2021 was ushered in like no year we have ever seen. The death of George Floyd in 2020 led to one of the biggest uprisings of racial upheavals in this country in decades. The progress of African-Americans in today’s society has been a significant improvement over what was viewed in the 1960’s — however more change was needed.
Video games have been a constant in American and worldwide society for decades now. So with the thousands of games that have transcended the entertainment culture, it would make one wonder — where is the minority representation?
The dark-skinned antagonist has precipitated the ability for the world to be okay with playing as a minority based protagonist. Minority representation in the gaming world has been undervalued and ignored since nearly the inception of gaming. There may be those sidekicks and villains who fit the profile, but how many times has a main character been a non-white character?
The world received Carl “CJ” Johnson in 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — and despite the character was for once an African-American lead character, his life was still detailed in a very ‘stereotypical’ manner. He spoke in ‘gangster’ lingo, and despite the fact he was trying to escape the troubling life that preceded him in a city based on 1990’s Los Angeles, his family and friends were the stereotype to which African-Americans have been viewed as the norm in America society.
So the newest game in the timeline of African-American video game culture is one that has been received in great respect. Deathloop is a FPS story-based game made by gaming giants Bethesda. We did receive Spiderman-Miles Morales in 2020. However this title feels heavier, it is not a side-story in the world of a comic, but its own story, with its own characters in a world we have never viewed.
I am not here to give a review on Deathloop, this has been done many times before, and in fact the reviews are sparkling. What I am highlighting here — is the pride any African-American gamer should feel when they hold the cover of this title. Two African-American protagonists grace the cover of the game. This is unprecedented, and in a world where black representation is non-existent in the gaming world, it is nice to finally see black characters grace a cover for once, as for once it is their story being told.
For all of the internet chatter that breeds racism and comments such as “it doesn’t matter the color of a character”, this is the type of speech that has brought down the African-American gaming community for so long. Tell those words to every African-American video game player who simply looking for joy in playing a game, has been berated online with comments like the N-word, or derogatory comments about race.
African-Americans have long been the whipping boys of nearly every culture in society. Finally getting starring roles in movies they basically have to fund themselves just to cast their own, and playing video games in a society where the lead character is always white, and never represents themselves, or Japanese Games where the main characters tend to always be white or speaking in an English accent. It is not a coincidence that this occurs. African-Americans are always viewed as the lowest race in every society, and the faster people admit to this, the faster we truly will get to living in an equal world.
Race should not be a case to discuss in 2021, but guess what — it is, and it should be. Games like Deathloop are the embodiment of what needs to be brought across this culture, to show not only minorities, but the world that the good guys don’t always have to be of fair skin, but that their can be pride and no longer unspoken humility in being a race that is considered less because of a skin hue.
We may not get a chance to see many Deathloop’s, but when we do, it should not be celebrated just by African-Americans, but the world over. It’s nice to finally see representation in gaming, it finally feels a bit more equal, and if you sit here and disagree with the point I am making here, then you truly need to take a look in the mirror and realize your unspoken transgression is also the issue. Even if you do not say it, your hateful eyes tell the truth, and hiding behind a keyboard and showing your racial and hateful bias is why this country and the world still needs change.
New trailer for I Am Jesus Christ. The game will include biblical events, such as, The Last Supper and Jesus walking on water. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus in this incredible first-person retelling of the story of Christ from birth to resurrection. Perform amazing miracles, interact with a cast of biblical figures and travel around the Holy Land from Jerusalem to the Galilee. Become the Messiah in ‘I Am Jesus Christ.
New trailer for I Am Jesus Christ. The game will include biblical events, such as, The Last Supper and Jesus walking on water.
Walk in the footsteps of Jesus in this incredible first-person retelling of the story of Christ from birth to resurrection. Perform amazing miracles, interact with a cast of biblical figures and travel around the Holy Land from Jerusalem to the Galilee. Become the Messiah in ‘I Am Jesus Christ.
Inspired by the familiar story of Pinocchio, Lies of P is an action souls-like game set in a cruel, dark Belle Époque world. All of humanity is lost in a once beautiful city that has now become a living hell filled with unspeakable horrors.
Inspired by the familiar story of Pinocchio, Lies of P is an action souls-like game set in a cruel, dark Belle Époque world. All of humanity is lost in a once beautiful city that has now become a living hell filled with unspeakable horrors.
Release Date: 2023
Developers: Neowiz Games, Round 8 Studio
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Engine: Unreal Engine 5, Unreal Engine 4
Genre: Role-Playing video game, Adventure game, Fighting game
“Jurassic World Evolution 2” is the critically-acclaimed sequel to Frontier’s highly successful “Jurassic World Evolution” which builds upon the ground-breaking and immersive management simulation. With it came a new narrative campaign that features new tools and awe-inspiring new dinosaurs brought to life through captivating authenticity. The results and outcomes of managing your own Jurassic Park/World are now bigger and better.
Set before the dramatic events of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World Dominion, you’ll experience new challenges and exciting opportunities that Massively expand the film and the scope and scale of the game itself as you help lead a brand-new enterprise in Malta. Work alongside Cabot Finch and key figures from the film, including Kayla Watts (voiced by DeWanda Wise), Soyona Santos (voiced by Dichen Lachman), Barry Sembène (voiced by Omar Sy), and Lewis Dodgson (voiced by Campbell Scott) as you set up parks across three Mediterranean locations. Establish key buildings, and trade on the dinosaur exchange to acquire more species, eggs, and even genome data. Work with both the Underground and Authorities and build trust with these organisations via various actions to unlock further opportunities such as hatchery upgrades, locations and more.
The Dominion Malta Expansion also includes a variety of new dinosaur variants and skins authentic to Jurassic World: Dominion and the PDLC launched together with a free update that offers existing players a range of new features and mechanics, but more on that later. Coastal House Media and I would like to thank Frontier and Heaven Media for providing us access to the new Expansion so that we can get our review coverage out to you all, I’m so excited to get playing the DLC as I’m such a big fan of this series of games.
if you’d like to read my In-depth review of the previous DLC The Dominion BioSyn Expansion, you can do so by clicking here.
This review may contain spoilers that are central to Jurassic World: Dominion’s plot so if you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend watching as I had a terrific time, especially with the extended version, otherwise please continue. Here’s just a taste of what the Dominion Malta Expansion will offer.
Campaign Review
The Frontier Development team have truly knocked it out of the park, especially with the scope and scale of this DLC expansion further extending what Jurassic World Dominion brought. The campaign starts with an outstanding opening cutscene narrated by DeWanda Wise’s character Kayla Watts bringing the events set before Dominion to life showcasing how the world looks with dinosaurs roaming modern-day earth and being traded on the black market.
We head to the Mediterranean in the latest DLC showcasing sunnier shores, sand, and sea which compared to the BioSyn expansion’s snowy landscape offers much richer gameplay, especially in sandbox mode. As I began to sink my teeth into this campaign, the Dominion Malta Expansion will have the player manage three parks across the Mediterranean as each location needs to be rebuilt from its decayed and dilapidated state with guidance from Cabot Finch, scientists, and Barry Sembène (voiced by Omar Sy). The locations are absolutely stunning to play through, with one island featuring a natural lagoon perfect for the aquatic dinosaurs.
The expansion also introduces a new system to the campaign which brings to life Dinosaur management through the new Acquisition Centre, which gives you access to the “Dinosaur Exchange”. This exchange truly brought an extra new layer to the gameplay, through this system you have to do some deals on the market to purchase dinosaurs, eggs, and genomes. However, you’ll have to do these exchanges with the authorities or the underground black market. The authorities are more trustworthy with their information letting you know of the selected dinosaurs’ aliments and providing reliable information prior to purchase.
The Underground however may lie and deliver an unhealthy dinosaur as they won’t disclose any information and don’t care where or how they get the dinos. All they care about is profit. However, you need to build up trust with both sides to gain a reputation with them as it’ll influence their trust meter with you, the higher the trust the more exchanges become available such as dinos, upgrades, locations, etc.
Another new feature in the “Dominion Malta Expansion” is the ability to control and steer your dinosaurs. When you’re trying to capture them, you no longer need to hit them with tranquilisers and airlift them to an enclosure. You can now use your Rangers to “herd” the dinos, calling them to you, and pointing them at the enclosure gate.
New Species And Variants
Now having had a few days playing through the expansion I’ve gotten to see the majority of the dinosaurs, especially the Dominion Malta exclusive ones. The graphic and social animations of these prehistoric creatures were outstanding and I appreciate Frontier for giving each their personality and characteristics. The four different dinosaur types are,
Atrociraptor
Known as one of the ‘designer dinosaurs’, the Atrociraptor name meaning “Savage Theif” is arguably even more dangerous than its Velociraptor cousins. They’re fast, quick, and agile and able to move through and around just about any obstacle, jump great heights and distances, and adapt to changing areas. This is another Carnivore that will surely put your park management skills to the test. The game also provides you with Atrociraptor’s iconic Jurassic World Dominion skins: Ghost, Red, Tiger, and Panthera!
Lystrosaurus
Notable for its tusks and horned beak, a Lystrosaurus name meaning “Shovel Lizard” is a genus of herbivores dicynodont therapsids from the late Permian and Early Triassic Epochs. This mammal-like reptile is a very fast learner as it gains experience much more quickly than other creatures. It lived in what’s now known as Antarctica, India, China, Mongolia, European Russia, and South Africa.
Oviraptor
Oviraptor possesses an incredibly effective jaw for their size, and was named ‘egg thief’ because they were originally thought to steal other species’ eggs! It’s since been understood to be an omnivore, though. With a distinctive head crest and feathers, it offers a unique look. It lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. Oviraptor was an Omnivore, using its powerful beak and jaws to eat meat, eggs, seeds, insects, and plants.
Moros Intrepidus
Moros Intrepidus name meaning “Harbinger of Death” was one of the smallest Tyrannosauroids to have ever existed and is only a fraction of the size of its famous relative, the T. rex. This quick and nimble hunter. Its skin was covered in small, tough scales, and its teeth were sharp and serrated. Moros Intrepidus is a formidable addition to any park, It lived in what is now known as Utah in the United States.
Also to accompany the new dinosaurs in this amazing expansion pack is that you’ll be able to enjoy and customise the iconic dinosaurs from Jurassic World Dominion’s stunning Malta setting as Allosaurus, Dimorphodon and Iguanodon will all have 2022 variants. Carnotaurus will also have a 2022 skin!
Free Update 5
Releasing alongside the Dominion Malta Expansion is Update 5, which is a free update for everyone who owns Jurassic World Evolution 2. This includes some exciting additions as well as some quality-of-life updates and bug fixes, as well as the ability to import saves from PlayStation 4 consoles to PlayStation 5 consoles, and all you need to do to access this content is update your game. The update also includes the 5 DFW Campaign maps as Challenge Levels, which will become accessible once you’ve earned earns 3, 5, 7, 9 and 2 stars across all maps in Challenge Mode. You’ll also be dealing with some brand new Challenge Conditions, which will vary across levels.
Update 5 brings brand new behaviours for tiny dinosaurs, including group attacks for Moros Intrepidus and Compsognathus on guests & goats, as well as changes to navigation logic, so that Lystrosaurus, Oviraptor, Moros Intrepidus and Compsognathus will navigate around water. There will also be some changes to collision logic for Lystrosaurus, Oviraptor, Moros Intrepidus and Compsognathus, so that they no longer collide with guests or vehicles.
Verdict
Frontier has created a phenomenal expansion for Jurassic World Evolution 2, the campaign In Malta is so immersive and engaging and adds a whole new cosmetic set of decorations and species, the four new dinosaurs are incredibly detailed. The development team have added plenty of cool new features also for the DLC and the base game Update. If you haven’t purchased the expansion, which I suggest you do if you want more from this incredible park management game.