I remember playing this on my N64 back in the day. Though still mediocre and easily the worst in the trilogy, Nightdive did a great job remastering it. The game is much sharper and runs muuch better than its N64 counterpart. However, because of this, you can definitely see flaws in the models. Gunplay is better but some of the hit scanners are just as annoying as before (some can hit you through walls and doors), the levels are very linear and boss fights are really easy. I wish Nightdive could have remastered the voice lines and some of the sound FX but it is what it is. The soundtrack is pretty decent. I'm guessing the reason this game is the most pricey out of the trilogy is because the other two had PC ports already while (I believe) this one didnt so more work was involved. Is it worth full price? Probably not. If you find it on sale, its worth it if you're a Turok fan. I still don't like Adon's design.
Wow, Dino Crisis 1 goes from fun to a complete exercise in frustration after the first major boss fight! What you've learned in the first part of the game now all seems to work against you in every way. Auto aim will target things you dont want, tank controls WILL get you killed when trying to escape, dinos now respawn when they want AND will follow you into rooms. But one of the worst culprits is your inventory. You carry a bunch of crap with you with no way to drop anything off unless you find some plugs for boxes. Since I've never played before, I have no idea where the boxes are and when I do find a box, chances are I dont have enough plugs on me so I'm constantly full. This game started out strong! The puzzles were pretty good, the atmosphere and tension was good with the dinos being tough but fair. Later on, you will die to the dumbest crap so all tension and scare factor will be gone. I can see how this game was big when it came out but without nostalgia goggles, it didnt age well at all. At least not for me. It was fun while it lasted.
I really wanted to like/ finish this game but the camera is giving me motion sickness for some reason. Probably because when in tight spaces, the camera is always moving around. I took a break and when I returned, I just ended up forgetting where to go and got lost. Only reason this game gets three stars instead of one is because I've always had a love for the story, characters, and voice acting.
Music, art, and movement all feel good and the bosses are pretty creative and fun for the most part. Game is pretty challenging but never overwhelming. Only a few issues, one of them being some of the optional bosses have far away save points so prepare for a long hike back if you die. Others issues include your bear pal auto targeting the wrong enemies, no indicators for where you picked up items, fast travel system is lacking a bit, and you can't skip dialog nor cutscenes if you have to redo a fight. If you're looking for a fun metroidvania that isn't too long nor too short, with a touch of bullet hell, you won't be disappointed.
For the good, the atmosphere and soundtrack are fantastic! The puzzles are great. Most of them will make you think for a while but are definitely solvable without looking up a guide. Plus I do appreciate the shortcuts you find in the map. Story is servicable. Though for the bad, camera is constantly in front of you so you usually have to guess where an enemy is. Sometimes enemies get a free hit when you enter a room. The character voice acting is pretty bad. Not as charming as the games its tryng to mimic. Character models themselves don't seem like they fit the setting at all due to low quality textures and materials plus the animations and acting could use some work. Also there isn't a lot of enemy variety and the AI isn't very good. Combat is sluggish and because of tank controls, you will find yourself taking more hits than you'd like. Other than all that, its a fun game and worth a play through if you like classic style survival horror!