Not gonna mince words, Dino Crisis 1 was a very paint by the numbers survival horror, which is funny given the talent behind it. The corridors of Ibis Island were bland and sterile and the dinosaurs lacked much variety in action and how they attempt to scare and put you on edge; the puzzles similarly lacked in execution and mostly fell into same-y computer and moving box puzzles. At the very least there are some interesting threads in the world and the crafting and narrative branching systems lend to some interesting pathways, but those aspects were few and far between. I was very surprised that this was the game people kept going on about and begging for a remake, which it still fully deserves. Maybe a modern take could flesh out the missed potential and give Regina the respect she deserves, and I didn't have much confidence going into the second game and was ready to write it off like the first...and yet.
Dino Crisis 2 rules. Rather than expanding upon the c-tier survival horror approach of the first game, Dino Crisis 2 completely shifts away from that approach and becomes a full on arcade action game and I generally believe it is better off in this zone and way more mechanically satisfying. This change in style might ward off those that enjoyed the puzzles, narrative and the "panic horror", and even going in this change should be a complete mess, but it's not. Oh no, I really enjoyed Dino Crisis 2 in all its stupid dumb fun and glory of an 80s action flick.
Rather than planning out routes and approaching tight spaces with threatening creatures, it's all guns blazing and killing dinosaurs in much more open arenas with Regina and new playable partner Dylan. The potential monotony is addressed well with the introduction of several mechanics and systems: the new Extinction Points system to buy resources, weapons and upgrades, the incorporation of Combo points through killing dinosaurs in precise successive fashion, and even clearing out and progressing through areas without taking damage. There's vastly more weapons available to use and each new option are sick in design and feeling while mowing down enemies and they are pretty worthwhile to invest in. The introduction of different species spices up the lack of variety issue in DC1 and prevent the encounters from feeling too mindless for awhile at least.
While encounters generally felt fun to engage with through and through, some frustrations came up from time to time due to turning lag, leading to getting jumped by numerous enemies all at once when trying to avoid or run away. The game does throw a near endless spawn of enemies which makes combat a bit more intense, though it can be overbearing when playing as Dylan versus Regina with their different loadouts prioritizing close combat and medium/long distance respectively. Backtracking is a huge annoyance with how much the game wants you to run back and forth between the base and other areas of the map. I enjoy the expanded map and level design though outside of that primary issue and there's way more interesting locales offered here compared to the first like an underwater transport section with Regina later in the game.
The arcade-y approach overall is addictive and feels more distinctive compared to what the first entry was trying to accomplish and I feel more interested in completing multiple runs. A modern remake would be great with adding in the advancements made by Resident Evil 4 and onwards and giving more Regina screentime, but that obviously won't sell as much as a Resident Evil 5 Remake.
Dino Crisis 2 rules. Rather than expanding upon the c-tier survival horror approach of the first game, Dino Crisis 2 completely shifts away from that approach and becomes a full on arcade action game and I generally believe it is better off in this zone and way more mechanically satisfying. This change in style might ward off those that enjoyed the puzzles, narrative and the "panic horror", and even going in this change should be a complete mess, but it's not. Oh no, I really enjoyed Dino Crisis 2 in all its stupid dumb fun and glory of an 80s action flick.
Rather than planning out routes and approaching tight spaces with threatening creatures, it's all guns blazing and killing dinosaurs in much more open arenas with Regina and new playable partner Dylan. The potential monotony is addressed well with the introduction of several mechanics and systems: the new Extinction Points system to buy resources, weapons and upgrades, the incorporation of Combo points through killing dinosaurs in precise successive fashion, and even clearing out and progressing through areas without taking damage. There's vastly more weapons available to use and each new option are sick in design and feeling while mowing down enemies and they are pretty worthwhile to invest in. The introduction of different species spices up the lack of variety issue in DC1 and prevent the encounters from feeling too mindless for awhile at least.
While encounters generally felt fun to engage with through and through, some frustrations came up from time to time due to turning lag, leading to getting jumped by numerous enemies all at once when trying to avoid or run away. The game does throw a near endless spawn of enemies which makes combat a bit more intense, though it can be overbearing when playing as Dylan versus Regina with their different loadouts prioritizing close combat and medium/long distance respectively. Backtracking is a huge annoyance with how much the game wants you to run back and forth between the base and other areas of the map. I enjoy the expanded map and level design though outside of that primary issue and there's way more interesting locales offered here compared to the first like an underwater transport section with Regina later in the game.
The arcade-y approach overall is addictive and feels more distinctive compared to what the first entry was trying to accomplish and I feel more interested in completing multiple runs. A modern remake would be great with adding in the advancements made by Resident Evil 4 and onwards and giving more Regina screentime, but that obviously won't sell as much as a Resident Evil 5 Remake.