Jurassic: The Hunted Review for Xbox 360

System: X360, PS3, Wii, PS2	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Cauldron	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub:Activision	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 3, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

There are some interesting levels that give you more of a challenge as opposed to the shooting gallery that makes up most of the gameplay. Some levels incorporate structures such as buildings and walls, destructible environments that require you to rebuild the damage to keep the dinos out. One in particular is a fort constructed with boards that need to constantly be replaced as raptors force their way through the opening. These challenges are few and far between, as most of the gameplay follows a linear and repetitive formula.

Jurassic: The Hunted screenshot

Character models and the environments look really good. They aren't photo-realistic, but at least you'll instantly recognize what you're looking at. The dinos move gracefully enough with rippling muscles and forbidding teeth that can't help but to instill a sense of dread deep within one's psyche. But there is plenty of slowdown when more than a couple of them appear onscreen. Repetitive and bland textures along with pop-in and control issues conspire to make Jurassic: The Hunted look like a budget title. The control issues are basic commands that don't always register such as shots fired and commands to move your character. Voiceovers are decent given the corny dialogue. Sound effects are well recorded and varied. It's not difficult to believe these are the sounds that dinosaurs made.

A two-player co-op mode would be a great addition, as there just isn't enough variety to give this game much replay value. Survivor mode lets you shoot waves of dinos to your heart's content, but you should tire of it after a few hours. It really shouldn't take the average player longer than an afternoon or two to complete the game, which brings me to the dilemma of whether to recommend this game as a purchase or rental. You'll become less bored if you only spend an hour with it each time, but at the same time it's not really worth the full price.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.1

Graphics
Good character models, but there are some cheesy-looking textures. Slowdown and pop-in cheapen overall production values.

3.3

Control
Good selection of weapons, user-friendly control scheme. Some glitches with commands.

4.3

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Great sound effects, especially the dinosaurs screeches, screams, and roars.

2.9

Play Value
Good FPS but not worth full price. Limited replay value.

3.0

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

First-person action featuring hours of prehistoric excitement.

Compelling sci-fi story mode brings players back in time through the Bermuda Triangle, lost in the brutal age of the dinosaurs.

Utilize the Adrenaline Burst feature to visualize and then target an opponent's weak points in slow motion.

Use numerous weapons to fight over a dozen different kinds of dinosaurs in a variety of different Jurassic locales.

Scavenge weapons, defend barricades and work relentlessly toward returning to your own time.