We've hunted birds, deer, and numerous other animals, I think we
even hunted Rednecks (as ironic as that may be), so why not
dinosaurs? That's what Ukrainian developer Action Forms figured
last year, when they released the original Carnivores, and here we
are a year later and Carnivores 2 roars onto the PC just in time
for... the holiday season. The original Carnivores was released
amongst a clutter of other hunting titles last year, but yet managed
to stay above the pack with it's strong visual and audio elements.
So what can we expect from the sequel? Pretty much the same
old song, but is that a good thing or a bad thing?
The sequel emphasizes, if anything, more variety in terms of
dinosaurs. In the original Carnivores, there were only three
dinosaurs that were actually carnivores. Carnivores 2 adds two
more meat eaters, the spinosaurus and the ceratosaurus, to the
mix which already included the velociraptor, the allosaurus, and
the tyrannosaurus. There are new plant eaters as well, including
the anklyosaurus. They've also added a number of dinosaurs to the
fray simple for atmosphere, rather than sport. If you hunt, for
example the brachiosaurus, you'll receive no reward for your
efforts, since these dinosaurs aren't listed as the hunted.
Much like the original Carnivores, the hunting is based on a credit
system. At the beginning of the game, armed with a pistol, players
must kill dinosaurs to earn credits in order to open more
dangerous and exotic locales, enabling the use of more advanced
weapons and tools, and allow players to select dinosaurs from the
list that are more rewarding to hunt. Another difference between
the original and sequel is the limitations placed by the credit
system. In the original, you were restricted to one piece of
equipment at the beginning of the game, as well as hunting one
particular dinosaur. In Carnivores 2, you can carry as many
weapons and hunt as many dinosaurs and you can afford too.
There are five different locations to hunt dinosaurs which span
through vast jungles, forts, hills and mountains. As mentioned
above, there are nine different dinosaurs you can hunt for credits,
including the always difficult T-Rex, where only a shot between
the eyes will destroy it. There are six different weapons to choose
from, ranging from a lowly pistol, to a sniper's rifle. There's a
handful of equipment you can take on your hunt as well, including
a radar and cover scent, to help improve your chances of finding
the dinosaurs you're looking for, as well as staying clear of those
you're looking to avoid.
The graphics in Carnivores 2, much like the original, are great.
The dinosaurs are carefully detailed and move around the locales
with incredible realism. When shot and wounded, dinosaurs leave
trails of blood and when you shoot them with tranquilizers, you
can see them stumbling around. The environments are also quite
beautiful. Forests are dense and swamps and merky. Added into
Carnivores 2, is the ability to hunt at three different times of the
day: dawn, day, or night. The night missiosn are seen through the
distinctive green tint of night goggles, whereas sunlight permeates
hunts that take place in the morning. The effects generated look
great. The audio also continues to be top notch. Each dinosaur
has it's own distinctive call, and the larger dinosaurs are rather
loud and scary. The atmosphere of each locale is much improved
as well by the addition of sound effects ranging from leaves
brustling, to streaming water. Once again, Action Forms has done
a terrific job in the visual and audio departments.
So what's wrong with Carnivores 2? Well, much like the original, it
consists of long, mundane walks through each locale, looking for
that oh so elusive dinosaur. The radar certainly helps track them
down for you, but it still becomes boring after awhile. Obviously
this is exactly what hunting is all about, you're not going to find
your prey that easily. However, while it might have worked in the
original Carnivores, it makes for uninspiring gameplay in the
sequel. What this title could really use is some objective based
missions to go along with the hunts. I'm not going to steal any
ideas from Trespasser or Jurassic Park, but a little imagination
could go a long way, especially in a game where the audio and
visual elements are so strong to begin with.
Let's see now, excellent graphics, realistic sound... oh, and they
added the digit 2 to the end of Carnivores. Clever! Besides the
addition of a few new dinosaurs, Carnivores 2 does little to expand
on the original game. They've got a solid 3D engine, but I think it's
time they use a little of their imagination to create a real solid
gaming experience. Something with a little substance. Maybe then
they wouldn't have to sell their games so cheap.
16/20
12/15
18/30
12/20
0/5
6/10