Adventure to a World of Wonder in The Sunstone Odyssey
By Michael Lafferty

Dinotopia Producer Carlos Rodriguez talks with GameZone about the latest game title

Dinosaurs walking about and even talking. And the most disturbing thing about this vision is that the dinosaurs are often smarter than their human counterparts, more thoughtful, and even more civilized.

Of course, when put into perspective like that, there is little doubt that the vision is the reality of the fantasy world known as Dinotopia. This visionary work has spawned a multi-media blitz, assaulting young and old with wondrous tales. In the gaming world, we have been treated to a varied body of work, from adventure to education with an entertainment twist.

Next up is Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey, an Xbox and GameCube release from TDK-Mediactive. The game is challenges player to defend the island of Dinotopia from a rogue group of thugs. To do so, players will have to navigate through swamps, villages, ancient jungle ruins, and far above the ground in a town quietly nestled in a forest canopy. When travel is prohibitive on foot, take to the air through desert canyons on a flying dinosaur called a Skybax, or along tropical trails atop a robotic beast known as a Strutter.

Carlos Rodriguez, producer of Dinotopia took time to talk with GameZone.com about this adventure.

Question: Dinotopia is a well-known franchise. What do you consider to be the most important elements in creating a game involving its themes? How does the Sunstone Odyssey realize that?

Carlos: The most important element that we considered when creating Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey was James Gurney's philosophy of Dinotopia. We felt that it was very important to create a story that conveyed the same types of ideals that fans of the book series would find in their reading.

Q: Can you give us a brief overview of The Sunstone Odyssey? Does this game play out along the lines of a strategy title, or is it more a role-playing adventure tale?

Carlos: Dinotopia can best be described as a Action/Adventure game set in the Dinotopia universe. The player takes on the role of Drake Gemini, a young man who must become a guardian of Dinotopia in order to unravel the mystery that threatens the island and has torn his family apart.

Q: Will game players see anything new or different that they may not have seen before in the Dinotopia world?

Carlos: I think that the most exciting aspect of the game is that players will finally be able to interact with a universe that they may have only read about or seen on TV.

Q: What is the target age for game players and how does the game AI take into account the broad range of gamers likely to immerse themselves in this realm?

Carlos: The target age range of the game is 13 and up. The game has three difficulty settings so that gamers of all ages can enjoy exploring the large world of Dinotopia.

Q: Does this game tread any new territory in terms of technology. What game engine is used, and what did it allow you to accomplish that will make this game stand out?

Carlos: Dinotopia uses a proprietary engine created by our developer Vicious Cycle. The engine allowed us to create the richly detailed environments you see in the game. Many other systems (particle and lighting) were created specifically for Dinotopia that enhance the visual style of the game.

Q: What are major differences between the platforms this game is being released on? How did you maximize the game's various elements to take advantage of the capabilities of the Xbox and GameCube?

Carlos: We try to make sure that the games that we create at TDK Mediactive are feature identical from platform to platform. The obvious differences between the GameCube and the Xbox versions would have to be in-game Dolby Digital 5.1 on the Xbox and Dolby ProLogic 2 on the GameCube. Both versions of the game support the 480P HDTV progressive scan resolution.

Q: Does the game feature original music, and - if so - who is responsible for the soundtrack?

Carlos: The music of Dinotopia is original and was created by Barry Fasman and John O'Kennedy.

Q: What elements do you think will cause jaws to drop when this game is launched?

Carlos: I think that most exciting things in the game is the excellent sound design and visual style. My favorite jaw-dropping moment has to be the dream sequence that opens the game. Drake's visit to the Surreal Realm is also very cool.

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