Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D

Video games need more dinosaurs. This is no more apparent than in Ubisoft's Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, a romp 'n' stomper that lets you clash claws with some of the most well-known extinct species.

Dinosaurs 3D has an interesting premise, and the subject matter makes for some epic scenes. Unfortunately, it's hopelessly linear and repetitive, with overly simplistic combat to wash it all down with.

Throughout our entire playthrough, we were willing the game to branch out and expand the premise further, but it just never fully gets going. Instead, we're left with a disappointingly flat experience.

Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D doesn't start well, with a flimsy story about the end of the dinosaur race and a big teethy boss called the Arkosaurus.

You are tasked with banding together a team of four hero dinosaurs to take on the big guy and restore peace to the world. You need to play through four campaigns in total, each with a different dinosaurs, before you can move on to the final section.

There are two main parts to Dinosaurs 3D - exploration and combat. Both could potentially be exciting, but a lack of innovation leaves us feeling cold.

Each level sees you pelting around a linear path, stomping on trees, rocks, and debris to pick up bones with which to buy special abilities later on.

The environments are lovingly crafted, and look great on the stereoscopic 3D display. Plodding over a waterfall or across a mountain bridge looks wonderful, and the feeling of power as your dinosaur bolts along is well judged.

It's a shame, then, that it's a complete waste of time. You're forced to follow a linear path which never meanders or splits off. This exploration section are pointless - they could have been removed entirely without significantly changing the game.

Every once in a while you'll bump into an enemy dinosaur, and the combat phase begins. Standing head-to-head with your opponent, the action is a little like Nintendo's Punch-Out! series.

Your opponent will display movements that show which move it's about to make, and you need to dodge, strike, or push appropriately to succeed and move forwards.

This could be great fun - however, the lack of enemy types makes it an absolute doddle. There are only around half a dozen different types of attack that you'll come up against, and learning what to do for each doesn't take much time at all.

Special items can be equipped to your dinosaur to make him stronger, but the effects are barely recognisable and ultimately feel shallow.

Dinosaurs 3D features a few great concepts, but they're poorly realised.

The game doesn't bother with any touchscreen controls whatsoever. In fact, when it comes to naming your dinosaurs, it shows an on-screen keyboard but still forces you to use the buttons.

It doesn't implement other 3DS capabilities very well, either. Loading times are terrible, and loading takes place rather frequently.

StreetPass features are present, but don't add much to the action. Passing someone else who owns the game will cause you both to receive a single piece of equipment for your dinosaurs to use - usually something you already own half a dozen of.

We were hoping for virtual Street Fighter IV style battles between dinosaurs, where the game would pit your clan against your StreetPasser. No such luck.

While we didn't enjoy Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D all that much, we genuinely hope it makes a return to the 3DS, albeit with a lot more thought put into how it plays.

As it is, Dinosaurs 3D has the bare-bones structure of something great, but the rush to get it out in time for the 3DS launch has left it shallow and dull.