This topic is, regrettably, a rather touchy subject that can boil the blood of anyone in the vicinity. It’s been looping through my head these past few days, and I’ve yet to really come to a wholehearted decision. Are dragons considered dinosaurs, or does their residence in fantasy negate any such possibility?

The Mascots of My Internal Toils

Before I delve too deeply into the fat of the debate, I’d like to discuss what brought me to this age old question. I was going through some of my old games recently, when I happened upon my copy of Bust a Move 2 for the Sega Saturn.  I grimaced, remembering the stupid amount of time I put into the game, but I was a mere pawn to its forces, and had to boot it up yet again. As I was playing level after level, I began overthinking the origins of the characters Bubble and Bobble, and just what it is they are. They’re undeniably adorable, but they’re also very dino-like in appearance. Their Wikipedia page refers to them as dragons, but I’m not sure I’m ready to concur. If I did go along with this notion, though, would that mean they weren’t dinosaurs? Or would it mean that they’re mythical offshoots of the dino lore?

It started off as an innocent internal debate, as these things often do, but I quickly noticed an escalation of it in the priorities of my mind. I thrive on seemingly unimportant questions like this, and derive possibly far too much entertainment from them. As it stands I’m still unsure of what to truly think, hence the writing of this article. Do you have an opinion on this subject? Do you think dragons can exist in the same realm as dinosaurs?

Very rarely does a video game “best of” list get created that lacks Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo. This praise is completely warranted, and anyone with a concept of fun will wholeheartedly agree. Every level is pure, unrepenting fun.

Because of the simplistic gameplay, a lot of details tend to go unnoticed or tossed to the wayside. Everybody knows they’re saving the princess from Bowser, but the massive dinosaur motif is often missed.

The actual story of Super Mario World is that Mario, Luigi, and Peach go on vacation in Dinosaur Land. As is the norm in the Mario realm, Peach is quickly kidnapped by Bowser. Mario, being the heroic boyfriend he is, takes it upon himself to cut his vacation short and traverse Dinosaur Land to save her. I’ll be the first to admit that this is a simple and tired plot, but when you add a dinosaur-centric world into the mix it becomes fresh and new. Just go down the list of your favorite games, and imagine them in the world of dinosaurs.  Silent Hill with dinosaurs? I’m in.

According to the Super Mario lore, Dinosaur Land isn’t in the Mushroom World at all. Instead, it’s  a place in the pacific ocean. Being that I’ve been on the hunt for a new vacation spot, I am particularly excited about this news.  If you’d like a postcard, please let me know in a comment!

The survival horror genre is not exactly renowned for being realistic. For years scary games revolved around people getting trapped in a mansion and being pursued by something frightening. Finally, though, the genre was blessed with the key ingredient needed to invigorate anything growing stale: dinosaurs.

Any survival horror fans out there are probably screaming “Dino Crisis! Dino Crisis!” and roaring a deep-pitched roar of bliss. I wouldn’t blame them, either. The Dino Crisis games are excellent for their portrayal of the hatred dinosaurs have for humans, and they serve as an excellent reminder for how much work we have left until humans and dinosaurs can finally coexist peacefully.

Dino Crisis tells the story of a Raid team visiting Ibis island to look into the intel they’ve received about a man called Doctor Edward Kirk developing heinous weapons.  When they arrive, they learn that a serious accident has occurred; causing a time rift that enables dinosaurs to travel to the present. This concept of time-traveling may remind some of you of Back to the Future, but you’ll be happy to know that the dinosaurs lack hover boards. 

The game relies on surprises as a scare mechanic, and it works incredibly well. Opening a door to find a raptor poised to attack is nothing short of terrifying, and the amount of times this happens never reduces the fear factor of it. Having entered many a room only to find a raptor ready and able to kill me, I can tell you with certainty that it never fails to send a chill down your spine. 

Interestingly enough, Dino Crisis, now ten years old, is meant to take place in the year 2009.  What better way to celebrate than by procuring a copy and playing through the game yourself? The graphics may be outdated, but there are few better ways to fill your urge for pixelated dinosaurs.