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E3 2011: Best of Telltale -- Jurassic Park

230340423
Wednesday, June 08, 2011

What is it?

Ever wonder what happened to the shaving-cream can of dinosaur embryos that Dennis Nedry (the fat dude from Seinfeld) lost halfway through the film Jurassic Park? Right before he got eaten?

Telltale Games wondered the same thing. In fact, that's the starting point of their new adventure game, starring original characters but continuing the first movie's plot.

Why is it cool?

"I always wanted to see what happens after Nedry dies," said Telltale designer Joe Pinney. "This game is a perfect opportunity."

Pinney walked us through a section of the first episode of Jurassic Park, and its mix of exploration, problem solving, and sheer dino-inspired terror looks like a winner.

 

Context-sensitive button presses (a la L.A. Noire or Heavy Rain) help you inspect your environment as you find clues to Nedry's disappearance and the location of his dino-egg toiletries. You'll also use timed events to escape the attacks of the park's reptile residents. It adds up to a fast-paced experience, packed with much more action than Telltale's previous offerings.

The moment you will fear dinosaurs again

We were trying to escape a group of dilophosaurs -- the "spitters" that ate our friend Nedry -- when they suddenly scattered in horror, leaving us alone in the dark jungle of Isla Nublar. Alone, except for the noises in the undergrowth, drawing ever nearer...and finally biting our character's arm, an action that Pinney assured us will have dire consequences.

"This dino is a new threat to the park," Pinney said. "It's a nocturnal hunter; it uses fear to its advantage, leading the humans to act in ways that will benefit it." Sounds pretty terrifying to us.

Bonus item: Telltale's press materials came in our very own replica Barbasol can, complete with hidden embryo-shaped thumb drive inside. Awesome.

 
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Comments (2)
C15989a4
June 08, 2011

I was never super excited about the aspect of a Jurassic Park adventure game, but after hearing TellTale's Alan Johnson talk about the game a few times on the at1UP podcast (R.I.P.) I started to develop a faint but ever growing interest in the title. Now it's starting to look pretty damn cool.

230340423
June 13, 2011

It's still very much a Telltale-style adventure game, but some of the timed button presses give it more of an action feel (even if they're basically just quick-time events). Definitely made escaping dinos more tense.

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