Trespasser (1998 Video Game) User Reviews

Travel through the Jurassic world

[Exeron · 7/10 · 15 February 2008]

Even if this game could be better in so many ways, i think it's actually quite OK. I remember when i first heard about it when i was a kid, i loved Jurassic Park back then and i still do, so i thought what wouldn't be better than a game.

Anyway i played it and i realized that i'm all alone, in all Jurassic movies, are there anyone alone? no. The game-play would be cooler if you had some other people with you, to build up the tense. If you are alone you know what's gonna happen....

This was the first game though to use the Ragdoll physics. Explanation: Take Counter Strike for an example, the characters just falls down in an already made up animation, which constantly creates several bugs like the corpse lying in the air or through the wall. The rag doll physic simply let the animated character's function just to stop working, if a character dies it will land in a random position. This function had some negative responses first but now almost every new game has it.

Anyway forget about that for a moment, if you love Jurassic Park, then do me a favor, Don't play this game nor see Jurassic Park III

To much to deal with

[benjamin-154 · 8/10 · 17 November 2006]

Steven Spielberg (who is a bit of a computer-game geek)one day got the brilliant idea to making a PC game, based on his 2. Great Jurassic Park movie. But he told his company Dreamworks that the game needed to be good! The dinosaurs in it should move like they did in his movies, react to object and each other, they should be able to fight each other, and be affected to realistic gravity (never before seen back then). The game also needed to be called Trespasser. The programmers worked on Trespasser for about twice the time, a PC game normally took to finish. When the game finally finished, it was as many had feared. Steven's dream game was simply impossible to fully complete, although there was beautiful nature and detailed sound effects, the game just did not work well. The dino's should have been smart and realistic, but because of all the things Steven wanted them to do, they seemed stupid as..(biip)..: They tripped over their own feet every 5th step they took, they ran into walls, and suddenly ignored you. All the things in the game that should have been bigger and better than other games was not done right, Dreamworks simply did not have the technology to create it fully. So the game did not sell very well... BUT! The many steps forward Dreamworks had made in the process, opened doors to whole new opportunities that others could use, Dreamworks had actually helped others make better games. Many game creators has since then given Dreamworks the credit for their own work, and has explained how Trespasser helped them achieve better games. So even though Trespasser was a failure, Steven once again showed that he could push technology a little further, only this time, almost nobody knew.

(8/10 for a boring but revolutionary game)

A must for gamers who are Jurassic Park fans!

[bwfo · 8/10 · 11 July 2015]

Although the game was slightly buggy when first released and suffered from an engine that had not been fine tuned enough to operate smoothly with a lot of the PCs around at the time, there was a patch released shortly afterwards which fixed a lot of the issues people were experiencing. There was also a lot of hype about Trespasser pre-release and many people were disappointed after their first experiences with the game(many of whom gave up on it there and then). The game was one of the first(if not the first) at the time to have real world physics and many of the 'problems' people were experiencing were testament to how ahead of its time Trespasser was. If you push aside that which was promised or expected of the game before it's release, Trespasser was actually quite amazing by any standard(at the time) and gave gamers a long and challenging adventure with all the right Jurassic Park 'bits and pieces'. In my opinion(as a long standing JP and Lost World fan), Trespasser felt exactly right for what it was trying to accomplish and really made me feel like I was on Site B. Richard Attenborough's voice throughout the game adds so much to the atmosphere... It really feels like Jurassic Park! The game's score/soundtrack is very well placed and also adds wonderfully to the atmosphere. Your first encounter with a dinosaur is extremely memorable... there is excitement and wonder but just as quickly as those emotions arise, feelings of fear and isolation creep in. As you explore the island, you find old inGen vehicles and equipment and you just know your'e experiencing something the movies never showed. There are buildings and facilities which you encounter and the feeling of a Lost World both prehistoric and now abandoned is clearly sensed. As far as game-to-movies or movies-to-games go, Trespasser is without a doubt one of the best. It stays true to the overall theme of Jurassic Park & Lost World as there are elements of adventure, discovery, isolation as well as survival and fear throughout the game. There is so much to learn and discover about Site B that I feel Trespasser is almost crucial to any Jurassic Park fan in order to gain more insight into Dr. Hammond's ideas and dreams. It's almost like a great Jurassic Park story(or part thereof) that was never told/made into a movie. When I first played Trespasser, I was much younger and so the magic and ability to be completely consumed was obviously far greater than now so I don't expect anyone to experience the game as I have tried to describe it. Also, given today's advancement in gaming, Trespasser obviously looks and feels old. I did recently play it though, from start to finish and must say, I enjoyed it again! Its still amazing and still magical! It's still a solid Jurassic Park experience. I must also add that there are a number of patches/fixes available now which optimize the game to make better use of today's technology as well as slight visual improvements. Also, support for higher screen resolution and wide screen support is now available.

I'm a serious Jurassic Park fan and a serious gamer(specifically first- person shooters) and in my opinion, Trespasser is a great game that should be experienced at least once!

Fabulous, exciting game!

[DarrylEvans2 · 10/10 · 8 October 2002]

Trespasser is one of the most under-rated games ever. When it was first released back in 1998, it got many bad reviews. The problem is, people did not look into the game in enough detail. There are MANY secrets in Trespasser that will make you never look at Jurassic Park the same way again.

Many aspects continue to thrill me and makes me wonder, "How were they capable of doing that in 1998?" Firstly, you can't help but be impressed by the A.I in the game. These dinosaurs think like animals! For example, if you shoot one, it may become scared and run away or on the other hand it could decide to attack. And since every dinosaur in the game is randomized with A.I, it makes the game play unique and exciting every time you play it!

Also, one can't help but be impressed by the physics engine. Things move very realistically and move differently depending on how hard you hit them. Even the dinosaurs react the environment very well. Speaking of the environment, this game has possible the most detailed jungle ever created for a game.

I was often delighted with the musical score in this game. When I saw two Brachiosaurs, a huge theme erupted and took me back to the first Brachiosaurus scene in Jurassic Park. Also sometimes the score could be very scary and make you wonder what is around the corner... Even some of the scenes were thought up by none other than Steven Spielberg himself. Knowing that fact alone is enough for me to buy the game!

Unfortunately this game is very hard to find. But if you do see a copy, I suggest you buy it straight away. If you like Jurassic Park then you will certainly enjoy the digital sequel to The Lost World.

Avoid at all costs!

[schwertficsh · 1/10 · 29 May 2006]

With bad writing, endless box-stacking puzzles, appalling graphics, and the worst enemy AI I have ever seen in a game, Jurassic Park: Trespasser is by far the lowest of the low.

It is no mystery why a prominent computer gaming magazine gave this "game" their Coaster of the Month award (worst game released in that month) twice in a row (never been done before, or since). I have to give it a "1" because "0" is not available.

The only up side to this FPS was looking at the main character's health bar: a heart tattoo on her DD's.

Avoid this crime against humanity at all costs!

Good spin-off of "The Lost World"

[Movie-Guru · 9/10 · 10 January 2002]

For those of you who don't know, Trespasser is a PC Game which came out in 1998, made by Dreamworks, released one year after Steven Spielberg's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park". Its basically a spin-off of TLW, its about a girl named Anne (voiced by Minnie Driver) who crash lands on Isla Sorna, and now she has to go through 8 levels of intense dino attacks, wicked terrains, challenging tasks and puzzels, its a good game if your into kiling dinos with all sorts of guns and rifles, and if you like Jurassic Park of course. I give it a 8 out of 10, because the game could have been better.

Awesome for its time. Still awesome today.(Spoilors? Maybe?)

[LeonSharpFlame · 10/10 · 2 July 2006]

I recently have played the demo of Trespasser, and enjoyed it so much, I thought I should write a review of it here. :) Now, here are my sorted out goods, and bads about the game.

Graphics: 8/10. The graphics are pretty good for its time, and it really feels like you are actually there!

Sound: 10/10. The sound of the game is perfect. I mean, REALLY PERFECT. I just sometimes play with the boxes while I sit back and hear the cool music.

Controls: 6/10. Well, the controls are really what I didn't appreciate. Notice the player arm doesn't move like a realistic one. Sometimes, it'll contort into awkward positions normal people cant do. But still, controls are easy to learn.

AI/Enemies: 10/10. The enemies and AI of monsters, is REALLY good. I am serious. This isn't like Half Life 2's standards, but its good for its time. The enemies are so scary, they can do the most weird things, and scare the crap out of you.

Bugs: A lot OF BUGS!!! If you buy this game, you better have a sense of humor and like video game bugs. EVERYTHING is basically a giant video game bug. Say you kill a enemy, like a Raptor. Walk to it, nudge it with your hand, your hand will sometimes twist and form a giant pretzel!

Playability: 9999/9999. EXTREMELY COOL!!! Buy this game if you like challenges, first person shooters, and dinosaurs!!! You still should have a sense of humor, cause of the bugs you find.

A random funny: For everyone, as I said before, a lot of bugs. A example of one I encountered, is I saw a metal trailer fall down, it weighs about 2 tons or so in game. SO. I hid behind it, but it moved when a Veliciraptor(I cant spell it good) nudged it... IT LIFTED THE 2 TON Trailer ONTO ITS TINY HEAD!!!!! IT Didn't KILL IT!!! Just saying, physic errors are in game. Have fun! WE NEED MORE GAMES LIKE THIS!!!

Oh, and to schwertficsh. He/She ( I assume he) has no idea whatsoever on how to comprehend this game. Because, for one, this game is fun. If there were no glitches, bugs, or mess ups, it would just be another FPS spin off. Glitches and bugs in this game is what makes it fun. Learn to adapt to them, and you'll enjoy it better than ever!

A gem but not for everyone

[marbl-1 · 10/10 · 16 June 2017]

You can either love this game or hate it. If you are impatient, inaccurate, if you know only present computer graphic - don't even try. The game was (and still is) just revolutionary in some aspects. The realism level is wonderful. No controls, indicators, panels, journals, character development trees and so on. It is just YOU (I mean, Anna) and the world. You interact with surrounding world like... well, like in a world. You can see what you would really see. You can use your arm like in the real world. The problem is in controlling the arm: it is a bit difficult to learn. In most FPS games you just point, press the button and kill a 1000 of bad guys. But here you have to get a real skill before you win. That is why some people after 30 min of trying start to think it is a lousy game. Well, it is not the game which is lousy here. Once you learn how to move and interact, the game will become perfect (well, with some bugs). You sneak from tree to tree trying to survive, feeling raptor's eyes on your neck. Of course for some people it is "boring", because you don't get to shoot 100 opponents per minute. It was the first game featuring a real physical interactions between objects (from rag dolls to catching and throwing objects), the real-time-generated sound effects, the inverse kinematics, etc. Generally, it was the most ambitious video game in the history, but during developing it was too much pressed by time and funds. That is why you have to admire it's greatness through the clouds of removed and unfinished attractions. I would really like to see it in it's full glory, without bugs, with all the features which were planned, but could not be included.

My favourite JP game ever!

[filmsbythefire · 10/10 · 30 November 2008]

I know this game is full of (really hilarious) bugs, but I really don't care! There's something about it that I just love; something that makes you wanna pop it in the disk drive again and again.

The game is set on Site B, the island where all of the amazing work seen in the films really took place. You play Anne, a shipwrecked girl with massive jugs and a broken arm, who has to get off the island. It's really that simple; and it makes for a really interesting game! The graphics are breathtaking, and every turn offers new and exciting sights to enjoy. Sweeping beaches, plunging valleys, lush jungles and dark, craggy mountains, it's all in there. Because of this, I find it quite relaxing to play, and sometimes you just want to stand and look at everything... which you can't often do what with the raptors everywhere! The dinosaurs themselves are really well designed too, especially the T-Rex's and Brachiosaurs, they look just like the ones in the films! Even though I love this game to bits, I just can't resist pointing out a few of its funnier flaws for anyone who might expect it to be perfect.

1. It's not just the predators that can kill you. Sicne I started playing it I've been killed by doors, walls, rocks, bits of rubble, dead dinosaurs, baseball bats, and my own arm.

2. Some areas are definitely haunted. A snack bar in the abandoned town brought a raptor back to life just after I shot it, and one of the bathroom doors killed me. At the docks, those giant shipping crates bring back raptors too. Weird.

3. The dinosaurs are all acting, and their cue to begin moving is when you get within about 100 feet of them. Before that, they stand absolutely still, and many of them start their lives out many feet up in the air, before dropping on you from above! 4. When dinosaurs die, they all die in the standard position; legs fold away beneath it, it drops to the ground and its head bobs madly. Push a raptor, and it'll fall on its side with a sickening splash as it hits the blood.

5. Anne can do almost anything with her one working arm - including monstrous feats the likes of which the world has never known. She can twist it right round her head and strangle herself. And pick up steel girders that theoretically weight about a tonne, tossing them one-handed with ease. It is very hard to work the arm too; requiring around five buttons and your mouse just to manipulate her wrist.

6. Their are strict boundaries in the game - at the very start, if you try and make Anne swim to freedom, she tells us she doesn't feel like swimming, and can't swim to America. If a dinosaur tries to enter a building, it gets absorbed into the wall and never gets out... cool.

7. Anne running is slower than most people walk. Walk therefore is worse than a dying crawl. Jumping lifts you a few inches up. All her functions are severely hindered.

8. Christ, how many bloody boxes can one game have? CRATES!! AAGH! 9. At random times in the game, a full, lush orchestra will blast out unexpectedly from nowhere, as will Hammond's disembodied voice from time to time. Fair warning - it may make you jump.

Still, I love the game, glitches and all, and I'm sure that unless you are an obsessive perfectionist, you will too!