Remembering the Dino Crisis Series.

During the second half of the 90s survival horror was one of the biggest genres around, right up there with the boom of JRPGs and extreme sports titles. While Resident Evil didn't invent the formula it was a runaway hit and set the standard for how these games were designed. Different companies sought to replicate that success through titles like Nightmare Creatures, Silent Hill, Blue Stinger, and Galerians to varying results. One common trait among this games was that I largely sucked at them. It's a shame because my love for horror is right up there with my affection for gaming yet finding titles that mix both interests while offering a great experience can be difficult. That becomes more of an issue at this point of the year, when a scary game is just the thing to cap of long cool nights. Once in a while I would find one of these games that just clicked, such as in 1999 when Dino Crisis hit the scene.

Dino Crisis was pitched as Resident Evil with dinosaurs. For someone who'd spent good money on Resident Evil 2 with very little entertainment in return, the idea of that sort of game with more nimble enemies seemed horrible. At this point I was in my early teens which meant I had endless free time and rental stores were still a thriving industry, so despite my worries I was still willing to give the game a shot and to my surprise what should have been a gaming nightmare turned out to be an absolute joy. In the year that gave us games like Soul Calibur, and Final Fantasy VIII this was an instant classic.

Some of you might be thinking the game couldn't be that different from RE so how come I enjoyed it so much better?. The beauty of this game was that everything from those previous zombie adventures had been refined and streamlined into something wonderful. The ability to walk and aim, turn around quickly, and just how well thought out the levels were made the game work so smoothly. As I continued to play there was that continuing worry that the other shoe would drop but the fun never let up. The only real trade-off was that the better gameplay and control made the experience more tense than it was outright scary. You didn't fear the next terrifying monster so much as stay primed for another thunder-lizard assault.

The story wasn't very memorable. In fact I'd be lying if I said a trip to Wikipedia wasn't required while putting this piece together. If anything the narrative was simply a loose structure to get the player inside a science-lab full of ancient predators. Think of it like trash-cinema along the lines of Deep Blue Sea. You're not here for deep characterization or thrilling twists, just lots of monsters and action. Only this time it didn't come with an LL Cool J song to cap it all off. All you really need to know is you play an attractive redhead who's task force is hunting down a scientist who just so happens to have released some dinosaurs.

Even with my satisfaction towards the first outing I approached the following years sequel with some trepidation as it had made a shift from survival horror to full-scale action. Generally I adore action gaming but moving a horror series in that direction can prove troublesome. Once again the game was a huge surprise, eclipsing the first title in nearly every way. Instead of carefully navigating a facility, dodging dinos, this time you charged headlong through the environments blasting enemies on all sides. There was more variety this time around with shooting gallery moments, or an odd underwater section that added platforming elements. Of course this meant the series had moved even further away from traditional frights to white-knuckle action. Gone was the fear of being overpowered by a stronger foe, tension instead came from keeping your senses tuned to take on countless enemies.

The story for the second outing is still very stupid though far more memorable. Instead of a generic research-center, an entire town is suddenly overtaken by thick jungle. A task force including original heroine, Regina goes in to tackle the problem and is quickly cut down to a few key members. There's some weird biker-helmet wearing teenagers, some of which might be androids, it all gets rather odd.

Unfortunately the series soon stopped dead in its tracks. First up was a somewhat poorly received light-gun title called Dino Stalker but that caused nowhere near the amount of damage as the 3^rd entry. Appearing exclusively on the Xbox, Dino Crisis 3 moved the story far into the future, leaving behind Regina and forcing players to take on the role of lame white-guy space-marine type. This time the action took place on a space ship populated by mutant beasts that aren't technically dinosaurs. It changed gameplay bu giving players a jet pack that allowed them to boost around the environment and tackle jumping challenges. These changes might have worked had the game not continued to use fixed camera angles which made fighting and jumping more difficult than they had to be. There are still some fans for this one and I definitely give it points for trying something different but it largely failed to connect with most players. Almost overnight the series disappeared, being replaced by a combination of Devil May Cry and Dead Rising. Over time it has gained a few references here and there but nothing along the lines of sequels, reboots, or even HD ports.

While the franchise died off in poor fashion the first two installments are still very much worth your time. More so I think during horror season as they are both quick, intense adventures. These games respect your time and offer a lot of entertainment in a tight package.

The subject matter is a good change of pace as well. There are plenty of options for games to get your zombie or monster fix. Dinosaurs are another matter entirely. Here's an enemy that is plenty terrifying yet is rarely presented as such. Even games based on Jurassic Park often fail to utilize the scare factor of these critters.

Beyond all the goodwill I already have towards this series each entry feels fairly unique. The classic style survival horror is largely a thing of the past with the first game standing a pure example of what the genre could do. Part 2 does an incredible job of mixing the original formula with run-and-gun action. Even the third game stands out thanks to it's oddball mix of elements though it's not on the same level as its predecessors.

If you're looking for some good retro gaming this Halloween, I obviously recommend the series. The first game can be gotten fairly cheap on the PS1 or a more expansive Dreamcast version. The second is a bit more pricey, more so if you want it complete with original packaging.. Number three is Xbox only which is a little sad for this gamer who has a copy but who's original Xbox kicked the bucket years ago.

It would be marvelous to see the franchise return one day. It strikes a balance of offering something different within the genre. It's not frustrating like many horror titles, the enemies are unique, and it keeps away from the pants-wetting scares of something like Silent Hill. As is it's a great retro treat for the season.