STACK #207 Jan 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2

SIMULATION MULTIPLAYER

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Our JurassicWorld just got simultaneously bigger and smaller. Bigger for the dinosaurs, who now appear to have free reign of the entire planet, and smaller for the ragtag group of palaeontologists trying to fit them into their tiny, more manageable enclosures. The story mode sees you as a dinosaur

theme park management expert, your job being to create scientific sites where you can capture, care for, and study all manner of dinosaurs, while keeping them safe from the general public. As soon as the story’s over, the theme park vibe starts all over again.

REAL LIFE, UH... FINDS A WAY Many of the actors from the big screen Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Evolution 2 , including Bryce Dallas Howard, B.D. Wong and Jeff Goldblum all reprising their roles from the movies. counterparts return for Jurassic World

can they be a moody bunch! Scientists help you do everything, from researching new tech to treating sick dinosaurs. They’re the single most important resource in your park. The raging rollercoasters of emotions that are your dinosaurs are completely different beasts. Where you could previously throw a jumble of herbivores into one giant pen, now you have to understand their specific space requirements, as well as their relationship to the other species. It’s like high school all over again, where seemingly similar creatures have the biggest issues with each other and start fighting for no apparent reason. Then, when you finally start managing the main attraction carnivores, things really get wild, especially for the guests roaming the pens in their little plastic bubbles. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a fun twist on theme park sims, which rewards players who walk the fine line between chaos and brilliance. DN

Opening up dinosaur theme parks across the world is a real treat, especially as the changing conditions, and some of the chaos mode events, really spice up the park building experience. There are big departures from the original game, changing focus from just being a theme park builder. It introduces staff management, as you manage individual scientists – and boy

JUST DANCE 2022

RHYTHM MULTIPLAYER

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It’s that time of year once again, to throw your arms in the air like you just don’t care thanks to Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2022 ! If you’ve played the series – now in its twelfth year – previously, then getting into this will be like catching up with an old friend. It’s more of what you know, with very little change. That means relying on clutching our phone, running the Just Dance Controller

SAVE YOUR TEARS… The big one that helps keep the party going when you have indecisive types in your midst – a quick play mode – makes a welcome return. It just picks a song and sends you straight into it, so there’s no frustrating umm and ah faffing about selecting what to play.

of classic additions are brilliant surprises, notably Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy and Sylvester’s disco delight You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) . If you’re not a huge fan of super-current releases, relief

app, in order for the game to register our moves. Just don’t accidentally turn off your phone mid-bop. Not that we did that, of course… Now, what do we get to shake our booty to? Another 40 tracks are on offer this year, basically running a finger down recent charts and putting big ticks against artists such as Billie Eilish, Blackpink, Tay Tay, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa and Camila Cabello, along with what seems like more collaborations than ever. The word ‘featuring’ certainly features a lot! A couple

is at hand with the subscription service Just Dance Unlimited. It adds some 700-plus tracks that offer some more variety, including many genuinely classic tracks. A free 30-day trial comes with this year’s model, which is a handy enough amount of time to get a taste. Mode-wise, it’s business as usual. The ickily named ‘Sweat Mode’ counts calories burned, the fun mode especially for kids returns, and the ‘World Dance Floor’ lets you share the love globally. Meanwhile, those who like to collect stuff will enjoy spending in-game credits on the gift machine booty such as stickers, aliases and avatars. AF

52 JANUARY 2022

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