So I recently got this cheap game to see if it was the worst game, and I got a lot to say.
I began to play the game, only to have it crash on me every time I started it. I had to spend more time trying to fix this error than trying to enjoy Dinosis until I figured out that I had to cut the texture resolution in half and set the global quality to very low. If you're having similar issues, try this out. There is a chance your game will still crash, but it's pretty minimum.
Back to the actual game, the foliage and some of the dinosaurs combined with the 'survival' aspect reminded me of a very similar game I played years ago called Beasts of Prey and it was... something else. The only thing we're missing here is crafting, turrets, and the unseen Savages mentioned in the game. A decent gimmick is that you can press F to start a campfire, which will act as a quick save. Combined with that, the arrows for the crossbow (first weapon you get) can be a lifesaver if you run low on ammunition. Another okay addition was you can collect eggs from nests as you explore, which can be used to heal, but for some reason, it doesn't count as food.
Even if some bits of it is forgivable, the bugs are absolutely abysmal. The aiming on the weapons, with most having bad sound effects, are crap at best and terrible at worst, but thankfully the dinosaurs aren't that durable (hell, you can easily kill a T.rex with a few shots from an AK-47). The only gun that proves to be effective is the SPAS Shotgun you'll find later on in the game. On the topic of dinosaurs, the raptors in general arguably have it worse when it comes to bugs. Whenever I fought a raptor that was aggro'd on me, there was a chance it would do the 'pushed' animation while deliberately sliding up in my face for a split second. Another laughable bug I came across by accident was when I was shooting at a thick-assed stego in its rump, I discovered that its ass was bullet-proof (I'm not even kidding) like it was a wall, which was solved by shooting its sides or head. At some point during the first Episode, you will stumble upon massive sauropods grazing. I wanted to try to shoot them and it looked like it didn't do much, until I saw that they were ghost dinosaurs and I could shoot through them to hit a couple of Gallimimus.
As for the main character, Tomas Burt... I don't particularly care for him. The voice acting is really bland combined with the fact that the developers were fans of pop-culture and throws in references (one of which being the Walking Dead, which completely tells us that it's an easter egg). Speaking of eggs, while you do have to experience some cheesy quotes about collecting eggs, the quotes in Episode 2 are noticeably replaced with "Heh, that will do nicely" and "Nice". The subtitles themselves a lot of times don't match what Tomas is saying, not even the human antagonists named the Undergrounders. I've also learned that Tomas is one for sarcasm, given his interactions with the underground party. This seemed like that it would've been an interesting twist of having to fight human enemies, but instead, you're just their errand boy who is knocked out and left for dead in the end.
The one question that can act as a headscratcher throughout the gameplay is how did the world of Dinosis Survival come to be? As you play Episode 1, you can come across a trio of tablets which act as puzzle pieces for the lore, at least the headlines do. The text filled in just feels like it was pulled from the Wikipedia page. The first mentions a missile striking New York and the last talks about a weather bomb affecting the area. The second tablet is the real kicker that explains why dinosaurs were resurrected; as eco-food, out of all reasons. Imagine going extinct and then revived, just to be killed again for food. The conversations with the Undergrounders also reveal another group named the Dreamers, who want to rebuild society with their technology... that so happens to be completely futuristic with flying cars and transits. If you can figure out what the hell is even going on in this story anymore, my hat's off to you.
In conclusion, Dinosis Survival really wasn't the worst game. There are clearly much worse dinosaurs games in existence, but it was probably the most mediocre game. It had potential, but it was missed given how there wasn't a lot support and the developers are a small group of game designers (it was good on their part to set the game for a decent $4.99, or I would've had serious issues with them). I understand that it was meant to be a bargain bin game, but that doesn't excuse a lot of bugs we ended up getting that was a part of the final product.
OVERALL GRADE: D
If it wasn't for the bugs, I would've justified a C-, but it is what it is. Sadly, I just can't recommend it.
