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[[caption-width-right:350:Boy, if I had a nickel for everytime they released a new arcade IP thats a one on one fighter featuring stop motion animated dinosaurs, I'd have...well, two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird that its happened [[VideoGame/PrimalRage twice.]] ]]
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Initially launched for arcades, ''Dino Rex'' was re-released in 2007, bundled as part of the Japan-exclusive ''Taito Memories II Jokan'' compilation for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.
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Initially launched for arcades, ''Dino Rex'' was re-released in 2007, bundled as part of the Japan-exclusive ''Taito Memories II Jokan'' compilation for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.
Platform/PlayStation2.
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[[caption-width-right:350:Boy, if I had a nickel for everytime they released a new arcade IP thats a one on one fighter featuring stop motion animated dinosaurs, I'd have...well, two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird that its happened [[VideoGame/PrimalRage''twice.]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:Boy, if I had a nickel for everytime they released a new arcade IP thats a one on one fighter featuring stop motion animated dinosaurs, I'd have...well, two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird that its happened [[VideoGame/PrimalRage''twice.]]]]
[[VideoGame/PrimalRage twice.]] ]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:You can yell [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones YABBA-DABBA-DOOO!!!]] now.]]
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* AnachronismStew: Non-avian dinosaurs in the 25th Century BC. Interestingly, unlike other examples of this trope, where the dinos usually live side-by-side with Paleolithic humans, this game has them living alongside a Pre-hispanic South American civilization. Additionally, while many of the creatures at least hail from the Late Cretaceous, there's also a handful of Jurassic species, such as ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Rhamphorhynchus''. [[spoiler: Then again, the game's timeline may be more complicated than what is shown here.]]
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* AnachronismStew: Non-avian dinosaurs in the 25th Century BC. Interestingly, unlike other examples of this trope, where the dinos usually live side-by-side with Paleolithic humans, this game has them living alongside a Pre-hispanic pre-Columbian South American civilization. Additionally, while many of the creatures at least hail from the Late Cretaceous, there's also a handful of Jurassic species, such as ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Rhamphorhynchus''. [[spoiler: Then again, the game's timeline may be more complicated than what is shown here.]]
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** ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' are treated as separate creatures. Current concensus heavily indicates that ''Stygimoloch'' was most likely just a growth stage of ''Pachycephalosaurus''.
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** ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' are treated as separate creatures. Current concensus consensus heavily indicates that ''Stygimoloch'' was most likely just a growth stage of ''Pachycephalosaurus''.
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** The ''Deinonychus'' that pops up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs if you take too long to consume them is very much a product of its time, scaly, very lizardy-looking and with pronated hands.
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** The ''Deinonychus'' that pops up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs if you take too long to consume them is very much a product of its time, scaly, very lizardy-looking lizard-looking and with pronated hands.
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** The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is this, natch. Its attacks deal devastating amounts of damage and it's a tempting choice for many first-time players, but it's slower and clumsier than many of the other dinosaurs, its kicks and slashes have barely any reach, and it gobbles up all the items that can be used as improvised weapons rather than using them to attack. Ironically, the BigBad's ''T.rex'' is a much better fighter, but if you're crafty enough to use tail attacks, you can kick its ass without much problem.
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** The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is this, natch. Its attacks deal devastating amounts of damage and it's a tempting choice for many first-time players, but it's slower and clumsier than many of the other dinosaurs, its kicks and slashes have barely any reach, and it gobbles up all the items that can be used as improvised weapons rather than using them to attack. Ironically, the BigBad's ''T.rex'' ''T-rex'' is a much better fighter, but if you're crafty enough to use tail attacks, you can kick its ass without much problem.
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* BoringButPractical: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' may not be as impressive as their co-stars and have extremely irritating calls, but they may very well be the most useful players in the entire game. They're much faster and nimbler than the other dinos, and their attacks, combos and moves can deal a fair amount of damage if done correctly. In addition, their enlongated tails have plenty of reach and are [[PrehensileTail handy enough]] to be used as whips.
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* BoringButPractical: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' may not be as impressive as their co-stars and have extremely irritating calls, but they may very well be the most useful players in the entire game. They're much faster and nimbler than the other dinos, and their attacks, combos and moves can deal a fair amount of damage if done correctly. In addition, their enlongated elongated tails have plenty of reach and are [[PrehensileTail handy enough]] to be used as whips.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: See the ''T.rex'' on the arcade flyer? Looks appropiately majestic, intimidating and dignified, doesn't it? Too bad the ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the actual game is a far cry from those adjectives.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his ''T.rex'', the current [[AdiposeRex Dino Rex]] challenges you to a fight mano-a-mano with him. It goes as well as you expect for him.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his ''T.rex'', the current [[AdiposeRex Dino Rex]] challenges you to a fight mano-a-mano with him. It goes as well as you expect for him.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: See the ''T.rex'' ''T-rex'' on the arcade flyer? Looks appropiately appropriately majestic, intimidating and dignified, doesn't it? Too bad the ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the actual game is a far cry from those adjectives.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his''T.rex'', ''T-rex'', the current [[AdiposeRex Dino Rex]] challenges you to a fight mano-a-mano with him. It goes as well as you expect for him.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his
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* ImprovisedWeapon: While causing destruction, your dino will occasionally uncover some items and creatures which it can pick up with its mouth and use as a makeshift weapon to harm its opponent. Some include massive bones, logs and even a ''Pinacosaurus'' which can be used as a living flail. The ''T.rex'' on the other hand, will eat them up instead.
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* ImprovisedWeapon: While causing destruction, your dino will occasionally uncover some items and creatures which it can pick up with its mouth and use as a makeshift weapon to harm its opponent. Some include massive bones, logs and even a ''Pinacosaurus'' which can be used as a living flail. The ''T.rex'' ''T-rex'' on the other hand, will eat them up instead.
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* MirrorMatch: No matter which dino you choose, you'll end up fighting another of its kind in at least one stage. The ''Allosaurus'' in particular, as the first opponent of your journey is another Allo. The only exception to the rule is ''Monoclonius'', but even then, it's basically a [[HeadSwap one-horned]] ''Triceratops''. And since many of the dinos are essentially head swaps of each other, minus the ''T. rex'', there really isn't much difference.
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* MirrorMatch: No matter which dino you choose, you'll end up fighting another of its kind in at least one stage. The ''Allosaurus'' in particular, as the first opponent of your journey is another Allo. The only exception to the rule is ''Monoclonius'', but even then, it's basically a [[HeadSwap one-horned]] ''Triceratops''. And since many of the dinos are essentially head swaps of each other, minus the ''T. rex'', ''T-rex'', there really isn't much difference.
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* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian inspired world where [[NubileSavage Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
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* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian pre-Columbian inspired world where [[NubileSavage Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
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* RoyalBrat: The current Dino Rex. He throws an infantile hissy fit whenever you beat his ''T.rex'', and, in one last attempt to maintain his title, challenges you to a decissive fist-to-fist combat.
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* RoyalBrat: The current Dino Rex. He throws an infantile hissy fit whenever you beat his ''T.rex'', and, in one last attempt to maintain his title, challenges you to a decissive decisive fist-to-fist combat.
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** As mentioned on GenreThrowback above, the playable dinosaurs are clearly modelled and animated in the same way as those found in the films of Creator/RayHarryhausen and Willis O'Brien.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depict pre-columbian civilizations coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs. Both have been exposed as fabrications.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depict pre-columbian civilizations coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs. Both have been exposed as fabrications.
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** As mentioned on GenreThrowback above, the playable dinosaurs are clearly modelled modeled and animated in the same way as those found in the films of Creator/RayHarryhausen and Willis O'Brien.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depictpre-columbian pre-Columbian civilizations coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs. Both have been exposed as fabrications.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depict
** The player's dinosaurs often come in garish colors, including [[Series/BarneyAndFriends a purple T-rex]].
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* SoreLoser: The incumbent Dino Rex. After you defeat his ''T.rex'' for good, rather than handing the crown peacefully, he attempts to secure onto it by challenging you to hand-to-hand combat. [[spoiler: Doesn't end well for him.]]
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* SoreLoser: The incumbent Dino Rex. After you defeat his ''T.rex'' ''T-rex'' for good, rather than handing the crown peacefully, he attempts to secure onto it by challenging you to hand-to-hand combat. [[spoiler: Doesn't end well for him.]]
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* VolumetricMouth: The ''T.rex'' has a pretty wide mouth, which is particularly noticeable when it roars.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll be forcibbly stopped by a multitude of Amazons on horseback, a flock of ''Rhamphorhynchus'', or, in levels with water, a pod of ''Platecarpus''.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll be forcibbly stopped by a multitude of Amazons on horseback, a flock of ''Rhamphorhynchus'', or, in levels with water, a pod of ''Platecarpus''.
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* VolumetricMouth: The ''T.rex'' ''T-rex'' has a pretty wide mouth, which is particularly noticeable when it roars.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll beforcibbly forcibly stopped by a multitude of Amazons on horseback, a flock of ''Rhamphorhynchus'', or, in levels with water, a pod of ''Platecarpus''.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll be
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* DummiedOut: The ''Monoclonius'' was originally intended to be a playable dinosaur, but was cut for unknown reasons and relegated to be the second opponent in history mode.
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* PteroSoarer: Two kinds of pterosaurs are featured in the game: The smaller ''Rhamphorhynchus'' and the larger ''Pteranodon''. Both are portrayed remarkably good and have aged fairly well, except for the pointy wing tips. However, the ''Pteranodon'' is shown to be a ManEater, whith one female in particular snatching up the human losers of each match and taking them to her nest to feed them to her hatchlings. She will even occasionally devour them whole! At least the ''Pteranodon'' is shown carrying its prey in its beak, rather than picking them up with its claws, but even then, an adult human male was too heavy for such a lightweight creature.
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* TerrorDactyl: The ''Pteranodon'' is shown to be a ManEater, whith one female in particular snatching up the human losers of each match and taking them to her nest to feed them to her hatchlings. She will even occasionally devour them whole!
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* KingOfTheDinosaurs: ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' makes an appeareance, naturally, as one of the playable dinos as well as the BigBad's chosen dino. Unfortunately, this take on the tyrant king is extremely portly, stubby, not particularly terrifying or impressive [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and also purple]]. [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Sound familiar?]]
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Dewicked trope
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''Dino Rex'' is an [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]] FightingGame developed by Creator/{{Taito}} and released in November 1992. It noticeably features a roster of six StopMotion animated [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] as its main playable characters, predating the better-known ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' by a couple of years.
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''Dino Rex'' is an [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]] FightingGame developed by Creator/{{Taito}} and released in November 1992. It noticeably features a roster of six StopMotion animated [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] dinosaurs as its main playable characters, predating the better-known ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' by a couple of years.
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* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Oh, so very much... if you can look past the clunky controls and laggy gameplay, that is.
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* StockDinosaurs: We got ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', ''Triceratops'', ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' as the main playable characters. ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Corythosaurus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', ''Deinonychus'' ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Pteranodon'' show up either as background or minor creatures.
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* SensoryAbuse: To use combos, you have to expend segments of your Power Bar. You replenish it by screaming. ''Ear-piercingly'' screaming.
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Trope is cut per TRS
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: ''Monoclonius'', ''Ornithomimus'', ''Rhamphorhynchus'', ''Pinacosaurus'' and ''Platecarpus'' all make appeareances.
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** After vanquishing the BigBad for good, TheHero [[spoiler: unmasks himself and reveals himself to be Rastan, the protagonist of fellow Taito title ''VideoGame/RastanSaga''.]]
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** After vanquishing the BigBad for good, TheHero [[spoiler: unmasks himself and reveals himself to be Rastan, the protagonist of fellow Taito title ''VideoGame/RastanSaga''.''VideoGame/{{Rastan}}''.]]
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* DramaticUnmask: After defeating the BigBad, TheHero takes off his mask [[spoiler: and reveals himself as Rastan, the eponymous hero of ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' and its [[VideoGame/RastanSagaII two]] [[VideoGame/WarriorBladeRastanSagaEpisodeIII sequels]].]]
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* DramaticUnmask: After defeating the BigBad, TheHero takes off his mask [[spoiler: and reveals himself as Rastan, the eponymous hero of ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}}'' and its [[VideoGame/RastanSagaII two]] [[VideoGame/WarriorBladeRastanSagaEpisodeIII sequels]].two sequels.]]
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* {{Shotoclone}}: Hilariously enough, the [[Creator/{{Taito}} Rastan]]-like dinosaur trainers (which can only be played after a draw or [[UnexpectedGameplayChange against the final boss]]) have the basic Shoto repertoire, including ''Rhamphorhynchus'' projectiles. Given their lack of animations and oddly misplaced gameplay, it's safe to take it as an AffectionateParody of ''Street Fighter II''.
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* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}} Saga'' series.]]
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* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}} Saga'' ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}}'' ''Saga'' series.]]
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* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' series.]]
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* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' ''VideoGame/{{Rastan}} Saga'' series.]]
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* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian inspired world where NubileSavage [[Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
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* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian inspired world where NubileSavage [[Nubile [[NubileSavage Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dino_rex_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:You can yell [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones YABBA-DABBA-DOOO!!!]] now.]]
''Dino Rex'' is an [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]] FightingGame developed by Creator/{{Taito}} and released in November 1992. It noticeably features a roster of six StopMotion animated [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] as its main playable characters, predating the better-known ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' by a couple of years.
The story begins when a team of archaeologists uncover a clay figure of a man riding a dinosaur on [[UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations Pre-Columbian]] ruins in South America, revealing that humans and dinosaurs coexisted together back in the 25th Century BC. In this [[LadyLand world ruled by the Amazons]], men of multiple tribes and their highly-trained, multi-ton scaly companions would prove their worth by participating in a fighting tournament against each other held once a year. Whoever came out as the winner would get to marry the Queen and rule the whole world for an entire year as the titular "Dino Rex" king.
Now you, the player, and your own dino, must fight your way through multiple stages and reach the Auyán-Tepui to face the current Dino Rex in a decissive match that will decide the fate of the world.
One of Taito's most obscure entries, the game was helmed by most of the same crew behind ''VideoGame/GunFrontier'' and ''VideoGame/MetalBlack''. The project was initially conceived as a ShootEmUp, but got reworked into a fighting game after the massive success of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s own ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' and the craze for similar titles it unleashed.
Initially launched for arcades, ''Dino Rex'' was re-released in 2007, bundled as part of the Japan-exclusive ''Taito Memories II Jokan'' compilation for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.
!!''Dino Rex'' includes examples of the following tropes:
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* {{Acrofatic}}: The ''Tyrannosaurus'' can perform some truly wicked fighting moves in spite of its rotund build. ''Triceratops'' and the unplayable ''Monoclonius'' are also equally fast and versatile, being even capable of rearing up and running on their back legs!
* AfterTheEnd: While the game's prologue states that the story takes place in the 25th Century B.C, the city-destroying minigames [[spoiler:suggest that, in the modern age, dinosaurs somehow reappeared on Earth, completely devastated human civilization and forced the survivors to live like their stone age ancestors before they eventually regained some control by taming the very same creatures responsible for their fall. Mr. Ho Lee Chan appearing in the end credits lends credence to this.]]
* AdiposeRex: The current Dino Rex is extremely obese and not a jovial BigFun either. The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is also portrayed with a rather chunky figure.
* AmbiguousSituation:
** The game's introduction clearly states that everything elapses in the ancient past, but [[spoiler:the minigames where you destroy Ho Lee city show it going from a modern metropolis to a primal land covered by vegetation, and the humans who survived the dino's rampage are know wearing loincloths and fur bikinis while hunting animals with spears and living in tribal huts, with the implication that non-avian dinosaurs somehow came back from the dead, destroyed civilization as we know it and humans began living like their ancestors until they eventually managed to tame the dinosaurs and use them as fighting beasts, and thus the events that take place in the prologue must happen sometime in the far future. However, nothing really confirms whether this is the case, and muddling things further is the fact we see Mr. Ho Lee at the very end of the final credits sequence.]]
** In the epilogue, the people who discovered the figure wonder what happened to the tribe, and a man who claims himself to be a descendant of them simply says that they "became leaves of the jungle". Make of that what you will.
* AnachronismStew: Non-avian dinosaurs in the 25th Century BC. Interestingly, unlike other examples of this trope, where the dinos usually live side-by-side with Paleolithic humans, this game has them living alongside a Pre-hispanic South American civilization. Additionally, while many of the creatures at least hail from the Late Cretaceous, there's also a handful of Jurassic species, such as ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Rhamphorhynchus''. [[spoiler: Then again, the game's timeline may be more complicated than what is shown here.]]
* AnimalGenderBender: The ''Pteranodon'' that snatches either the player or the rival after being defeated in a match is a female, but has the elongated crest of a male.
* AnimalsNotToScale: The playable dinos are massive, and some in particular, such as the ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'', tower over their real-life counterparts.
* ArtisticLicensePaleontology:
** [[Main/ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]]. On one hand, all of the playable dinosaurs are deliberately inspired by retro films, with dragging tails, upright postures, and sprawling legs. However, despite their ungainly looks, they are incredibly active, being able to move at a speedy pace, jumping very high and can do all sorts of varied combat moves and techniques. Also, all of the background prehistoric creatures are more in-line with then-current paleontological knowledge, having horizontal postures, tails lifted away from the ground, and upright limbs. Some such as ''Ornithomimus'' and ''Archaeopteryx'', possess plumage.
** All of the playable animals are considerably oversized.
** The bipedal dinos have pronated hands.
** ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' are treated as separate creatures. Current concensus heavily indicates that ''Stygimoloch'' was most likely just a growth stage of ''Pachycephalosaurus''.
** While most primitive and basal ceratopsians were either fully or partially bipedal, larger, more derived forms such as ''Triceratops'' were obligate quadrupeds and most definitely could not run, much less stand, on their hind legs.
** While the ''Ornithomimus'' has a mohawk of feathers on its head, it is otherwise completely scaly. Current research has shown that ornithomimids, like many of their fellow theropods, were covered in plumage and even had wings. A cutscene also shows it with a chicken-like beak rather than the more bill-like corny beak it had.
** ''Pinacosaurus'' is capable of curling into a ball like an armadillo when agitated. No ankylosaurs or nodosaurs could do this at all.
** The ''Brachiosaurus'' in stage 4 has an elongated, giraffe-like tongue that it uses to scare away your dino should you get too close to it. It also has the usual wrinkly, elephantine skin sauropods are usually portrayed with in media.
** The ''Deinonychus'' that pops up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs if you take too long to consume them is very much a product of its time, scaly, very lizardy-looking and with pronated hands.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The bonus stages that you play after beating each two story mode levels allow your dino to wreck a modern city, stomping military vehicles, reducing buildings to rubble and eating soldiers and unlucky bystanders in true {{Kaiju}} style.
* AwesomeButImpractical:
** A game about massive prehistoric beasts duking it out sounds like a truly epic idea, but unfortunately, this game's extremely rushed state and janky frame rate means the playable dinos will often have a hard time getting a good hit at their enemies with their stubby limbs using the vaseline attacks, which means you'll have to rely on the combos at your disposal to defeat your opponents. And even though the combos are fairly easy to execute, they will take up energy slots which have to be replenished by roaring, which can leave you unprotected if you're not fast enough. Not helped by the fact that you can get interrupted in the middle of a combo, and that you're almost always [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard outmatched by the rival AI in most of the stages]].
** The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is this, natch. Its attacks deal devastating amounts of damage and it's a tempting choice for many first-time players, but it's slower and clumsier than many of the other dinosaurs, its kicks and slashes have barely any reach, and it gobbles up all the items that can be used as improvised weapons rather than using them to attack. Ironically, the BigBad's ''T.rex'' is a much better fighter, but if you're crafty enough to use tail attacks, you can kick its ass without much problem.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Beating the entire game results in the main human character getting instated as the new Dino Rex, as several amazons run toward him to congratulate him.]]
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: In a rare inversion of this trope, it's ''the main warriors'' the ones who do this. They control their dinosaurs by whipping them nonstop.
* BeastlyBloodsports: Two dinos brutally fight each other to the death while a tumultuous crowd looks on. Their trainers control them by whipping them constantly. Pretty messed up, don't you think?
* BehemothBattle: Nothing like mighty dinosaurs beating the ever-loving tar out of each other in a journey to become the king of the world.
* BigBadEnsemble: The main antagonist of the game is the current Dino Rex. An old man in a cutscene tells the player that he's planning on leading the world down a path of darkness and corruption and must be stopped. The dream segments have Ho Lee Chan, a CorruptCorporateExecutive who effectively rules over a city with an iron fist. Both are completely unconnected.
* BigWhat: Ho Lee Chan, the main bad guy of the city-destroying minigames, utters one in the first BonusStage when he [[OhCrap realizes]] your dino is coming after him. [[https://memoriesofachicken.tumblr.com/post/128467459506 It's positively hilarious]].
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The English text kind of makes sense and it's possible to get a good gist of what it's saying, but it's still filled with obvious typos, grammatical inconsistencies and overly literally translated words which results in many awkward sentences.
* BonusStage: After beating two story levels, you're treated to a minigame where your dinosaur must rampage across a modern-day city while smashing up buildings, tanks and combat airplanes while pursuing the evil mogul Ho Lee Chan. All of these begin when the hero gets himself absolutely drunk after his second victory.
* BoringButPractical: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' may not be as impressive as their co-stars and have extremely irritating calls, but they may very well be the most useful players in the entire game. They're much faster and nimbler than the other dinos, and their attacks, combos and moves can deal a fair amount of damage if done correctly. In addition, their enlongated tails have plenty of reach and are [[PrehensileTail handy enough]] to be used as whips.
* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' series.]]
* CoolMask: The male warriors wear white, simple masks with striped patterns and a long, mane-like wig.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In the bonus stages, Mr. Ho Lee is the uber-rich tycoon of a chain of ice cream and donut stores who effectively rules unopposed over a metropolis named after him. According to cutscenes, he made most of his fortune through underhanded means and "all tragedies were his comedies."
* CoversAlwaysLie: See the ''T.rex'' on the arcade flyer? Looks appropiately majestic, intimidating and dignified, doesn't it? Too bad the ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the actual game is a far cry from those adjectives.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his ''T.rex'', the current [[AdiposeRex Dino Rex]] challenges you to a fight mano-a-mano with him. It goes as well as you expect for him.
* DigitizedSprites: All of the main playable dinosaurs are rendered this way.
* DomesticatedDinosaurs: The ancient civilization depicted in the game coexists with a plethora of tamed prehistoric animals, some of which are trained for fighting.
* DramaticUnmask: After defeating the BigBad, TheHero takes off his mask [[spoiler: and reveals himself as Rastan, the eponymous hero of ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' and its [[VideoGame/RastanSagaII two]] [[VideoGame/WarriorBladeRastanSagaEpisodeIII sequels]].]]
* DummiedOut: The ''Monoclonius'' was originally intended to be a playable dinosaur, but was cut for unknown reasons and relegated to be the second opponent in history mode.
* EasterEgg: [[spoiler: The main human character is Rastan, in a particularly bizarre tie-up to another Taito entry]].
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Oh, so very much... if you can look past the clunky controls and laggy gameplay, that is.
* FanDisservice: On one hand, you have lots of scantily clad Amazons and hyper-buff guys walking around shirtless, and on the other, there's the evil Dino Rex, a morbidly obese guy who wears nothing but his mask, a loincloth and a pair of leather boots.
* FanserviceExtra: Lots of Amazons clad in skimpy bikinis run around in the background of each stage.
* FatBastard: The game's BigBad, the current Dino Rex is a very heavyset man and has sinister plans in mind for the world at large. Mr. Ho Lee has quite the gut as well.
* FedToTheBeast: Anyone who loses a battle (including YOU, the player) will be carried away by a ''Pteranodon'' mother, eager to feed you to her kids. [[spoiler:This ultimately happens to the incumbent Dino Rex as well.]]
* FireBreathingDiner: One of the PowerUp eggs you can eat (specifically, the red one) allows your dino to spit a stream of flames at its opponent.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: At the start of the fifth stage, it's possible to see a guy standing at the top of a waterfall. He falls down with a comical scream after a while. It happens at the start of every round in that level.
* GameOver: If you don't push the continue button in time or add more credits, you'll be treated to a lovely scene of Mama ''Pteranodon'' gobbling you up and preparing to feed your mushy remains to her seven children.
* GenreThrowback: The playable dinos are very deliberately based on the stop-motion beasts of older films like ''Film/TheValleyOfGwangi'', ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'' and ''Film/WhenDinosaursRuledTheEarth'', and were even brought to life with a similar process.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The final opponent of your journey is the BigBad's very own ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', which has a solid golden color and is a more effective fighter than the playable one.
* HeadbuttingPachy: The ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and the ''Stygimoloch'' both have plenty of head-based attacks.
* HeadSwap: ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' and ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch''.
* HornAttack: ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' are the resident ceratopsians and appropiately enough, make good use of their trademark horns. Only the Trike is playable, though. The ''Ceratosaurus'' also briefly utilizes its nose horn for one of its attacks.
* ImprovisedWeapon: While causing destruction, your dino will occasionally uncover some items and creatures which it can pick up with its mouth and use as a makeshift weapon to harm its opponent. Some include massive bones, logs and even a ''Pinacosaurus'' which can be used as a living flail. The ''T.rex'' on the other hand, will eat them up instead.
* InformedSpecies: The ''Pteranodon'' in the game have head crests more similar to those of the related genus ''Geosternbergia''. To be fair, ''Geosternbergia'' is sometimes considered to be an earlier species of ''Pteranodon''.
* KingOfTheDinosaurs: ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' makes an appeareance, naturally, as one of the playable dinos as well as the BigBad's chosen dino. Unfortunately, this take on the tyrant king is extremely portly, stubby, not particularly terrifying or impressive [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and also purple]]. [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Sound familiar?]]
* LastVillainStand: After you take down the rival Dino Rex's ''Tyrannosaurus'', he challenges you to a final hand-to-hand battle in a desperate attempt to keep his throne. [[spoiler: He goes down after a few hits and is abducted by a mother ''Pteranodon''.]]
* {{Mascot}}: ''Stygimoloch'' is featured in the game's logo.
* MirrorMatch: No matter which dino you choose, you'll end up fighting another of its kind in at least one stage. The ''Allosaurus'' in particular, as the first opponent of your journey is another Allo. The only exception to the rule is ''Monoclonius'', but even then, it's basically a [[HeadSwap one-horned]] ''Triceratops''. And since many of the dinos are essentially head swaps of each other, minus the ''T. rex'', there really isn't much difference.
* MisplacedWildlife: Absolutely none of the species depicted in the game lived in South America, much less Venezuela, the exact place where everything takes place. And, for that matter, what is a ''Pteranodon'' doing inland so far away from its coastal habitat, and hunting humans instead of its more adequate aquatic, fishy prey?
* NoisyNature: ''All'' of the playable dinos, but ''specially'' ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch''.
* OffTheShelfFX: As revealed by [[https://controlallmonsters.com/2020/11/26/kaiju-video-games-dino-rex-1992/ this blog entry about the game]], some of the dinos were created from modified Kaiyodo models.
* PowerUpFood: During combat, a ''Pteranodon'' will fly over the stage and lay an egg which the player's dinosaur must consume to obtain a certain ability. Normal eggs restore its health, while the red one allows it to breathe fire at its enemies and the orange one allows it to spit out orange, sticky flowers. Your enemy can gobble them as well, and if neither combatant is fast enough to eat the egg, a ''Deinonychus'' will appear and devour it instead.
* PrehensileTail: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' have very flexible tails which they can use as improvised whips to ensnare and throw their enemies away.
* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian inspired world where NubileSavage [[Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
* PteroSoarer: Two kinds of pterosaurs are featured in the game: The smaller ''Rhamphorhynchus'' and the larger ''Pteranodon''. Both are portrayed remarkably good and have aged fairly well, except for the pointy wing tips. However, the ''Pteranodon'' is shown to be a ManEater, whith one female in particular snatching up the human losers of each match and taking them to her nest to feed them to her hatchlings. She will even occasionally devour them whole! At least the ''Pteranodon'' is shown carrying its prey in its beak, rather than picking them up with its claws, but even then, an adult human male was too heavy for such a lightweight creature.
* RecycledInSpace: It's ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' (or at least ''tries'' to be) with DINOSAURS! The use of DigitizedSprites also brings to mind ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', whose first entry had been released just a month prior.
* RaptorAttack: The ''Deinonychus'' that shows up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs laid by the ''Pteranodons'' is scaly, without any form of feathering whatsoever and has pronated hands, looking almost exactly like the sketch made by John Ostrom.
* RoyalBrat: The current Dino Rex. He throws an infantile hissy fit whenever you beat his ''T.rex'', and, in one last attempt to maintain his title, challenges you to a decissive fist-to-fist combat.
* SceneryPorn: Each stage has gorgeously designed backgrounds with plenty of intricate little details in there.
* SeldomSeenSpecies: ''Monoclonius'', ''Ornithomimus'', ''Rhamphorhynchus'', ''Pinacosaurus'' and ''Platecarpus'' all make appeareances.
* ShoutOut:
** As mentioned on GenreThrowback above, the playable dinosaurs are clearly modelled and animated in the same way as those found in the films of Creator/RayHarryhausen and Willis O'Brien.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depict pre-columbian civilizations coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs. Both have been exposed as fabrications.
** After vanquishing the BigBad for good, TheHero [[spoiler: unmasks himself and reveals himself to be Rastan, the protagonist of fellow Taito title ''VideoGame/RastanSaga''.]]
* SoreLoser: The incumbent Dino Rex. After you defeat his ''T.rex'' for good, rather than handing the crown peacefully, he attempts to secure onto it by challenging you to hand-to-hand combat. [[spoiler: Doesn't end well for him.]]
* StockDinosaurs: We got ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', ''Triceratops'', ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' as the main playable characters. ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Corythosaurus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', ''Deinonychus'' ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Pteranodon'' show up either as background or minor creatures.
* SwallowedWhole: The mother ''Pteranodon'' sometimes does this to the human losers of the battles. She noticeably does it to the main character in the GameOver screen, with the implication that she will regurgitate him as a more edible meal for her babies.
* TailSlap: A standard attack for the bipedal dinos.
* TemperCeratops: ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' are very resilient fighters, and the ''Monoclonius'' in particular will be a major wake-up call for beginning players.
* ThroneMadeOfX: The throne of the Dino Rex is made from a ''Tyrannosaurus'' skull.
* VolumetricMouth: The ''T.rex'' has a pretty wide mouth, which is particularly noticeable when it roars.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll be forcibbly stopped by a multitude of Amazons on horseback, a flock of ''Rhamphorhynchus'', or, in levels with water, a pod of ''Platecarpus''.
[[caption-width-right:350:You can yell [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones YABBA-DABBA-DOOO!!!]] now.]]
''Dino Rex'' is an [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]] FightingGame developed by Creator/{{Taito}} and released in November 1992. It noticeably features a roster of six StopMotion animated [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]] as its main playable characters, predating the better-known ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' by a couple of years.
The story begins when a team of archaeologists uncover a clay figure of a man riding a dinosaur on [[UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations Pre-Columbian]] ruins in South America, revealing that humans and dinosaurs coexisted together back in the 25th Century BC. In this [[LadyLand world ruled by the Amazons]], men of multiple tribes and their highly-trained, multi-ton scaly companions would prove their worth by participating in a fighting tournament against each other held once a year. Whoever came out as the winner would get to marry the Queen and rule the whole world for an entire year as the titular "Dino Rex" king.
Now you, the player, and your own dino, must fight your way through multiple stages and reach the Auyán-Tepui to face the current Dino Rex in a decissive match that will decide the fate of the world.
One of Taito's most obscure entries, the game was helmed by most of the same crew behind ''VideoGame/GunFrontier'' and ''VideoGame/MetalBlack''. The project was initially conceived as a ShootEmUp, but got reworked into a fighting game after the massive success of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s own ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' and the craze for similar titles it unleashed.
Initially launched for arcades, ''Dino Rex'' was re-released in 2007, bundled as part of the Japan-exclusive ''Taito Memories II Jokan'' compilation for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.
!!''Dino Rex'' includes examples of the following tropes:
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* {{Acrofatic}}: The ''Tyrannosaurus'' can perform some truly wicked fighting moves in spite of its rotund build. ''Triceratops'' and the unplayable ''Monoclonius'' are also equally fast and versatile, being even capable of rearing up and running on their back legs!
* AfterTheEnd: While the game's prologue states that the story takes place in the 25th Century B.C, the city-destroying minigames [[spoiler:suggest that, in the modern age, dinosaurs somehow reappeared on Earth, completely devastated human civilization and forced the survivors to live like their stone age ancestors before they eventually regained some control by taming the very same creatures responsible for their fall. Mr. Ho Lee Chan appearing in the end credits lends credence to this.]]
* AdiposeRex: The current Dino Rex is extremely obese and not a jovial BigFun either. The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is also portrayed with a rather chunky figure.
* AmbiguousSituation:
** The game's introduction clearly states that everything elapses in the ancient past, but [[spoiler:the minigames where you destroy Ho Lee city show it going from a modern metropolis to a primal land covered by vegetation, and the humans who survived the dino's rampage are know wearing loincloths and fur bikinis while hunting animals with spears and living in tribal huts, with the implication that non-avian dinosaurs somehow came back from the dead, destroyed civilization as we know it and humans began living like their ancestors until they eventually managed to tame the dinosaurs and use them as fighting beasts, and thus the events that take place in the prologue must happen sometime in the far future. However, nothing really confirms whether this is the case, and muddling things further is the fact we see Mr. Ho Lee at the very end of the final credits sequence.]]
** In the epilogue, the people who discovered the figure wonder what happened to the tribe, and a man who claims himself to be a descendant of them simply says that they "became leaves of the jungle". Make of that what you will.
* AnachronismStew: Non-avian dinosaurs in the 25th Century BC. Interestingly, unlike other examples of this trope, where the dinos usually live side-by-side with Paleolithic humans, this game has them living alongside a Pre-hispanic South American civilization. Additionally, while many of the creatures at least hail from the Late Cretaceous, there's also a handful of Jurassic species, such as ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Rhamphorhynchus''. [[spoiler: Then again, the game's timeline may be more complicated than what is shown here.]]
* AnimalGenderBender: The ''Pteranodon'' that snatches either the player or the rival after being defeated in a match is a female, but has the elongated crest of a male.
* AnimalsNotToScale: The playable dinos are massive, and some in particular, such as the ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'', tower over their real-life counterparts.
* ArtisticLicensePaleontology:
** [[Main/ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]]. On one hand, all of the playable dinosaurs are deliberately inspired by retro films, with dragging tails, upright postures, and sprawling legs. However, despite their ungainly looks, they are incredibly active, being able to move at a speedy pace, jumping very high and can do all sorts of varied combat moves and techniques. Also, all of the background prehistoric creatures are more in-line with then-current paleontological knowledge, having horizontal postures, tails lifted away from the ground, and upright limbs. Some such as ''Ornithomimus'' and ''Archaeopteryx'', possess plumage.
** All of the playable animals are considerably oversized.
** The bipedal dinos have pronated hands.
** ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' are treated as separate creatures. Current concensus heavily indicates that ''Stygimoloch'' was most likely just a growth stage of ''Pachycephalosaurus''.
** While most primitive and basal ceratopsians were either fully or partially bipedal, larger, more derived forms such as ''Triceratops'' were obligate quadrupeds and most definitely could not run, much less stand, on their hind legs.
** While the ''Ornithomimus'' has a mohawk of feathers on its head, it is otherwise completely scaly. Current research has shown that ornithomimids, like many of their fellow theropods, were covered in plumage and even had wings. A cutscene also shows it with a chicken-like beak rather than the more bill-like corny beak it had.
** ''Pinacosaurus'' is capable of curling into a ball like an armadillo when agitated. No ankylosaurs or nodosaurs could do this at all.
** The ''Brachiosaurus'' in stage 4 has an elongated, giraffe-like tongue that it uses to scare away your dino should you get too close to it. It also has the usual wrinkly, elephantine skin sauropods are usually portrayed with in media.
** The ''Deinonychus'' that pops up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs if you take too long to consume them is very much a product of its time, scaly, very lizardy-looking and with pronated hands.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The bonus stages that you play after beating each two story mode levels allow your dino to wreck a modern city, stomping military vehicles, reducing buildings to rubble and eating soldiers and unlucky bystanders in true {{Kaiju}} style.
* AwesomeButImpractical:
** A game about massive prehistoric beasts duking it out sounds like a truly epic idea, but unfortunately, this game's extremely rushed state and janky frame rate means the playable dinos will often have a hard time getting a good hit at their enemies with their stubby limbs using the vaseline attacks, which means you'll have to rely on the combos at your disposal to defeat your opponents. And even though the combos are fairly easy to execute, they will take up energy slots which have to be replenished by roaring, which can leave you unprotected if you're not fast enough. Not helped by the fact that you can get interrupted in the middle of a combo, and that you're almost always [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard outmatched by the rival AI in most of the stages]].
** The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is this, natch. Its attacks deal devastating amounts of damage and it's a tempting choice for many first-time players, but it's slower and clumsier than many of the other dinosaurs, its kicks and slashes have barely any reach, and it gobbles up all the items that can be used as improvised weapons rather than using them to attack. Ironically, the BigBad's ''T.rex'' is a much better fighter, but if you're crafty enough to use tail attacks, you can kick its ass without much problem.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Beating the entire game results in the main human character getting instated as the new Dino Rex, as several amazons run toward him to congratulate him.]]
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: In a rare inversion of this trope, it's ''the main warriors'' the ones who do this. They control their dinosaurs by whipping them nonstop.
* BeastlyBloodsports: Two dinos brutally fight each other to the death while a tumultuous crowd looks on. Their trainers control them by whipping them constantly. Pretty messed up, don't you think?
* BehemothBattle: Nothing like mighty dinosaurs beating the ever-loving tar out of each other in a journey to become the king of the world.
* BigBadEnsemble: The main antagonist of the game is the current Dino Rex. An old man in a cutscene tells the player that he's planning on leading the world down a path of darkness and corruption and must be stopped. The dream segments have Ho Lee Chan, a CorruptCorporateExecutive who effectively rules over a city with an iron fist. Both are completely unconnected.
* BigWhat: Ho Lee Chan, the main bad guy of the city-destroying minigames, utters one in the first BonusStage when he [[OhCrap realizes]] your dino is coming after him. [[https://memoriesofachicken.tumblr.com/post/128467459506 It's positively hilarious]].
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The English text kind of makes sense and it's possible to get a good gist of what it's saying, but it's still filled with obvious typos, grammatical inconsistencies and overly literally translated words which results in many awkward sentences.
* BonusStage: After beating two story levels, you're treated to a minigame where your dinosaur must rampage across a modern-day city while smashing up buildings, tanks and combat airplanes while pursuing the evil mogul Ho Lee Chan. All of these begin when the hero gets himself absolutely drunk after his second victory.
* BoringButPractical: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' may not be as impressive as their co-stars and have extremely irritating calls, but they may very well be the most useful players in the entire game. They're much faster and nimbler than the other dinos, and their attacks, combos and moves can deal a fair amount of damage if done correctly. In addition, their enlongated tails have plenty of reach and are [[PrehensileTail handy enough]] to be used as whips.
* CompanyCrossReferences: [[spoiler: TheHero is Rastan from the ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' series.]]
* CoolMask: The male warriors wear white, simple masks with striped patterns and a long, mane-like wig.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In the bonus stages, Mr. Ho Lee is the uber-rich tycoon of a chain of ice cream and donut stores who effectively rules unopposed over a metropolis named after him. According to cutscenes, he made most of his fortune through underhanded means and "all tragedies were his comedies."
* CoversAlwaysLie: See the ''T.rex'' on the arcade flyer? Looks appropiately majestic, intimidating and dignified, doesn't it? Too bad the ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the actual game is a far cry from those adjectives.
* CurbStompBattle: After beating his ''T.rex'', the current [[AdiposeRex Dino Rex]] challenges you to a fight mano-a-mano with him. It goes as well as you expect for him.
* DigitizedSprites: All of the main playable dinosaurs are rendered this way.
* DomesticatedDinosaurs: The ancient civilization depicted in the game coexists with a plethora of tamed prehistoric animals, some of which are trained for fighting.
* DramaticUnmask: After defeating the BigBad, TheHero takes off his mask [[spoiler: and reveals himself as Rastan, the eponymous hero of ''VideoGame/RastanSaga'' and its [[VideoGame/RastanSagaII two]] [[VideoGame/WarriorBladeRastanSagaEpisodeIII sequels]].]]
* DummiedOut: The ''Monoclonius'' was originally intended to be a playable dinosaur, but was cut for unknown reasons and relegated to be the second opponent in history mode.
* EasterEgg: [[spoiler: The main human character is Rastan, in a particularly bizarre tie-up to another Taito entry]].
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Oh, so very much... if you can look past the clunky controls and laggy gameplay, that is.
* FanDisservice: On one hand, you have lots of scantily clad Amazons and hyper-buff guys walking around shirtless, and on the other, there's the evil Dino Rex, a morbidly obese guy who wears nothing but his mask, a loincloth and a pair of leather boots.
* FanserviceExtra: Lots of Amazons clad in skimpy bikinis run around in the background of each stage.
* FatBastard: The game's BigBad, the current Dino Rex is a very heavyset man and has sinister plans in mind for the world at large. Mr. Ho Lee has quite the gut as well.
* FedToTheBeast: Anyone who loses a battle (including YOU, the player) will be carried away by a ''Pteranodon'' mother, eager to feed you to her kids. [[spoiler:This ultimately happens to the incumbent Dino Rex as well.]]
* FireBreathingDiner: One of the PowerUp eggs you can eat (specifically, the red one) allows your dino to spit a stream of flames at its opponent.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: At the start of the fifth stage, it's possible to see a guy standing at the top of a waterfall. He falls down with a comical scream after a while. It happens at the start of every round in that level.
* GameOver: If you don't push the continue button in time or add more credits, you'll be treated to a lovely scene of Mama ''Pteranodon'' gobbling you up and preparing to feed your mushy remains to her seven children.
* GenreThrowback: The playable dinos are very deliberately based on the stop-motion beasts of older films like ''Film/TheValleyOfGwangi'', ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'' and ''Film/WhenDinosaursRuledTheEarth'', and were even brought to life with a similar process.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The final opponent of your journey is the BigBad's very own ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', which has a solid golden color and is a more effective fighter than the playable one.
* HeadbuttingPachy: The ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and the ''Stygimoloch'' both have plenty of head-based attacks.
* HeadSwap: ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' and ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch''.
* HornAttack: ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' are the resident ceratopsians and appropiately enough, make good use of their trademark horns. Only the Trike is playable, though. The ''Ceratosaurus'' also briefly utilizes its nose horn for one of its attacks.
* ImprovisedWeapon: While causing destruction, your dino will occasionally uncover some items and creatures which it can pick up with its mouth and use as a makeshift weapon to harm its opponent. Some include massive bones, logs and even a ''Pinacosaurus'' which can be used as a living flail. The ''T.rex'' on the other hand, will eat them up instead.
* InformedSpecies: The ''Pteranodon'' in the game have head crests more similar to those of the related genus ''Geosternbergia''. To be fair, ''Geosternbergia'' is sometimes considered to be an earlier species of ''Pteranodon''.
* KingOfTheDinosaurs: ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' makes an appeareance, naturally, as one of the playable dinos as well as the BigBad's chosen dino. Unfortunately, this take on the tyrant king is extremely portly, stubby, not particularly terrifying or impressive [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and also purple]]. [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Sound familiar?]]
* LastVillainStand: After you take down the rival Dino Rex's ''Tyrannosaurus'', he challenges you to a final hand-to-hand battle in a desperate attempt to keep his throne. [[spoiler: He goes down after a few hits and is abducted by a mother ''Pteranodon''.]]
* {{Mascot}}: ''Stygimoloch'' is featured in the game's logo.
* MirrorMatch: No matter which dino you choose, you'll end up fighting another of its kind in at least one stage. The ''Allosaurus'' in particular, as the first opponent of your journey is another Allo. The only exception to the rule is ''Monoclonius'', but even then, it's basically a [[HeadSwap one-horned]] ''Triceratops''. And since many of the dinos are essentially head swaps of each other, minus the ''T. rex'', there really isn't much difference.
* MisplacedWildlife: Absolutely none of the species depicted in the game lived in South America, much less Venezuela, the exact place where everything takes place. And, for that matter, what is a ''Pteranodon'' doing inland so far away from its coastal habitat, and hunting humans instead of its more adequate aquatic, fishy prey?
* NoisyNature: ''All'' of the playable dinos, but ''specially'' ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch''.
* OffTheShelfFX: As revealed by [[https://controlallmonsters.com/2020/11/26/kaiju-video-games-dino-rex-1992/ this blog entry about the game]], some of the dinos were created from modified Kaiyodo models.
* PowerUpFood: During combat, a ''Pteranodon'' will fly over the stage and lay an egg which the player's dinosaur must consume to obtain a certain ability. Normal eggs restore its health, while the red one allows it to breathe fire at its enemies and the orange one allows it to spit out orange, sticky flowers. Your enemy can gobble them as well, and if neither combatant is fast enough to eat the egg, a ''Deinonychus'' will appear and devour it instead.
* PrehensileTail: ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' have very flexible tails which they can use as improvised whips to ensnare and throw their enemies away.
* {{Prehistoria}}: The game's setting is a pre-columbian inspired world where NubileSavage [[Nubile Savages]] and mesozoic fauna live side by side.
* PteroSoarer: Two kinds of pterosaurs are featured in the game: The smaller ''Rhamphorhynchus'' and the larger ''Pteranodon''. Both are portrayed remarkably good and have aged fairly well, except for the pointy wing tips. However, the ''Pteranodon'' is shown to be a ManEater, whith one female in particular snatching up the human losers of each match and taking them to her nest to feed them to her hatchlings. She will even occasionally devour them whole! At least the ''Pteranodon'' is shown carrying its prey in its beak, rather than picking them up with its claws, but even then, an adult human male was too heavy for such a lightweight creature.
* RecycledInSpace: It's ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' (or at least ''tries'' to be) with DINOSAURS! The use of DigitizedSprites also brings to mind ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', whose first entry had been released just a month prior.
* RaptorAttack: The ''Deinonychus'' that shows up to eat the PowerUpFood eggs laid by the ''Pteranodons'' is scaly, without any form of feathering whatsoever and has pronated hands, looking almost exactly like the sketch made by John Ostrom.
* RoyalBrat: The current Dino Rex. He throws an infantile hissy fit whenever you beat his ''T.rex'', and, in one last attempt to maintain his title, challenges you to a decissive fist-to-fist combat.
* SceneryPorn: Each stage has gorgeously designed backgrounds with plenty of intricate little details in there.
* SeldomSeenSpecies: ''Monoclonius'', ''Ornithomimus'', ''Rhamphorhynchus'', ''Pinacosaurus'' and ''Platecarpus'' all make appeareances.
* ShoutOut:
** As mentioned on GenreThrowback above, the playable dinosaurs are clearly modelled and animated in the same way as those found in the films of Creator/RayHarryhausen and Willis O'Brien.
** The clay figurines which kickstart the plot are likely a nod to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac%C3%A1mbaro_figures Acámbaro figures]] of Mexico and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ica_stones Ica stones]] of Peru, alleged prehispanic relics which supposedly depict pre-columbian civilizations coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs. Both have been exposed as fabrications.
** After vanquishing the BigBad for good, TheHero [[spoiler: unmasks himself and reveals himself to be Rastan, the protagonist of fellow Taito title ''VideoGame/RastanSaga''.]]
* SoreLoser: The incumbent Dino Rex. After you defeat his ''T.rex'' for good, rather than handing the crown peacefully, he attempts to secure onto it by challenging you to hand-to-hand combat. [[spoiler: Doesn't end well for him.]]
* StockDinosaurs: We got ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', ''Triceratops'', ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and ''Stygimoloch'' as the main playable characters. ''Brachiosaurus'', ''Stegosaurus'', ''Corythosaurus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', ''Deinonychus'' ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''Pteranodon'' show up either as background or minor creatures.
* SwallowedWhole: The mother ''Pteranodon'' sometimes does this to the human losers of the battles. She noticeably does it to the main character in the GameOver screen, with the implication that she will regurgitate him as a more edible meal for her babies.
* TailSlap: A standard attack for the bipedal dinos.
* TemperCeratops: ''Triceratops'' and ''Monoclonius'' are very resilient fighters, and the ''Monoclonius'' in particular will be a major wake-up call for beginning players.
* ThroneMadeOfX: The throne of the Dino Rex is made from a ''Tyrannosaurus'' skull.
* VolumetricMouth: The ''T.rex'' has a pretty wide mouth, which is particularly noticeable when it roars.
* ZergRush: A non-lethal variant. All stages have a timer, and if any of the fighters hasn't managed to beat their opponent by the time the timer reaches zero, they'll be forcibbly stopped by a multitude of Amazons on horseback, a flock of ''Rhamphorhynchus'', or, in levels with water, a pod of ''Platecarpus''.
