When it comes to World War II, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is the brutal scenes of war: the Normandy landing, the Battle of Stalingrad, and other iconic battles. WWII taught future generations about the cruelty of war and introduced them to the devastating power of nuclear weapons. Without WWII, the prolonged period of peace that followed might not have been possible. Today, however, I would like to introduce you to a lesser-known independent game that takes a wildly imaginative and comically war-centric approach to its story.

Background：

Dino D-Day is a multiplayer online first-person shooter game developed by 800 North and Digital Ranch. It was released on Steam in 2011. Set during World War II, the game imagines a scenario where the Nazis resurrect dinosaurs and train them to form their own dinosaur army, launching a final counterattack against the Allied forces. It's a game that exudes imagination and creativity, offering players a unique twist on history. You can choose to join either the Allied or Nazi side and engage in battles using a variety of weapons and dinosaurs. The game features significantly improved graphics and animations, making the dinosaurs more realistic and vibrant. There is also a comic book adaptation of the game that delves into additional stories and details.

Originating from the renowned game Half-Life 2, Dino D-Day owes its existence to the powerful Source engine and its modding tools. These tools facilitated the development of numerous high-quality mods and even independent games. Dino D-Day began as a mod attached to Half-Life 2, and in its early single-player mod versions, players could already experience the wild ideas conceived by the development team. The mod depicted a scenario where the Nazis transported dinosaur weapons via trains in North Africa, and as Allied forces, players had to thwart their success. However, due to the limitations of the mod, it was apparent that many of the dinosaurs in the mod version reused the AI of Half-Life 2's NPCs. For example, the Triceratops used the Antlion Guard's AI, and the Velociraptor was essentially a modified version of the Headcrab's behavior. Soon, the developers decided that the game should follow the path of Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat, transitioning from mod development to becoming a standalone game.

The Official Launch of the Nazi Dinosaur Legion

On April 9, 2011, Dino D-Day officially debuted on Steam, priced at $9.9. This was the first game I purchased on Steam. The full version of the game differed significantly from the mod version, transitioning from a single-player experience to a fully-fledged multiplayer game. Players could choose to play as either the Allied or German factions, with the German side having various dinosaurs at their disposal. In 2011, the ability to control dinosaurs and fight in World War II was undeniably a fascinating concept.

As of the final update, the game features five different game modes, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Survival mode. Notably, the Objective mode adds an interesting twist, where the German side can awaken dinosaur NPCs (such as the Stegosaurus or T-Rex) to launch attacks, while the Allied forces must prevent them from reaching their destination within a specific time frame.

The game features the following playable characters:

Allied Forces:

1. US Army Infantry: A standard infantry character equipped with the M1 Garand rifle, grenades, and a pistol.

2. US Army Machine Gunner: A heavy firepower character armed with the Browning M1919 machine gun, grenades, and a pistol.

3. British Army Assault Soldier: A fast-moving character equipped with the Sten submachine gun, grenades, and a pistol.

4. British Army Sniper: A long-range support character armed with the Lee-Enfield rifle, grenades, and a pistol.

5. Soviet Red Army Rocketeer: An anti-dinosaur specialist armed with the RPG-43 rocket launcher, PPSh-41 submachine gun, and a pistol.

6. Trigger: A former Triceratops that has been rescued by the Allied forces. Trigger can attack enemies either by charging with its horns or by using the mounted machine gun on its back.

• Nazis:

  1. German Army Infantry: A standard infantry character equipped with the Kar98k rifle, grenades, and a pistol.

  2. German Army Machine Gunner: A heavy firepower character armed with the MG42 machine gun, grenades, and a pistol.

  3. German Army Assault Soldier: A fast-moving character equipped with the MP40 submachine gun, grenades, and a pistol.

  4. German Army Sniper: A long-range support character armed with the Kar98k sniper rifle, grenades, and a pistol. Can call in Pterosaurs for aerial strikes.

  5. Velociraptor: An agile and deadly dinosaur that attacks enemies with its claws and teeth.

  6. Dilophosaurus: Can launch projectiles from its back or engage in melee combat with its claws.

  7. Desmatosuchus: Not technically a dinosaur, it has thick armor, deploys cannons on its back, a walking tank, and can provide heavy firepower suppression.

  8. Stygimoloch: Can use its head to launch enemies into the air and also has a mounted machine gun on its back for ranged attacks.

  9. Tyrannosaurus Rex: The most powerful dinosaur, capable of devouring enemies with its jaws or attacking with the mouth-mounted machine gun. Only available in specific maps and modes.

  10. Stegosaurus: A large dinosaur capable of using machine guns and rocket launchers. Can engage enemies from a distance with the machine guns or launch explosives from the rocket launcher. Only available in specific maps and modes.

  11. Microraptor: Can fly and cling to walls, highly agile, and can temporarily blind enemies with venom before engaging in melee combat.

  12. Compsognathus: A miniature dinosaur, agile and hard to detect. It carries grenades on its back and can perform suicide attacks. It's an excellent tool for achieving significant results with a small size.

Dino D-Day features nine unique maps, each with a distinct style, allowing players to experience different combat scenarios and strategies. You can find yourself at an airfield in North Africa, attempting to prevent the Nazis from using airships to transport T-Rex dinosaurs. You can also visit a small town in Italy, liberating a square and a church from Nazi occupation. In addition, you can support the actions of the French Resistance in a village in France or engage in direct confrontations at a dinosaur research laboratory fortress in Nazi Germany.

Although the game has fully transitioned into a multiplayer experience, these maps and settings effectively convey the game's storyline, showcasing the epic dinosaur battles between the Allied forces and the Nazis.

The diverse range of map types certainly adds a lot of visual appeal and enjoyment to the game.

Game Pros and Cons Comparison

Pros:

• Unique setting: The game cleverly combines the backdrop of World War II with elements of dinosaurs, offering a distinctive World War II experience.

  Variety of dinosaurs: The game features various types of dinosaurs, from agile raptors to powerful T-rexes. Each dinosaur has its own characteristics and abilities, allowing players to enjoy different combat styles.

  Rich arsenal: The game offers a range of classic World War II weapons, from rifles to rocket launchers, from grenades to self-destructing Pterosaurs, providing players with diverse firepower options.

  Exciting maps: With nine different maps, each with its own style and layout, players can experience different combat scenarios and strategies.

Cons：

• Outdated graphics: The game utilizes the 2004 Source engine, resulting in lower visual quality, lack of detail, and stiff character animations, showing a noticeable gap compared to FPS games of the same era.

  Limited content: The game lacks a single-player or storyline mode, offering only multiplayer and survival modes. The multiplayer mode features only five basic gameplay options, lacking significant variations and innovations. The survival mode can also become monotonous as each map features the same repetitive tasks. Additionally, the AI in the game is lackluster, which further contributes to the lack of long-term appeal and replayability

  Poor balance: Some weapons and dinosaurs in the game are either too powerful or too weak, resulting in poor game balance. For example, the T-rex can easily devour enemies or throw explosives, while the raptors are easily killed by enemies. The game requires more adjustments and optimizations in this aspect.

  Overall, Dino D-Day is a first-person shooter game with a unique setting and a variety of dinosaurs, providing players with a different World War II experience. Despite its outdated graphics, limited content, and poor balance, the game still has its charm and enjoyment. As a game that can be purchased at a historical low price of $1, we can't expect too much. If you are a player who enjoys dinosaurs and World War II or simply want to try something novel and fun, Dino D-Day might be a good choice. It's worth noting that the game is currently no longer supported, but you can still play against bots in offline mode or join certain Discord communities where players organize weekly games. Additionally, like other Source engine games, some dedicated modders continue to add more interesting content to the game. Although Dino D-Day may not be considered a successful game in a certain sense, we can still appreciate the creative ideas and innovations from the development team, as well as their efforts. Considering its price range, I believe Dino D-Day is worth a try.