I’ve been on this Earth for the best part of five decades. My kids have long stopped watching kids TV (or any TV in fact, settling on YouTube instead) and so I’m only familiar with the Gigantosaurus franchise through the gaming world alone. That’s fine, because it could be said that I’m about as far removed from its target audience as one could get.
So why have I – and the rest of the family – been able to find pockets of enjoyment for a few evenings with Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports?
Well that’s a simple question to answer really. It’s because Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports is a really well put together game. Or at least it’s a really well put together series of mini-games. Because whilst this is capable of delivering some fun in spurts, and may just about appeal to the very youngest of gaming audiences for a little longer, aside from those mini-games, Dino Sports is seriously lacking in content. What’s there is good, but it’s about as bare bones as you can get.
It’s even more of a problem when you consider the price, something that I try to steer away from whenever I put together some review thoughts. In this instance though, the £34.99 price tag slapped on Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports by Outright Games is at least double what it should be. In fact, whilst half that would be just about palatable, even less feels a better, more preferable, fit. But £34.99? For something that is basically eight mini-games and half an hour long? C’mon Outright, you can do better than that.
Little rant over, aside from the extremely low content to cash return that Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports delivers, there’s still fun to be had here. And yes, that’s coming from a near 50-year old talking about a family friendly kids game.
As you’d expect to hear from a game titled Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports, this looks to jump on the back of the success of the Gigantosaurus animated series, as well as a couple of previous games – Gigantosaurus: The Game and Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart. Taking those two into consideration, Dino Sports again very much does what it says on the tin, providing players the opportunity to join four of the franchises’ stars – Bill, Tiny, Rocky and Mazu – as they compete in the Giganto Games.
It’s those Giganto Games which are front and centre, as players take in a series of eight mini-games, all brought together by some cartoon vibes, with excellent cutscenes between each providing a bit of reason to the madcap antics. Those games are easy to pick up too, no matter whether you choose the ‘Kids’ or ‘Grown-Ups’ difficulty setting, mostly as the vast majority are humble button bashing affairs. They are helped along by an interactive tutorial ahead of the games beginning.
We’ve got Stunt Surf that has us racing to a finish line down a river, jumping obstacles, boosting through gates in hope of beating our three competitors. There’s the toboggan-y Ice Dash, and the opportunity to climb as high up a rock face as possible in the imaginatively titled Climbing, grabbing for handholds, dodging falling rocks. Our least favourite is that of Hang Gliding, mostly as the collision detection feels a bit off, flying through the sky, collecting balloons, dodging the roar of Giganto as we go. We do however have good vibes surrounding the dance-off of Jump Dive, tapping face buttons, pulling off poses as we fall with grace. There’s also some positivity that emits from partaking in Dino Fruit Blast – this is probably the most difficult of all the mini-games (at least for a young ‘un), but grabbing high scores as we blast fruit is a joy.
Rounding off the eight-event games are a couple of side-scrolling racers. Stop & Go sees you needing to bash your A button to run, holding it to keep steady whenever Giganto awakes; if he sees you moving, he’ll roar in your direction, pushing you back along the track. And then the Raptors Triathlon combines running, a bit of swimming and some raptor riding with aplomb.
The mini-games found in Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports work well. They are simple enough to play – a must for any family party game – and aside from perhaps the Dino Fruit Blast, even the very youngest will be able to understand what is required of them. It means that should you wish to sit down for some gaming fun with your family, competing in a split-screen fashion, Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports should be considered.
The problem is, that’s very much it for what is included in Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports. A number of challenges increase gameplay times a little, adding variations on the base ideas, as you go about beating times and scores in return for medals. Aim for gold medals across the board and those challenges will keep you busy for a wee while. And there’s also the Custom Giganto Games that lets you pick and choose your favourite events, playing them against the AI or three others locally as you would with the main event.
Outright Games and Infinigon Games have also chucked in a number of jigsaw puzzles, set aside in a sub-menu of Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports. Very much tacked on, these jigsaws are the simplest things I’ve ever come across – grabbing a jigsaw piece, hovering it over a picture and placing it on the board, neither excites nor tests the mind, not even a young mind. But again, Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports is very much set up for its target audience and we’d imagine some early-schoolers will have a little fun with those jigsaws. It’s that same demographic who will probably rinse the Giganto Games over and over again, at least until they discover something else a little more shiny.
The price point of Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports won’t be of concern to younger players. But it’s the parents who will care, and we’re unsure as to whether Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports will ever find a suitable home when the price is taken into account. If money is no object, if providing some playtime for your kids is more of a focus then tracking your bank balance, fill your boots with a Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports download. You may even discover yourself enjoying what is on offer.
There’s no doubt that Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports is a well put together collection of mini-games, pushed along by a fun narrative and some additional challenges. But it’s very much let down by the asking price – we’d wait for it to drop in price by at least half before being able to fully recommend it.
