Developers big and small, please take note: This is how you do dinosaurs.

I could do a regular review of the game, but... it's a LEGO game, so what's the point? You want a short review? Okay, how about this: Blahblah whimsical humor blahblah tons of collectibles blahblah oh, and you can play as dinosaurs, too.

No, I want to take this opportunity to talk about dinosaurs in video games and about how this game gets them right. Y'know, I am a huge dino nerd, and the thing that bothers me is the fact that all recent dino games are more or less about killing them. Yeah, I guess I am a dino-hugging hippie. But I think this approach shortchanges the beauty, the wonder, and, ironically, the danger these animals embody. Players should not be so overpowered that it enables them to kill every prehistoric critter in sight with ease. Where's the danger and the fun in that? Dino games (yes, I have a dedicated folder in my Steam library) should, in my opinion, be about encountering and surviving dinosaurs, not splattering their brains all over the landscape. TheHunter: Primal was great about that... up until the point where I realize that HUNTING them is all the game is really about (I know, duh, considering the title, but still). I also like the original Trespasser because of this. You had weapons, yes, but a) you were a civilian and handled them poorly (a thing where the atrocious control scheme actually worked in the game's favour) and b) there were barely enough of them to keep the pesky raptors at bay long enough to reach the exit, not to leave a trail of dino corpses in your wake.

Like the movies, LEGO Jurassic World is also only about making it through the adventure alive. Sure, there are some brawls where you have to fend off smaller dinos in a fist fight, but even then, you're merely knocking them out. And this is great for a change! I know it goes against the basic impulses of a gamer (myself included) to NOT kill scary-looking creatures the moment they appear. But it works! Nowadays, every game about dinosaurs is either a hunting simulator or a multiplayer title. Also, there hasn't been a decent full-fledged (not counting the official mobile and Facebook games) theme park manager since Operation Genesis some 15 years ago (EDIT: That's changed with the release of the Jurassic World Evolution games. Highly recommended, especially the second one). I haven't played ARK yet, but one of the Steam trailers show the player unloading a dozen revolver bullets into a Ceratopsian's skull, so there you go. Give us some games for dino-hugging hippies! Like a Trespasser remake, for example. Until then, LEGO Jurassic World will have to do. (EDIT: Not true anymore. Check out Jurassic World Evolution 2, or Prehistoric Kingdom if you're a stickler for scientific accuracy and don't mind Early Access) Which is not a bad thing. At all.