Survival panic takes place in Edward City where Third Energy research gathered from the first mission is continued. The city becomes a prehistoric jungle where some survivors remain. Regina the super-operative returns with Dylan, a member of TRAT (Tactical Reconnoitering and Acquisition Team) to rescue any remaining survivors and acquire the new research data found on Third Energy. There isn't much talking between them other than direct commands of what to do next, and most of what is revealed is done through the usual memos left by dead people. But there are cinematics here and there and the dry story gets a good drench in the later half.

The running and shooting a constant barrage of dinosaurs is a great spin to the series. Raptors and other baddies leap out of shrubbery and attack in packs instead of the usual one on one in the first. The dino AI is much improved, and they don't stop until they get a piece of meat. Dinos will jump onto any platform as soon as you climb on it, and follow down quickly if you leap off. The pesky dinos do respawn constantly after killing them, but there is always a door or pathway close by to stop the madness. And most just plain aren't hard to kill thanks to the great arsenal at Regina and Dylan's disposal. Flame throwers, machine guns, assault rifles, and more are available for purchase at electronic terminals found at various points in the game. Regina and Dylan also have secondary weapons that momentarily stun their prey. The gameplay is all action oriented and let players kick the dino ass that they didn't get to in the first.

What makes Dino Crisis 2 such a great departure from the first is the creativity used to combat dinosaurs. The constant running and blasting is fun, but who would have thought that Capcom would let us take on dinosaurs first person style?! Yup, first person shooting action by boat and car make awesome gameplay - especially when it's dinos you're aiming at. Another scenario has Regina firing a flare gun to signal Dylan to fire a gun turret while she runs through a dino-littered path. And the ultimate section of the game has players walking through a creepy underwater facility complete with water blur and echo effect - not to mention underwater dinosaurs.

The rendered backgrounds in DC2 allowed the developers to take on the multiple dino attack concept and does a good job creating a realistic environment. The character models and motion capture are also very well done, as are the slick CG movies. Capcom has done an amazing effort on making Dino Crisis a series that stays unique from the survival horror gameplay that the first borrowed from. The skimp on story is a bit of a let down, but Dino Crisis 2 goes big on gameplay and looks to be creative testing ground for the next big T-Rex attack.