Jurassic Park: The Game demonstrates the risk of serious adventure titles

Telltale is known for comedic adventure games, but with Jurassic Park: The Game, they're looking to get serious. Which bring up a serious question: Will dramatic content affect the way Telltale's games play? If my brief experience with Jurassic Park is any indication, that answer is yes...but not in a good way.

[M3rkMast3r]

I really don't have any interest in the game.

[choadley]

Can't be worse than Jurassic Park 3.

[sam2236]

I'd rather watch that pile of shit than play a JP game that's full of half-assed QTEs.

EDIT: Just watched the vid. Jesus Christ, that was terrible!

[level 360]

That looks bad.. and seems like they used/copied ( Heavy Rain's ) control lay-out?

[DeepInterludium]

The problem isn't serious adventure games, it's trying to make action games that play like an adventure game.

I was laughing my ass off when I saw the girl dodging a fucking T-Rex.

[DarkFantasy]

i was really hoping for a shooter or something diffrent then a bunch of quick time events -_-...but i am willing to give it a shot it just seems like a waste of a jurassic park game they could of made better i have been waiting for a jurassic park game this gen for a while..and this is what i get? -_- man..i want a new Dino Crisis

[ramtah]

Terra Nova=)

[MARKUS_MAX1MUS]

I recall some d bag on this website banging on about how an open world GTA styled Isla Sorna with dinosaurs and uncharted platforming gameplay wouldnt be true to Crichtons book.

Well I bet that guy is eating his words now after seeing that video because what can I say? it looks awful and sounds awful, we cant even walk our characters around anymore, whats the point, its no longer a game then.

A license with soooo much potential only to be flushed down the drain again, we can only hope Crytek or Naughty Dog picks up the license and gives us all a stunning adventure game based in a lush open world.

[Figboy]

Heavy Rain was a great adventure game with lots of tension and atmosphere.

So far, we're seeing Jurassic Park from Tell Tale out of context. Little clips here and there do NOTHING for establishing the beats and pacing when we actually play the game.

I'm reserving judgment on Jurassic Park for 2 reasons:

1) Tell Tale games knows how to make quality adventure games, no matter the license.

2) I love Jurassic Parks (and dinosaurs in general).

This generation gamers seem to be jumping to negative conclusions from the LITTLEST bit of information concerning a game.

The negativity about Dead Island was also surprising, considering that I personally thought the reveal trailer was pretty need, and the information about the game released so far.

The Jurassic Park trailer was "meh," but that doesn't mean the game would be.

I remember seeing game play trailers for Demon's Souls back in 2009, and I thought the game was going to be SHIT, because it didn't look very fun to play. How wrong I was, and Demon's Souls is one of the most enjoyable, addicting games I've played this generation. I don't expect JP to be like DS, but I'm not writing it off at all.

Check this out, paying particular attention to the game play sections, and ignoring the CGI portions:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Slow looking animations and dull looking combat. That's the impression from the trailer. And yet it couldn't be any further from the truth. Not to mention that DS was coming from From Software, a company with a pedigree of mediocrity.

The strangeness in this Jurassic Park situation is that Telltale has a pedigree of QUALITY, and yet people aren't willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Ironic, really.

[MARKUS_MAX1MUS]

With the crap we have got fed this generation can you blame us?

All I can say is THANK GOD for Crysis a new IP on consoles and Dice finally getting their act together on the TRUE BF series.

[Figboy]

What crap have we been fed this gen?

I sincerely ask, because, as a married gamer of limited funds, I've had to be extremely aware of how I've been spending my gaming money.

So far this generation, I've only truly regretted two purchases: Fable 2, and Fable 3 (and this is coming from a Fable fan).

I've bought and played many, MANY games this generation across my PS3 and 360, but I've never felt like I've somehow been short-changed or fed crap.

I've been gaming since the NES launched in 1985, and I was 6 years old, and I can say that, without a doubt, this has been the BEST generation of gaming I've ever experienced in the 26 y ears since I first laid my grubby little hands on the NES controller.

The functionality and quality of gaming consoles and games this generation far surpasses ANYTHING that has come before it.

It is not a perfect experience, but considering that, with todays consoles and handhelds, I can play 26 years of gaming history/evolution in a heartbeat, I can't say I long "for a better time."

I guess the only thing I feel truly regretful of this generation is the shit gaming media, and the really cynical, jaded gaming community that has arisen. Fanboyism isn't limited to gaming, but the level of fanboyism on display this generation is troubling, and staggering.

I honestly didn't enjoy Crysis on the PC, feeling that it was all graphics, and felt like every other PC FPS experience. Take away that visual polish, and Crysis was a standard FPS. I find console FPSs like Killzone 2/3 to be much more interesting from a game play standpoint that Crysis.

Half Life 2 is another fantastic FPS experience on PC and consoles that I feel SHAMES Crysis in terms of the game play experience, if not the graphical polish.

Dice is a great developer with lots of talent, but the gaming industry isn't just the FPS genre, and many other genres/developers, and pushing the industry forward (Naughty Dog, Bioware, Valve, Santa Monica Studios, thatgamecompany, etc).

But again, I'd really like to know what you feel is the crap we've been getting fed this gen. I've come away very satisfied with, at the least, 95% of my gaming experience this generation.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@Figboy

Shame I can only agree with you once. People this gen are just too much whiney pricks... I'm not saying everything is perfec and I too have my moments of complainer, but there is so many good games coming out since 2008 I can hardly keep up. I only disagree about Fable games, maybe they weren't as good as the first Fable or as good as most of expected, but I don't regreat playing them, still good experience.

And the people asking for a shooter Jurassic Park... Had them even watched the movies? The books make it clear it's and adventure story, not an action cheap shot movie, but even on the movies it's clear that the guys packing guns are usually the first ones to die, the focus is in sci-fi and people trying to survive and out-smart the dinos to get the hell out of the islands, a shooter would be as bad as earlier JP games. It's not you can't have guns or shoot dinos, it's just that for it to be JP, this can't be the focus.

Get a clue people, what you are asking for isn't a Jurassic Park game, but open world first person Dino Crisis (which is also cool by my book and high on my wishlist, but it's not JP).

[MARKUS_MAX1MUS]

Because the games of today just dont have the nostalgia of the oldder games from the late 90s and early 2000s.

Todays Games lack the content, interactivity and challenging aspects of the games im about to talk about that made me fall in love with gaming.

But all the games after COD4s release are all dumbed down and seem to insult my intelligence as a competant human being and gamer, I like to be challenged, I like having to think my way through a game. Its both very rewarding and fun.

Here is an example, just look at the Splinter cell series. Choas Theory was an amazing game, all the actions you could perform within the game such as in co-op like lowering you teammate down slowly to break a guys neck or using your team mate to climb up to high areas.

Also in the earlier splinter cell games how you could drag and dump the bodies over ledges and stuff them away in hiding spots, how you could also hold people up and interrogate them, how you could also nuetrilise people in multiple different ways, neck break, strangle, sleeping dart, headshot, knife. Remember double agent? balancing the two factions and sneaking around the base on those tense missons while picking locks without being detected? also starting off in the prison, brilliant story line, brilliant game.

THen you look at conviction, and what can you do compared to that? slide into cover and mark and execute up to 4 guys? the game practically holds your hand for the most part even on the hardest setting. There is no way you can justify the dumbing down and lack of content of this particular series. And this is only ONE series out of the multitude of games that have recieved this treatment.

Basically games no longer have that nostalgia that gets you immersed and keeps you playing for years, Like the BF2 multi, Splinter Cell Choas Theory co-op & multi, Gears of war multi, Counterstrike, Team fortress, Unreal Tournaments, GTA San Andreas, SOCOM 1 & 2, the first Halo game, The old God of War Games, Mech warrior, Steel batallion, Old Ghost Recons, Old Rainbow 6 games (remember planning out which way to clear our rooms and planning out your exact tactics in the operations room? now thats deep) etc theres so many more I cant think of.

Compare those games to todays games and tell me they are not richer, deeper more fun experiences than anything today.

Today everything is about acessibility and graphics, im just waiting for everything in the games industry to calm down and for the COD hysteria to end so we can get back to making great classic games that are so rich and deep we can play for years.

Im just sick of pretty graphics and games that tell me to do something or hold my hand instead of me using my god given brain to figure it out, its an insult to my intelligence and I cant help but feel insulted when I stick COD in the disc tray or any other kind of Acessible modern HD "WOW graphics" game.

Sorry if I offended anyone but it had to be said, Im just a passionate gamer (sad as you may find that) I care about the future of gaming experiences.

Thats not to say its been all bad, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 1, Transformers WFC online have all been a blast over the recent years, Uncharted is a great story with great characters but once youve done it 3 times thats it! there no real variation in gameplay but I cant take anything away from it because on that first playthrough it was awesome!

P.S Im excited for Crysis 2 because wether you see it or not that game has ALOT of content and offers so many variations in gameplay that its like the games of old with HD graphics but it keeps the content and the depth.

[Figboy]

I understand what you are saying, but it's impossible for games releasing NOW to have nostalgia.

You fondly look back on experiences like Chaos Theory (I never played much of the SC series, as I'm not a fan), but maybe you'll look back on some of the great experiences you may have had this generation in 5-10 years?

I'm pretty sure I'll fondly remember Folklore, Uncharted, Demon's Souls, MGS4, Killzone 2/3, Ratchet&Clank, LBP 1&2, inFAMOUS 1&2, Red Dead, Dead Space 1&2, Valkyria Chronicles, various PSN and XBLA games, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum & Arkham City, etc, etc in about 5-10 years.

It's often many years later that we come to appreciate the generation we are currently in.

This generation has certainly brought some interesting changes to console gaming(DLC, patches, a primarily online focus for shooters), but overall, the technical and creative strides the industry is taking has far outclassed them (3D, Motion controls, HD gaming, better AI, physics, etc).

A character like Nathan Drake wouldn't have the appeal that he does without this generation's technology. The empathy we feel for the character is directly tied to his visual fidelity.

Games like Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect, and even Crysis would not even be POSSIBLE without the capabilities of modern PCs and consoles.

I fondly look back at the days me and my cousin would fire up Contra on the NES, and blast away a Saturday morning until we beat it.

In a few years, I'll fondly look back at the times me and my wife would fire up Lego Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy, and spend hours unlocking everything to get that 100% complete. I'll fondly remember the first time I marveled at God of War 3's mind-blowing opening, and then chuckle at the spectacle of the LATEST entry in the series, or whatever Santa Monica Studios has come up with by then.

I don't feel insulted by today's games in any way. I'm not into mindless multi-player in games, and I find series like Assassin's Creed mentally stimulating (in particular when trying to decipher it's "The Truth" puzzles).

XBLA and PSN titles like Braid, Explodemon, Scott Pilgrim, and Dead Nation satisfy my old school itch, as well as my current desire for new experiences on my consoles. The titles that I mentioned above would have been full priced, $50 games back when I was a kid. Now, you have a wealth of amazingly quality downloadable titles for $9.99-$14.99.

CoD is a pretty piss poor franchise in my opinion, so I don't expect much from that experience. There are many other games this generation that shame it in every way, and truly represent what this current crop of technology and game designers can do.

It's easy to forget that those same developers that brought us those classic experiences of generation's past, are STILL creating classic experiences TODAY. Bioware, Valve, Bethesda, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, etc. They haven't gone anywhere, and they've grown with the times. Don't write off this generation just yet, but there's certainly nothing wrong with wanting more.

I'm an incredibly picky gamer, so my experiences this generation seem to be different than yours (I won't touch a game from Activision with a 100 foot pole).

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

I don't disagree with you that some franchises had let me down in this gen (Rainbow Six is spot on, as is Splinter Cell and GTA) as well as I also see the COD fever going on. But some of the stuff you complain I don't see why... I think you are ignoring great things that came with this gen.

Tech wise, we got a lot more from our games now. The fact that potentially all consoles are hooked online bring us many wonderful multiplayer experiences, specially co-op wise, and the hability to expand on many games. Indeed it had the down side of many games being released unfinished and much DLC gone wrong, but I thing it's a question of what we choose to support. Some good games have those down sides so we have to choose between either deal with it or not, but most games with this I simply ignore.

Still in the tech department, this gen defined motion controls. Maybe it isn't all gold in that department but I think we can all agree it's a nice option to have some fun with friends, family and even on some more serious games that put those into good use.

Also on some games you cited... GoW 3 was the best that I played. It was a lot more diversified and dare I say hard than previous god of war, it even made sense to have various attack combos and weaons because finally things would get hard beyond the button mashing. It also had a great dynamic in the storytelling and presentation was second to none IMHO. The only thing I see about it loosing for other GOWs was replayability, but as you said for Uncharted, I can't get anything from GOW 3 for that... Plus SP games all have limited lifespan, even the GTAs of the past would get boring sooner or later.

The same I can say about Halo. I don't like the direction they took for it, the story was a lot better before and I expect a lot more from the devs that created the Marathon universe (as in to expand on that universe) but it's hard to argue that Halo didn't bring in features that the community asked for... And in the end of the day, that's what all games should be doing, pleasing their fans, if they are happy with what's new in Halo, who am I to call them wrong?

SOCOM 1 and 2 were on a league of their own indeed, but even through SOCOM 3, CA and Confrontation weren't arguably as good, they were still good games, that were still chalanging and I get a feeling that, considering the ammount of feedback, SOCOM4 will still be great and maybe just second to SOCOM2, even if only on classic mode... Although that's still a guess and I can understand why people are complaining.

Ghost Recon, although taking a new direction with the AW series, make for some quality games, specially multiplayer wise. I don't see them as worst or less challenging than older GR games, just different.

This gen has been good to me. Many franchises got arguably better with this gen. Warhawk reborn in a great tittle, Forza got a lot better right in the first itteration in this gen, Bethesda nailed it with Oblivion and Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4 was a masterpiece IMO, as have been GT5 so far... But it's in the new IPs that it really shines... Beyond those you mentioned I would add InFAMOUS, Blue Dragon, LBP, Dead Rising, Assassin's Creed, Zack & Wiki, MAG, Lost Odyssey, No More Heroes, MotorStorm, Bioshok, Kameo, Just Cause, Gears of War, Heavenly Sword, Resistance, Crackdown... All good games, many genres, some harder, other easier... I believe there is enough content for everyone around.

There is indeed a LOT of crap going on this gen, but there is a lot of good stuff around too! I believe the quality of good games is as good, if not better, than any other gen before.

EDIT: You two know we are a bunch a text wallers don't you? LOL