The Evil, Ugly Guy On My Shoulder's Verdict: Further proof that Jota has been playing "Pass The Bong" a little too much of late.
The Nice, Handsome Guy On My Shoulder's Verdict: This game took me back to my childhood, and all those hazy, endless summer afternoons I spent dreaming up impossible stories for my little plastic pals.
The Evil, Ugly Guy On My Shoulder's Rebuttal: Oh, geez. I hope you never mention your "little plastic pals" on this site ever again, you sick, sick bastard.
My Verdict: Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this is a ton better than Pass The Banana!
Game Information
Game Type: Inform
Author Info: Admiral Jota is the IFMud personality who brought us that insatiable party favorite Pass The Banana one short year ago.
Other Games By This Author: Pass The Banana
Download Link: The entire Dino Comp 2000 package(650 KB) includes this game and a lot of other
We at Reviews From Trotting Krips simply cannot refrain from reviewing Admiral Jota games, and reviewing them often at that. The guy has only written two publically released games(er...perhaps "Cell" counts too, but I've never played it) as far as I know, but this is the FIFTH Jota-related review to appear on this site. This may well mean that Jota has been reviewed more often than any other IF author on this site so far. Depending on your viewpoint, this is either funny, or really, really wrong. I prefer to think it an amusing coincidence, myself - let's just say that Admiral Jota writes IF games that are fun to review and leave it at that. As for all those all-expenses paid trips to the Caribbean he has purportedly offered to various members of the Reviews From Trotting Krips staff...well, so what if it's true? We still trash his games!
Unlike Robb, I actually preferred this game to the jokey, purposeless IF Comp entry Pass The Banana. It is certainly a very different kind of game, but that's a good thing, IMHO: hands off to Admiral Jota for showing us that he can do more than write interactive in-jokes. Dinosaur Hunt is an enjoyable slice-of-life "adventure" concerning a little boy and his desire to play "dinosaurs." The player's job is to find the kid some freakin' dinosaurs...of the small, plastic variety. The story could not be called exciting, and the methods by which the toy dinosaurs are procured are not terribly complex. Why did I enjoy this game, then? Well, it just worked for me. I dug being a kid again. Playing with toys on an empty playground. No worries. No responsibility. Just time, sunshine, and space. FREEDOM! I also found the game to be very well organized. The setting - a small playground that cannot be exited - comes alive due to the excellent room descriptions and strategically placed simple objects you can interact with in entertaining ways - notably, a slide and a basketball hoop. On the downside, the game is not a bit challenging, and the way you find two of the dinosaurs using the exact same command was, IMHO, poor game design. Really, if only Jota had thought of another clever way to hide the other dinosaur, this game would've been perfect. The peaceful, relaxed atmosphere of the playground is perfectly conveyed through Jota's restrained but warm room descriptions. And though you are the only one currently inside the playground(something I thought was fascinating), the game is not a lonely experience...instead it is tranquil. A very reflective, thoughtful game, this reminds me of an Impressionist painting. The way that it seems to effortlessly draws upon the player's own memories of childhood to make the game seem more real is simply superb. Admiral Jota has shown that sensitivity and restraint can be excellent traits for an IF writer to have. Truly, I recommend this game very highly. It is definitely not just another Pass The Banana - it's another side of Jota we're seeing altogether, and personally I'm very happy to know that the guy thinks about more than the insane adventures of bananas, flaming heads, monkeys, and robots. Plus, the basketball game rules.
Simple Rating: 6/10
Complicated Rating: 31/50
Writing: 8/10
Story: 7/10
Playability: 7/10
Puzzle Quality: 3/10
Parser Responsiveness: 6/10