Dino Crisis 2 First Impressions

Like the original Dino Crisis, the sequel puts players in control of Regina and an unnamed blonde muscleman who explore Edward City (no relation to Raccoon City), a small town that mysteriously vanished one day, only to be replaced by an ancient tropical jungle and its inhabitants. The dinosaurs in Dino Crisis 2 are greatly improved from the original, both in size and in number. Raptors, T-Rexes, Pterodactyls, and other dinos are all present to make the characters' experience a living hell. 10 different breeds of dinosaurs are present, and they're all more sophisticated than in the first title. These dinos attack in packs, back off when injured, and go for the kill when they sense that the player is near death. Like the first collection of dinosaurs, they're not terribly restricted by physical objects. Players can jump up to platforms or climb boxes to escape, only to be cornered off by a herd of raptors who have gracefully leapt up as well. Gone is the box/plug system, replaced by a new combo system that awards points. Players who manage to hit dinosaurs continuously without getting hit themselves will award higher amounts of points than those who perform hit and run tactics. The points can then be traded in for health items and weapons at stations throughout the game. Interestingly, players will only bleed until they make their way through a door, but they can still bleed to death if caught in the middle of nowhere. Hemostatic medicine is present to help beat the odds. And, perhaps in the most appreciated feature in a Capcom survival horror title, the characters will run automatically and can shoot while on the move.