1993 will be a year that will go down in infamy. With the worldwide theatrical release of Jurassic Park, dino mania, remaining dormant with the fall of Dino Riders, Bone Age, Denver the Last Dinosaur and Dinosaucers in the late 80's, returned with a force unlike anything ever seen. Illegal dinosaur bone trade made A Current Affair and the news again. Barney got noticed. I whipped Slogra with the same ferocity as I had whipped him in late 1991. Shoot, even those Mighty Wussy Power Rangers got their jump off from the flourishing dino mania in summer 1993. They started out with dinosaur robots, then progressed to animal robots, and that degenerated into trains, planes, and other time traveling automobiles like you see 8 years later.

But that's not why this is here. Nintendo Power covered this game in their 50th issue in July of 1993. With my left elbow in its new cast, I remember the days well. Brought to you by Enix, makers of Actraiser, E.V.O. Search for Eden is a game in which you are a creature chosen by Gaia, Mother Earth herself, to climb the food chain and change the course of history, to finally end up in the paradise known as Eden.

What makes this game unique is its quite original gaming engine. You kill your enemies by using your chomps, and then collect E.V.O. points from the meat they leave behind. After amassing a certain amount of E.V.O. points, you can choose to evolve your body parts to make yourself a more efficient killing machine. You should be cautious, however, evolving one body part may affect the ability of another.

Another thing I'm feeling from this game is the mood. It all lies on you. You change the outcome of this world drastically, though those who benefit from your actions are out for your hide, and its on you to dispose of them. Along the way, you'll find that you have to go on some mini-missions to retreive a baby dinosaur or two. Thus, as you become attached to your surroundings, enhanced by music and rich graphics and effects, you get a sort of emotion for the game. You actually feel sorry when it's time for the Asteroid River to descend and destroy the dinosaurs. You also feel sorry when you begin a new era as a useless spludge, devoid of the evolutions and E.V.O. points you've amassed previously... But I digress; if you're really get into it, you really will feel for this experience as the spudge who would change the world. From lowly fish, to a walking battlefield of a carnivorous flying beast, you can be it all, but only if you have the patience.

Like I was telling Jason, "Evolution takes time."

Most of the game is set in the Eastern Hemisphere, where Pange (Pangea) breaks up eventually into Eurasia, Africa, Austrailia, and Southeast Asia as the game progresses.

Chapter 1 is set in the ocean on the other side of the world during the Age of Fish.

TIP: Use the Angler's Horn in the Ocean of Tenodus to corral and chomp the fishies for a quick culmination of E.V.O. points.

Your ideal body will have Zinichty's jaws, Kuraschelace's Dorsal Fin, Shell body, and pack a Spiraled Horn for the fight with Kurashelache, the final shark boss of this once in a game-time level.

Chapter 2 is set in the Carboniferous Period, in which the newly oxygenated land SHOULD be covered in plants, but the insects are eating them at too fast a rate for them to restore.

Well, beating Kurashelache in Chapter 1 allowed the Stromatolites to make oxygen so you could travel on land, now its up to you to get to the bottom of this plant-lacking planet.

TIP: After defeating Debustega (evolve a Jeprol), hang out a bit in the Domain of Profasu, the newly available stage. The frequency of the roaches will help you level up quickly. And try to shoot for a small, nimble, yet armored body for your impending battles with the King and Queen Bee.

The Killa Beez have been exterminated by the top of Chapter 3, the Age of Dinosaurs, and a rich and flourishing world results from the plant/insect equilibrium YOU created. You'll spend alot of time just leveling up to useful body parts while avoiding the animals set to stomp/knock/pound you out.

TIP: I spent a lot of time at the Polsaurus (Pachycephalosaurus) stage. You should do the same to evolve up to at least Toracodon's jaws and an Invincible tail, which is what I did.

TIP: To become an ugly, weak bird, go to the top of Mt. Brave and jump off. You'll lose all your attributes, but that can change...

The fallen Asteroid River caused the sun to be blocked out for years, causing the ice age in Chapter 4. After that disheartening extinction scene at the end of chapter 3, you'll be glad to know that some dinosaurs did manage to survive! As well as amphibians from Chapters 2 and 3? Wait a minute..what's going on? At this point, with all the dialogue you're hearing from the heavens, it is evident that there are higher powers at work...

TIP: You'll enter this era as you left the last one, but by going to the Cave of Judgement, you can choose to become a mammal...a RAT. But why be a rat when you can have wings, horns, and jaws lined with teeth like railroad spikes?

I've been running this one on ZSNES for the past week. Previously, I've rented it a couple of times at Blockbuster in 1996, but never felt it from the start since I was always messing around with the save slots of the previous user. You'll see more as I get deeper into the game. Here are the creatures I've entered into my evolution record. The names are all original and off the top of my head. I'm a genius when it comes to naming. You can also check out a few screensnaps I took in the dinosaur stages.