After being delayed due to the pandemic, the hotly anticipated Jurassic World: Dominion will hit the big screens this summer. The dino-wrangling ensemble cast of Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum will all return, and Sam Neill and Laura Dern are set to reprise their roles as Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Satler for the first time since Jurassic Park III. Set four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the movie takes place away from the destroyed Isla Nublar, and will instead see dinosaurs and humans living (and hunting) together on the mainland. And, yes, in the immortal words of Richard Attenborough, “we have a T-Rex.
Excitement is building quickly and in all sorts of ways. Trailer and teaser content is making the rounds on social media; a DigitalSpy report indicates that seven new LEGO sets will hit toy store shelves in April; and naturally, fans of the franchise are starting their rewatches in earnest. In addition to all of this though, another fun way to get yourself in the frame of mind for the new release is to go back through some of the many games that have been produced alongside the film franchise.
Here, we’ll have a look at some of the best ones.
Jurassic World: The Game
This 2015 release on iOS and Android takes developer Nubia’s prior hit (Jurassic Park Builder) and goes a step further. In addition to creating their own theme park, players can pick dinosaurs to battle in an arena; think a mix of Sim Theme Park and Pokémon, more or less. The game was widely praised for its graphics and animation, which were particularly impressive for mobile platforms at the time and remain thoroughly satisfying even now. Interestingly, the game is also compatible with the Hasbro Brawlasaurs figurines, which can be scanned and used as in-game characters.
UNO Jurassic World
Everyone loves the classic card game UNO, and this special edition released in celebration of Jurassic World came with a fun twist: If someone draws the “Owen’s Raptor Squad” special card they immediately get to discard every raptor card from their hand. Unsurprisingly, that’s a prized item, and the groans when a lucky player announces they’re holding it rival the roars from the electronic dilophosaurus head card dispenser that was released alongside the game.
Lego Jurassic World
Not the physical bricks this time, but the video game. Released on PC, consoles ranging from the PlayStation 3 all the way through to the Nintendo Switch, and as a mobile game, this title was pretty much made available to everyone. The game also has real pedigree –– it was written by TT Fusion, which has worked on almost all of the highly acclaimed LEGO video games series, including the LEGO Batman and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes installments. Yet Gamezebo described this one as “easily the best” mobile LEGO game at the time of its release. With over four million units sold, the physical version proved a big success also.
Jurassic Park: Gold
This video slot pays homage to the original Jurassic Park movies. Exclusive to the game collection at Gala Spins, this title is set in the jungle, and features the likenesses of favorite characters Ian Malcolm, John Hammond and Dr. Sarah Harding. An array of the most famous dinosaurs from the movie series (including, of course, the T-Rex) and the mosquito in amber that gave birth to Hammond’s whole Jurassic Park vision round out the game. Online casino games have tended to rely more on original IP than movie licenses of late, so the Jurassic Park theme is both nostalgic and refreshing.
Jurassic Park: Danger!
From Ravensburger –– possibly the biggest name in board games –– this table topper offers a pretty cool perspective shift. One player is the bad guy(s) and controls a team of three dinosaurs. The other player or player (up to four) control the human team whose aim is to solve puzzles and get to the chopper off Isla Nublar and to safety before they become a tasty snack. The game stays faithful to the movie franchise, as each human character has their own goals and motivations in the tasks they undertake. The dinosaurs, of course, just want lunch. And being able to be a dinosaur –– even if only a wooden one in a board game –– is fun.
With the movie set to hit theaters exclusively in June (including in IMAX and RealD 3D formats), it’s sure to be a summer blockbuster. These games will help hype you up for the action, and in the meantime stay tuned to TME.net for Jurassic Park updates and more.
