Dino Stalker Review Summoner 2 - sequel to one of the top-selling role-playing adventures on PlayStation 2  @ www.contactmusic.com
Dino Stalker Review

Time travelling dinosaurs and a World War II fighter pilot, does that sound bizarre to you? Thought you might think so, this is the story behind Dino Stalker, but although the story line isn't up to much it does mean there is loads of dinosaur slaying to be done. Dino Stalker plays like most light gun games, you will move on from one level to another occasionally picking up the odd health pack or weapon upgrade along the way. The main difference with Dino Stalker is that the camera isn't on rails, so you will move around the levels while blasting dinosaurs.

You may play Dino Stalker with a G-Con 2 light gun using the D-pad on the back of the gun to move around, but using a single hand to move and shoot is a difficult task and it will tire your arm out quicker than the average light gun. Alternatively you can use a dual shock 2 controller but the targeting cross-hair is far too sensitive, you will find yourself dealing with over correction though out the game. The third option is to use the light gun and the dual shock controller in tandem, using the duel shock D-pad for movement and the light gin strictly for shooting only. This option is by far the best of the three, but it doesn't make up for the slow movement or the inability to look up and down, you will spend a lot of time fighting the control system as well as the dinosaurs.

Dino Stalker isn't one of the best looking PS2 games on the market; well it doesn't even graphically stand up to most light gun games either. The dinosaurs themselves are the best-presented aspect of Dino Stalker with good modelling and animation. You will be treated to some pre-rendered cut scenes in between levels but they are not too impressive either. The sound in Dino Stalker is also pretty unimpressive, the gun sounds are quite good though but the shrieking dinosaurs and the sound track aren't anything to write home about.

Dino Stalker doesn't really excel in any one area of its design, it would have been much more playable if Capcom had left out the Gun Survivor control scheme and just left the movement on rails like other light gun games. The game is loosely linked to the Dino Crisis games but there's not a lot to draw fans from the series and with some superior light gun games for the PS2 there is not really any reason to buy Dino Stalker unless you love slaughtering dinosaurs.

4.5 out of 10

Dino Stalker Review @ www.contactmusic.com
Dino Stalker Review @ www.contactmusic.com
Dino Stalker Review @ www.contactmusic.com

 

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