Reviews

• gamedeal user

  May 28, 2015

  As a throwback to the original Carnivores games, this does that series great justice in improving the graphics and overall game mechanics. However, if you're going to compare this game to theHunter: Primal, which most people will do, then there are some things in this game done better and some things done worse. That will always be the case. This game plays MUCH easier than theHunter: Primal since you're not scavenging for weapons and ammo and not being eaten by an OP t.rex after 5 hours of playing. You can literally jump right in and start hunting - taking down dinosaurs with as little as a single hit. Arcade-like feel? The perks you can upgrade are much more limited than in Primal, but satisfyingly easy to get. As far as graphics are concerned, this has a lot better shaders than I thought it would have had (from early screenshots and video), though the textures and models of dinosaurs and the terrain do need to be polished... a lot. Still not as bad as the stuff you see in a game like Beasts of Prey though. I also love the fact that you can visit different islands and areas to get different terrain, for example visiting a calm beach or a dense forest. Overall, when it costs as little as it does compared to similar dinosaur hunting titles, you'll have fun with it.
• gamedeal user

  May 28, 2015

  The Good: Easy hunting game play A good assortment of weapons and unlocks Nice diverse enviroments EDIT: Rare Mutant Dinosaurs that add more challenge and incentive to keep hunting. The meh: Not enough dinosaur species (Raptors are weirdly absent) The scary: Still need to shoot T-Rex in the eye -.- Overall the game is well worth its 15 dollar asking price. EDIT: Comparing to Carnivores 2, not theHunter: Primal.
• gamedeal user

  May 28, 2015

  A great remake to a classic game. Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn, does most things right, and only a few wrong. Pros: Wide Variety of maps. Easy to pick up. Fun if you like dinosaurs. Cons: Wish there were more dinosaurs, there are a few, but there could be more... Game gets a little tedious at times, but not too bad. Overall: A great remake of one of my favorite games. I'd even by DLC for more dinosaurs/maps/etc. (I rarely do this with most games) I recommend this game completely.
• gamedeal user

  May 29, 2015

  Carnivores 2 and Carnivores: Ice Age was the first games I got on my PC back in the day, and I played them to death. I even got my original copies somewhere... I even got mobile versions of both games on my android phone and play them from time to time. Those versions are actually superior to PC, since they both run extremely well and got some new creatures thrown in for free (18 in mobile version as of time of writing this review compared to PCs 9). So how does this hold up? P.S. For short version, see TL;DR/ Conclusion at the end P.P.S. Many people will probably compare this to theHunter: Primal, but I haven't played that so only comprarison you'll see here will be with previous games in Carnivores series. [h1] Starting with positives: [/h1] [h1] 1. [/h1] Even though it's a port of PS3 version, it runs well on PC. I tried it on both a hi tech Alienware PC at my friends house and my 6 year old scrapheap, and didn't experience anything wrong with this game whatsoever. Settings are a little bit limited, but decreasing LOD and turning off advanced grass will make it run even on laptop without any hickups. [h1] 2. [/h1] Graphics, while nothing amazing like Skyrim or Witcher, still look pretty well, even on lower settings. There are some neat effects here and there, and if you're observant you can even track a dino by following his footsteps and blood trails, which is awesome. [h1] 3. [/h1] Sound design is pretty good. There are some great ambient sounds and one time, I almost started swatting at a fly which I thought was flying close to my ear even though it was in game. Believe me, it was that realistic. Dinos also make different growls and sounds and even though Stegosaurus sounds like a bear, which I personally find a little bit silly, it works when you are trying to locate a specific dino by sound. [h1] 4. [/h1] Animations on dinosaurs are pretty good and their movement feels natural. Watching Ankylosaurus in his defensive position, stomping and hitting his tail club on the ground was extremely awesome. [h1] 5. [/h1] Speaking of dinosaurs, they look way better and are more "up to date" compared to mobile and and prequel counterparts. Don't get me wrong, those dinos weren't plain bad, but a lot of things has changed in the field of paleontology and some things like size and looks are a bit outdated. Ceratosaurus for example, is bigger than Spinosaurus, which is just plain wrong. Devs probably didn't do their research properly or got something of it wrong, but they sure did it right this time, and it shows. [h1] 6. [/h1] There is a "progression" system of sorts, where you can spend diamonds on upgrading your guns, player and Gadget. I say "progression" since upgrades are not permanent, and points can be taken away from one upgrade and be used on something else instead at any time or liking. [h1] 7. [/h1] Shooting mechanics have been improved, and now, if you're skilled or lucky enough you can one shot dinosaurs if you aim at their weak spots, which will award you with more diamonds and better rating. Weak spots vary but with a little practice or with a help of one specific perk, you'll be be on top of things very quickly. [h1] 8. [/h1] This game is also pretty cheap, NOT in early access, and support with more dinosaurs is already planned which is always nice. [h1] Unfortunately this is where the positives end and facepalming begins: [/h1] [h1] 1. [/h1] First things first, there are only 6 dinosaurs to hunt... Yes, you read it right, 6 dinosaurs. That was the biggest disappointment IMHO since, as I said before, mobile version has 18(!) completely different dinos to hunt. They really couldn't add more dinos? [h1] 2. [/h1] There is also fewer weapons this time around. Previous games had 6 (Pistol, 2 types of stotguns, 2 types of Rifles and Xbow) but this game only has 3 (4 counting Revolver sidearm perk). You could also carry all 6 if you could afford it, so why isn't it possible here? Your could go for a "realism" argument, but personally, I would like the option to be at least available. [h1] 3. [/h1] AI on dinosaurs is pretty random as well, and feels like a downgrade compared to prequels. When it works it looks great and all that, times when they manage to get stuck between 2 trees and rocks, are just... bad. One time, this Stegosaurus I was hunting got stuck in a rock and when I got closer, managed to go through it and with some struggle, out on the other side. While I watched this "rebirth" my lower jaw almost hit the floor. Sure, it doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it kinda ruins the immersion... COMPLETELY. [h1] 4. [/h1] Their reaction to gunfire is also pretty random. In prequels herbivores ran away like maniacs when they heard gunshots while carnivores looked at it like a dinner bell running up to you and chewing your face. In this game however, Herbivores usually don't care if their mate is shot in front of them or close by, unless shot themselves. Carnivores are a little bit less relentless, which is a little bit disappointing. [h1] 5. [/h1] Levels themselves while big, are still smaller and less varied compared to prequels. Some of them are also covered in this weird fog, which in turn makes hunting dinosaurs more frustrating than everything else, since you can't see them 90% of the time. One thing that I also found annoying personally was that some maps doesn't feature all dinosaurs. For example, default map only features Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus and nothing else. Want to hunt ALL dinosaurs on your favourite map? Can't do that! Must choose last map available! My only questing to this is WHY?! In previous games you could hunt any dinosaur on any map, so why this feature is unavailable in this game is just bizarre. [h1] TL;DR and/or conclusion: [/h1] Recommending this game is hard. With every step it takes in the right direction, it also takes a step back and if feels disappointing. I like the new visuals, updated dinosaurs, sounds, upgrades and other new features but unfortunately, mobile version has 3 times the dinosaurs, double the weapons and environments are more varied and interesting. I was really looking forward to this release of the game, but after 6-7 hours in this game, I had basically unlocked and upgraded everything this game had on offer and hunted all the dinosaurs, which is kinda disappointing compared to amount of hours I used on completing mobile versions. I'll probably recommend this games to the long time fans of the series, but new arrivals will probably be disappointed and bored fairly quickly with the amount of content available at the moment. I'll update this review as the game gets updated with more content etc.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 3, 2015

  This is the return of Carnivores I always wanted to see. With great graphics, well done dinosaurs and a retooling of their credit/gadget system with new found upgrades. You're going to have an awesome time traversing their lush and expansive maps looking to fill your tags. Having played Carnivores 1 and 2 religiously back in the day this game is childhood bliss. It doesn't have near as many huntable dinos as 2, so it's a lot closer to the first installment but a great return nonetheless. My only gripes are a few bugs and some of the dinos don't sound as authentic as they once did, but what they've done right outshines those negatives for me.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 12, 2015

  Quick a dirty breakdown: Pros- Followed suite with many of the characteristics of the original game. Very nostalgic. Smooth gameplay, very little fps stutter. Great gameplay mechanics as well as gunplay. Very immerise and is more than capable of getting your adrenaline going. Open world (while limited) leaves the player to make their own choices. Cons- Periodical crashes, could be simply on my end. Rather unoptimized, can be difficult to run for lower end computers. Not many graphic options. Rather few choices considering gunplay. You either roll with an OP snper rifle or enjoy challening yourself. Conclusion: I love this game. Absolutely reccomend to anybody who enjoyed previous installments in the series. I would love to see the addition of more dinosaurs (There's only 6 you can hunt in regards to a trophy. Kind of dissapoitning) and more weapons. Would absolutely spend more money to aquire that. It's sad that it was rather difficult to find a gem like this, as it deserves much more attention than it's given!
• gamedeal user

  Jun 22, 2015

  I've bought just about every dinosaur game ever released, and none have ever quite acheived the holy grail of immersion splendour and terror that theJurrasic Park/ time travelling concept promises. However I've always retained a soft spot for the original Carnivores; prehistoric reptile-hunting pared down to the bare minimum, and without the tedious weight of plot, or survival aspects to get in the way. I was disappointed over the years to find that Carnivores would no longer run on newer versions of Windows, so when I saw this my heart leapt a beat. I have to say I'm just an hour or so in, but I'm liking it for all the same reasons as before. The graphics have improved over the first outing (given its been nearly 15 years) but the feel is the same whacky future hunting scenario as before. As everyone else has commented it could defintely do with a few more species (hopefully some potential DLC?). The game size is tiny (less than a Gig) and I'd love to see this game format used in a big full budget environment like Cry engines latest 'Dino Island revisited' tech demo. Conclusion- Pleasingly pared down gameplay and solid immersion, the graphics are good but far from spectacular. Devs - More dinos and a hi-res texture map set please. 9/10 (1 point for nostalgia's sake!)
• gamedeal user

  Jan 7, 2016

  What can I say about Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn? Well having come from playing the first Carnivores back in 1998 a lot has changed. The game looks great! The animations are well done, even though minimal, and the levels are vast open worlds with bits of lakes here or there that dinos like to hang around. Sometimes you find a mutated dino and it looks cool! That’s about it for the pros. As for the cons of the game, let’s just start with the AI mapping. Seriously the dinos running away from you when you get spotted is hilarious! Not in a good way mind you. The dinos constantly running into trees and rock and random bits of debris can cause the hunting to slow down and it doesn’t happen just once. All the time. Especially when you are hunting the Mighty and Fierce T-REX!!! This would be scary if he didn’t bump into all the trees, rocks, and random bits of debris everywhere. You can also just jump on a rock, call in the T-rex, and snipe him with the .50 Cal. This is another problem I have. The weaponry. How is a crossbow more powerful than a .50 caliber rifle? How come when I max out the .50 Cal for max damage and hit a T-rex, or most dinosaurs for that part, in the heart they don’t always collapse instantly? How come I can’t hit the dino in the head and cause severe brain damage? Maybe I’m being too nitpicky here. Moving on. The Mutant Dinosaurs was a cool idea, but I feel it should have been implemented as a different level of danger and appearance. I shouldn’t look through my binoculars and not get a reading of what it is, because it looks slightly different. I shouldn’t call for it and it not respond to my call. Let’s talk about the lack of content. Can we please get some different weapons? Can we please get more dinos? Can we please get more levels and not just 3 levels with different lighting and fog. If anything make the level with RNG fog and different times of the day or even let you pick when to start the hunt. What about a challenge mode? Anything to draw out the life of the game! I think the game could have been so much more, but I honestly enjoy the first game way more. It was a challenge. T-rex could only be killed with a shot to the eye. And if you missed you didn’t get another chance. That is why they called it the big hunt. I also remember sitting forever calling in dinos getting them to come within sight and they would just run off if they caught your scent. That doesn’t happen in this game. Working with what we have I would rate this game a 5/10. The elements are there, but needs a lot better execution.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 9, 2016

  First off...this review caters to only a specific and special crowd of people. The Sim Hunters. An Interesting and rare breed we are. Having said that if you are looking for the next action packed, no holds barred, intense Oculus Rift driven FPS shooter of the year then move along because I can guarantee that you will not enjoy this game. Who will enjoy this? The methodical, patience and slow sim hunting enthusiast. The hardcore Sim Hunter may not enjoy it as some will but I will touch on that. This for all intensive purpose is a remake or reimagining of the wonderful and classic 1998 Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter. If you ever fell in love with the original or its many expansion packs then this gem may have a special place reserved in your heart. Well enough rambling, time to talk about the game. What is it? Simply put it is a Dinosaur hunting game set in a distant future where you the hunter are scuttled about to numerous mysterious Islands of some unknown planet. There are a fair amount of set pieces to visit and each location is fairly large and varied with different themes and observable distances. Some may have heavy fog which can reduce and limit your viewable distance or some may be clear as day with a variety of Dinos to hunt down and add to your trophy room. Before each outing you have the chance to modify and tailor your hunting gear a bit. In the beginning you are limited to a few locations, weapons, gear and Dinosaur types. As you confirm your kills and return back to "base" you earn two different types of in game currency, Gems and Score. Gems are rewarded for confirming a kill; these are the basic currency for upgrading your player, weapon and gear. Gems also unlock addition gear and weapons. Score is rewarded based on many factors. Kill distance, number of shots, size and tonnage of the Dino and Dino type as well. Score allows you to unlock the different map variants as you progress. Once you suit up and pick a location a dropship plops you down on a fairly random section of the selected map. From here your senses are your only allies. Using a device called the M.I.S.T, this digital pda will allow you to observe a topographical map and can be upgraded to make your life a little easier. It also acts as a rangefinder and can be used to zoom in and scout around for nearby Dinos. Now it is up to you to locate, stalk and down your first Dino! Once you have confirmed your first kill (and maybe even added it to the trophy room if you purchased the corresponding hunting license) time to use the M.I.S.T to call for a pick up. This is the basics of the game. So now that you have a very basic idea of how it works let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly. GOOD -Dinosaurs "act" like Dinosaurs. They themselves will seek out food and water, call out, sleep and move throughout the world as realistic as we could ever imagine. -The hunting grounds look pretty solid and give a great sense of being on an alien world. Unknown planets lurk in the skyline, Volcanoes erupt, winds bellow and the world feels fairly alive. -The weapons and gear feel great and offer players a small variety of options. Do I invest in more weapon power to down the T-rex or will I forgo damage for some scent masking options and maybe that camo vest? -The thrill of the hunt! In later maps the hunter can easily become the hunted. Noise, wind direction and concealment all come into play. BAD -The current selection of 9 maps are but a few variations of each other. Some are midday, another may be the same map but at dusk with more Carnivores lurking about. The lack of day/night cycles and changing weather could have really changed the way the game was meant to be played. -Small amount of gear and weapons. A larger variety would have been appreciated. Some of the gear can really take the challenge out of the game. -Graphics: To me this is a none issue, I think the game looks great. However it is a bit bland in some spots. Once you see all of the Dinos and Island variations you pretty much have seen it all. -The Dinosaur diversity is really low. Only 6 main Dinos to hunt and collect. The maps are littered with smaller stuff running around but they cannot be collected and do not act as a threat. A larger pool of huntable Dinos would have really benefited this game. -Once you get a swing of things the game can become really easy unless you are constantly hunting the higher threat Carnivores while handicapping yourself on gear selection. -The Sim aspect is not as hardcore as some Sim hunters would like. This game rides a fine line between casual and mid-sim range. UGLY -Chances of seeing a sequel are slim to none. -Updates have stopped and the devs are in limbo or dissolved. -Many users report crashes and graphical issues (I have not) -Dinosaurs can be downright stupid sometimes, they will sometimes get caught on the terrain while trying to escape…totally killing the feeling of immersion. -Mutant Dinosaurs: Apparently they are out there but I have yet to encounter one. Not sure what is so different about them. All in all a very enjoyable shout out to the Classic Carnivores. While fun it is a bit flawed but defiantly worth picking up if any of this sounds cool, it just doesn’t have the depth of some of the more hardcore hunting games that will keep drawing you back in for hundreds if not thousands of hours. Pick it up if on sale for sure! Thanks for reading!
• gamedeal user

  Aug 28, 2016

  While the graphics are gorgeous and the gameplay is pretty simple, is the game really worth the $15? Well... No; but why not? First and foremost, it's important to say that I grew up playing the original Carnivores games. I was five when I got the first one, and I've been playing them for almost two decades. That should tell you of the love and dedication I feel towards this series. It should also tell you of the excitement I felt when I learned of this remake; I bought it immediately, without even considering the pros or cons. All I knew, and all I cared about, was that it was Carnivores. I ended up regretting that blind loyalty. Let's talk about some pros, first. As I mentioned earlier, the graphics are gorgeous. They're a vast improvement over the original games and while the experience in the originals isn't by any means unpleasant, you can never escape the feeling of playing a game. The graphics are pixely at best and a mess at worst. In this remake, however, the graphics have been stunningly updated and the experience can quickly turn into one where you feel a part of the game and get lost in the scenery. The gameplay, while not necessarily better, is definitely not hard to get a handle on. It took me a few minutes to get it, but when I did, the game became much easier; they also don't thrust new mechanics on you halfway through a hunt. Once you've got everything, you've got it, and you can go on your merry way. Now... on to the cons. While the originals didn't have a crazy variety of dinosaurs to choose from, they certainly had more than this game. Yes, the dinosaurs are probably harder and take longer to produce, but there could have been patches or expansions that added more animals, and there haven't been. It gets boring hunting the same animals over and over, and unlike the originals, you can't mix and match what you hunt and where. There's a set list on each map, and once you've done it all, there's nothing left to do. There are very few maps, as well. The originals had many more options, and they were all fun to explore, as each one had secrets and easter eggs to find. Reborn, while the graphics are beautiful, has very little variety in the way of locations. There are three overall, with separate options for Dawn and Fog, giving you the feeling of more while actually giving you less. Despite the wonderful graphics, they do not make up for the lack of options in this game. If you're here for nostalgia, which there's a good chance you are, you will not find it here. This game is nothing like the originals. The dinosaurs are overall better, with significant improvements to their looks and AI, but the maps are nothing like the maps they were named after (for example, in the original Carnivores, Basmachee Rocks was not a desert). The gameplay, while easy to master much like the original, is nothing like the original gameplay and is not necessarily smooth. Overall, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn does not feel like a remake or even an ode to the original Carnivores series. It comes across as a half-baked product that was shoved out at the peak of the Jurassic World hype and was then abandoned shortly after. In the year+ it's been out, it's received two patches (and only within the first few months of its release), no updates, and no expansions or added content. If you want to spend $15 on Carnivores, buy the mobile version, as it's identical to Carnivores 2, has more dinosaur options, more weapon options, and more map options; and it's only $7.