Rayman and Dino Crisis. Those are two names you don't normally hear mentioned in the same sentence, but today is not a normal day. That's right, launching today is the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition from Digital Eclipse. And that's not all, because it was just announced that we're also getting both Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2 on Steam. That's exciting news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Die Hard Game Fan, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. I sure hope you like tonal shifts, because you're about to get one in this dinosaur-filled episode of Review Crew.


Rayman was released at what ended up being a transition period for the games industry. After years of traditional side-scrolling action games, the 32-bit consoles like the PlayStation and Saturn promised a future full of 3D worlds. But while games like Panzer Dragoon and Ridge Racer helped to pave the way for polygonal graphics, there were other developers that used the high-powered hardware to create gorgeous 2D platformers, like Rayman. This is a stunning game, no matter if you played it on the PlayStation, Saturn or even the Jaguar. And if you pick up the 30th Anniversary Edition of the game, you'll be treated to the aforementioned PlayStation and Jaguar versions, as well as the MS DOS, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and, most exciting of all, a bit of the never-released Super NES prototype. We'll talk more about the various versions at the end, but for this episode of Review Crew, we're going to be looking at reviews of the Saturn and PlayStation installments. Here's what the critics said.

When there are a lot of reviews, I like to start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who often find themselves right smack dab in the middle. EGM ended up giving Rayman an average score of 8.6 out of 10, but that doesn't tell the full story. This is one of those times where everybody gave the game a 9 out of 10, but one of them dragged the score down with a 7.5. That guy was Al, who argued that, “contrary to the early belief that the PlayStation can't do side-scrolling games very well, Rayman comes out shining in many ways. The game's visuals can be easily noted among the best, with lots of detail and animation that rivals the animation that comes out of Disney. The play control takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get it down, it's pretty easy. I like this game.” Sushi X gave it a 9, wondering “what is this little dude and where did he come from? Whatever it is, there is no mistaking the cute look for the simply breathtaking graphics. If you think you've seen the mascot concept done to death, you've never played Rayman. There are tons of techniques and loads of gameplay that complement the cool sounds and awesome eye candy. At first you may think it is all looks and no play – WRONG! This is one of the freshest side-scrollers in a while.”

As we go down the scale, we see that there were others that agreed with Al's lower score. Sega Power gave the game an 81%, while Next Generation went with a 4 out of 5. Hyper ended up going all the way down to a 75%, but it was Computer & Video Games that offered the lowest score – 71%. “Jaguar owners should maybe buy this game. Everyone else, forget it – unless you bought a 32-bit machine to play 16-bit games. Even then, Rayman doesn't come close to Yoshi's Island. We have Clockwork Knight 2 on Saturn, and Jumping Flash (still) on PlayStation running at CVG, with a new 16-bit stunner – Super Mario RPG – on the way. Nobody here has any incentive to lead Rayman through 70 levels of seen-it-done-it and tricky sequences met by little reward. These are old ideas dressed in the emperor's new clothes.”

On the other side of the EGM divide, we see GamePro give the PlayStation version a 4.5 out of 5, while Mean Machines Sega went as high as 91%. If you're looking for the highest marks, then look no further than Die Hard Game Fan. While they gave the PlayStation take a 91%, they went with a staggering 96% when reviewing the Saturn version. Skid wondered if Rayman is the best platformer on the Saturn: “It's anybody's race. Clockwork Knight 2 is visually shocking, but short, Astal is a Van Gogh, and Shinobi is, well, Shinobi. Rayman has it all – huge levels filled with hidden secrets, amazing art, a superb soundtrack and length to burn. Fantastic!” E. Storm liked the game even more, noting that the Saturn version feels a touch faster. “I like the cool FX at each level's end and I love the new intro. The developers cared about this game, and it shows. The game itself is as vast and fun a platformer as you'll ever play, and the music is at times incredible, but always good.”

Based on the magazines we surveyed, the Saturn version comes out on top, with an overall average of 87%. That's impressive, though it should be said that there were far fewer Saturn reviews and the complaints about the PlayStation version were more about it being 2D or having old ideas. Still even with a few complaints, the PlayStation version averaged a score of 82%. The overall average between the Saturn and PlayStation was 84%. In case you're wondering, the Jaguar version scored an 83%, while the Game Boy Color version is by far the weakest of the bunch, averaging a mere 68%. You can find out why when you check out Rayman's 30th Anniversary Collection.

Having scared the stuffing out of PlayStation owners with the Resident Evil series, Capcom decided to shake things up by replacing zombies with the next best thing – dinosaurs. Released in 1999, right between The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3, Dino Crisis hit the PlayStation at a time when everybody was both scared and fascinated by everything from velociraptors all the way up to the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. It's the perfect setup for survival horror, trapping the likable Regina on a secluded island that has been overrun by some of the nastiest dinosaurs Capcom could animate. Never mind that it basically copies and pastes the same story from Resident Evil, because the change of location and villain is more than enough to shake up the formula. With Resident Evil 3: Nemesis hot on its heels, what did the critics think of Dino Crisis?

When it came to Electronic Gaming Monthly, they liked Dino Crisis, but didn't find the dinosaurs to be as scary as zombies. John explains that “despite what you might think at first, this isn't just another Resident Evil clone. Sure, it has a lot in common with its stable-mate, but it has enough new stuff to make you feel like you really are somewhere other than Raccoon City. As far as spooks and horror go, I think it has to be said that dinosaurs aren't as scary as zombies – although they can make you jump when they smash through a window and eat your friends.” Shawn liked the game a bit more, but also took issue with the dinosaurs: “After playing Dino Crisis, I've decided these supposedly extinct cold-blooded creatures suck. OK, so maybe they don't, -- I'm just mad because they 1) scared the hell out of me, and 2) killed me. The latter being a bigger problem, of course. Seriously, though, Dino Crisis is pretty solid in all respects – gameplay-wise, graphically, sound, etc. There isn't much to complain about. Heck, even the voice acting is decent. Any fan of Resident Evil should take notice.” Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Dino Crisis an average score of 8.1 out of 10.

That is pretty much tied with the lowest scores, with Edge giving the game an 8 out of 10 and the Official PlayStation Magazine giving it the equivalent score of 4 out of 5. They are the outliers, as GamePro gave it a 4.5 out of 5 and Game Informer gave it a straight 9 out of 10. Andy argued that “Dino Crisis delivers more chills and spills” than Jurassic Park. “Sporting the world-famous Resident Evil gameplay, there wasn't too much that Capcom could do to screw up this Dinosaur spin-off. The 3D backgrounds are especially nice, as they speed up gameplay, display better depth and darn it ... look real nice. Dino Crisis doesn't have quite the same flair as Resident Evil (like Darkstalkers to Street Fighter). It does, however, deliver an entertaining experience that shouldn't be missed.”

As we climb the scale we see Game Fan give Dino Crisis a very strong 92%, while Computer and Video Games went even higher with a perfect 5 out of 5. That's the same score we saw from Next Generation, who called it one of the year's best games: “The real stars of the game – and will immediately grab your attention when you start playing – are the dinosaurs themselves. Velociraptors move with an almost eerie realism as they hunt you down, pterodactyls take convincing swipes at your head, and the pad even rumbles with the T-Rex's lumbering approach. As adversaries, they are far deadlier than the usual zombies Capcom serves up, and twice as devious. Don't expect to take these guys out with just a head shot, either. Unless you find some tranquilizer darts, you can expect a dinosaur to take several good hits before it goes down – and the T-Rex takes far more than that.”

Although the sequels never quite lived up to the potential of the first game, Dino Crisis was a fantastic debut release that shook up the survival horror genre at the perfect time. It may not have zombies and mutants, but Dino Crisis still offers up a lot of scares.

While the more cynically-minded gamers may have mocked Capcom for recycling Resident Evil's survival horror tropes and replacing zombies with dinosaurs, but the end result was clear – Dino Crisis was a success. Both the critics and consumers loved the game, raving about the change in scenery and the tension that comes with a massive T-rex stomping around. If you were expecting more of the same from the sequel, then think again, because Dino Crisis 2 is a whole different beast. This 2000 sequel is more of a straight-forward action game than survival horror, changing up the pacing and turning the dinosaur crisis into more of an inconvenience. Some loved the new direction, while others were disappointed. Let's see what the critics said.

We're going to start at the very bottom of the scale, where Next Generation gave Dino Crisis 2 a shockingly poor 2 out of 5. They were frustrated by the sequel's hard shift into action: “Though there are some decent puzzles to solve, Crisis 2 loads its plate with lots of blood and fuels its prehistoric fire with scenes designed specifically to elicit a surge of adrenaline. Tooth-and-claw battles take up a lot of gameplay, and the endlessly respawning creatures provide great thrills at first. And then, when the rush wears off, ennui. In fact, the incessant demand that Regeina and Dylan schlep back and forth between game levels, retrieving previously hidden goodies, is a punishable gameplay offense. There is, however, one other huge flaw that can't be ignored: the game can be beaten in just a few hours – as little as four if you've any skill and half a brain. As good as certain parts of this are, there simply isn't enough of it.”

Next Generation wasn't alone in their frustration, as Edge gave the game a 6 out of 10 and Computer & Video Games went with a 7 out o 10. Even Game Fan was down on it. They went from a 92% down to 86%, a six-point drop. Electronic Gaming Monthly, on the other hand, actually scored the game better, jumping from an 8.1 out of 10 to an 8.8. Milkman explained that “This is much more than the same old survival horror with dinosaurs. It's nonstop action, with tons more enemies, awesome control, great graphics and sweet cutscenes. Plus, I'll take a fiery red-headed Regina any day over Jill or Claire – but that's just me. I thought the polygonal backgrounds in the first game were a nice change of pace, so I expected to hate DC2's switch to prerendered backgrounds – but I don't. They look great, and allow outdoor settings, plus more dinos on screen at once.” Mark agreed, noting that as a Resident Evil fan, he's sick of the usual survival horror formula. “That's why I love Dino 2. The whole game has been rebuilt to revolve around the action-packed run and gun gameplay. Sure, that means you sacrifice some of the slow, burning fear and almost all of the superior puzzles of the first game, but I was having too much fun blowing away the big lizards to really care.”

Believe it or not, the only magazine to like Dino Crisis 2 more than EGM was GamePro, who gave the sequel a perfect 5 out of 5. “Purist fans of the original Dino Crisis may balk at the sequel's emphasis on nonstop chaos, but action genre fans won't want to miss out on one of the most intense PlayStation titles of the year. Having a Crisis has never been this much fun.”

Even a quarter-century later, Dino Crisis 2 is an extremely divisive sequel. It's good for what it is, a dino-killing action game. But is that what fans of the original wanted? The overall average of 74% shows that the critics were split, with some saying it was better than the original and the others calling it a big disappointment. I guess it comes down on what you prefer – action or horror. I think both are fun, but that's just me.