Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Dinosaur Digs

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000065DGB
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: May 16, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,535 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Create prehistoric pandemonium while adding dinosaur after dinosaur to your growing zoo in Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack. Players let their imagination run wild, as they build the most amazing zoo filled with dinosaurs and tremendous ice age beasts. Manage more than 20 all-new awe-inspiring creatures, including a T. rex, velociraptor, and even a saber-toothed tiger. Players that can keep their animals and guests happy achieve the ultimate status of Zoo Tycoon.

This adventurous, dinosaur-filled expansion pack requires Zoo Tycoon to play. Since Dinosaur Digs integrates seamlessly with the Zoo Tycoon software, players experience adventure and fun the moment they start the game.

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you ever wanted to build Jurassic Park...., May 5, 2002

By 

Sebastian Vale "I can read good" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Dinosaur Digs (CD-ROM)

I was thrilled to read the initial press releases about this game - and I have been very impressed by the actual game thus far. I bought it the day it came out, and am still having fun playing it a week later. These are the following dinosaurs/prehistoric animals that you will be able to house in a zoo: (1) Smilodon (sabertooth cat), (2) Wooly Mammoth, (3) Wooly Rhino, (4) Giant Turtle, (5) Stegosaurous, (6) T-Rex, (7) Allosaurous, (8) Velociraptor, (9) Triceratops (which you unlock with a cheat code), (10) Lambeosaurus (Duck-billed hadrosaurs), (11) Styracosaurus(Five-horned Dino), (12) Ankylosaurous (armor plated with bony tail), (13)Iguanodon, (14)Spinosaurus, (15)Plesiosaurus, (16)Kentrosaurus (cousin of the stegosaurus), (17) Caudipteryx (lean green hunter), (18) Coeleophysis (bird-dinosaur), (19) Herrerasaurus (very cool striped hunter - my favorite in the game!), (20) Apatosaurus, (21) Camptosaurus (gentle herbivore)...plus there is one more "unlock" animal in the game that is revealed when you make it to the later scenerios - it is very impressive!!! Also, you may ... via the special "internal update" function of the game and download two additional new dinosaurs. I'll just let those be a surprise for you, but they are also very cool. I have wanted to build my own Jurassic Park since that movie came out in 1994...this Zoo Tycoon expansion is our first chance to do it!!! Along with the animals, the game designers have also created a ton of prehistoric fauna and other items such as volcanoes to add to the exhibits. There is even a "Recovery Team" that includes a helicopter that takes off and captures the dinos when they get loose - and you know they will indeed get loose at some point. The animals in this game actually test the fences for weaknesses and attack the same spots repeatedly to facilitate an escape. There are electrified fences and giant concrete walls to try to keep these monsters penned - but good luck - they were born to cause mayhem! This expansion pack has 6 cool new scenerios for you to play with as well: An Ice-Age Zoo and a Jurassic Zoo are just two of them. There is even a scenerio where you have to salvage the remains of a "Dino Park" after its previous owner had to abandon it when things went horribly awry. Like Zoo Tycoon, there are also buildings to place in the park that have animals inside them, but which cannot be further manipulated by you - in this case, A Pteranodon Aviary, a Prehistoric Amphibians House, and a Jurassic Cinema (which has different movies on the Marquee like Dinosaurs Attack!). There is even a playground with dinosaur slides and different fossil statues to place around the zoo for aesthetic reasons. Plus, a Mammoth Cones shop and a Bronto Burger Stand, Yummmm!

This game is a must-have. I really enjoy playing my zoo tycoon, and I couldn't wait to play this game. And for anyone reading this who is excited about creating their own Jurassic Park - in the Fall there will be an even bigger surprise. The people behind the Jurassic Park name and logo are putting together their own Dinosaur Park building game, which at this point is being called Jurassic Park: Project Genesis. You will be able to do basically what you are doing in ZT: Dinosaur Digs, only you will actually get to use the logo from the movies on your buildings and have access to supposedly realistic-looking dinosaurs. While I love the animals that were created for Zoo Tycoon, they are slightly on the cartoon/stylized level. This is not a complaint, but an observation. If you want photo-realistic dinosaurs, supposedly Project Genesis is going to be something wonderful to behold.

The only bad thing I have to say about Zoo Tycon and Dinosaur Digs is that these games are not for everyone. Dinosaur Digs is what I call a "Bonzai Game" - one that you play slowly and over long periods, which does not have a lot of blasts and explosions in it...just like nurturing a Japanese Banzai over time. If you enjoy animals, and like games that are slow to play and involve the constant maintenance and upkeep of exhibits, then you will enjoy playing this. If you are more a "Tomb Raider" kind of player, then you will be disappointed to find little action here - there are no guns, lasers, or karate chops to be found. I personally enjoy escaping from my life for a few hours and disappearing into my little zoo, creating the exhibits with great care and trying to please all my guests. I like the thrill of trying to keep all my fences intact and make sure all the animals are healthy. I enjoy arranging the different plants and sculpting the scenery just so. And, I must admit, I also enjoy the moments when one of the dinos gets loose and wrecks havoc - watching the helicopters take off and race to subdue the beast (you can't control the helicopters, you can just build a helicopter port. After that, your staff does all the flying and dino-tranquilizing).

I sincerely hope there are dozens more expansion packs for Zoo Tycoon. It is incredibly well done, hours and hours worth of entertainment. I can't wait to see what other animals the people at Microsoft are dreaming up!

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Build your own Jurassic Park!, May 23, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Dinosaur Digs (CD-ROM)

... I couldn't wait until May 16 when It finnaly came out. You get 23 ifferent Prehistoric Animals like Ankylosaurus, Triceratops (from the cheat code)T Rex, Velociraptor, A Giant Tortise, Styracosaurus, Allosaurus, Camptosaurus, Iguanodon, Lambeosaurus, A Wooly Mammoth, Smilodon, A Whooly Rhino, Spinosaurus, Caudipterix, Plesiosaurus, Ceolophysis, Herrerasaurus, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, Kentrosaurus and Gallimimus( A special unlock dinosaur).

Besides the new dinosaurs you get 76 other new items including Volcanoes, Tar Pits, Lava Pits, A Steggo Putt Mini Golf, 2 new shops, lots of new Foliage, Electric Fences and Mammoth Fountains.

I would suggest this game to kids 7 and older since the dinosaurs Eat the staff and the T Rex eats the tourists.

This game is even better than Zoo Tycoon and this game will have you hooked for days.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, June 9, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Dinosaur Digs (CD-ROM)

This game is really addicting. You have all sorts of new foliage, shops, buildings, and other scenery that is all related to dinosaurs. There are also 2 new staff members, scientists who take care of dinosaurs, (scientists can only take care of dinosaurs and zoo keepers can only take care of animals) and the DRT (Dinosaur Recovery Team) in case a dino escapes.
The game is also kinda funny. One time my T-rex escaped and it crushed a bathroom and there was a guy sitting there on the tiolet like in Jurassic Park.
Here are the Pros and Cons of this game:

Pros:
-dinosaurs make game interesting and really addictive
-guests aren't idiots who get lost if they walk off the path
-very entertaining when dinosaurs escape

Cons:
-to turn animals and dinosaurs "snap" instead of a smooth turn
-maintence workers sometimes are dumb

Overall this game is a whole lot of fun and if you ever wanted to make your own Jurassic Park then your wish has been granted!

O, and watch out if your adult T-rex escapes or it'll eat guests and staff members!