Summary
Exoprimalis far from the first game Capcom has made involving dinosaurs. As a concept, dinosaur games and prehistoric games used to be more prevalent before they went away after the 90s. There are modern exceptions like ARK, of course, and maybe one day the market can be flooded once again with dinosaur games.
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As forCapcom,Exoprimaljoins a small band of dinosaur games that they have made. Of course, questions such as whether it is the beginning of a new franchise, and if Capcom will make a sequel are lingering. There are a lot of uncertainties regarding Exoprimal, but let’s move on from that to see whereExoprimalstacks up among Capcom’s other dinosaur-based games.
As one additional note, theMonster Hunterserieswill not be discussed. They are technically dinosaur games too since a lot of monsters look inspired by legends like T-Rexes and Raptors. There are just too many to name though and a lot of them remain exclusive to Japan.
6Dino Stalker
Dino Stalkeris part of theDino Crisisseries which might be confusing because of the name. It isa light-gun gamefor the PS2 and it was released in 2002. Unlike most light-gun games, it is not an on-rails shooter, for the most part, meaning that players could move around more freely in first-person.
The beginning cutscene is quite intriguing because it shows the protagonist, the oddly named Mike Wired, shooting down planes in World War 2. Suddenly he gets transported to the future which coincides with the events ofDino Crisis 2. It’s a goofy opening that would have been aided by a continued wacky narrative but everything is played a bit too seriously after this.
5Dino Crisis 3
Dino Crisis 3is the end of the series, and it, unfortunately, didn’t send the franchise off on a high note. It was an original Xbox exclusive in 2003 and it has never been ported. This series has always had anelement of time travelin it to somewhat explain why dinosaurs were terrorizing Earth.Dino Crisis 3took things to a new level when it not only set the game in space but in the future of 2548.
The game was cheesier than its predecessors but it also tried to be more serious. This created a weird narrative juxtaposition, but the gameplay might have been the true downfall. It was clunky all around and yet for hardcore fans, it still holds a special place in their hearts.
4Exoprimal
Exoprimalis probably not going to be reflected highly in Capcom’s books by the end of the year. It didn’t sell or review well and the overall reception from fans has been mixed. Part of the problem is the lack of content as everything is repetitive. The same maps and mode types will be repeated without much variety. So, those are the bad parts.
There are a lot of good parts though, like the concept of portals creating waves of dinosaurs to shoot. The multilevel classes are all fun and diverse to jump into too. Whether one wants to blow dinosaurs up or heal allies, there is a class for everyone. Multiplayer games have launched roughly before and got to their feet such asRainbow Six Siege. Now, that’s one of the biggest multiplayer games on the planet, so anything is possible forExoprimal.
3Cadillacs And Dinosaurs
Cadillacs and Dinosaursis a 1993 arcade game. Like many of Capcom’s arcade games, it was a brawler featuring three-player co-op even though there were four playable characters to choose from. Players will punch, cut, and shoot hundreds of dinosaurs in the course of this short adventure but there are plenty of human raiders too.
It’s based on a comic and it got a cartoon in the 90s as well. This licensed deal may be whyCadillacs and Dinosaursdid not appear inCapcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle. It’s a shame because beating up dinosaurs and occasionally driving a car on a post-apocalyptic Earth turns out to be pretty fun.
2Dino Crisis 2
Dino Crisis 2took things in a more action-oriented arcade-like direction compared to its predecessor. It’s akin to a leap betweenResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3: Nemesis. It’s set not long after the events of the original and Regina is joined by a new partner, Dylan. He’s the lead playable character in this PS1 sequel from 2000.
Players are armed with a powerful shotgun at first, and will immediately notice a point score start to accumulate. Points are a stand-in for money in the game as players can buy weapons and items at checkpoints. They can even grind for points because dinosaurs respawn, giving the game a somewhat RPG edge to it. Survival horror fans may not have liked this change from the original, but it doesn’t mean the game is bad.
1Dino Crisis
There is no beatingDino Crisisas the best game in the series, and it is also Capcom’s best dinosaur game overall. It combined many games and media into one adventure includingResident Evil,Jurassic Park, andMetal Gear Solid. It was released initially on the PS1 in 1999 but it got several ports too, like on the Dreamcast.
Regina is a female agent sent in to investigate a private research facility along with her fellow team members. They discover the research facility has been abandoned and there are bodies everywhere, and on top of everything, dinosaurs are running amok. It has more gameplay control than the firstResident Evil, but there are still plenty of scares too.Dino Crisisstrikes the perfect balance between unsettling horror and gun-blasting action.
Exoprimalwas released on June 03, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
