Carnivores (video game)
| Carnivores | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Action Forms |
| Publisher(s) | WizardWorks Software |
| Series | Carnivores series |
| Engine | AtmosFear |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Genre(s) |
Sport (hunting) First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Carnivores is a first person shooting video game produced by Action Forms and released by WizardWorks Software in 1998. It is the first video game in the Carnivores series.
Storyline
Carnivores is set in the year 2190. During a routine space exploration mission, a science vessel known as the FMM UV discovered a planet with a climate suitable to sustain human life. The new planet was code-named FMM UV-32. During the initial scouting expedition, the planet was declared inhospitable for colonization because of its unstable terrain and large population of dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. News articles about the planet led to an Earth corporation purchasing the rights to the planet and creating DinoHunt Corporation. The company allowed for paying customers to hunt dinosaurs on their planet.[1]
Gameplay
The player takes the role of a DinoHunt customer.[1] At the start of a new game, the player must register a new hunter or continue with a saved hunter. The point of the game is hunting dinosaurs to get trophies and accumulate score. Each dinosaur represents a set number of points. A novice hunter starts with zero points, when his points increase he'll be able to hunt new dinosaurs on additional terrains with more powerful weapons. If the player is killed by a dinosaur, all points accumulated on that specific hunt are forfeited. The player must be picked up by DinoHunt to keep the points he earned.
A hunter will become Advanced after earning 100 points, and Expert with 300. To begin a hunt, the player must choose the location, the weapon, the dinosaur and some hunting accessories which help the player but will deduct the score during that hunt. Each location is unique, with varying difficulties and terrain. The new hunter will be given three areas, with two more added for the Advanced hunter and a final area for the Expert hunter, for a total of six locations. Level locations include jungles, and deserts accompanied by pyramids and an ancient temple.
Next, the player must choose a dinosaur to hunt. A new hunter will be given the choice of four dinosaurs: Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and Allosaurus. An Advanced hunter gains the ability to hunt the Triceratops and the Velociraptor. Only an Expert hunter can hunt the Tyrannosaurus rex. Harmless creatures such as Moschops, Gallimimus and Dimorphodon are present in each level. They are worth zero points and can be killed with a single shot. The player must also choose a weapon, which can be set for kill or tranquilize for additional points. A beginning hunter can only use a shotgun or a crossbow. A sniper rifle is unlocked upon becoming an Advanced hunter. First time hunters can use the Observation Mode to familiarize themselves with dinosaur behavior and different terrain.
Reception
Trent C. Ward of IGN gave the game a 7.3 out of 10 and praised its dinosaur and environment sounds, but noted, "The biggest problem with Carnivores is that it's too damn easy. Even with all of the gear cut off, most players will be able to fill their trophy rooms in a couple of play sessions. [...] in two days I felt like I had exhausted every option available to me. It's really too bad that once you kill off a T-Rex you aren't given different options to play with. [...] All in all, Carnivores is a surprisingly entertaining game that just doesn't have enough options to keep players busy for the long term."[2]
Greg Kasavin of GameSpot gave the game a 7.1 out of 10 and praised its sound effects, and its levels for looking "surprisingly authentic," but noted that the game is "tantalizing yet not quite complete to be entirely satisfying."[3]
Michael L. House of AllGame rated Carnivores four stars out of five and said about the graphics, "Clear, concise, smooth, atmospheric. Animation is superb." House also said "an extremely realistic take on the amount of ammunition available for any one hunt is one of the features that, in my mind, make the simulation much more grounded in fact – it just doesn't offer a chance for the undisciplined trigger-happy hunter to blast away at anything that moves without ever running out of ammunition." House also enjoyed the game's lack of music, writing "who plays music on a dinosaur hunt anyway? Ambient sounds definitely let you feel as if you've arrived in a prehistoric landscape."[4]
References
- 1 2 WizardWorks Software (1998). Carnivores instruction manual. PC.
The year is 2190 AD. On a routine exploration mission, science vessel FMM UV discovered a planet with suitable climate for humankind. During the initial scouting expedition this young planet, code-named FMM UV-32, was declared inhospitable for colony life due to its unstable terrain and immense population of prehistoric reptiles. News of this amazing planet spread and articles on the "Dinosaur Planet" lead an earth corporation to purchase the rights to the planet, and create DinoHunt Corp. DinoHunt created the unique opportunity for paying customers to become dinosaur hunters for the first time in 50 million years. You are the newest client of DinoHunt Corp.
- ↑ Ward, Trent C. (December 30, 1998). "Carnivores – WizardWorks comes up with a hunting game that may surprise a lot of people". IGN.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ↑ Kasavin, Greg (January 25, 1999). "Carnivores Review". GameSpot.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ↑ House, Michael L. "Carnivores Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014.