Vivendi Universal decided to stay clear of this years ECTS; instead hosting their own ‘mini’ show at an attractive venue in nearby Parsons Green. The expansive event previewed many of Vivendi’s upcoming titles, including The Lord of the Rings, The Thing, Judge Dredd vs. Death, No One Lives Forever 2, and Jurassic Park. The latter was of particular interest, the idea of a ‘Sim’ Jurassic Park proving more than a little alluring.

So with John Williams’ rousing theme in my head, I made a bee-line for Universal Interactive’s area to get the lowdown. What I saw wasn’t so much perfect, or complete, but it was certainly promising.

I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour by the game’s Producer, Steven Elwell of Universal, who’s enthusiasm for the project was evident from the beginning of our meeting. First things first; the graphics. Wow. Whilst the build I saw had a number of bugs including the rain, among others, there was still more than enough to really excite the eyes. The water effects, including near-perfect reflections were among some of the best I’ve seen, whilst the detail of the various Dinosaurs and their terrain was outstanding. Whilst it could be argued that the landscape is a little flat in places (perhaps a design decision to make construction easier), the power of the engine is clear as you’re given a great deal of freedom to zoom in close on individual creatures or take an overview of your Park. The animation was another highlight, too, the fighting T-Rex looking more like an extract from one of the films than a computer game. All in all, a very polished effort, albeit an incomplete one at this stage.

Which leads me to my only concern regarding the graphics. The draw-distance. Whilst Steven explained to me the detail of what was shown, it was still niggling that the draw distance was quite so near and noticeable, though Elwell did suggest that this was being worked on and would be shrouded better and possibly pushed back a little further.

So what do you do in the game? Well, your given a variety of technical options to develop your park including the ability to research more species and new technologies, whilst you create the physical side of your park – the Visitors Centre, a Balloon ride, enclosures, Recovery Buildings, etc. etc. Its all very similar in this respect to traditional city simulation, albeit in a rather lavish environment.