Thursday, May 10, 2012

Sixteen Bit Saurians

I am not a gamer. I've got a bunch of Nintendo systems, some games I like, and not nearly enough time to justify turning any of them on. But I spent many a wayward teenage hour immersed in video games, and one of my favorites of all time was the Super Nintendo version of Jurassic Park. I don't know what made me remember it recently, but I started googling, and you know how that goes.

SUCKER!
Photo by Filthfiller, via Flickr.

That's how it goes. It was a huge kick to find the score shared on YouTube, and listening to the music brought all of those memories flooding back in. Running around as Alan Grant, grunting and jumping and firing bolas into packs of compys. Stuffing my virtual pockets full of dinosaur eggs to save the world from John Hammond's nightmare. Getting messages from heavily pixelated likenesses of the JP cast. Wandering into T. rex territory and shooting wildly at it, only to end up its dinner. The game was split between a top-down, freely navigable exterior world and frequently dark and claustrophobic interiors where you were liable to get jumped by a raptor or hit by a Dilophosaurus loogie.

The only other JP game I've played was the one in which Minnie Driver's arms don't work, and I've always assumed I was the only person who actually liked the SNES version. So I was surprised to find that it's gained a cult following. Mostly though, I'm writing this because of the music. It shreds.

For instance, "Triceratops Trot."


"Raptor Rap."


Or this one, from the Visitor's Center.


Ah, memories. Now, where's that SNES...

More: Flying Omelette, Nintendo3DS Community, an unenthusiastic review from Alex Kidman. Download the score, too!
Posted by at
Labels: ,

7 comments:

  1. NateeMay 10, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    You know, sometimes I wish I shared the same memories as other like-minded folk...

    ReplyDelete
  2. tnthielenMay 10, 2012 at 8:54 AM

    I always thought it was strange that the SEGA game was the only one to do a side-scrolling platformer. Both the NES and SNES titles were top down and FPS. I'm pretty sure the sequels(to the games NOT the movies) were the same. however, SNES music is pretty much always fantastic and this is no exception.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. davorMay 10, 2012 at 8:57 AM

      Was the NES version just a translation of the SNES? That's what I gathered from screenshots, never played it.

      Delete
    2. tnthielenMay 10, 2012 at 11:27 AM

      the basic concepts were the same(top-down persp., gather eggs...), however it was not a direct port of the SNES title. I remember being disappointed that the game wasn't scarier or more action packed. I think I just wanted the game to make me feel like the movie had made me feel. They aren't bad games as far as games go, just hard to live up to the source material.

      Delete
  3. neogonzoMay 10, 2012 at 11:24 AM

    podcast about all things Jurassic Park video game music!

    http://www.vgmpire.com/2012/02/01/vgmpire-episode-13-welcome-to-jurassic-park/

    ReplyDelete
  4. SharonMay 10, 2012 at 6:09 PM

    I had this for SNES too! I don't really remember much of anything about it though, other than being frustrated (I think I was a terrible gamer). But I was all about the DinoPark Tycoon for computer! Sim type games were my favorite - add some dinosaurs and I thought it was pretty much the best thing in the world at the time.

    ReplyDelete

Trolls get baleted.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)