Dinosaurs for Hire

n/a

Dinosaurs for Hire
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega InterActive
Distributor: Tec Toy (BR)
Licensor: Malibu Comics
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1993-05 $49.9949.99 1050 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 1994 SUBsub EU ▼ (Sega Channel) 1996 SUBsub BR 199x 044580

Dinosaurs for Hire is a Mega Drive game based on the comic book series of the same name. It was only released in North America.

Story

The "dinosaurs" are actually intelligent aliens who resemble smaller versions of Earth dinosaurs. After their spacecraft malfunctions in Earth's atmosphere and crashes into the ocean, they are stranded on Earth and become mercenaries for hire.

Gameplay

Introduction

It is a side-scrolling run-and-gun game similar to Contra but involving a group of dinosaurs who fight crime. The game mostly involves blasting enemies as they pour in, but there are also some platforming elements. The players can choose from one of three dinosaurs, who all play the same. In two-player games, each player chooses a different dinosaur. The dinosaur is moved with and and lies down with . The dinosaur jumps with and can jump slightly higher with +. The dinosaur has a gun that can be aimed in eight directions with the D-Pad and fired with . The gun can be upgraded by finding items. Each dinosaur also has a close-up attack with . This is the often the easiest way to attack smaller enemies or enemies that come within the minimum range of the dinosaur's gun. Guns can be fired while lying down or jumping, but the close-up attack can only be done while standing. Both can be done while moving, but the dinosaur stops to do the close-up attack. The dinosaurs can jump off and on platforms and between the foreground and background layers of some stages with + and + and can climb ladders with and descend them with . The dinosaurs also have a "dino smash" attack that can be done by holding and then holding .

Dinosaurs also have a Smart Bomb that can be detonated with ++, which destroys all enemies on screen (except bosses, who are merely damaged). Dinosaurs can find more Smart Bombs within the stages and hold up to four. In two-player games, items effects are not shared and each dinosaur has his own stash of Smart Bombs.

The dinosaur has a health bar that goes down as he takes damage from enemies. Dinosaurs are also injured from falling from heights. When the health bar is emptied, the dinosaur loses a life and restarts the level if he has an extra life remaining, losing any weapon upgrades he may have. If he has no more lives, the game ends but can be continued if the player has continues remaining. There are items that replenish health or give extra lives. In two-player games, the players have separate health and lives but share continues. Players are revived in place (rather than the beginning of the level) when they die. However, if one player dies with no more remaining lives, the player cannot be revived until the other player gets a game over and uses a continue.

Characters

	Archie
	The cool-headed leader of the group, a Tyrannosaurus who wears a leather jacket. He likes Jurassic Park and wants to wrestle Shadow Yamoto (from Eternal Champions, also developed by Sega Interactive). His close-up attack is bashing enemies with his rifle.
	Lorenzo
	A Triceratops who wears Hawaiian shirts like Magnum P.I. He likes Chun Li and dislikes Ryu and Ken (from Street Fighter II). His close-up attack is goring enemies with his horns.
	Reese
	A one-eyed Stegosaurus and the "loose cannon" of the group. He likes Clint Eastwood and The Terminator. His close-up attack is sweeping enemies with his tail.
	Cyrano
	A Pterodactyl who appears before boss fights to advise the group. Not a playable character.

Items

Items are usually found in capsules that must be broken open first.

	Weapon Upgrade
	Upgrades the power of the dinosaur's gun, up to five times.
	Multishot
	Turns the dinosaur's gun into a spread shot. Upgrades it to two streams initially and then three if the item is found again.
	Power Field
	Gives the dinosaur temporary invincibility.
	Dino Juice
	Fully replenishes the dinosaur's health.
	Dino
	Gives the player an extra life.
	Nuclear Holocaust
	Gives the player another Smart Bomb.
	Universal Firepower
	Fully upgrades the dinosaur's weapon.

Stages

	Stage 1
	Stage 2
	Stage 3
	In the jet ski segment, speeds up and slows down.
	Stage 4
	Stage 5

Production credits

• Developed By: Sega Interactive Development Division
• Programmers: John 'Buck' Kuwaye, Steven 'Ski Master' Lashower, Jack 'Le Saboteur' Loh, David 'Mac Man' Chaplin, Mike 'Mr. H-Blank' Terlecki
• LOBSTER Engine Programming: Christopher 'Engine Meister' Warner, Robert 'Elvis is King' Morgan
• Artists: Dave 'The Sprite Master' Russ, Art 'The Background God' Wong, Albert 'Char Master' Co, Todd 'Blood Worm' Tomlinson, Doug 'Dig Dug' Nishimura, Barbara Meyers
• Technical Support: Ala 'Harbinger of Doom' Diaz
• Project Manager: Mark 'Design-on-the-Fly' Nausha
• Music: Paul 'Moto' Gadbois, Dave 'Chick-a-Baugh' Delia
• Lead Tester: Terry 'Tex-T-Bone' Banks
• Testers: Rey 'Multitasker' Alferez, Bill 'Dr. Mastermind' Person, Kurt 'Tindle-Fly' Tindle, Crisi Albertson, Heather Meigs, Lisa Stuart, Maria Tuzzo, Greg Becksted, Joe Cain, Harry Chavez, Marc Dawson, Dave Forster, Roman Greco, Keith Higashihara, Jason Kuo, Tony Lynch, John Russell, Siegie Stangenberg, Paul Walker, Jeff Todd, Blair Bullock, Richie Hideshima, William Emery, Atom Ellis, Glen Cureton, Ivan Fong, Vasily Lewis, Srini Chandra, Tim Spengler, Wesley Gittens
• Dinosaurs for Hire Created By: Tom Mason
• Producer: Stu Kosoy
• Product Manager: Jamie Wojick

Program Code/Design (C) 1993 Sega

All Rights Reserved

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Dinosaurs for Hire/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #15: "October/November 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Sega Visions (US) #17: "February/March 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Cool Gamer (RU) 60 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 68 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 60 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 78 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 35 MegaTech (UK) NTSC-U 64 Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-U 69 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 63 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 83 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 58 Todo Sega (ES) 91 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 73 Video Games (DE) NTSC-U 40

	64
Based on 14 reviews

Dinosaurs for Hire

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Dinosaurs for Hire/Technical information.

References

Malibu Comics games for Sega systems
	Ex-Mutants (1992) | Dinosaurs for Hire (1993) | Firearm (unreleased) | Prime (unreleased)
	Prime (1994) | The Strangers (unreleased)
	The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga (1997)