Jurassic Park (SNES video game)

Jurassic Park is based on the novel and film of the same name. Following a computer system failure, paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant and others become trapped at an island theme park, known as Jurassic Park, that is populated with dinosaurs.

The player controls Grant, and begins the game armed with a cattle prod, although the game also features five other weapons: tranquilizer gun, shotgun, bolas, gas grenade launcher, and missile launcher. The game features seven different dinosaur enemies, as well as giant dragonflies. The player is given five lives, and two continues when all lives are lost. Grant's health is represented by a red health bar. Food and first-aid kits located throughout the game can replenish the player's health.

Motion sensors set up around the island allow characters in the game to communicate advice to the player, although some advice is deliberately malicious. If Grant loses a life, the player is restarted at the last motion sensor with which Grant came into contact. Mr. DNA, a character from the film, provides dinosaur facts to the player if the game is paused or remains idle for too long. The player must open and close multiple gates to travel around the island. The game's music changes depending on the player's location in the park.

The game's world is spacious and non-linear. The exterior portion, played from a top-down perspective,{{cite magazine |last=Davies |first=Jonathan |date=November 1993 |title=Jurassic Park review |url=https://archive.org/stream/Superplay_Issue_13_1993-11_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n33/mode/1up/ |magazine=Super Play |pages=34–36 |accessdate=February 10, 2015}} consists of a maze that is made up of jungle trees, along with rock formations, canals, fences, gates, and a number of buildings that can be entered and explored. The game switches to a first-person perspective when the player enters one of these buildings. The player must collect ID cards belonging to characters on the island in order to access certain rooms. Other rooms are completely dark and require night vision goggles to enter. Some buildings contain multiple floors that are accessed via elevators. Jurassic Park supports the Super NES Mouse when playing first-person sequences or operating computer terminals.

Although it is never fully explained in the game, the objectives to win Jurassic Park are as follows:

• Collect all 18 dinosaur eggs that are scattered throughout the island.
• Turn on the generator to re-activate the park's motion sensors.
• Secure the Visitor Center from raptors entering the building.
• Kill all the dinosaurs that are on the ship.
• Destroy the raptor nest with a nerve gas bomb.
• Send S.O.S. and head to the helipad to be rescued by a helicopter.

The game does not utilize a password feature. The player, therefore, must play through the entire game in a single sitting.

Ocean Software, a British video game development company, paid an undisclosed six-figure sum to secure the rights to the Jurassic Park license to develop a game based on the film.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/SNES_Force_Issue_03_1993-09_Impact_Magazines_GB#page/n14/mode/1up/|title=Brace Yourself|author=|publisher=Impact Magazines|work=SNES Force|date=September 1993 |access-date=May 13, 2016|pages=14–15}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/SNES_Force_Issue_04_1993-10_Impact_Magazines_GB#page/n25/mode/2up/|title=Jurassic Park: Work in Progress|publisher=Impact Magazines|date=October 1993|work=SNES Force|access-date=May 13, 2016|pages=26–30}} Ocean had more developers working on Jurassic Park than any other project up to that point, which led to creative differences; however, Ocean's head of software development, Gary Bracey, said that "with such a great amount of artistic input, this was actually turned to an advantage." The game's designers were J.H. Beard and C. Kerry.{{cite video game |title= Jurassic Park|developer= Ocean Software|publisher= Ocean Software|date= 1993|platform= Super Nintendo|scene= End credits}}

Jurassic Park was originally planned for release in August 1993.{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/06/21/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-stars-of-jurassic-park-computers/|title=A behind-the-scenes look at the stars of 'Jurassic Park'|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=June 21, 1993|access-date=February 10, 2015}} An early demo with outdated test graphics was unveiled to a disappointed audience at Chicago's Consumer Electronics Show in June 1993.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/Superplay_Issue_11_1993-09_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n5/mode/1up|title=Claws! The game of the film is almost here!|magazine=Super Play|date=September 1993|accessdate=February 10, 2015}} Ocean executives in the U.K. were unaware of the demo's poor graphics, as the demo was developed at Ocean's offices in California. The developers, who were on a tight schedule, did not have time to create a better demo with improved graphics, as doing so could have compromised the game's completion date. The game's final graphics were vastly improved as development continued.

During development, Ocean had access to film stills and storyboards from the film. The game uses digitized photographs of the film's characters, as well as a digitized dinosaur image from the film. Ocean claimed the game was the first to utilize high-resolution backdrops. According to Bracey, "Steven Spielberg said he wanted a 'ground breaking' game. We feel this has been achieved due to the development of the 3D technology in the interior sections. Essentially, we're replicating the effects of the Super FX chip in the standard SNES hardware! Everyone seems to be pretty impressed." The game's first-person interior sections were created using texture mapping, a complex technique for the Super NES hardware to handle. The first-person segments utilized the effects of the system's Mode 7.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/Nintendo_Power_Issue001-Issue127/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20050%20July%201993#page/n111/mode/1up|title=Jurassic Park|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=July 1993|magazine=Nintendo Power|access-date=February 28, 2018|page=109}}

The dinosaurs' behavior was inspired by the film, and additional dinosaurs not shown in the film were added into the game for variety. A scene featured earlier in the game's development depicted Grant being eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex, accompanied by the sound of his bones being crushed. Nintendo requested that the bone-crushing sound effect be removed as it was considered too realistic.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/Superplay_Issue_12_1993-10_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n15/mode/1up/|title=Sick of it yet? We're not! That Jurassic Lark|publisher=Future Publishing|date=October 1993|work=Super Play|access-date=May 13, 2016|page=16}} The game includes inspiration from the novel, such as a mission objective to prevent dinosaurs from escaping to the mainland on a supply ship. The game was mastered in surround sound (Dolby Pro Logic),{{cite web|url= http://www.oldiesrising.com/noticespdfV2/Nintendo%20Super%20Nes/Jurassic%20Park.pdf |title= Jurassic Park (SNES) manual |website= OldiesRising.com |pages= 7–10, 12–13|accessdate= December 30, 2014}} and its music was composed by Jon Dunn.{{cite web|url=http://www.snesmusic.org/v2/profile.php?profile=set&selected=1334|title=Game Profile: Jurassic Park|website=SNESMusic.org|access-date=July 22, 2016}}

Jurassic Park was released in the United Kingdom in late 1993,{{Cite news |date=October 29, 1993 |title=Software |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/914564219 |access-date=July 23, 2024 |work=Evening Telegraph |pages=37 |quote=Coming Soon//Jurassic Park Snes}} and was also released in the United States that month. The game was released in Europe on December 29, 1993, and on June 24, 1994, in Japan, where it was published by Jaleco. In the United States, Ocean promoted "The Great Dino Egg Hunt", a contest in which players search the game for eight letters placed on the ground around the park. The letters then had to be decoded to reveal a secret message: "Dr. Horner". The answer was a reference to paleontologist Jack Horner, who was a consultant on the film. Two days after the game's release, the eventual winner of the contest correctly guessed the answer after playing the game for 10 hours. The winner, 29-year-old Bill Vargas from Philadelphia, was awarded with a $5,000 check.{{cite web|title=Ocean Contest Offers $5000 Grand Prize|url=https://archive.org/stream/Game_Players_Issue_35_December_1993#page/n15/mode/1up/|website=Game Players|accessdate=February 14, 2018|page=14|date=December 1993}}{{cite magazine|title=Unscrambling the Dino Eggs|url=https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_055_February_1994#page/n188/mode/1up/|magazine=GamePro|accessdate=February 14, 2018|page=187|date=February 1994}}{{cite web|last1=Hallock|first1=Betty|last2=Nakamura|first2=Eric|last3=Constant|first3=Nikos|title=Press Start|url=https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_66_July_1994#page/n11/mode/1up|accessdate=February 14, 2018|work=Video Games – The Ultimate Gaming Magazine|date=July 1994|page=12}}{{cite web|title="The Great Dino Egg Hunt" Solved!|url=https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_68_September_1994#page/n23/mode/2up/|website=Video Games – The Ultimate Gaming Magazine|accessdate=February 14, 2018|pages=24–25|date=September 1994}}

To mark the film's 30th anniversary, Limited Run Games re-released the game in 2023,{{cite web |last=Doolan |first=Liam |title=The Jurassic Park Games Are Getting A 30th Anniversary Retro Collection |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/04/the-jurassic-park-games-are-getting-a-30th-anniversary-retro-collection |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=April 28, 2023 |date=April 25, 2023}} as part of Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection. It was published for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is also available individually through re-issued SNES cartridges.{{cite web |last=Middler |first=Jordan |title=Limited Run Games announces Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/limited-run-games-announces-jurassic-park-classic-games-collection/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=July 14, 2023 |date=July 12, 2023}} The 30th anniversary version features a save function, a world map, and the ability to rewind time.{{cite web |last1=O'Reilly |first1=PJ |title=Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection Review |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/jurassic-park-classic-games-collection |website=Nintendo Life |date=22 November 2023 |access-date=10 June 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Stuart |first1=Keith |title=Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection review – a great way to relive a lost world of gaming |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/nov/23/jurassic-park-classic-games-collection-review-a-great-way-to-relive-a-lost-world-of-gaming |website=The Guardian |date=23 November 2023 |access-date=10 June 2024}} The digitized images of the characters from the film are removed in this version, possibly due to legal issues.

{{Video game reviews

| title =

| subtitle =

| state =

| align =

| MC =

| CVG = 87/100{{cite magazine |last1=Sumpter |first1=Garth |last2=Rand |first2=Paul |date=November 1993 |title=Jurassic Park |magazine=Computer and Video Games |location=United Kingdom |issue=144 |pages=48–49}}

| Edge = 6/10

| EGM = 7.25/10

| GameFan = 93%{{efn|In GameFan{{'}}s review, two critics gave Jurassic Park a 95%, one a 92% and another an 89%.{{cite magazine|title=Jurassic Park|magazine=GameFan|volume=1|issue=12|date=November 1993|pages=23, 96–97}}}}

| GMaster = 93%{{cite magazine|last=Ellis|first=Les|date=September 1993|issue=10|title=Jurassic Park|magazine=GamesMaster|pages=48–49}}

| NP = 3.6/5{{efn|Nintendo Power gave Jurassic Park two 4/5 scores for graphics/sound and theme/fun, 2.8/5 for play control, and 3.5/5 for challenge.}}

| SP = 89%

| TOT = 84%{{cite magazine|author=Frank|date=November 1993|title=Jurassic Park|magazine=Total!|issue=23|pages=28–29}}

| VGS = 81%{{cite magazine |date=November 1993 |title=Warum die Saurier ausgestorben sind: Jurassic Park |magazine=Video Games |location=Germany |language=German |pages=44–46}}

| rev1 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev1Score = A−

| rev2 = SNES Force

| rev2Score = 92%

}}

Jurassic Park was praised for its graphics and sound. William Schiffmann of the Associated Press praised the sound effects for being recorded in Dolby Surround, but noted the lack of a password feature, calling it "one of the few drawbacks to an otherwise excellent cart."{{cite news|last=Schiffmann|first=William|title=Dennis a menace; JP right on target |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11700824/santa_cruz_sentinel/|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|agency=Associated Press|date=December 26, 1993}} Though two of the four reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly commented that the game is too easy, all but one of the four had an overall positive opinion of the game, particularly praising the sound and the use of the 3-D perspective.{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Jurassic Park|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=54|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=January 1994|page=42}} Jonathan Davies of Super Play praised its problem-solving tasks and bird's-eye perspective, but criticized the game for being "a bit easy" and for not incorporating the film's musical score.

GamePro was most pleased with the game's varying perspectives and the way dinosaurs can catch players off-guard, especially when their view is limited in first-person perspective. They were also impressed by the detailed graphics and the stereo sound's accurate reflection of the position of the dinosaur which is making noise, and though they said the lack of a save feature is a serious concern due to the massive size of the game world, they added that the game would hold the player's interest through the multi-hour play session required to complete it.{{efn|GamePro gave Jurassic Park 4.5/5 for graphics, 4.5/5 for sound, 4.0/5 for control, and 5.0/5 for fun factor.}}{{cite magazine|author=Scary Larry|date=December 1993|issue=63|title=Jurassic Park|magazine=GamePro|page= |pages=116–117}} SNES Force praised its "Huge playing area," and its many missions.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/SNES_Force_Issue_05_1993_Impact_Magazines_GB#page/n37/mode/1up |title= Jurassic Park (SNES) review|work= SNES Force|date= October 1993|pages= 38–40}} Nintendo Power praised the game for "some game play elements that incorporate aspects of the hit movie," but also wrote, "The interior areas present few puzzles and it is easy to get lost in the outer areas."{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/Nintendo_Power_Issue001-Issue127/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20054%20November%201993#page/n37/mode/2up|title=Jurassic Park|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=November 1993|magazine=Nintendo Power|access-date=February 28, 2018|pages=36–43, 103, 107}} Edge found the game to be lacking excitement, writing that a large portion of time is spent "aimlessly wandering around and avoiding the dinosaurs – very little help is given in which direction you should be going and exactly what you should be doing". Nevertheless, the magazine concluded that "given the quality of most film tie-ins, Jurassic Park is one of the better licences. With slightly improved game design it could have been the best."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/jurassic-park-review-snes/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211200911/http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/jurassic-park-review-snes/|title=Jurassic Park review (SNES)|magazine=Edge|date=November 1, 1993|archive-date=2015-02-11}}

Bob Strauss of Entertainment Weekly called the game "truly innovative".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1994/05/20/jurassic-park-interactive|title= Jurassic Park Interactive|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=May 20, 1994|accessdate=July 24, 2015|first=Bob|last=Strauss}} Roy Bassave of Knight-Ridder News Service found it superior to the Sega CD version of Jurassic Park.{{cite news|last=Bassave|first=Roy|title=Jurassic Park|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11875436/the_odessa_american/|accessdate=July 5, 2017|work=The Odessa American|agency=Knight-Ridder News Service|date=April 24, 1994}}

By January 1995, Jurassic Park had spent a non-consecutive period of 12 months on Nintendo Power's list of the top 20 SNES games.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/Nintendo_Power_Issue001-Issue127/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20068%20January%201995#page/n127/mode/1up|title=Power Charts Super NES Top 20|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=January 1995|magazine=Nintendo Power|access-date=February 28, 2018|page=100}} Game Informer declared the Genesis version of the game somewhat superior to the Super NES version in a 2012 comparison of the two games.{{cite web|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/08/same-name-different-game-snes-vs-genesis.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510063107/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/05/08/same-name-different-game-snes-vs-genesis.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=May 10, 2012|title=Same Name, Different Game: SNES vs. Genesis|time=5:33-13:22|publisher=Game Informer magazine|date=May 8, 2012|access-date=February 19, 2015|first=Dan|last=Ryckert}} In 2014, IGN included the game on its list of the most difficult games, citing various reasons that included the limited lives, the large game world, the scattered raptor eggs and key cards, and the lack of a save feature.{{cite web|title=The Hardest Games We've Ever Played|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/05/the-hardest-games-weve-ever-played|accessdate=February 14, 2018|work=IGN|date=March 5, 2014}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/jurassic-park____ Jurassic Park] at MobyGames
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141114095255/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12511 Jurassic Park] at AllGame

{{Jurassic Park video games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurassic Park (Snes Game)}}

Category:1993 video games

Category:Jaleco games

Category:Jurassic Park video games

Category:Ocean Software games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games

Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games

Category:Video games about dinosaurs

Category:Video games based on adaptations

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Video games set in Costa Rica

Category:Video games set on fictional islands