Reboot Required: 5 reasons Dino Crisis deserves a remake


Who needs zombies when you can have velociraptors?

While Resident Evil began the ‘Survival Horror’ genre back in 1996, it was its sequel, released in 1998, that really solidified the genre to be the iconic mainstay for its generation. Within Capcom, this led to some teams diversifying the engine, and wanting to move away from the Resident Evil series.

This is where ‘Dino Crisis’ came in. Released on July 1st 1999, you played as Regina, a member of the Secret Operation Raid Team, where they were assigned to infiltrate a research facility on ‘Ibis Island’.

While the control scheme from Resident Evil was borrowed, everything else was new; fighting against all kinds of dinosaurs, while using a system to create ‘darts’ as weapons and introducing Quick Time Events with ‘DANGER’ scenes.

Its sequel, while not as acclaimed, brought about an action orientated focus, released in 2000, where you would score points and in-turn be able to buy more powerful guns. It was an underrated classic at the end of the original PlayStation’s life.

However, twenty years later and the series is laying dormant. With remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, and a rumoured remake of 4 on the way, many fans want to see Capcom give the same attention to a Dino Crisis remake.

What was Dino Crisis?

For those of you who didn’t play it, Dino Crisis hit the Playstation in July 1999. In it, you played as Regina, a member of the Secret Operation Raid Team - assigned to infiltrate a research facility on ‘Ibis Island’.

While the control scheme from Resident Evil was borrowed, everything else was new; fighting against all kinds of dinosaurs, while using a system to create ‘darts’ as weapons and introducing Quick Time Events with ‘DANGER’ scenes.

Its sequel, while not as acclaimed, brought about an action orientated focus, released in 2000, where you would score points and in-turn be able to buy more powerful guns. It was an underrated classic at the end of the original PlayStation’s life.

The third game in the trilogy? Okay, well, things got a bit weird… dinosaurs in space, anyone?

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DINO Horror Remade

The remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 run on the RE engine and it's fantastic lighting effects, coupled with the newly polished graphics kept that high-anxiety in check. And that unique fixed-cam really helps build up that claustrophobic sense of existential dread.  

Imagine the same applied here. 

The anticipation of what beast lurks around the corner of every corridor - or dodging the jaws of the dreaded T-Rex in THAT iconic scene. 

Capcom made the smart move of remaking those games in a way that stayed true to the originals, and Dino Crisis can benefit just as well here.

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DANGER, DANGER!

We all remember having to press a combination of buttons at the right time throughout the game in certain ‘DANGER’ events - almost like a minigame amid the madness - but it added to the charm of Dino Crisis.Having more of these, but perhaps giving the player a bit more control, would ramp up the intensity and the panic.

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The Scoring System.

Lifted from Dino Crisis 2, you would earn points and combos depending on how fast you would destroy the enemies around you. Having this either in the main game, or a separate mode, would showcase just how much of a ‘pringle effect’ this system brought in the sequel.

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VR

We’ve seen just how VR made Resident Evil 7: Bio Hazard that much more immersive, but it could be so much more if you’re running around Ibis Island in VR. Running from a T-Rex chasing you, or having to aim at the flying Pterodactyls, could really give the game a justification for owning a VR headset, alongside Half Life Alyx.

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Online Co-op

This can either be borrowed from the ‘zapping’ system of Resident Evil 0 or just as a multiplayer offering that borrows from the scoring system in Dino Crisis 2. However, online modes are rampant in 2021, especially with Resident Evil Re:Verse on its way. Having this but set on Ibis Island with a group of friends, running around while trading darts and medical packs, is an interesting thought.

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It's Time

The first two Dino Crisis games are underrated classics, and it’s definitely time for a remake. With the next Resident Evil game coming, and the fourth entry rumoured to be in line next for a remake, Dino Crisis could surely benefit from the experiences that the dev team at Capcom have experienced with these.

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