28th January 2011, 2:00 AM
Game Gear
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The Lost World: Jurassic Park - This licensed platformer from Sega was the last game released for the GG, and is its only 1997 release. It's got the name of the movie, but like the Genesis game has nothing to do with it in terms of story; you're just some nameless hunter at Site B.
Unfortunately, it's short (seven not very long levels) and not particularly difficult, most of the time. This game doesn't take long to finish. The graphics are okay, but not amazing. It looks just good enough to do without trying to really look the best. There's only one weapon, which has infinite ammo. The only pickups are health powerups that look like vests. Walk around, avoid or shoot the dinosaurs, and get through the short levels. Generic stuff, but it's executed okay, what little there is. I like the levels that are here, there just needed to be more of them, and the game needed more exciting things like other weapons, other pickups, and more. The game just doesn't have enough to it.
One of the six platform levels is a little bit of a change of pace, as you control a small dinosaur (ally of your nameless hunter character) instead of the guy. This guy dies in one hit, with no powerups available, so this level is by far the hardest level in the game, and does get a little frustrating, though not too bad. I wish there was at least one more dinosaur level, why go to all that trouble for just the one stage?
Oh, there's a boss at the end of each level. All six bossfights are well done, and are highlights of the game. They were fun, interesting (or as interesting as this game gets, anyway), and varied, though some were easier than others. You have only one life per continue, but do have infinite continues, so you can keep trying. You start a level over if you die, unless you were at the boss, in which case you start from the boss. Not exactly trying to make it too hard here, or trying very hard with this design...
Overall, that really is the game. I mean, almost no pickups, few, short levels, only scattered enemies a lot of the time... this game just feels lazy and incomplete. It's not a bad start at a game, if it were at least twice as long I'd think much more positively of it, but there's not enough there.
At least they did something different for the final stage, it's a driving level with the T-Rex chasing you, and you're looking backwards, driving towards the screen, trying to avoid its constant attacks. Kind of fun really, it'd have been good as a level in the middle of the game or something like The Lion King's stampede level. But in this case, you finish it and that's it, you win. What, did you expect a climactic boss fight? There sort of was one at the end of level 6, where you have to run away from the T-Rex, shooting it while the giant thing chases you, and that was kind of cool, and the car chase after that was fun too, but... then that's it, you win? Bah, poor design. I'm not surprised though, this game obviously wasn't exactly an A-class effort. It's another very short Game Gear game. Ah well, at least what little there is to the game is tolerably fun. Still, it's too short, lacking, and simplistic to be anything better than a C or D grade game, I think.
--
The Lost World: Jurassic Park - This licensed platformer from Sega was the last game released for the GG, and is its only 1997 release. It's got the name of the movie, but like the Genesis game has nothing to do with it in terms of story; you're just some nameless hunter at Site B.
Unfortunately, it's short (seven not very long levels) and not particularly difficult, most of the time. This game doesn't take long to finish. The graphics are okay, but not amazing. It looks just good enough to do without trying to really look the best. There's only one weapon, which has infinite ammo. The only pickups are health powerups that look like vests. Walk around, avoid or shoot the dinosaurs, and get through the short levels. Generic stuff, but it's executed okay, what little there is. I like the levels that are here, there just needed to be more of them, and the game needed more exciting things like other weapons, other pickups, and more. The game just doesn't have enough to it.
One of the six platform levels is a little bit of a change of pace, as you control a small dinosaur (ally of your nameless hunter character) instead of the guy. This guy dies in one hit, with no powerups available, so this level is by far the hardest level in the game, and does get a little frustrating, though not too bad. I wish there was at least one more dinosaur level, why go to all that trouble for just the one stage?
Oh, there's a boss at the end of each level. All six bossfights are well done, and are highlights of the game. They were fun, interesting (or as interesting as this game gets, anyway), and varied, though some were easier than others. You have only one life per continue, but do have infinite continues, so you can keep trying. You start a level over if you die, unless you were at the boss, in which case you start from the boss. Not exactly trying to make it too hard here, or trying very hard with this design...
Overall, that really is the game. I mean, almost no pickups, few, short levels, only scattered enemies a lot of the time... this game just feels lazy and incomplete. It's not a bad start at a game, if it were at least twice as long I'd think much more positively of it, but there's not enough there.
At least they did something different for the final stage, it's a driving level with the T-Rex chasing you, and you're looking backwards, driving towards the screen, trying to avoid its constant attacks. Kind of fun really, it'd have been good as a level in the middle of the game or something like The Lion King's stampede level. But in this case, you finish it and that's it, you win. What, did you expect a climactic boss fight? There sort of was one at the end of level 6, where you have to run away from the T-Rex, shooting it while the giant thing chases you, and that was kind of cool, and the car chase after that was fun too, but... then that's it, you win? Bah, poor design. I'm not surprised though, this game obviously wasn't exactly an A-class effort. It's another very short Game Gear game. Ah well, at least what little there is to the game is tolerably fun. Still, it's too short, lacking, and simplistic to be anything better than a C or D grade game, I think.