First look: Jurassic Park: Survivor

At a recent press event in Burbank, Calif., Universal Interactive unveiled Jurassic Park: Survivor for the PlayStation 2. Currently in development at Savage Entertainment, the game is currently scheduled to ship alongside the feature-length motion picture Jurassic Park III in the fall. However, Jurassic Park: Survivor does not follow the same story as the upcoming movie. Savage claims that this will give it more freedom to develop and realize its ideas.

Jurassic Park: Survivor follows the story of David Vaughn, a security officer at the now-closed Jurassic Park. David has been assigned the task of making sure the dinosaurs stay on the island, preventing them from branching out into other areas of the planet and potentially breeding and multiplying. Unbeknownst to David, his boss has made an underhanded deal with a shadow corporation to supply it with dinosaur DNA and then destroy the island--giving the shadow corporation the edge in DNA research. It's up to David to keep the dinosaurs on the island, rescue his fellow security workers, and put a stop to his superior's devious scheme.

Described as Die Hard meets Jurassic Park by its developers, Jurassic Park: Survivor is a third-person action-adventure with plenty of gunplay. David may jump, roll, shoot, hang from and shimmy along edges, crawl, and repel down steep inclines. He will have an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including an electric prod, a grenade launcher, pistols, and more. Computer terminals located throughout the levels allow David to access security cameras to get a better view of the levels or scope out enemies, and a security tram delivers him to each level.

There will be eight different dinosaurs included in the game, but the only dinosaurs shown thus far have been raptors; a tyrannosaurus rex; triceratops; spitters; the small, pack-hunting compy; and the only carnivorous dino that preyed upon the T-rex, the truadon. Savage claims that the dinosaurs will hunt in packs and retreat once a certain number of them have been destroyed, and they'll also lead you into traps. There are four human enemies included in the game, and the mixture of the humans and dinosaurs will present many opportunities for puzzles. One scenario asks you to lure a group of raptors into a pen using a scented piece of cloth so they may take care of a group of human enemies for you. Some of the puzzles require block pushing, and there are other portions of the game that require stealth tactics. There are also some racing sections where you pilot an ATV through the dense jungle or a Jeep being chased by a T-rex.

There will be 12 levels in the final version of Jurassic Park: Survivor, and each one begins with a mission briefing that outlines the objectives for the level. David carries a PDA with him at all times that allows him to contact fellow team members for assistance. Survivor will include the actual dinosaur sounds from the Jurassic Park III movie, but Universal is still working out the logistics of using the motion picture's music for the game.

Jurassic Park: Survivor for the PlayStation 2 is currently scheduled for release in the fall. Look for our full preview of the game in the coming days.