Dinosaur Fighting Games

Primal Rage

'Primal Rage' was released in 1994 by Atari as a fighting-style arcade game. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of the planet Earth, where a cataclysmic disaster has reduced human civilization to rubble and caused the evolution of an enormous new breed of creatures who now battle for supremacy on the decimated planet. Users are able to choose from one of seven playable characters, five of which are based on dinosaurs, in the quest for planetary supremacy. The Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Styracosaurus are prominently featured. Although the game makes no attempt whatsoever at realism, it was subject to a great deal of criticism due to its level of gore, in particular its propensity to show humans being trampled and eaten by several of the main characters. Although no longer in production, the game can still be found as downloadable freeware in one of its many ported console versions.

Warpath: Jurassic Park

'Warpath: Jurassic Park' is only one of the many video games that spawned from the ultra-successful 'Jurassic Park' film series. 'Warpath,' however, is the only one that focuses on combat between dinosaurs rather than adventures or role-playing formats with humans as the protagonists. Released in 1999 for Playstation, 'Warpath' allows players to select their favorite dinosaurs and engage in close combat with other species across several locations familiar to fans of the films. Unique aspects of 'Warpath' include a mechanism whereby players can regenerate their character's health by consuming smaller creatures that periodically appear at the bottom of the screen, and a 'museum' mode which allows players to educate themselves on the dinosaurs included in the game. Although no longer in production, 'Warpath: Jurassic Park' can still be found wherever used Playstation games are sold.

Turok

'Turok', released for Playstation 3, XBOX 360 and Microsoft Windows in 2008, is the latest offering in the popular 'Turok: Dinosaur Hunter' series. 'Turok' is designed in the style of a first-person shooter, but a third-person perspective may also be selected. In the game, the user controls Joseph Turok, a former black-ops soldier sent to a distant planet to confront a band of mercenaries. It quickly becomes apparent that the planet is overrun with genetically engineered dinosaurs, many of which must be destroyed in order to ensure the player's survival. Although dinosaurs can be a detriment to the player when provoked or disturbed, the player can also use them to his advantage during combat with enemy mercenaries, adding an interesting twist to the gameplay. 'Turok' is still in production, and can be found at any retailer carrying Playstation 3, XBOX 360 or PC games.