Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals
Encyclopedia
Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals is a video game expansion pack
for Zoo Tycoon 2
released October 17, 2007. The expansion focuses around extinct animals, mainly dinosaur
s or ice age
creatures, as well as more recently extinct creatures like the dodo
, thylacine
and quagga
.
This expansion pack follows the other expansion packs, Endangered Species
, African Adventure
and Marine Mania
. Extinct Animals replaces and includes the animals and objects from the earlier Dino Danger Pack
premium download. This expansion is similar to the Dinosaur Digs
expansion of the first Zoo Tycoon
The game's tagline
is "bring 'em back."
listed a strategy guide for Extinct Animals under its listings. It was listed as "Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct (working title)", showing Blue Fang Games
were still in very early production and had not yet thought of a title.
Nevertheless, in January 2007, Windows Vista
released its 2007 gaming lineup as well as a promotional video featuring a few seconds of footage. Later, in April 2007, Games for Windows
added an Extinct Animals page to their website and revealed several new pieces of information such as box art and animal confirmations. The text that was shown was in fact the same as in the previous Endangered Species.
On May 24, an official press release was released on the official Zoo Tycoon website revealing that Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals will be released in "fall/autumn" with a total of 30 animals, making it the largest Zoo Tycoon 2 expansion pack to date. On amazon.com and .co.uk, it showed the release dates for Europe and the USA.
Upon the arrival of E3 2007, Games for Windows and Blue Fang Games released a second promotional video of several new features and a set of screenshot
s. The Extinct Animals Games for Windows page was also edited with screenshots and new information. Zoo Tycoon.com, however, was still not updated for E3.
In August 2007, Blue Fang Games released an official trailer showing many of the main features of the expansion, including sonar detection for fossils and minigames to clone creatures, as well as confirming several animals. In the same month Blue Fang employees on several fansites began releasing new information, confirming a total of eight unseen animals.
In September 2007, the official Zoo Tycoon website was finally updated with a new Extinct Animals page, in addition to screenshots, the rest of the game's features, a "fansite
kit", game demo
and an official screensaver
.
Several new minigames (similar to the trick training games in Marine Mania) are included. These are, as follows: locating fossils
, curing diseases
, cloning animals
, building skeleton jigsaws, and tranquilizing dinosaurs. Most of these get more challenging as you progress through the game.
This mode is only available when a dinosaur becomes upset with its living conditions. This causes it to go on a rampage, where it will destroy its exhibit, then break out and attempt to destroy the zoo. However, the player can prevent such disasters by locating the enraged dinosaur and sedating it or forming a "Dino Capture Team" to catch the loose dinosaur.
There is a total of 35 animals in this expansion pack, including updated animals from the Dino Danger Pack and the two true unlockable animals (Extinct Animals is the first in the Zoo Tycoon franchise to have any). The Dino Danger Pack animals and objects are included, and all are updated, although they are still categorised in the animal adoption menu under "Dino Danger".
These animals can be unlocked either by completing an in-game campaign or in the animal creation minigame. None of them (besides the killer penguin
and quagga
) have Zoopedia entry and proper stats, so are not generally counted as true animals.
or Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection
to play.
. The first-person shooter mode of the game attracted slightly older audiences, but brought the expansion's ESRB
rating up slightly.
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
for Zoo Tycoon 2
Zoo Tycoon 2
Zoo Tycoon 2 is a video game in which the player may create and operate a zoo by managing its finances, employees and animal exhibits. The goal is to become a "zoo tycoon". Originally released for Windows, Zoo Tycoon 2 is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, Mac OS X and Nintendo DS...
released October 17, 2007. The expansion focuses around extinct animals, mainly dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s or ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
creatures, as well as more recently extinct creatures like the dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
, thylacine
Thylacine
The thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
and quagga
Quagga
The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
.
This expansion pack follows the other expansion packs, Endangered Species
Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species
Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species is the first of the Zoo Tycoon 2 expansion packs...
, African Adventure
Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure
Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure is the second expansion pack for the video game Zoo Tycoon 2. Developed by Blue Fang Games, work for the game began in early 2005 for a May 2006 release....
and Marine Mania
Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania
Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania is the third expansion pack for the video game Zoo Tycoon 2. The expansion focuses around marine animals, as did the Marine Mania expansion for the first Zoo Tycoon game.-Animal shows:...
. Extinct Animals replaces and includes the animals and objects from the earlier Dino Danger Pack
Zoo Tycoon 2: Dino Danger Pack
Zoo Tycoon 2: Dino Danger Pack is a bonus pack for the game Zoo Tycoon 2 released on July 2006. It could be downloaded from the Zoo Tycoon website and Oberon Media website...
premium download. This expansion is similar to the Dinosaur Digs
Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs
Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs is an expansion pack released for the PC game Zoo Tycoon. It included dinosaurs and ice age creatures, as well as prehistoric themed items.-Gameplay:...
expansion of the first Zoo Tycoon
Zoo Tycoon
Zoo Tycoon is a business simulation developed by Blue Fang Games and released by Microsoft Game Studios. It is a tycoon game in which the player must run a zoo and try to make a profit. Although first released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it was ported to the Nintendo DS in 2005...
The game's tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
is "bring 'em back."
Pre-release
During 2006, in a similar way to how the African Adventure expansion was first confirmed, Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
listed a strategy guide for Extinct Animals under its listings. It was listed as "Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct (working title)", showing Blue Fang Games
Blue Fang Games
Blue Fang Games, often shortened to Blue Fang, is a computer game developer .Blue Fang is noted for the popular Zoo Tycoon series.-Games:*Zoo Tycoon **Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs **Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania...
were still in very early production and had not yet thought of a title.
Nevertheless, in January 2007, Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
released its 2007 gaming lineup as well as a promotional video featuring a few seconds of footage. Later, in April 2007, Games for Windows
Games for Windows
Games for Windows is a brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to coincide with the release of Windows Vista. The brand represents a standardized technical certification program and online service for Windows games, bringing a measure of regulation to the PC game market in much the same way...
added an Extinct Animals page to their website and revealed several new pieces of information such as box art and animal confirmations. The text that was shown was in fact the same as in the previous Endangered Species.
On May 24, an official press release was released on the official Zoo Tycoon website revealing that Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals will be released in "fall/autumn" with a total of 30 animals, making it the largest Zoo Tycoon 2 expansion pack to date. On amazon.com and .co.uk, it showed the release dates for Europe and the USA.
Upon the arrival of E3 2007, Games for Windows and Blue Fang Games released a second promotional video of several new features and a set of screenshot
Screenshot
A screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
s. The Extinct Animals Games for Windows page was also edited with screenshots and new information. Zoo Tycoon.com, however, was still not updated for E3.
In August 2007, Blue Fang Games released an official trailer showing many of the main features of the expansion, including sonar detection for fossils and minigames to clone creatures, as well as confirming several animals. In the same month Blue Fang employees on several fansites began releasing new information, confirming a total of eight unseen animals.
In September 2007, the official Zoo Tycoon website was finally updated with a new Extinct Animals page, in addition to screenshots, the rest of the game's features, a "fansite
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
kit", game demo
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
and an official screensaver
Screensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
.
Minigames
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, curing diseases
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
, cloning animals
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, building skeleton jigsaws, and tranquilizing dinosaurs. Most of these get more challenging as you progress through the game.
Dino rampage
Animals
Unlockable animals
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
and quagga
Quagga
The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
) have Zoopedia entry and proper stats, so are not generally counted as true animals.
System Requirements
As it is an expansion pack, it requires the original Zoo Tycoon 2Zoo Tycoon 2
Zoo Tycoon 2 is a video game in which the player may create and operate a zoo by managing its finances, employees and animal exhibits. The goal is to become a "zoo tycoon". Originally released for Windows, Zoo Tycoon 2 is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, Mac OS X and Nintendo DS...
or Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection
Zoo Tycoon 2
Zoo Tycoon 2 is a video game in which the player may create and operate a zoo by managing its finances, employees and animal exhibits. The goal is to become a "zoo tycoon". Originally released for Windows, Zoo Tycoon 2 is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, Mac OS X and Nintendo DS...
to play.
- Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
98SE or Higher - PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
with 733 MHz equivalent or higher processor - 256 MB of system RAM
- 900 MB available hard disk space
- 32x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
- 16 MB 3D video card required
- DirectXDirectXMicrosoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
9.0 or later - Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Reception
Critically, Extinct Animals did well, receiving a 7.2 critic score and 8.6 user score on GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. The first-person shooter mode of the game attracted slightly older audiences, but brought the expansion's ESRB
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
rating up slightly.
See also
- List of Games for Windows titles
- Zoo Tycoon seriesZoo Tycoon (series)The Zoo Tycoon series is a video game series that began in 2001. All of the games in the series focus around building up a successful zoo and running it, although scenarios may have other goals.-Development history:...
- Dinosaur Digs