Jurassic: The Hunted Preview

Kris Erickson • Oct 16, 2009 • Comments (1)

We don't yet have Monster Hunter on the PS3, but Activision hopes that its upcoming dinosaur-themed action game will appeal to the same primal instincts. The company announced today that Jurassic: The Hunted will be released November 3 on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. There is also a PS2 version planned. Based on what we know about development of this title (very little) it started life as a last-gen game. Recently the graphics were given a coat of HD polish, but we should expect gameplay to remain firmly rooted in the old school. Hence the budget price of the game, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it can pull off its central premise of hunting dinosaurs with enough of the awesome potential contained in such an idea.

Jurassic: The Hunted is a relentless first person action game where you must fight for survival by scavenging for weapons, defending barricades, and battling titanic dinosaurs. The main appeal of the game -- something that Monster Hunter fans will recognize -- is the sheer scale fo the beasts you fight. They literally tower over the player, and unlike in Cabella's series of hunting games, it will take more than a single rifle shot to bring one of these bad boys down. It's not like aiming for the head will do much damage, either -- dinosaurs had brans the size of a walnut, making them a difficult target for marksmen of the future.

Jurassic: the Hunted is structured as a shooter and set on a dark, mysterious island lost in time (you know, like the one in that movie). Players assume the role of weapons and survival expert Craig Dylan, who has been hired to protect a research team studying the strange temporal energy of the island. Protection quickly becomes a fight for survival as Dylan is pulled back in time through the Bermuda Triangle and finds himself facing the most terrifying creatures in the history of the planet. Good thing you dropped out of English literature and became a 'survival and weapons expert' there, Dylan.

Combat encounters include "arena" style fights, fortification sieges, survival modes and 'unforgettable' boss battles. Adrenaline bursts are the new 'bullet time' - this cinematic gameplay feature allows the player to visualize and then target an opponent's weak points in slow motion. Jurassic the Hunted promises hours of dino-survivalist entertainment at its finest.

Jurassic: The Hunted will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii for $39.99. The PlayStation 2 version will be $29.99.