Jurassic World Evolution 2
Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments. A sequel to Jurassic World Evolution (2018) and set after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on November 9, 2021. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who deemed it an improvement over its predecessor.
| Jurassic World Evolution 2 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Publisher(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Director(s) | Rich Newbold |
| Producer(s) | Adam Woods |
| Designer(s) | James Stimpson |
| Composer(s) | Joanna Pena |
| Series | Jurassic Park |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | November 9, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay edit
Similar to the first game, Evolution 2 is a business simulation in which the player constructs a Jurassic World prehistoric theme park. The game features more than 75 prehistoric species, including various dinosaurs, pterosaurs and marine reptiles. Players need to build enclosures, aviaries and lagoons to contain these animals for visitors' viewing.[1] These animals have different needs, such as the type of food they eat and the extent of forestation they require in their habitat, that must be met to keep them healthy and satisfied. The game features a dynamic territory system which sees animals combating against each other for resources if they live in the same habitat. Their territories are constantly shifting depending on the resources available in their habitat.[2] When compared with its predecessors, the game features a more complex artificial intelligence for the prehistoric species, which will now hunt in packs and interact with others more frequently and realistically. The terrain tool was completely reworked, with players needing to plant the appropriate trees and shrubs for the herbivores to eat.[3]
Players need to build various facilities and recruit scientists for research and incubating the prehistoric species. The scientists recruited offer different gameplay benefits, but overworked and disgruntled workers will sabotage the park and intentionally let the animals escape. To incubate a prehistoric animal, the player must first extract their DNA from their fossils. Their DNA can be adjusted to give the animals unique traits, such as resilience towards a certain kind of disease.[4] Players also need to recruit rangers and veterinarians in order to keep the animals happy and healthy. To entertain the guests, players can construct different rides such as the Gyrospheres, which can now pass through multiple enclosures and be attacked by prehistoric animals.[5] Guests are categorized into different groups with different interests. For instance, nature lovers are more keen to see herbivores, while adventurists are more interested in seeing carnivores. Amenities such as toilets, gift shops and restaurants also need to be constructed and players can customize them with different modules and decorations in order to meet the needs of different guests.[6]
Unlike the first game, which is set on an archipelago, Evolution 2 features various biomes such as forests and deserts, with each providing unique challenges for the player while they are designing their parks.[7] The maps featured in the game are significantly larger than those in the first game.[6] The game features various modes, including a campaign mode which is set after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a "Chaos Theory" mode which revisits key narrative moments in the films (such as constructing the Jurassic Park facility near San Diego, as seen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park) and the Challenge and Sandbox modes also return.[2] Jeff Goldblum and Bryce Dallas Howard return to provide the voice for Ian Malcolm and Claire Dearing respectively.[8]
Development and release edit
Like its predecessor, Jurassic World Evolution 2 was developed and published by Frontier Developments. The game was announced by Goldblum in June 2021 during Summer Game Fest.[9] The game's campaign mode is considered canon with the films, taking place prior to the 2022 film Jurassic World Dominion. Frontier worked closely with Universal Pictures, ensuring that the game fits into the studio's future plans for the franchise. The company was given access to Universal's collection of sound effects and theme music from the films.[10]
Jurassic World Evolution 2 was released on November 9, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S. Players who pre-ordered the game received three vehicle skins inspired by The Lost World: Jurassic Park.[11]
Updates and DLC edit
Like its predecessor, Jurassic World Evolution 2 will be supported post-launch with the release of paid DLC and free updates. The first DLC, the Early Cretaceous Pack, was released a month after the game's launch and adds four creatures from that era.[12][13] The second DLC pack adds dinosaurs from the DreamWorks animated show Camp Cretaceous, and was released on March 8, 2022.[14] The game's first expansion, the Dominion Biosyn Expansion, features a new campaign, new species, and new appearances based on Jurassic World Dominion, and released on June 14, 2022, four days after the film's release in the United States.[15] The game’s third DLC pack, the Late Cretaceous Pack—released on September 15, 2022–added 4 species from the later part of the period. The game's second expansion, the Dominion Malta Expansion, also featured a new campaign, new species, and new appearances based on Jurassic World Dominion, and was released on December 8, 2022. The game’s fourth DLC pack, the Feathered Species Pack, was released in March 2023, featuring three fully feathered dinosaurs and one pterosaur. A free update that adds decorations inspired by the first movie was released on June 8, 2023 in advance of its 30th anniversary. Four lagoon species were added to the game in the Prehistoric Marine Species Pack, which was released on August 10, 2023. The sixth DLC pack, the Cretaceous Predator Pack, was released on November 30, 2023, featuring 4 theropods from the period.
| Name | Release Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Early Cretaceous Pack | December 9, 2021 | The Early Cretaceous Pack adds the Wuerhosaurus, Minmi paravertebra, Dsungaripterus, and Kronosaurus as hatchable species. |
| Camp Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack | March 8, 2022 | The Camp Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack adds 2 new species from the eponymous show from DreamWorks Animation, Monolophosaurus, and the fictional hybrid Scorpios rex. The DLC also features an alternate model for Ouranosaurus and Kentrosaurus, as the show featured a design that significantly differed from the in-game's models. The pack also adds skins based on several individual dinosaurs from the series: a Tyrannosaurus rex skin based on Big Eatie, a Kentrosaurus skin based on Pierce, a Carnotaurus skin based on Toro, an Ankylosaurus skin based on Bumpy, and Baryonyx skins based on Grim, Limbo, and Chaos. The pack also features 2 skins for the Parasaurolophus based on the fictional Parasaurolophus lux, an artificially created, bioluminescent species of Parasaurolophus. All added dinosaurs and skins were featured in the first 4 seasons of Camp Cretaceous. |
| Dominion Biosyn Expansion | June 14, 2022 | The Dominion Biosyn Expansion adds a new campaign based at Biosyn Valley, featured in Jurassic World Dominion. In addition to Claire Dearing, the campaign features former Jurassic Park consultants Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), the head of Biosyn, Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), and Ramsay Cole (Mamoudou Athie). The expansion also adds four new species: Pyroraptor, Therizinosaurus, Dimetrodon, and Quetzalcoatlus as hatchable species. Two new variants for two species, Giganotosaurus and Dreadnoughtus, and six new skins (two for Tyrannosaurus, one for Dilophosaurus, and three for Parasaurolophus), all based on their appearances in Dominion, were also added. |
| Late Cretaceous Pack | September 15, 2022 | The Late Cretaceous Pack adds the Barbaridactylus, Styxosaurus, Australovenator, and Alamosaurus as hatchable species. The pack also introduced bioluminescent patterns, referred to as Lux, for the Styxosaurus. |
| Dominion Malta Expansion | December 8, 2022 | The Dominion Malta Expansion adds a new campaign based on scenes featuring an underground market in Malta, also featured in Jurassic World Dominion and is set before the events of the film. The campaign features characters Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), Barry Sembène (Omar Sy), and Soyona Santos (Dichen Lachman). The expansion also adds new buildings, a new mechanic named the "Dinosaur Exchange", where players buy and trade Dinosaur species in the black market as opposed to finding fossils and genomes in dig sites, three new islands based around the Mediterranean archipelago, and several new species: Atrociraptor, Lystrosaurus, Moros intrepidus, and Oviraptor. The expansion also features four additional variant skins for existing species, Allosaurus, Dimorphodon, Iguanodon, and Carnotaurus, based on their appearances in Dominion. |
| Feathered Species Pack | March 30, 2023 | The Feathered Species Pack adds the Yutyrannus, Sinosauropteryx, Deinocheirus, and Jeholopterus as hatchable species. |
| Prehistoric Marine Species Pack | August 10, 2023 | The Prehistoric Marine Species Pack adds the Archelon, Dunkleosteus, Nothosaurus, and Shonisaurus as hatchable species. The pack also introduces Lux patterns for the Nothosaurus, as well as a Lagoon Rock Platform to accommodate it and the Archelon. |
| Cretaceous Predator Pack | November 30, 2023 | The Cretaceous Predator Pack adds the Gigantoraptor, Utahraptor, Concavenator, and Tarbosaurus as hatchable species. |
| Secret Species Pack | March 13, 2024 | The Secret Species Pack reintroduces the fictional hybrids Ankylodocus, Spinoraptor, and Stegoceratops from Jurassic World Evolution, while also introducing the fictional hybrid Spinoceratops from Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, as hatchable species. The pack also introduces Lux patterns for all four hybrids, as well as the Indominus rex and Indoraptor.[16] |
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 77/100[17] (PS5) 79/100[18] (XBO) 81/100[19] (XSX) 74/100[20] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[21] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[22] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[25] |
| PCGamesN | 7/10[23] |
| Push Square | [24] |
The game received generally positive reviews upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic.[17][18]
PCGames N awarded the game 7: "Improves on its predecessor in clever ways and still boasts the most gorgeous dinosaurs ever made in a game. But dealing with disastrous events beyond your control still isn't any fun, even if it's thematic for the Jurassic Park IP".[26]
Early sales on the PC were lower than expected, as the game was released during the same week as several other high-profile PC games. The home console versions sold as expected, and the game had approximately 500,000 players across all platforms within two weeks of its release. Frontier expected the game to raise more revenue than its predecessor within its first year, in part because of the upcoming release of Jurassic World Dominion.[27]
References edit
- ^ Woods, Adam (June 10, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2: exploring a new era of management simulation". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Wales, Matt (July 24, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 dev video talks dino behaviours, habitat enhancements, and more". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Loveridge, Sam (June 25, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 preview: Deeper management, better dinosaurs, and a whole load of customization options". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (August 25, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 Arrives On November 9, Take Your First Look At The Mosasaurus!". Game Informer. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Carpel, Chris (August 15, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2's tourists are no longer safe in Gyrospheres". PCGamesN. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (June 21, 2021). "Raptors Hunt In Packs! Exclusive First Details For Jurassic World Evolution 2". Game Informer. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Watts, Rachel (August 26, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 gets back to the pure wonder of just seeing dinosaurs". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (June 10, 2021). "Jeff Goldblum announces Jurassic World Evolution 2". Polygon. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Kim, Matt (June 18, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 Announced - Summer of Gaming". IGN. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Abbott, Harrison (November 24, 2021). "How 'Jurassic World Evolution 2' Bridges the Gap Between 'Fallen Kingdom' and 'Dominion'". Newsweek. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (August 25, 2021). "'Jurassic World Evolution 2' brings dino world-building to PC and consoles November 9th". Engadget. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Wales, Matt (December 2, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2's first paid DLC adds four new Early Cretaceous era dinosaurs". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Barker, Sammy (December 9, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 Turns Back Time with Early Cretaceous DLC". Push Square. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (February 25, 2022). "Camp Cretaceous Dinosaurs Invade Jurassic World Evolution 2 In New DLC Offering". Game Informer. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ "Dominion Biosyn Expansion and Update 3 Coming June 14 2022". Jurassic World Evolution 2. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Secret Species Pack Coming 13 March 2024". Jurassic World Evolution 2. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Jurassic World Evolution 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "Jurassic World Evolution 2 for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Jurassic World Evolution 2 (Xbox One)". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Jurassic World Evolution 2 (Xbox Series X)". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Roemer, Dan (11 November 2021). "Review: Jurassic World Evolution 2". Destructoid. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (5 November 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 Review – A Dynamic And Deadly Park-Building Experience". Game Informer. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Scott-Jones, Richard (5 November 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 review – dino crises". PCGamesN. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Cal McCormick, John (5 November 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Bohn, Jason (12 November 2021). "Review: Jurassic World Evolution 2". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Jurassic World Evolution 2 review – dino crises". PCGamesN. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (November 23, 2021). "Jurassic World Evolution 2 sales lower than expected and Elite Dangerous: Odyssey under-performed". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
External links edit
- Official website