Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals

Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals
Boxart
Developer(s)	Blue Fang Games
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Justin Jones Joe Freemer Charles Miles Shawn Stone
Series	Zoo Tycoon
Engine	Gamebryo
Version	2.4
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	() NA October 17, 2007 EU October 26, 2007
Genre(s)	3D Simulation First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: E10+ PEGI: 3+
Media/distribution	CD-ROM

Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals is a video game expansion pack for Zoo Tycoon 2 released October 17, 2007. The expansion focuses around extinct animals, mainly dinosaurs or ice age creatures, as well as more recently extinct creatures like the dodo, thylacine and quagga.

This expansion pack follows the other expansion packs, Endangered Species, African Adventure and Marine Mania. Extinct Animals replaces and includes the animals and objects from the earlier Dino Danger Pack premium download. This expansion is similar to the Dinosaur Digs expansion of the first Zoo Tycoon

The game's tagline is "bring 'em back."

Pre-release

During 2006, in a similar way to how the African Adventure expansion was first confirmed, Amazon.com listed a strategy guide for Extinct Animals under its listings. It was listed as "Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct (working title)", showing Blue Fang Games were still in very early production and had not yet thought of a title.

Nevertheless, in January 2007, Windows Vista released its 2007 gaming lineup as well as a promotional video featuring a few seconds of footage. Later, in April 2007, Games for Windows added an Extinct Animals page to their website and revealed several new pieces of information such as box art and animal confirmations. The text that was shown was in fact the same as in the previous Endangered Species.

On May 24, an official press release was released on the official Zoo Tycoon website revealing that Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals will be released in "fall/autumn" with a total of 30 animals, making it the largest Zoo Tycoon 2 expansion pack to date. On amazon.com and .co.uk, it showed the release dates for Europe and the USA.

Upon the arrival of E3 2007, Games for Windows and Blue Fang Games released a second promotional video of several new features and a set of screenshots. The Extinct Animals Games for Windows page was also edited with screenshots and new information. Zoo Tycoon.com, however, was still not updated for E3.

In August 2007, Blue Fang Games released an official trailer showing many of the main features of the expansion, including sonar detection for fossils and minigames to clone creatures, as well as confirming several animals. In the same month Blue Fang employees on several fansites began releasing new information, confirming a total of eight unseen animals.

In September 2007, the official Zoo Tycoon website was finally updated with a new Extinct Animals page, in addition to screenshots, the rest of the game's features, a "fansite kit", game demo and an official screensaver.

Gameplay

Minigames

Styracosaurus being created in the Extinct Research Lab.

Several new minigames (similar to the trick training games in Marine Mania) are included. These are, as follows: locating fossils, curing diseases, cloning animals, building skeleton jigsaws, and tranquilizing dinosaurs. Most of these get more challenging as you progress through the game.

Dino rampage

Dino rampage minigame, with redone Tyrannosaurus Rex.

This mode is only available when a dinosaur becomes upset with its living conditions. This causes it to go on a rampage, where it will destroy its exhibit, then break out and attempt to destroy the zoo. However, the player can prevent such disasters by locating the enraged dinosaur and sedating it or forming a "Dino Capture Team" to catch the loose dinosaur.

Animals

A comparison of the more updated Extinct Animals and earlier Dino Danger Pack Tyrannosaurus

There is a total of 35 animals in this expansion pack, including updated animals from the Dino Danger Pack and the two true unlockable animals (Extinct Animals is the first in the Zoo Tycoon franchise to have any). The Dino Danger Pack animals and objects are included, and all are updated, although they are still categorised in the animal adoption menu under "Dino Danger".

Unlockable animals

According to the Zoopedia, the "killer penguin" was an accident in the Extinct Research Lab.

These animals can be unlocked either by completing an in-game campaign or in the animal creation minigame. None of them (besides the killer penguin and quagga) have Zoopedia entry and proper stats, so are not generally counted as true animals.

System Requirements

As it is an expansion pack, it requires the original Zoo Tycoon 2 or Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection to play.

• Microsoft Windows 98SE or Higher
• PC with 733 MHz equivalent or higher processor
• 256 MB of system RAM
• 900 MB available hard disk space
• 32x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
• 16 MB 3D video card required
• DirectX 9.0 or later
• Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Reception

Critically, Extinct Animals did well, receiving a 7.2 critic score and 8.6 user score on GameSpot. The first-person shooter mode of the game attracted slightly older audiences, but brought the expansion's ESRB rating up slightly.

See also

• List of Games for Windows titles
• Zoo Tycoon series

External links

• Official Site
• GameSpot Page
• Games for Windows Extinct Animals page
• Zoo Tycoon Wiki