The Lost World: Jurassic Park (handheld game)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a video game developed by Aspect Co. and published by Sega and released for the Sega Game Gear in August 1997.^[1] It was the final game released in North America for the Game Gear, and is loosely based on the film of the same name. A Game Boy version, designed by Torus Games and published by THQ, was released later that year. Another version of the game was also released by Tiger Electronics for their Game.com handheld console.^[2] Each version features side-scrolling platform-based gameplay.^[3][4][5] A fourth version, also published by Tiger, was released for their R-Zone handheld system.^[6]

Gameplay

In the Game Gear version, several organizations have sent hunting teams to Isla Sorna to capture the island's dinosaurs and sell them.^[3] The player controls a hunter,^[1] who is sent to investigate the current state of the island, and to prevent the hunting teams from achieving their goal. Twelve levels are featured,^[3] each one accessed by a world map. In two of the game's later levels, the player plays as a Compsognathus rather than the hunter.^[7]

In the Game Boy version, the player's unnamed character^[8] must prevent smugglers from removing the island's dinosaurs.^[9] The game features eight levels, including jungles and a laboratory.^[8][10] The player's character must collect 10 objects in each level, such as dinosaur eggs, data discs, and DNA vials.^[8][10] The game includes a password feature,^[10] and is compatible with the Super Game Boy.^[4]

In the Game.com version, the player chooses to play as either Sarah Harding or Roland Tembo. Tembo is a hunter who wants to collect dinosaur eggs and take them off the island; Harding must collect the eggs before Tembo.^[5] The game features six levels, each one divided into two sections: Game Trail and Nest Area. Each level begins with a Game Trail section,^[5] which is a three-dimensional driving mini-game. The player chooses a vehicle, such as a motorcycle or Humvee. The player must then avoid stampeding dinosaurs and road hazards such as bushes and rocks while driving forward on a road of either dirt, grass or gravel.^[5][11] Nest Area, the second portion of each level, plays as a side-scroller in which the player's character must avoid dinosaurs while searching for five eggs and attempting to reach the end of the level. At the end of each level is a mother dinosaur that must be defeated.^[5][11] Both characters use tranquilizer darts against the dinosaurs. In addition, both characters also possess their own weapon.^[5]

In the R-Zone version, the player must survive against Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor in various jungle island levels. The player can use a motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle.^[12]

Reception

Nintendo Power rated the Game Boy version 4.5 out of 10 and criticized the game's dinosaur and human characters for seeming "overly small." Nintendo Power wrote that the game "is needlessly awkward because of its poor hit detection and delayed trigger actions while using weapons." Nintendo Power criticized the "Very standard" sound effects and music, but complimented the "nice addition" of a password feature, and ultimately concluded, "The Lost World gives players an easy-to-grasp game world for some Jurassic fun. Once you get beyond the control issue, The Lost World can provide a nice escape."^[10]

Victor Lucas of The Electric Playground rated the Game Boy version a 6.5 out of 10 and wrote, "Although T*HQ's The Lost World is far from the quality you'd find in a Nintendo developed platform game for the Game Boy, I still came away from this little tyke impressed." Lucas praised the game for its "formidable collection" of dinosaurs, but criticized its simple musical score and "irritating" Compsognathus enemies, writing "there's nothing worse than getting attacked by dinosaurs that are no bigger than a quarter of an inch." Lucas also noted the "slippery-slidiness involved in coming to a complete stop. There will be plenty of times that you'll overstep a nasty ledge because of this. The fact that your character can grab and hang onto these ledges is a definite plus in the control department, however."^[8]

Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame gave the Game.com version two and a half stars out of five. Weiss wrote that the game "looks fantastic. The jungles are thick and detailed, huge dinosaurs roam the backgrounds and nicely drawn all-terrain vehicles cruise around assorted obstacles while dodging sprinting dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the over-abundance of graphical content can get in the way of the action. The foreground dinosaurs oftentimes blend in with some of the shorter trees, especially when the playfield is scrolling, and the busy backgrounds only add to the confusion.[...] Even if the graphics don't confuse you, it is hard to keep the dinosaurs from killing you." Weiss praised the game's sound effects, but criticized its "wimpy" music, calling it "lightweight for a game of this type." Weiss also wrote, "In terms of shear action, the game is mediocre. Searching for the dinosaur eggs is a workable and challenging concept, but poor controls steal much of the enjoyment. When you push the jump button, your character waits a moment before jumping. This can be very frustrating. The driving scenes are largely pointless, but they look good and they are a change of pace from the standard gameplay."^[13]

Other versions

A number of other games were released under the title The Lost World: Jurassic Park for other systems, as well as an arcade game and a pinball game. These games were developed separately by different companies and featured completely different gameplay styles.

• Sega Genesis - The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn - The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• Pinball Game - The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• Arcade Game - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

References

External links

• The The Lost World: Jurassic Park series at MobyGames