Summary
There are several fun ways to enjoy video games with your favorite species of extinct animals. A common trope in most games is the inclusion of animals that existed in the Earth’s natural history or having them reimagined in fantastical settings and worlds in multiple types of video games.
Common prehistoric animals you’d have in video games are dinosaurs, and the most likely dinosaur to appear would be the Tyrannosaurus rex. Other times, you’ll have adventures where other prehistoric creatures are present, from the mammoths and sabertooths of the Ice Age to giant insects from the Carboniferous Period.
In the setting of World of Warcraft, Un’Goro Crater is one of the regions where you’ll find many different types of monsters based on several prehistoric creatures. The bigger ones, like Stegodons and Devilsaurs are mostly fantastical dinosaurs with extra horns, spikes, and other combined attributes. You can also have raptors with you as companions and mounts for quests.
Outside of dinosaurs, many of the big cats you can find as enemies or companions, like lions, lynx, and leopards, have long canine teeth. These teeth are a basic qualifier for sabretooth cats, an ancient species of feline known for their lethal canines. Members of this family include Smilodon, Homotherium, and Megantereon. A species of mount known as Sabers are basically Smilodon, and they are the racial mounts of Night Elves.
Fextralife Wiki
In Horizon Zero Dawn, you face all types of robotic constructs and machines that take the form of mechanical animals. The setting of Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel gives a very interesting mix of living in the Ice Age era of prehistory while mixing Sci-fi machinery and aesthetics to give the idea ofexploring an untamed wildernessfull of danger.
You encounter several machines that resemble dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. The formidable Thunderjaw is a mechanical tyrannosaur, while the Clawstrider resembles a velociraptor. Other ancient beasts like the mammoth and pterosaur appear as the Tremortusk and Sunwing, respectively. Many of the weapons and gear you have for Aloy also give the appearance ofMesolithic hunting garbsand weaponry.
Several ancient animal species have appeared alongside other creatures in the world. In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, several animals are very clearly based on prehistoric beasts. A large, former example was the Great-Horned Rhinoceros, a large Wooly Rhino found in the Hebra mountains of Breath of the Wild before disappearing in the sequel.
The Sticky Lizard, Forest Ostriches, and the mysterious Dondons are all also based on anonymous prehistoric creatures. Sticky lizards are ironically based on the amphibian Diplocaulus, a hammer-headed amphibian from the Permian period. Forest Ostich is based on Keleken, a large species of terror birds, and Dondons are basically horned synapsids, the reptilian ancestors of mammals.
Roots of Pacha is a farming community simulator in the vein and style of Stardew Valley, with a prehistoric twist. You discover a large world full of Ice Age wonders while building up a community that grows with your progressive skills from agriculture to invention. You can do this on your own or bring your friends for cooperative playthroughs.
Beasts that you find in this world include mammoths, aurochs, guanaco, and cave lion cubs for pets. Roots of Pacha also released a recent update that takes you through other periods of human history called the Sun & Moon. In this update, you get to experience early Bronze Age agriculture as you get to see the further developments of your small community.
Ark: Survival Ascended is an extended, remastered version of Ark: Survival Evolved, featuring more animals, maps, and character options. The Ark series overall features all kinds of prehistoric creatures that are throughout the fossil record, from theMesozoic dinosaursto Cenozoic mammals and Paleozoic invertebrates. There is amassive roster of creatures, and they’re all mostly tameable, rideable for the large ones, and can be encountered in a variety of variations.
The animals inhabiting the different regions of Ark are not meant to represent the scientific understanding of the fossil record. They are all creatures that were brought to this mysterious world and evolved from the influence of the environment over centuries. This explains the many scientific inaccuracies in many of the animals, like the sheer size of Giganotosaurus, the partial feathering of the raptors, and the different assortments of spikes, scutes, and horns that are present in many other creatures.
There are ancient Pokemon who are based on a menagerie of prehistoric animals. And just like prehistoric creatures in our world, they are mostly considered extinct species in the Pokemon setting. To bring them back to your Pokedex, you’d need their fossils for the scientists to bring them back.
Throughout the different generations in the Pokemon series, there have been many extinct Pokémon introduced, from the T-rex-like Tyrantrum, the ammonite critter named Omanyte, and Anorith, which is based on the giant prehistoric shrimp Anomalocaris. Being a prehistoric Pokemon master means you get to have a menagerie of interesting creatures in your group.
In Abzu, you explore a vast ocean filled with all kinds of marine life. The story of the game is all told through scenery and musical direction, similar to Journey and The Pathless. The game is praised for its stylish photorealism of all the animals and their environments.
The last major ‘level’ is an entire region devoted to prehistoric sea creatures throughout the different eras of Earth’s prehistory. You can find the shelled Ammonites, prehistoric sharks like Helicoprion, Elasmosaurus, and all kinds of other ancient fish, amphibians, and reptiles. These sea creatures are represented with the latest scientific understanding based on fossils and research.
Far Cry Primal is an Ice Age reskin of Far Cry 4. It takes the same map of Kyrat and edits the details to place you in the Mesolithic period of the Ice Age. You play as Takkar, and your quest is to protect your scattered tribe from prehistoric hazards and other more dangerous tribe factions. One of Takkar’s main skills is being a Beastmaster, taming and fighting alongside many other prehistoric animals that inhabit Oros.
Many of the animals from Far Cry 4 are remade as prehistoric equivalents of their species. The tigers are now featured as Eurasian cave lions, the bears are cave bears, and the asian elephants are made into wooly mammoths. Sabretooth cats are the new featured animal for Primal, and they can function as both hunting/fighting companions and mounts for swift travel.
2Path Of Titans
Path of Titans is an MMO survival simulator that lets you take control of one out of over a dozen different species of prehistoric megafauna. Many of the dinosaurs you can select for gameplay are diverse in names, presentation, and the level of paleontological accuracy. They also all play differently with unique abilities depending on the species, diet, and defensive/offensive needs.
Many of the dinosaurs you can play also have distinct alternative versions that you can choose from that represent different species or relatives from their family, giving you a bigger selection. It’s not just dinosaurs that are playable as well. You can play as several other unique prehistoric animals, from Sarcosuchus, a giant crocodilian relative, to Megalania, a massive cousin of the Monitor lizards.
A massive tycoon simulator that features all types of prehistoric creatures throughout prehistory. This game operates with the idea of education and entertainment, giving you Nigel Marvin as a narrator who gives you a quick summary of each of the animals you bring into your park. Nigel Marvin has also been in paleo projects BBC’s Prehistoric Park and Chased By Dinosaurs, which made him the best choice for the game’s narration.
All the animals present here are designed and based on the latest scientific discoveries, from Spinosaurus’s latest appearance to feathered raptors, different species of Mammoths and Sabretooths, and especially giving T-rex either feathers or leaving them scaled. Prehistoric Kingdom also gets updates that add more content and ways to get further involved with your creatures. New features include watching your animals grow from infancy to adulthood, herding together, and having special socialization based on scientific ideas.
