Jurassic Park for Sega CD
Review #12056
Jurassic Park
Welcome to Jurassic Park
Gameplay
I dislike point-and-clicks on the best of days, and while this title doesn't change my mind, it's also got some good qualities.
The first is the 360 degree viewpoint. Not only does this immerse you in the surrounding environment, it also gives you a sense of freedom that's absent in similar titles. From a purely gameplay perseprctive, though, all it does is give you a massive area to move your tiny cursor over. It's like drawing your finger over every piece of a 1000 piece puzzle. Interactive elements don't stand out from the background, so you'll be hunting and pecking for a long, long time.
The other positive I'll point out is the large array of usable items you pick up along the way. These are used for puzzle solving but also for combat and other interactivity. This adds a nice dose of interactivity into an otherwise dull click simulator.
My biggest complaint is the brutal difficulty. Clicking on the wrong spot or using the wrong item often leads to instant and permanent death. One mistake and your 12 hour run is well and truly ended.
Level Design
The interconnected world is fantastic, and includes locations ripped right from the movie. It's awesome to actually be there and to see the aftermath of what happened to Dr. Grant and the others.
That said, this is a video game and I don't got all day. I REALLY wish there was a map and some sort of compass to guide you toward your objectives.
Theme
This glorified slideshow does a better job of immersing you in the prehistoric island of Isla Nublar than any of the cartridge versions. The first-person view and 360 degree vistas put you right in the movie. Love it.
Art Style
Panning and scrolling around the 360 degree views is impressively fluid. The world you're viewing is alive with animation and visual details. If only the Sega CD had more games like this ratehr than horible B movies masquerading as video games.
Audio
Like the visuals, the sound design is nearly perfect. Put on those headphones and listen to the sounds unsettling sounds of birds and dinos chirping and prowling all around you. Even the sound effects are pitch perfect, like the puffy sound of your dart gun and the creaking sound of metallic doors swishing open and closed. There's no John Williams soundtrack, unfortunately, but the ambient soundtrack on display is right up there with Super Metroid as one of the most atmospheric of the 16-bit era.
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