Review of Jurassic World: Evolution for the Xbox One
By: Jeff R. Young
Hello, once again my fellow gamers, wickedwisdom66 here for my second game review. This month, after much consideration, I choose to talk a bit about Jurassic World: Evolution (for Xbox 1). To be fair, I might seem a bit bias simply because I have loved this game since I started playing it. Released back in June of 2018 for PC, Xbox, and Playstation 4, the game hit the shelves with little fanfare. Or, at least that's the way I view it since I didn't even know the game existed till I saw it pop up in the Microsoft online store. Curiosity took over, and I looked deeper into the game and found that it was a simulation–style game, which I very much enjoy playing.
The core object of the game, which is why I like it so much, is to build tourist parks filled with everyone's favorite dinosaurs. From the T–Rex to the Indo–raptor (which was later added in as a DLC), the player could incubate a large variety of creatures and "show them off" in a zoo–like environment, which one designs themselves. But it isn't just as simple as building a park. In the campaign there are all sorts of factors to overcome, such as a limited budget, natural disasters like storm, and even tornado's.
Other objectives in the game consist of searching for DNA samples, which when there is enough collected and extracted, the player can begin the process of creating the dino. But the fact of simple of incubating them is just the beginning. One must create the right habitat for the creatures. Their habitats must be designed properly to ensure the dinos are comfortable, have the proper food, and, if mixed in the same area, don't conflict with each other. This brings me to another feature that allows the player to introduce opposing creatures together and letting them fight it out. The winner gets what they call a dino rating, which raises its fame. The higher the fame, the more revenue the parks earn.
The core campaign of the game has the player working to build five–star parks on five different fictional islands of Las Cinco Muertes (the five deaths), and, as mentioned before, each island presents a different set of challenges to overcome. Depending on the difficulty level, meeting these challenges can be almost too easy. I, for one, play on the highest level simply for the challenge and bragging rights. However, my first play–through was done on the easiest difficulty setting so that I could get a real feel for the mechanics of the game and unlock all the neat things you can use to build your parks. And, to make it even more interesting, Jeff Goldbloom once again plays the role of Dr. Ian Malcolm, who offers insight and opinions throughout the game.
Unfortunately, despite my apparent love for the game, there are a few drawbacks. The core game can become tedious as you wait for the opportunity to build, place, and create, mainly from the initial lack of funds. Also, the natural disasters "mother nature" throws your way can be frustrating in their frequency. Some may see this as a factor of the game to overcome, but I've heard from others that feel like I do, that sometimes it just too much. But that's for the player to decide.
Another drawback is there is a lack of variety in the scenes, such as the incubated dino exiting the hatchery, or even the actions of the dinos as they fight. To me, seeing the same sequence over and over was great the first few times but ultimately began to bore me. Despite that, the game does provide decent replayability. There are endless ways of designing the parks, a ton of unlockable features, and even several DLC packs, which unfortunately are not free, though my opinion is, if you are enjoying the game, they are worth buying.
All said, I give Jurassic World: Evolution a rating of 3 and a half stars.
I no doubt have a love for the game, but as mentioned it can become a bit boring at times. However, if they continue to introduce more creative DLCs, I can see myself marathoning the play–through once again.