Dino City
Encyclopedia
DinoCity, originally released in Japan
as , is a platform
video game developed and published by Irem Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
.
The game is loosely based on the 1992 direct-to-video American film Adventures in Dinosaur City
by Smart Egg Pictures, and borrows many of the film's characters, settings, and basic plot while providing its own unique art direction and style. Initially released in July 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later made available in North America the following September. The game centers around Timmy and his friend Jamie, two young children who are accidentally transported to a world resembling prehistoric Earth populated by anthropomorphic
dinosaurs. While a device which will allow them to return home exists in this environment, a critical component has been stolen by Mr. Big, leader of a gang of Neanderthals known as The Rockeys, leaving the player to guide Timmy or Jamie to his castle to retrieve it. They are assisted by Rex, a Tyrannosaurus
, and Tops, a Protoceratops
, each with their own play-styles.
DinoCity is a traditional platformer-style action game
where the player must move their character from left to right across the screen while avoiding obstacles, jumping on platforms, and defeating enemies. Players are given the choice of controlling Rex with Timmy or Tops with Jamie at the beginning of the game as well as at the start of each new level. While Tops can throw darts to damage enemies from a distance, Rex is confined to close combat by punching them or swinging his tail. Each dinosaur character can defeat enemies by jumping on them, and at any point the player may relegate control to their human riders, who can freeze enemies in place by using a special energy device. While controlling the children, the dinosaurs become immobile and may be used as platforms themselves to reach otherwise inaccessible items. The game supports up to two players who are given alternating turns at play each time the other loses a life.
In order to pass each of the game's six levels, players must navigate through a number of screens joined by doors. Each screen resembles a different environment, and can include caves, jungles, grasslands, or ice caverns. Once a player has passed enough screens they must battle a boss character before advancing. If a character loses enough lives, they are given the option to continue up to three times before the game is over. During gameplay a player may collect eggs which grant an extra life if enough are obtained, as well as hearts that restore lost health. The game utilizes a password system that allows players to return to the start of any level from the title screen.
which has been released worldwide earlier that year, with the Japanese title Dinowars Kyōryū Ōkoku e no Daibōken being the same name as the Japanese version of the movie. While many of the game's characters including the heroes Rex, Tops, Timmy, Jamie and villains Mr. Big and The Rockeys were taken directly from the film, they were largely re-designed into a more anime
-based style by staff artists using the pseudonyms "Munou no Hito" and "SDR 200". Much of the game's art direction utilizes a colorful, cartoon
-like approach to environments and enemies as opposed to the darker presentation of the original film. The music for DinoCity was produced by Irem in-house composer Hiroshi Ebihara, who had previously collaborated on the score to Super R-Type
. Although no official soundtrack was released, select tracks were made available for listening from in-game sound test menu accessible from the title screen.
The North American version was originally marketed by Irem America under the title "Dinosaurs" shortly after the game's Japanese release in July, with the finalization of the game's title coming just before its English release. Although the title was originally marked for an August release, it would later be pushed back to the following September. Beginning in early 1993, Irem America held a magazine promotion where players could receive an official DinoCity t-shirt
featuring Rex by sending in two UPC
labels from specified Irem games.
was altered for the North American release due to Nintendo of America's policy against overly-sexual depictions of women on their consoles. The Japanese version also includes the option to select "Normal" or "Hard" difficulty settings at the beginning of the game. While the Hard setting represents the default play mode on the English version, the Normal setting grants the player five health points instead of three, as well as unlimited continues.
was impressed with the game's "colorful" graphics and "cute" character designs, stating that it "seems geared for kids, but adults can play too." However, the magazine ultimately declared that "although [the game] enjoys some of the nicest SNES wallpaper yet, the theme is less than exhilerating [sic] while the pace remains stuck in molasses ... the overall execution of this title was cooler than it should be." GamePro
magazine similarly declared that "the colorful cartoon-style graphics create an ancient, humorous atmosphere ... thematically the game seems aimed at the younger set." Despite its target demographic, the magazine still found it to be challenging enough for "intermediate adventurers." Nintendo Power
praised the game's "colorful and very detailed" graphics and "very good" music, but found the overall experience to be "a little too difficult for beginning players."
A more contemporary review of DinoCity from the website Allgame
was largely in agreement with earlier editors, referring to it as "a (relatively) challenging and interesting game featuring a mind-boggling variety of levels." The game's vibrant graphics were once again touched upon, with the website calling them "not only adorable, [but] sophisticated as well. The backgrounds vary greatly from level to level and the characters are nicely animated and drawn in a cartoon-like manner. Also, the game is colorful to the extreme.". IGN
placed the game tenth on its "Top 10 Prehistoric Games" list in February 2007, stating that "If you never got a chance to play Dino City on the SNES, we feel bad for you." DinoCity maintains a 69% average score from the aggregate review website Game Rankings
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game developed and published by Irem Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
.
The game is loosely based on the 1992 direct-to-video American film Adventures in Dinosaur City
Adventures in Dinosaur City
Adventures in Dinosaur City is a 1992 television film directed by Brett Thompson. The story revolves around three teenagers who are transported into their favorite TV show, "Dino Saurs".-Plot:...
by Smart Egg Pictures, and borrows many of the film's characters, settings, and basic plot while providing its own unique art direction and style. Initially released in July 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later made available in North America the following September. The game centers around Timmy and his friend Jamie, two young children who are accidentally transported to a world resembling prehistoric Earth populated by anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
dinosaurs. While a device which will allow them to return home exists in this environment, a critical component has been stolen by Mr. Big, leader of a gang of Neanderthals known as The Rockeys, leaving the player to guide Timmy or Jamie to his castle to retrieve it. They are assisted by Rex, a Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, and Tops, a Protoceratops
Protoceratops
Protoceratops is a genus of sheep-sized herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia. It was a member of the Protoceratopsidae, a group of early horned dinosaurs...
, each with their own play-styles.
Gameplay
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
where the player must move their character from left to right across the screen while avoiding obstacles, jumping on platforms, and defeating enemies. Players are given the choice of controlling Rex with Timmy or Tops with Jamie at the beginning of the game as well as at the start of each new level. While Tops can throw darts to damage enemies from a distance, Rex is confined to close combat by punching them or swinging his tail. Each dinosaur character can defeat enemies by jumping on them, and at any point the player may relegate control to their human riders, who can freeze enemies in place by using a special energy device. While controlling the children, the dinosaurs become immobile and may be used as platforms themselves to reach otherwise inaccessible items. The game supports up to two players who are given alternating turns at play each time the other loses a life.
In order to pass each of the game's six levels, players must navigate through a number of screens joined by doors. Each screen resembles a different environment, and can include caves, jungles, grasslands, or ice caverns. Once a player has passed enough screens they must battle a boss character before advancing. If a character loses enough lives, they are given the option to continue up to three times before the game is over. During gameplay a player may collect eggs which grant an extra life if enough are obtained, as well as hearts that restore lost health. The game utilizes a password system that allows players to return to the start of any level from the title screen.
Development
DinoCity was developed and published by Irem Corporation in 1992, and was led by project directors K. Okada and Y. Takashima. The game was based on the American film Adventures in Dinosaur CityAdventures in Dinosaur City
Adventures in Dinosaur City is a 1992 television film directed by Brett Thompson. The story revolves around three teenagers who are transported into their favorite TV show, "Dino Saurs".-Plot:...
which has been released worldwide earlier that year, with the Japanese title Dinowars Kyōryū Ōkoku e no Daibōken being the same name as the Japanese version of the movie. While many of the game's characters including the heroes Rex, Tops, Timmy, Jamie and villains Mr. Big and The Rockeys were taken directly from the film, they were largely re-designed into a more anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-based style by staff artists using the pseudonyms "Munou no Hito" and "SDR 200". Much of the game's art direction utilizes a colorful, cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
-like approach to environments and enemies as opposed to the darker presentation of the original film. The music for DinoCity was produced by Irem in-house composer Hiroshi Ebihara, who had previously collaborated on the score to Super R-Type
Super R-Type
Super R-Type is a shooter game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , developed and published by Irem in 1991. It is an original game based on elements from both R-Type and R-Type II...
. Although no official soundtrack was released, select tracks were made available for listening from in-game sound test menu accessible from the title screen.
The North American version was originally marketed by Irem America under the title "Dinosaurs" shortly after the game's Japanese release in July, with the finalization of the game's title coming just before its English release. Although the title was originally marked for an August release, it would later be pushed back to the following September. Beginning in early 1993, Irem America held a magazine promotion where players could receive an official DinoCity t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
featuring Rex by sending in two UPC
Universal Product Code
The Universal Product Code is a barcode symbology , that is widely used in North America, and in countries including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for tracking trade items in stores. Its most common form, the UPC-A, consists of 12 numerical digits, which are uniquely assigned to each trade item...
labels from specified Irem games.
Version differences
While the majority of the game remains unchanged from one region release to another, a few graphic and gameplay changes exist between the English and original Japanese versions of the game. The cavewomen enemy character "Cindy" was originally designed as a large-busted woman whose character spriteSprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
was altered for the North American release due to Nintendo of America's policy against overly-sexual depictions of women on their consoles. The Japanese version also includes the option to select "Normal" or "Hard" difficulty settings at the beginning of the game. While the Hard setting represents the default play mode on the English version, the Normal setting grants the player five health points instead of three, as well as unlimited continues.
Reception
DinoCity received mostly good to average reviews during its North American release. Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
was impressed with the game's "colorful" graphics and "cute" character designs, stating that it "seems geared for kids, but adults can play too." However, the magazine ultimately declared that "although [the game] enjoys some of the nicest SNES wallpaper yet, the theme is less than exhilerating [sic] while the pace remains stuck in molasses ... the overall execution of this title was cooler than it should be." GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine similarly declared that "the colorful cartoon-style graphics create an ancient, humorous atmosphere ... thematically the game seems aimed at the younger set." Despite its target demographic, the magazine still found it to be challenging enough for "intermediate adventurers." Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
praised the game's "colorful and very detailed" graphics and "very good" music, but found the overall experience to be "a little too difficult for beginning players."
A more contemporary review of DinoCity from the website Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
was largely in agreement with earlier editors, referring to it as "a (relatively) challenging and interesting game featuring a mind-boggling variety of levels." The game's vibrant graphics were once again touched upon, with the website calling them "not only adorable, [but] sophisticated as well. The backgrounds vary greatly from level to level and the characters are nicely animated and drawn in a cartoon-like manner. Also, the game is colorful to the extreme.". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
placed the game tenth on its "Top 10 Prehistoric Games" list in February 2007, stating that "If you never got a chance to play Dino City on the SNES, we feel bad for you." DinoCity maintains a 69% average score from the aggregate review website Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
.