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It’s no secret that dinosaurs are all the rage these days.
It’s no secret that dinosaurs are all the rage these days. Ranging from movies liketo video games like, it’s evident that the long since extinct creatures have risen once more to entertain audiences the world over. This got us thinking about some of the great dinosaur games that we’ve enjoyed over the years, and we’ve managed to come up with a list of five dino-themed titles that kept us firmly in our seats upon their arrival.
Setting aside the sheer number of playable and lackluster dinosaur ventures over the years, though, it’s safe to say that we had to sift through a number of less than stellar titles to compose our list. Some of these games are kid-friendly, while others are intended for older audiences. Bearing our own dissatisfaction with the overwhelming number of mediocre games, we believe we’ve discovered the cream of the crop. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at the top five dinosaur video games of all time.
Bonk’s Adventure
Originally published by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16 system before being ported to other consoles such as the NES, Bonk’s Adventure managed to impress quite a few gamers. In fact, the game was deemed such a success that it eventually went on to receive four more sequels across a medley of platforms. The cutesy caveman would fight a number of prehistoric baddies in his original outing, but none were as prominent as the anthropomorphic dinosaurs that constantly set out to stop him – with the final boss being the villainous Tyrannosaurus Rex King Drool.
We fondly remember Bonk’s Adventure for its fun platforming and unique controls, which largely involved head-butting foes. The series has since been shelved following the cancellation of Bonk: Brink of Extinction in March 2011, which is unfortunate given the fact that the brief hands-on time we had with it during E3 2010 proved to be very enjoyable. Sadly, the series is now as extinct as the dinos that occupied it.
Jurassic Park (SEGA Genesis)
It’s no secret that licensed games are traditionally lacking in quality, and this is usually the result of being rushed to launch alongside their respective films. While licensed games depend largely on brand name to carry sales, there was actually a good dinosaur game based on one of the most iconic (the only iconic?) dinosaur films of all time, Jurassic Park . What made this side-scroller special was the fact that players could play as either movie protagonist Doctor Alan Grant or a freaking velociraptor.
Being able to take control of an animal that’s long since been killed off was an unforgettable experience in the eyes of many players. The levels would change up depending on which character was selected too, which made it feel as if there were two distinct campaigns included on the cartridge. Despite the game appearing on both the SEGA Genesis and SNES, the SEGA-published entry is widely accepted as the better version – hence why it has made our list.
NEXT: The Top 3 Dinosaur Games