JP:OG is a dinosaur based theme park game where you get to create your very own Jurrasic Park! How cool is that? Very!
There is no campaign however there are two different sets of missions that have their own respective goals. One is called Exercises which is basically OG's tutorial section and they will teach you how to play the game. As you progress, the missions get tougher. The other set of missions titled Missions (at least I think that's what they are called) has you completing various missions that very drastically. These could range from wrangling dinosaurs to building a park and so on. Don't worry, OG has plenty more to offer. The biggest part of the game, in my opinion, is the Park Creator which allows you to generate an island of your choosing and start building your park the precise way you want it to be. You will have to create dinosaurs and care for them while managing visitor needs and expenses. The final game mode is one you will have to unlock by beating the Exercises and Missions. This game mode is called Site B. Ring a bell, JP fans? In this mode, you are free of visitors and expenses. All you have to do is create dinosaurs. This might sound boring but then again half of this game is creating your own fun so you'll have to be creative! That pretty much sums up this section so then let's move on shall we?
Without a doubt, playability is a big part of any game. So exactly how does OG play? Well, generally if you decide to forego the tutorials in favor of the Park Creator then you will be asked by John Hammond to select a formidable island for your park. You can generate how many trees, rivers, and mountains there are as well as determine what size you want the island to be. Once you do that, the map will load and you are on the brink of creating the JP of your dreams. The first thing you will want to do is create a visitor center. Without one, you can't open your park. Once you complete that, generate a road way and determine where you want to build your cages, that is unless you want your T-Rex and Velociraptors to move around freely and do as they please such a kill visitors. If that's the way you want to roll then go for it! Do keep in mind that you are on a tight budget of a starting $60,000 (my apologies for not including other nation's currency choice, pure laziness on my part). This is generally how you will start. Do you get the vibe? Hope so. You will start out with one dig side which you will have to have teams excavate in order to find fossils. There are quite a few dig locations and you will have to level up your fame, indicated by stars that are gained as your park's popularity rises. Unfortunately, you only get a total of five dig locations. That means you cannot have every kind of dinosaur at once which is very dumb if you ask me. As for controls, they are good but definitely not the best. They are rather finicky. For example, if you are building a pathway and want to access something in regards to your dinosaurs, you will have to go through the whole in game menu again. Forgive me because this is very difficult to describe in words. Although there is a lot to cover in regards to playability, I cannot describe every little detail in words but I hope you understand the gist of the game.
So, are you intrigued yet? I hope so because Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis really is a classic gem which JP and theme park builder fans should not miss. OG is very unique because you will have to manage your money efficiently otherwise you will run out and be in deep waters. A very cool strategy element indeed. As you might notice, OG was made in 2003 which is ten years old as of this review. With this bit of information in mind, OG's graphics are definitely out dated. However, just because the graphics aren't the best doesn't mean that OG isn't fun because it is a ton of fun! I hope this review has helped you and if you have any questions, please feel free to IM me. I will be more than happy to answer any questions.
JCS