Software:Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor

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Short description: 2001 video game
Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor
North American box art
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii
Publisher(s)Konami
SeriesJurassic Park
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • NA: July 17, 2001[1]
  • PAL: September 28, 2001
  • JP: November 1, 2001
Genre(s)Side-scrolling puzzle
Mode(s)Single player

Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor is a side scrolling and puzzle game set in the Jurassic Park movie universe. It was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. It was coincided with the release of the film Jurassic Park III on July 17, 2001.

The two other games, Software:Jurassic Park III: Park Builder and Software:Jurassic Park III: Island Attack, are also released by Konami.

Summary

A cargo plane flying over Isla Sorna is struck by lightning, and upon crashing, the dinosaur DNA it stored is spread across the island. The player then assumes the role of either Mark Hanson (a photographer) or Lori Torres (an ace pilot), and must wander around the island in a side-scrolling format, collecting DNA and avoiding dinosaurs.[2] In each level, the player's character has the ability to switch between a background and a foreground pathway. Switching between the two pathways allows the player to access weapons and DNA samples,[3] or to avoid oncoming dinosaurs. At the end of each level, the player will use the DNA that is collected in a short puzzle game, in order to create more dinosaurs. Completing this minigame will unlock more areas for the player to explore. At the end of the game, the military bombs the island, and the player escapes on a small plane, wondering if dinosaurs should really have a place in their world.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings48.94%[4]
Metacritic44/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStar[6]
Game Informer2.75/10[7]
GameSpot3.6/10[2]
IGN5/10[3]
Nintendo PowerStarStarHalf star[8]

The game was met with mixed to negative reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 48.94%,[4] while Metacritic gave it 44 out of 100.[5] AllGame praised the game's graphics and sound effects, but criticized its "awkward" controls and wrote that the levels "are poorly designed and seemingly impossible to complete." AllGame also criticized the game's ability to switch between background and foreground pathways, writing "this just adds confusion, since swapping between roads can be tricky and the paths are oftentimes deceiving because of the limited screen size and resolution."[6]

IGN praised its cutscenes, sound effects and music, but criticized its "sloppy game design," clumsy controls, and bad collision detection, as well as the game's background and foreground pathways: "Nothing casts a shadow, so you can't even tell if a DNA sample is hovering over the foreground path or lying on the ground on the background path."[3]

GameSpot criticized the game for "disappointing" sound effects and music, and for sharing nothing in common with the film. GameSpot also criticized the game's background and foreground pathways, calling it "a confusing little gimmick that is mainly used to increase the amount of backtracking you'll have to do to collect the particles you need."[2] In 2018, Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku ranked the game among the "worst" Jurassic Park games ever released, stating that it "looked and played awful when it was first released, and it hasn’t aged well at all."[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor (GBA)". http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gamesell/p18648_GBA.htm. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Provo, Frank (2001-08-09). "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/jurassic-park-iii-the-dna-factor-review/1900-2803207/. Retrieved 2014-04-13. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harris, Craig (2001-07-30). "Jurassic Park III: DNA Factor [sic]". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/07/30/jurassic-park-iii-dna-factor. Retrieved 2014-04-13. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/516519-jurassic-park-iii-the-dna-factor/index.html. Retrieved 2014-04-13. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor Critic Reviews for Game Boy Advance". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/jurassic-park-iii-the-dna-factor/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. Retrieved 2014-04-13. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Semerad, Jay. "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115044114/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=34953&tab=review. Retrieved 2014-11-15. 
  7. ↑ "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor". Game Informer. 2001. 
  8. ↑ "Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor". Nintendo Power 147. August 2001. 
  9. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (2018-06-19). "The Best, Worst, And Weirdest Jurassic Park Games". https://kotaku.com/the-best-worst-and-weirdest-jurassic-park-games-1826918812. Retrieved 2018-06-20. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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