Jurassic Park (Mega-CD)

For other games with the same name, see Jurassic Park.

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Jurassic Park
System(s): Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd. (JP), Sega of America (US), Sega Europe (EU)
Developer: Sega Multimedia Studio
Distributor: Tec Toy (BR)
Licensor: Universal City Studios, Amblin Entertainment, MCA/Universal Merchandising
Sound driver: GEMS
Peripherals supported: CD BackUp RAM Cart
Genre: Adventure
Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages: English Deutsch Français Español 日本語
Release Date RRP Code JP 1994-09-30 ¥7,8007,800 G-6038 US 1993-12 $59.9959.99 4411 EU 1994-02 4411 DE 1993-11 DM 99.0099.00 4411-18 ES 1993 4411-06 FR 1993 4411-09 PT 1993 UK 1994-08-12 £44.9944.99 4411 AU 199x BR 199x 063030 AS 199x 4411

Jurassic Park (ジュラシックパーク) is a Sega Mega-CD graphic adventure game developed by Sega Multimedia Studio and published by Sega. Based on the June 1993 film Jurassic Park, the game was first released in the United States and Europe in December 1993, and was developed in coordination with the film's production team, notably enlisting the help of prominent dinosaur paleontologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker.

Story

Set after the events of the film, a group of scientists is sent to collect dinosaur eggs at InGen's Jurassic Park, a theme park that is populated with genetically engineered dinosaurs and is located on the fictional island of Isla Nublar. After the group's helicopter crashes on the island, a survivor, the player, receives a video message from Emily Shimura, a computer expert. Shimura states that the crash was the result of sabotage orchestrated by InGen's corporate rival, Biosyn Corporation, which paid to have a bomb attached to the helicopter.

A second helicopter is sent to rescue the player, but it is also compromised by Biosyn, which has sent out its own team to steal the dinosaur eggs. When Biosyn's helicopter arrives, the company's agents are tranquilized by the player, who uses the helicopter to escape the island.

Gameplay

Kiosk

Dinosaur eggs

Jurassic Park is a point-and-click adventure game. The player must search Isla Nublar to retrieve eggs from seven different dinosaur species and place them in an incubator at the Jurassic Park Visitor's Center. The eggs must be collected within a 12-hour time limit; at least one egg from each dinosaur species must be collected to finish the game. The player can view the collected eggs with  START . Eggs die if the player waits too long to deposit them in the incubator after collecting them. The time ticks down faster than real-time, and traveling to different areas costs time. The player can freely explore the island, though some areas require particular items in order to progress.

The game is played from a first-person perspective, giving the player a panoramic view of the surroundings. The player can move the cursor around with the D-Pad. It pans the view when moved to the edges of the screen. The cursor changes to an arrow when the player can travel in a direction, which can be done with . Full-motion video interludes are played when traveling between different areas. The player can find items in the environment, which must be used in a variety of ways to complete the puzzles in the game. The player can pick-up, inspect, or use items with . The inventory of items can be invoked with . Among the items are a trio of weapons that the player can use to contend with the dinosaurs in the game. None of the weapons (a stun gun, tranquilizer darts, and gas grenades) are lethal and all of them have limited ammunition, so the player must use the weapons strategically or avoid engaging with dinosaurs outright.

Paleontologist Robert T. Bakker makes video appearances throughout the game to provide the player with hints and dinosaur information, via special kiosks that are located near dinosaur paddocks. Shimura also provides the player with information through video messages.

The player has a health bar and can take damage from dinosaurs. Some dinosaurs are outwardly hostile, but others only harm the player if provoked. The player can heal using the first aid kit in the Visitor's Center. The game ends if the player runs out of health or time, but it can be continued from the last saved game.

Items

Inventory

	Cursor
	The cursor allows the player to interact with the environment. It changes to a hand when the player can pick-up or interact with an object. It changes to a magnifying glass when the player can inspect something. It changes to an arrow when the player can travel in a direction.
	Stunner
	A low-powered stun gun that can knock out smaller dinosaurs. The gun can be charged to fire a stronger attack by holding . The stunner can be recharged in the Game Warden's Room of the Visitor's Center. Found in the helicopter in the starting area.
	Tranquilizer Gun
	Fires darts that tranquilize dinosaurs. Found in the Hatchery/Nursery of the Visitor's Center.
	Gas Grenade Launcher
	Fires gas grenades that knock out dinosaurs in an area. Found in the Game Warden's Room of the Visitor's Center.
	Bearhorn
	Emits a loud noise that scares dinosaurs away. It can only be used once. Found in the Tyrannosaurus Area.
	Card Keys
	Open security doors in the Visitor's Center. There are multiple levels of keys, which open successively more doors. Each new key acquired replaces the previously held key. The White Key is found in a Compy nest outside the starting area and opens the Control Room, the Blue Key is found in the park gate and opens the Hatchery/Nursery, the Triceratops Key is found in a metal box in the Triceratops Area and opens the Game Warden's Room and the pump building, and the Velociraptor Key is found in a well in the Velociraptor Area and opens a door there.
	Pliers
	Pliers can be used to remove the Blue Key from the park gate. They are found in a toolbox in the Visitor's Center.
	Wire Cutters
	Used for cutting ropes and straps. Found in an overturned Explorer on the way to the Triceratops Area.
	Bolt Cutters
	Used for cutting locks and bolts. They also cut ropes and straps that can be cut with the wire cutters. Found in the Gallimimus Area.
	Crowbar
	Used for prying open boxes. Found in a Jeep in the Triceratops Area.
	Wrench
	Used to open drain covers and to fix a leak in the pump building of the Triceratops Area. Found in the Gallimimus Area.
	Medical Injector
	The medical injector is found in a Jeep in the Triceratops Area and used to heal a Triceratops to clear the way to the pump building.
	Tree Branch
	A tree branch can be used in the Triceratops Area to distract a Triceratops so that the Triceratops Key can be acquired.
	Big Rock
	Rocks are found throughout the park and used in various ways, such as propping a log in the Gallimimus Area or raising the water level to acquire a key in the Velociraptor Area.
	Gas Can
	The gas can is found in a overturned Jeep in the Dilophosaurus Area and used to fuel the motorized raft to travel between parts of the area.
	CDs
	There are Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus CDs. The Brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus CDs are used for their respective kiosks; using the Brachiosaurus kiosk is necessary to acquire the eggs. The Triceratops CD can be used on the Game Warden's computer to reveal a passcode used in the Triceratops Area. The Tyrannosaurus CD is found in a Compy nest in the Dilophosaurus Area, the Brachiosaurus CD is found in a cabinet in the Hatchery/Nursery, and the Triceratops CD is found in an overturned Jeep in the Triceratops Area.

Equipment

	Compass
	The compass appears in the top-center of the screen and indicates the direction that the player is facing, which is useful for navigating the park. It is initially equipped. It is not active in the Visitor's Center.
	Motion Detector
	The motion detector appears in the bottom-center of the screen and shows any dinosaurs that may be in the area but not necessarily in sight. Found in a crate in the Visitor's Center.
	Night Vision Goggles
	The night vision goggles automatically activate in low-light situations. They are needed for the Velociraptor Area. Found in a cabinet in the Game Warden's Room.

Areas

	Crash Site
	The starting area is located near the Brachiosaurus Area.
	Brachiosaurus
	Gallimimus
	Dilophosaurus
	Compys
	Compy eggs can be found in the Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor Areas.
	Triceratops
	Tyrannosaurus
	Velociraptor
	Escape
	The final section is located in the Gallimimus Area.

Visitor's Center

	Rotunda
	Control Room
	The player can use the computer to view video messages from Shimura, which provide hints and progress the plot of the game, and to save the game.
	Hatchery/Nursery
	The Hatchery/Nursery room contains the egg incubator, where the player can deposit the collected dinosaur eggs. It also contains a computer with a map of the island, a first aid kit that the player can use to replenish lost health, and a cabinet with a tranquilizer gun and ammunition for it.
	Game Warden's Room
	The Game Warden's Room contains a cabinet with a gas grenade launcher and ammunition for it. The panel next to the cabinet recharges the player's stunner. There is also a computer with surveillance cameras for the park. If the player inserts the Triceratops CD into it, it reveals a passcode used in the Triceratops Area.

History

Development

Paleontologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker advises the staff of Sega Multimedia Studio during a production meeting.

The game was originally supposed to use three different perspectives. The game designers eventually decided to focus on the first-person perspective and making a point-and-click adventure game.

“	Well, when I first started working on JP (as the most junior of the programmers on the team), each of three junior coders were given the task of prototyping one of the three perspectives. I was given the first-person view, probably because it was the most likely to be dropped from the game if needed. However, about two months later, the designers realized that the game design was far too big, and made the decision to just concentrate on one of the three perspectives. I think the decision to go with the first person point and click view came from two things. 1) there were very few point and click style games on the consoles, though they were pretty popular on PCs at the time, so they thought the style might stand out on a console, and 2) my prototype was the most complete when they were making the decision... From there, they just threw out the old design and started from scratch, redesigning everything from the ground up.	„
— Doug Lanford

Sega enlisted the support of Dr. Robert T. Bakker, a prominent paleontologist who advised the production of the Jurassic Park film, for the Mega-CD tie in. He wrote a "field guide" for the seven species of dinosaur featured in the game, and features as part of the production's full-motion video segments. To better explain to the designers and animators how dinosaurs likely moved, Bakker dissected a chicken at the Sega Multimedia Studio offices to show how the leg joints operated.

“	Working on JP was also very chaotic. We were pioneering the abilities and features of the Genesis and CD rom systems while trying to create the killer content for it. A lot of it was PC game design approach but constrained to an 8bit color side-scrolling engine with FM sound mixed with CD audio and samples. It was amazing that we got it done and shipped. I was one of 4 contributing composers, sound supervisor and liaison design and programming. We had switched producers 3 times!	„
— David Javelosa

According to Sega Multimedia Studio director David Javelosa, the development team had assumed that lead programmer Tom Reuterdahl, who had just joined the team, would assume the role of producer. As time passed, however, they realized his skills were more in administration. Ed Annunziata approached Javelosa and offered him the producer position, but he declined, as game production was something Javelosa had little experience in, especially considering how high-profile something like Jurassic Park was. Ultimately, Reuterdahl would assume the role, playing as both the project's lead programmer and producer.

Javelosa recalls calls the personnel assembled for the game's development as an "overkill team," citing the newness of the concept of multimedia as one of the reasons why Sega of America allowed for such an allocation of resources and talent into a single project. He looks back on Jurassic Park as "kind of the end-all, be-all for the Multimedia Studio," and notes that by the time the game had shipped, Sega Multimedia Studio was already being split into Sega Music Group, Creative Support, and Developer Technical Support.

Production credits

• Executive Producer: Tom Reuterdahl
• Producer: Scot Bayless
• Creative Manager: Jerome Domurat
• Art Manager: Mimi Doggett
• Sound Manager: David Javelosa
• Product Manager: Pamela Kelly
• Programming: Gordon Haberfelde, Rob Lamb, Doug Lanford, Dave Marshall, Martin Power, Rex Sabio
• Design: Adam Sevillia, Douglas Eidsmore, Eric Quakenbush, Chris Shen
• Art: Jon Bell, Dick Holmes, Brian Kumanchik, Clifford Lau, Kristin Mallory, Mike Mangano, Russell Barba, John Broenen, Marilyn Churchill, Matt Crane, Eric Fisher, Alyson Markell, Marty Murphy, Bruce Kreuger, Debbie Kramer
• Video: Clifford Lau, Eric Quakenbush, Byron Werner
• Manual: Carol Ann Hanshaw
• Sound: Barry Blum, Brian Coburn, Tom Miley, Spencer Nilsen
• Testers: Eric Rawlins, David Forster, Dianna Boundy, Michael Baldwin, Stanley Weaver, Joe Cain, Dan Caraballo, Jason Epps, Ari Warner, Ivan Fong, Jim McCarthy, Max Loeb, Jason Kuo, Conan Tigard, Bill Person, Eric Fong, Blair Bullock
• Special Thanks To: Dr. Robert Bakker, Ed Annunziata, Sharon Bone, Nick Shaw, Steve Patterson, Chuck Romberger

Source:

In-game credits

---

Sega Jurassic Park CD Team

• Executive Producer: Tom Reuterdahl
• Producer: Scot Bayless
• Creative Manager: Jerome Domurat
• Art Manager: Mimi Doggett
• Sound Manager: David Javelosa
• Product Manager: Pamela Kelly
• Programming: Gordon Haberfelde, Rob Lamb, Doug Lanford, Dave Marshall, Martin Power, Rex Sabio
• Design: Adam Sevillia, Douglas Eidsmore, Eric Quakenbush, Chris Shen
• Art: Jon Bell, Dick Holmes, Brian Kumanchik, Clifford Lau, Kristin Mallory, Mike Mangano, Russell Barba, John Broenen, Marilyn Churchill, Matt Crane, Eric Fisher, Alyson Markell, Marty Murphy, Bruce Kruger, Debbie Kramer
• Video: Clifford Lau, Eric Quakenbush, Byron Werner
• Testers: Eric Rawlins, David Forster, Dianna Boundy
• Sound: Barry Blum, Brian Coburn, Tom Miley, Spencer Nilsen
• Special Thanks: Dr. Robert Bakker, Ed Annunziata, Sharon Bone, Nick Shaw, Stephen Patterson, Chuck Romberger

Japanese Localization Team

• Project Manager: Adam Sevillia
• Japanese Liaison: Yukimi Shimura
• Programming: Dave Marshall, Jean Yu, Gordon Haberfelde
• Art: Mimi Doggett, Jerome Domurat, Dick Holmes, Ken Richardson
• Bilingual Assistant: Jill Alexander
• Japanese Script Translation: Kazuko Smith
• Voice Over Recording Director: Bobby White
• Audio Engineering: Barry Blum, Byron Werner
• Japanese Voice Artists: Goh Misawa, Mako Hattori, Max Kirishima
• Sega Of Japan Representative: Hiroshi Aso, Ryoichi Hasegawa

Source:

In-game credits (JP)

Magazine articles

Main article: Jurassic Park (Mega-CD)/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

ES print advert (1-1)

ES print advert (1-2)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #16: "December/January 1993/1994" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) #16: "January 1994" (1993-12-21)
• GamePro (US) #54: "January 1994" (199x-xx-xx)
• Sega Visions (US) #17: "February/March 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-09: "September 1994" (1994-08-08)
also published in:

• Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-10: "October 1994" (1994-09-08)

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Print advert in Score (CZ) #10: "Říjen 1994" (1994-10-01)
also published in:

• Score (CZ) #11: "Listopad 1994" (1994-11-01)
• Score (CZ) #12: "Prosinec 1994" (1994-12-01)
• Score (CZ) #13: "Leden 1995" (1995-01-01)
• Score (CZ) #14: "Únor 1995" (1995-02-01)
• Score (CZ) #15: "Březen 1995" (1995-03-01)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 68 Consoles + (FR) 74 Computer & Video Games (UK) 87 Digitiser (UK) PAL 71 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 68 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 70 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 80 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 93 Gamers (DE) 60 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 81 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 69 Hyper (AU) 82 Joypad (FR) PAL 80 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 84 Mega Force (FR) PAL 85 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 75 Mega Power (UK) NTSC-U 87 MegaTech (UK) NTSC-U 79 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 73 Player One (FR) PAL 80 Play Time (DE) PAL 75 Play Time (DE) PAL 85 Sega Magazin (DE) 89 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 92 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 86 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 87 Sega Zone (UK) NTSC-U 76 Sonic Mag: B.D. & Jeux-Video! (FR) 92 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 78 Supergames (AR) 70 Super Juegos (ES) 82 Todo Sega (ES) 93 Video Games (DE) NTSC-U 66 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 90

	80
Based on 34 reviews

Jurassic Park (Mega-CD)

Mega-CD, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, US
Cover
Disc Manual Reg Card

Mega-CD, EU
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, EU (Reprint)
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, FR
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, DE
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, ES
Cover
Disc Manual

Mega-CD, PT
Cover
Disc

Mega-CD, AU
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, AS†
Cover
Spinecard Disc Manual

Mega-CD, BR
Cover
Disc Manual

Images

• 

  A development book from Jurassic Park's production.

• 

  A Jurassic Park production meeting.

• 

  Eric Quakenbush at Jurassic Park's Winter CES 1994 booth.

Technical information

Main article: Jurassic Park (Mega-CD)/Technical information.