traditional game. I didn't have any issues with the quicktime events at all since I'm a pretty hardcore game geek, but a difficulty option should really be added for the more casual audience (who I believe this game is directed at to begin with). Given the pacing, this is a game that should challenge you just enough that anyone should be able to get through the areas without being frustrated, but not at the expense of the excitement.
Edit: I should also mention that the best way to play this game, for me, seems to be on a good PC with a 360 controller. Mouse controls feels wonky, and in videos of the console releases I noticed "hiccups" where the game paused when inputs were being entered that ruined the flow of the action sequences. Although I had some odd glitches sometimes, I didn't have that issue on the PC - the action generally flowed really well.
Also i am aware that TellTale only had rights to the movies, however i couldnt help but wonder if they had put a few references to things that are in the book. The first thing I noticed was in episode 1, when you are in the first scene with the Hardings and you get to investigate the overview. There is a utility shed by the river and Jerry just says its a utility shed. however it reminded me of the utility shed from the book that Grant and the kids stayed in. But I havent read the book in awhile and I may be confused, but I thought it was right along the river.
1-It didnt have the feel of jurassic park
and
2-That T-Rex seriously eats too much
Back to the Future already felt like it wasn't made with much love and just rushed up, but it was somehow acceptable.
But this is no fun to play at all IMHO. The graphics being from like 2004 sure also doesn't exactly help it.
Excuse my English translator, but I'm a bit lazy in this language and I have a question related to this game.
Google Looking for some websites commented that the game would have to be translated into Spanish, I wonder if it is available in that language and if they are only the subtitles or dubbing, or not at all in Spanish.
Thank you very much.
Pasku.
I doubt that, really. Half the dinosaurs looked better than shit that SyFy pumps out.
There were some quiet times in the game, and a few crammed attempts at character building... and suddenly, I'd forget that I was meant to be mashing buttons. The gameplay was pretty terrible.
I struggle to call it a game, really. There's no replay value in it, and I didn't even feel inclined to go and retry for gold achievements - the game hangs when I try to load them, and it doesn't change anything if you get them. It just means your timing for hitting a button is slightly better.
I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but does anyone else remember what Harding looked like in Jurassic Park? He was the vet hanging around the Triceratops. This guy. Bit of a difference.
http://jplegacy.org/costuming/costumes/Harding2.png
It makes me worry a bit about the Walking Dead game Telltale are developing (apparently, last I heard, still to be released in 2011...).
I agree with you on both points. While the game did have great homages to the movies, it just didn't have the same feel. I think the characters are partly to blame. Having one or two characters return from the movies would have helped greatly.
I also had issues with how Telltale handled the dinosaurs, they were nothing more than monsters. Example- A pteradon drop kicks a helicopter, and a T-rex hurls shrapnel with its mouth etc. It's ridiculous and almost insulting. The game goes for cheap thrills and contains no 'wonder' moments that we've come to expect with the Jurassic Park films.
To the second I refer to the Trike and Para scenes, also the Pteradon intro. All harken back to the water hole/brach scene from the first movie. Because the game contained mostly carnivores, it stays in line with the movies as there are rarely if any "wonder" scenes for T-Rex, Raptors, etc.
Plus the game showed a strong story WITHOUT any returning main characters. It was never necessary in the first place.
I fully agree with what you say on the dinosaurs,it was somewhat insulting watching a video of telltale members showing them sit down and supposdly educated on animal behavior when in fact aside from the triceratops the rest were just man-eating monsters.
Now just to point this out to everyone just how unrealstic were talking about here a T-Rex has a certain stomach size but a certain amount of calories it burns,normally in theory a T-Rex like most predators would not eat constantly it would have one big meal every so few days,this one in the movie whom i named pac-man has eaten the following in just 2 days:
1-! full sized goat minus a leg
2-The blood sucking lawyer sitting on the toilet
3-One Galimimus(i may have spelled that wrong but its the fast dinosaur)
4-Indicated by the videogame and the broken off triceratops horn its possible he ate the triceratops
5-He ate 2 full sized raptors in the visitors center both of which are pretty big
6-He Ate several more raptors in the videogame
7-he ate the army dude at the end of the videogame
Now im not sure how many lbs and calories between all of that is,but in a 2 or even 3 day period based on its size theres no way any full grown T-Rex can eat that much,thats well over a ton or 2 worth of meat,that T-Rex would be having constant stomach cramps and missing in action to take its dinosaur dump every hour for an hour
Now as for the charectors,the only ones that felt like they were game worthy was the dad and daughter as well as the guy who was killed by the dilophosaurus and finally dr sorkin,the rest kinda felt outta place
I only got to pet a triceratops for 2 mins before everything else tries to eat me,so much for the hands on dinosaur joy
and again i know people are gonna hark about what i say,but all in all im a gamer and i just have a certain standard.(and no i rarely play shooting games,so please dont mention anything about it)
I get what people are trying to say, and I agree that it's unrealistic. But the consumption rate of these animals (the large predators of JP) in all the films has been unrealistic.
If there is a sequel, they need to make it a real game, as opposed to an interactive video.
Even in the movie though the t-rex keeps eating. You think that a goat, a lawyer, and a gallimimus would be enough fill for the day, but no he goes after more food in the form of the raptors.
According to the game however before hunting the raptors in the visitors center he tries to take down a triceratops, but fails. The trike loses its horn, but he didn't successfully hunt it. Its pretty obvious that the trike survived…no corpse anywhere. In the commentary telltale even says they wanted to include the Trike sans horn later.
I do agree about not having enough "dinosaur wonder" scenes. They didn't have enough hervivores in my opinion either.
But I think the T-rex hunger could be easily argued.
I'm serious when i say if that T-Rex eats that much he would have eaten everything off the island in 1 month,theres no stopping pacman and his lust for hunger,and its not only that im starting to also question how he manages to get around so much on that island in such a fast time despite him being so full.
Your right about not having enough herbivores in fact i think there was only 2,the triceratops and the ones with dr sorkin.
The T-Rex however may have eaten the helicopter pilot since he was in that area,all that metal and clothing cant be good on his stomach
And again i have to mention how it seemed the Troodon seemed like the dominant predator,they looked slim with big eyes O___O,i dont truly beleive ror a second a whole heard of dilophosaurus would run from just 1,and i know for a fact the raptors would tear those things to shreds
More curiously is how far away the quaratine pens on the island is yet they managed to get to the dilophosaurus area which is on the other side of the island in just a mere hour or so which is nearly 40 or 60 miles,uh yeah someone was not doing their math...
At least in the lost world after they eat eddie carr at some point Roland mentions they wont be hungry for awhile,which was true
At this point you're just nip picking. I can see why you didn't enjoy this game now. It seems like you didn't pay alot of attention ot the plot or story. THE PILOT WAS NOT EATEN BY A REX. His body was later found. The troodon had build a nest inside his stomach! Nor was the Triceratops killed by the T-rex.
They never say when the troodon escaped containment. So I don't know what you mean by that. They could have escaped days before.
Also lionesses flee from hyenas all the time when they're outnumbered. So the fact that a few dillos and 3 raptors runaway from other predators is not really that shocking.
If it was never meant to be a game then why is it called "Jurassic Park: The Game"?
Now it finally has.
I’m a huge fan of Jurassic Park. I can accurately say it has shaped who I am today, for better or for worse. Without going into a life story, let’s just say I saw the first film when it came out in 1993 when I was about 6 years old. It traumatized me after I first saw it, and oddly enough, after a couple of days, I for some reason begged my parents to let me see it again. I was obsessed ever since. It opened my world to dinosaurs, films, film music, science, technology, and oddly enough, life lessons (read the novels in addition to the films if you don’t believe you can take a lot of life lessons from the series). I can even say my personality is a bit inspired by it all.
The game fills a void with all fans of the series by finally answering that age-old question: what the hell happened to the Barbasol can? Sure, you could always assume after a day or so the coolant inside ran out entirely rendering the embryos inside useless. Or you could take in the amusing approach from the semi-famous parody Jurassic People. But we all like to have some kind of an official answer. Now we got one. And it is the approach the game has made that made it such an amazing idea: a side-along story to the first film that takes place during and directly after it’s events. During the course of it, you encounter many new characters with plenty of references to familiar ones. The same goes for various locations and other nods as well, that are so well-done at times that it makes any diehard fan’s heart almost die from excitement. There are little things to be found that are deeply treasured that really add to the experience. Although the game is primarily only based on the film lore, there are some elements from the novels that sneak their way in that made me even more happy (I feel that many fans of the films disregard the novels far too often, which is really ironic, backwards, and amusingly insulting).
The strongest points of the game are clearly the level designs, characters, and story. The way it all connects and interacts with one another is spot-on and make for a truly engaging experience. The story fits like a glove with the first film so well that I truly bought the whole thing. I really felt like I was experiencing something within Jurassic Park, and not just something “loosely inspired” by it. Every location in each episode was very well designed with just the right amount of exploration and cinematic tone. The use of the camera lens and angles was really impressive. The characters and their expressions from the mocap were very good and helped engage the performance with the superb dialogue aided by the actors renditions. And who can forget the dinosaurs? Each one featured in the game had a shining moment delivered. The two new additions in the game, while I was concerned at first, I really thought they were brought about in the best way, with terrific designs in appearance and sound especially. The music was a fun banter with John Williams famous themes and motifs (including brief references to certain tracks that have never had reproductions in any of the other films or games that I was delighted to hear). There are even some new themes by Jared that I also liked. I am disappointed, however, that the deluxe edition of the game didn’t include all of these occurrences of the Williams material, among many other standout tracks heard in the game, but due to licensing and copyrights I understand why. Williams fans, however, may not be huge fans of the music due to a more synth approach taken here. I admit that I wish the game had a bigger orchestra sound (something more in tune to the score in Trespasser, for example), but with the given limitations to the style of music done here, I think it was very well done.
Speaking of disappointments, I can’t help but point out some more. No game (or film for that matter) is truly perfect, and here is no exception. In playing the PC version, I was surprised by some of the bugs that occurred. Disappearing mouse during gameplay, slow frame rates at times, game not being able to be opened sometimes unless you use the Windows task manager to close the previous session, etc. These are problems I didn’t expect to exist at this point, but maybe they can be remedied with a patch or something. I also was sometimes not a fan of the controls at times, with some button prompts not even working. Luckily, you can proceed all the way through the game even with these problems at hand (although it certainly takes more work than it should because of it). In terms of fan disappointments, I also think that there were opportunities that weren’t explored that should have been. I really, really wanted to see the jungle river cruise (as in the novel and popular theme park ride at Universal Studios) take place in the game in some form. I wanted to explore more of the film’s actual locations as well. The first episode did this perfectly, but I felt the remaining episodes focused too much on showing us the parts of the island that we didn’t see in the film. While it was really fun and interesting to explore those aspects, I felt the game really should have went back to the familiar locations more. I wanted to really explore parts of the Visitor Center we only got glimpses of in the film. I wanted to actually take a tour in the tour vehicle in some way. I wanted to let the raptor out of the freezer by mistake in the kitchen! It’s interesting to note that after watching the commentary videos, some of these ideas actually were once imagined to be in the game, but cut either due to time or expense.
With fan criticism aside, it’s quite telling that my biggest problem with the game was that I simply wanted MORE. For that to be the biggest problem, it is quite a compliment to the creators of the game. I was so pleased with what was going on that I simply wanted more of it. I keep forgetting, however, that Telltale is not a big budget studio. From watching the commentary videos, however, they really did everything they could to deliver a game that they themselves wanted to see as fans of the films. No one seemed simply “hired” as their role, they really were there for the right reasons and put in their best effort. I was surprised at how engaged I got with the characters and how likeable they all were. Even though some ended up bad, or even annoying, they were done so in a way that was fully aware and usually had an arc that really made it fulfilled. And the climax? It was really thrilling in terms of dinosaur carnage and intensity, and the resolution (or at least, the correct resolution) was really pleasing. But I didn’t want it to end when it did. I still wanted more!
I think this leads to me with one other gripe I had… the fact that this was called Jurassic Park- The Game. Now there have been Jurassic Park games before that really were “games”. Either typical platformer of the side-scrolling type, overhead gameplay, or even first-person shooter (the much underappreciated, although hugely flawed, Trespasser). But this new game doesn’t qualify as ANY of those. Actually, that isn’t entirely true if you count the Sega CD edition of Jurassic Park, that featured a storyline involving BioSyn, collecting eggs, an inventory of various items, some shooting elements, 360 degree locations, and even actual video footage. But this new game really is an interactive film, which is actually something I LOVE about it. I love that it has a fairly straight-forward story and consequences. I do wish that the exploration was a bit more wide-open, however. I also wish there were more interactive elements at times, like an inventory for example. I really expected there to be one since the awesome Back to the Future game Telltale did featured one. I feel that an inventory would have added to the appeal of the game and maybe given more of a variety to it, just like in the Sega CD version mentioned. But I can see that maybe by doing so it would have taken away from this film-like approach.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the title is misleading. And that’s what’s amusing. Telltale has been very clear from the beginning exactly what their game was going to be like: an interactive film-like experience. And that is exactly what they have delivered. This isn’t like what happened with Trespasser, with the designers of the game promising all these great features and only delivering a third of them, with very buggy results. These guys have really done a job well done. My problem is that this shouldn’t have been called a game, because for gamers I can see why they don’t like it. It isn’t a game for them. It’s a game for fans of the film as the main priority, which is truly wonderful. But I can see how that may be misleading to some. Perhaps they should have called it something else, like Jurassic Park: Return To Isla Nublar. Or even better, Jurassic Park: Interactive, although this title is kind of already taken by a much lesser game that came out when the film did. But now I guess this a mute argument since the damage is already done.
The last major thing that has to be noted are the deaths. I have never had so much fun dieing in a game before (although it is actually amusing to die in Trespasser since the game doesn’t actually end, you just fall to the ground and usually watch yourself get eaten for all eternity, I suppose). The deaths are so well-thought out, original, amusing, scary, and edgy that it creates it’s own in-game replay value. Has this ever been done before? I’m not too sure. But I’m glad it’s here in a Jurassic Park game!
Jurassic Park: The Game may not have been exactly how I wanted it to be, but it came really close. And that is a major compliment. I had big hopes for it, but had no idea which parts they would have delivered on correctly for me. There are many different types of Jurassic Park fans. Some that are film-centric. Some that are dinosaur-centric. Some that are novel-centric. But I’d like to think of myself as a more well-rounded fan that doesn’t really buy into just one canon or experience. I believe all of it should be respected and explored and included in as possible explanations for things you want answered. And this game really delivers in that department as well. I think it will be something that any type of fan will feel quite easy to accept in their mind. And if not, well I see that as a solitary issue. I myself am a fan of this game, and despite some imperfections, it is definitely the best Jurassic Park game the world has ever seen. Even though Telltale didn’t have the same budget as the latest Zelda or Lego Harry Potter, it gave it’s audience just as much of a thrill and with just as much respect, if not more. They really did spare no expense.
Some Spoiler Notes:
-I LOVE that the DX virus is an easter egg of the game, in reference to the Lost World novel. Speaking of which, I also loved that Isla Sorna was mentioned in a few spots as well. It really tied it together.
-The character arc of Billy, from being a charming badass to the game’s ultimate villain, was very well done. It was a strange thing to really like him at first and then really dislike him by the game’s end. His demise was classic Jurassic.
-The Troodons were very well done. They were scary in sound and visual design, especially with the glowing eyes. My only nitpick is that I wish they became more involved in the story in the end. They attack for a while, but I expected more to be done with them, honestly. Although I love their grisly nesting habits…
-I also really enjoyed the Mosasaur. He was an impressive creature and fit will with the wonderfully designed habitat. I think this was something I always expected to end up seeing in a Jurassic Park film and was disappointed that it hadn’t happened.
-Miles Chadwick was definitely one of my favorite characters. I loved his annoying humor and the way he tied into the film.
-There are many references to the film in the game of course, but perhaps the one that made me LOL was the moving cursor on the video surveillance on the computer screen that was a revealing blooper in the film that showed it was just a looping Quicktime video. LOL amazing that they replicated it here!
-I was actually disappointed we didn’t go into Sorkin’s lab. I remember seeing the concept art of this place and really curious to see what was inside. I’m glad we got some exterior shots and the Hadrosaur pen next to it, but I thought it was a big missed opportunity that apparently WAS once explored.
-The climax of the final episode with the T-Rex’s head inside the raptor cage that Dr. Harding is in as it gets swung around was probably the most gratifying moment that made really was intense and made me want to shout “THIS was what it’s all about! Right here!” In fact, that whole final chase through the metal containers was so well orchestrated and cinematic that I was really on the edge of my seat as I watched. Very inspiring and would be an amazing scene in the film. In way the containers and dock setting reminded me of Trespasser. Was this partially inspired or intended by it? Even if not, it will always have that connection for me, which is great!
kind of made a mistake here lol she not he
The main problem with the game is that there is virtually no gameplay to speak of. Essentially it is one big quicktime action sequence. This actually did not bother me as much as it could have. The story proved to be interesting enough to follow and being forced to press buttons in sequences did in some way enhance the experience. There were a few puzzles which took more than 2 minutes to solve, but this was the exception rather than the rule. It seems that this is a growing tendency in telltale's games seeing as the BTTF series also featured very simple puzzles and little gameplay. In BTTF it was disturbing, but in Jurassic park it was tolerable.
Anyway there is one really big complaint coming from me. The game also discussed ethical and moral choices and their implications. But none of these choices seem to be open to the player. The game has multiple endings, but as far as I know they are decided by marginal decisions towards the very end. This is where the game has a lot of room for improvement. There were times where I wished I could actually make a contribution to the plot and change some of the things the characters did. It would have been extremely satisfying to watch events fold depending on your choices and this would have added more gameplay than smashing buttons in sequence.
<<SPOILER ALERT>>
What really killed the game's replayability for me was the ending. From the moment I learned that InGen was planning to bomb the island, I started waiting for the part where the characters got to stop that from happening. For a while it seemed like it was actually one of the main objectives and then suddenly everybody just went along with the decision. As far as I know there is no way to prevent dr. Sorgen's death and that meant the whole stopping the bombing was hastily wrapped up. I mean like seriously wtf???? You get presented this wonderful game world with so many variable creatures and this really great jungle environment etc. Then the game ends with blowing everything up and murdering dozens of innocent animals?? I mean seriously guys, there was no allusion to this in the movie and in my opinion this part really made the book ending suck. There was no purpose for telltale to add this into the story as it is not part of the Jurassic Park movie canon. Had the game presented a choice to the player whether to stop the bombing or let it happen, then it would have been acceptable. But it just forced a moral message onto the player (in many ways this was similar to the movie) and then declared the decision to destroy the park to be the unilateral right thing to do. So the next time I show one of my friends the Tyrannosaurus vs Triceratops fight, I'm gonna be thinking, it doesn't really matter who won and what happened because both of them are going to die horribly in agony from napalm bombing. This just plain sucked and ruined the gaming experience.