Developer: OCEAN, Blue Sky Software
Publisher: Limited Run Games, Universal Games
Platform: Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Tested on: Switch
Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection – Review
We’ve taken a look at several games involving dinosaurs this year, and took the opportunity to point out that this year marked the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park. Even so, we hadn’t actually taken a look at Jurassic Park video games in 2023… until now that is. With Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection publisher Limited Run Games is bringing a whopping seven games based around the original film to modern platforms. Being lifelong fans of Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur-infested masterpiece, being able to return to these games certainly delivers a nostalgia kick, but was resurrecting these games a good idea, or should they have remained extinct?
As is typically the case with retro collections like these, we’re straying away from our usual review format, similar to what we’ve done with Taito Milestones or Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection. This time around, the unifying factor for the games included is obviously that they are licensed movie tie-ins that all debuted in 1993 and 1994, based on the titular hit film. The games included are three very similar top-down adventure games for NES, SNES, and Game Boy, two platformers for the SEGA Genesis and one for Game Boy, and finally a run-and-gun title for SNES. With four out of seven of these games simply titled Jurassic Park things can get a little confusing so we’ll try to be as clear as possible and mention the relevant platform whenever this needs to be done. For completeness’ sake, the three games not just called Jurassic Park are Jurassic Park 2 for Game Boy, Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition for Genesis, and Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues for SNES.
Of note is that none of the games follow the story of the original film. If you were to strip away the Jurassic Park branding, you’d be left with a set of games that don’t necessarily scream Spielberg but instead fall under the category of ‘generic dinosaur action game’. The closest thing to a story comes in The Chaos Continues, which sees genetics company BioSyn send mercenaries to Isla Nublar to try and take control of the island. The other games put you in charge of Dr. Alan Grant as you either try to get to safety or explore the island in charge of eggs, key cards, and the like. We should mention that Rampage Edition also allows you to play as a velociraptor, which adds a fun little twist. A fun fact about these games is that they also feature the franchise’s first on-screen appearance of Compsognathus. These critters were present in Michael Crichton’s original novel, but wouldn’t show up in the films until 1997’s The Lost World, after which they became a series mainstay.
Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity here is that the collection does not include digital manuals for any of the games. While the controls are easy enough to get to grips with through trial and error, having the manuals would have been fantastic, not just to explain how the games work, but also because of the story blurbs. As we mentioned, there isn’t a whole lot of story content in-game, and the booklets would give a bit more explanation as to why Alan Grant was roaming the jungle firing missiles at Triceratops. Likewise, a concept art gallery would have gone a long way in adding value to the collection. As we’ll cover in detail a bit further down, QoL changes were made to the games, making the absence of materials like this all the more glaring.
It’s worth mentioning that all seven of these games are early ‘90s movie tie-ins and therefore they weren’t necessarily considered good games even back when they originally debuted. Back then everything with a JP logo on it sold regardless of how crappy it was. We won’t go as far as to say that any of the titles included here are particularly bad but as far as Jurassic Park-inspired games go, none of these will top anyone’s list when titles like park building sim Jurassic World Evolution 2 and survival game Jurassic World: Aftermath exist, to name a few superior titles. That said, the nostalgia does help a lot, and the Genesis games, in particular, are the standout inclusions in this collection and have stood the test of time the best. These titles offer hardcore retro platforming action that feels somewhat reminiscent of Flashback, not in the least because of the similar visuals.
Speaking of visuals, most of the included games look fantastic, especially factoring in the limitations of the platforms and the fact that these games are three decades old. Sure, the t.rex looks ridiculous on the Game Boy but just take a look at the above screenshot and you can see how much care went into rendering the dinosaur as realistically as possible in the Genesis version. While the included games are all over the place in terms of aesthetics, ranging from cartoonish interpretations of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park on the NES versus the highly detailed models in The Chaos Continues on SNES, the presentation of these games is top-notch, not in the least thanks to the QoL additions. You can play the games in either full screen or original resolution, and black borders can be replaced by a lovely sunset-and-palm trees graphic that fits the ‘90s Jurassic Park aesthetic. There is also a range of filters that mimic the Game Boy’s dot matrix screen or a classic CRT monitor, to help with immersion.
The collection’s enhancements aren’t just limited to visual options either. You can use save states or rewind the games should you make a mistake. Additionally, in games where it’s relevant, an in-game map has been added, making sure you won’t needlessly get lost in the park. Rounding things out is a music player for each game, so if you feel like jamming to tracks like Escape the Volcano from The Chaos Continues or Hidden Ruins from Rampage Edition, that’s certainly something you can do. Limited Run clearly put in more effort in bringing the collection into the current day than simply dumping ROMs and calling it a day. That said, the €29.99 price tag still seems steep for the content included here, so while the collection is definitely worth considering if you’re a retro games enthusiast or a fan of Jurassic Park in general, we do recommend waiting for a discount on this one.
Conclusion
Although Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection didn’t turn out to be the lazy cash grab that we were afraid it would be, we still feel like more could have been done to add value here. The emulation is top notch and the QoL additions are very welcome, but the high price point and absence of digital manuals hurt the overall appeal. That said, we have idle hope that a similar collection for The Lost World may happen, as titles like Warpath, Trespasser, and the PS2 movie tie-in game would definitely be welcome additions to our library.
Related Items
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] Park and the Jurassic Park games have been around for a while now. In the last few years, however, the entire franchise experienced […]