Carnivores (video game)

Storyline

Carnivores is set in the year 2190. During an exploration mission in unknown space, a science vessel known as FMM UV stumbled upon a planet with a climate similar to that of earth making it suitable for life. The new planet was code-named FMM UV-32. During the initial scouting expedition, the planet was declared inhospitable for colonization due to its unstable terrain and an unexpected abundant population of dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. News articles about the planet spreaded like wildfire leading to an Earth corporation to purchase the rights to make the planet profitable, creating DinoHunt Corporation. The company allowed wealthy customers to embark in a once of a life time opportunity to hunt dinosaurs on their planet.

Gameplay

At the start of a new game, the player is given a choice whether to create a new game or continue playing from a previous account. The aim of the game is hunting dinosaurs to accumulate trophies an earn points which will unlock better weapons and the rights to hunt more diverse species of dinosaurs. A novice hunter starts with zero points, and is only given a shotgun, crossbow and a few starter dinosaurs to hunt, each dinosaur can grant the player a different set of points required to level up. If the player is killed by a dinosaur, all points accumulated on that specific hunt are forfeited. The player must be picked up by DinoHunt to keep the points he earned.

There are three tiers for a hunter, novice, advanced and expert. A hunter will become Advanced after earning 100 points, and Expert with 300. To begin a hunt, the player must choose the location, the weapon, the dinosaur and some hunting accessories which help the player but will deduct the score during that hunt. Each location is unique, with varying difficulties and terrain. The new hunter will be given three areas, with two more added for the Advanced hunter and a final area for the Expert hunter, for a total of six locations. Level locations include jungles, and deserts accompanied by pyramids and an ancient temple.

Next, the player must choose a dinosaur to hunt. A new hunter will be given the choice of four dinosaurs: Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and Allosaurus. An Advanced hunter gains the ability to hunt the Triceratops and the Velociraptor. Only an Expert hunter can hunt the Tyrannosaurus rex. Harmless creatures such as Moschops, Gallimimus and Dimorphodon are present in each level. They are worth zero points and can be killed with a single shot. The player must also choose a weapon, which can be set for kill or tranquilize for additional points. A beginning hunter can only use a shotgun or a crossbow. A sniper rifle is unlocked upon becoming an Advanced hunter. First time hunters can use the Observation Mode to familiarize themselves with dinosaur behavior and different terrain.

Reception

Trent C. Ward of IGN gave the game a 7.3 out of 10 and praised its dinosaur and environment sounds, but noted, "The biggest problem with Carnivores is that it's too damn easy. Even with all of the gear cut off, most players will be able to fill their trophy rooms in a couple of play sessions. [...] in two days I felt like I had exhausted every option available to me. It's really too bad that once you kill off a T-Rex you aren't given different options to play with. [...] All in all, Carnivores is a surprisingly entertaining game that just doesn't have enough options to keep players busy for the long term."

Greg Kasavin of GameSpot gave the game a 7.1 out of 10 and praised its sound effects, and its levels for looking "surprisingly authentic," but noted that the game is "tantalizing yet not quite complete to be entirely satisfying."

Michael L. House of AllGame rated Carnivores four stars out of five and said about the graphics, "Clear, concise, smooth, atmospheric. Animation is superb." House also said "an extremely realistic take on the amount of ammunition available for any one hunt is one of the features that, in my mind, make the simulation much more grounded in fact – it just doesn't offer a chance for the undisciplined trigger-happy hunter to blast away at anything that moves without ever running out of ammunition." House also enjoyed the game's lack of music, writing "who plays music on a dinosaur hunt anyway? Ambient sounds definitely let you feel as if you've arrived in a prehistoric landscape."