| Introduction
Dinotopia is soon to hit our TV screens and since
anything Dinosaur related has proved a hit with computer
gamers, here we have the GBA version of the book of
the TV series. The game has you playing the part of
Clayton who's just graduated from combat school but
before he can even try out his new found skills he's
sent on a quest by the elders. The problem seems to
be that pirates are stealing Tyrannosaurus eggs looking
for treasure and as a result the dinosaur community
is more than a little upset. This obviously has to be
stopped and harmony restored so single handedly your
adventure begins...
GamePlay
Your main objective on almost all of the earlier
levels is to recover the T-Rex's egg and reach the end
of the level without taking too much damage. This starts
off simple enough though it's important to remember
that you don't have to battle it out with everyone in
order to complete a stage. Also it's always useful to
explore as there are bonuses scattered about everywhere
while the eggs themselves become increasingly difficult
to find.
There are some levels that move away from the platform/egg
collecting theme, for instance, a level early in the
game has you collecting pieces of a map. The catch though
is that the pieces are all out of reach so collecting
them is only possible by jumping on boats which are
raised by a water dwelling dinosaur. This isn't as easy
as it sounds when your only indication as to which boat
is raised is an arrow so you need to be fast.
The only weapon available on your journey is a Sunstone
prod and, although at first this might seem rather ineffective,
a little experimentation proves otherwise. You'll start
out in the first few levels simply swiping at enemies
with it and while this will eventually stop all of them
it's hardly a ground breaking battle technique. The
Sunstone isn't truly effective until you've charged
it up which is achieved by collecting various precious
stones scattered about. Once powered up you'll find
your Sunstone prod is now more like a futuristic weapon
and pressing the shoulder button will access lasers,
smart bombs and even the ability to freeze people. The
only drawback is that it must be used wisely as it discharges
very quickly.
Controls
Dinotopia is another GBA title that chooses to utilize
a GBC interface and as a result maintains a more user
friendly control layout. This means that, apart from
the shoulder buttons which you'll only use occasionally,
everything is very simple to master which is always
essential in a fast moving platformer.
Graphics
Everything here looks absolutely wonderful and is
very close to the original book illustrations the game
takes its inspiration from. Anyone thinking that the
visuals bear a passing resemblance to Lady Sia will
be interested to know that it's been produced by the
same development team - RFX Interactive. They've done
an outstanding job on not only the dinosaur animation
but in creating an incredibly detailed fantasy environment
utilising the GBA's extended pallet and enhanced processing
power.
Sound & Music
The audio is truly wonderful and Dinotopia is one
of the growing number of GBA titles where you'll actually
want to listen to the soundtrack. The other sound effects
are also a treat with weapons, grunts and dinosaurs
all adding to a great sounding title.
Final Comments
Although this is an enjoyable romp you've seen it
all before and if you've played Lady Sia you REALLY
have seen all this before. Everything's in place - the
graphics, animation and even great sound effects but
you're still left with a generic platformer wrapped
around the latest license. If you were a fan of the
book or series you'll no doubt get a great deal of enjoyment
from this title everyone else should definitely try
before you buy.
|
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