Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor
A side-scrolling dinosaur DNA collection game for GBA.
Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor is a side-scrolling puzzle game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii and published by Konami. It was released to coincide with the film Jurassic Park III in 2001. The game is one of three Jurassic Park III titles published by Konami for the platform.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii
- Publisher
- Konami
- Series
- Jurassic Park
- Released
- July 17, 2001 (NA)
- September 28, 2001 (PAL)
- November 1, 2001 (JP)
- Genre
- Side-scrolling puzzle
- Modes
- Single player
- Platforms
- Game Boy Advance
Facts from the source article.
Summary
After a cargo plane crashes on Isla Sorna, the dinosaur DNA it carried scatters across the island. The player controls either photographer Mark Hanson or ace pilot Lori Torres, navigating side-scrolling levels by switching between foreground and background pathways to collect DNA and avoid dinosaurs. Collected DNA is used in a puzzle minigame to create new dinosaurs, unlocking further areas. The game ends with the military bombing the island and the player escaping by plane.
Reception
The game received mixed to negative reviews. GameRankings gave it 48.94%, and Metacritic assigned 44 out of 100. AllGame praised the graphics and sound effects but criticized the controls as awkward and the levels as poorly designed and seemingly impossible to complete. They also found the foreground-background pathway switching confusing, noting that the limited screen size made paths deceptive. IGN commended the cutscenes, sound effects, and music, but faulted the sloppy game design, clumsy controls, bad collision detection, and the lack of shadows to indicate whether items were on the foreground or background path. GameSpot criticized the sound effects and music as disappointing, and stated the game shared nothing with the film; they called the pathway switching a confusing gimmick that increased backtracking. In 2018, Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen ranked it among the worst Jurassic Park games, saying it looked and played awful at release and had not aged well.
More in Game Boy Advance Game Library of the 2000s
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