I believe that dinosaurs still exist. Whether they live in the darkest reaches of the Congo or in the murky waters of Loch Ness, it's fun to keep the imagination stoked because let's face it, who in his or her right mind hates dinosaurs? Metro 3D certainly doesn't, and they're looking to capitalize on the world's fascination with the thunder lizards with Dinosaur Hunting for the Xbox, a game that lets you hunt some of the most ferocious beasts the world has ever seen.

Originally published in Japan by Microsoft, Dinosaur Hunting is a 3D adventure that revolves around the discovery of the creatures in modern time chillin in the Amazon (The Guiana Highlands to be exact.) by British Geologist Norton Klast. Actually, the game takes place in 1910, but that's pretty modern compared to the Jurassic period. As to be expected, there's a lot of excitement about the find. However, and as always, mother nature just cannot let these poor creatures be, and with volcanic activity taking place, teams of hunters are sent to the location to save these creatures by tranquilizing them.

Yes, you read that right. You load up your dart gun and take the beasts down but not to mount on your wall. It's a search and rescue mission, one where the only death will be yours if you don't load that carnivore up with enough sleep juice. While the game features a plethora of different dinos, you're only after specific ones because those will net you the most cash, but you'll have to spend it wisely to stay stocked with equipment. While your character starts out with several guns including a sniper rifle, you don't want to pump a less desired dino full of tranqs when the big pay day is a nasty flesh eater that won't go down easily. Therefore, you have to play scientist for a while and dig through poop, for you see, only in Dinosaur Hunting can you go in search of steaming dino dump in an effort to figure out how much tranq is needed to fell the creature in a single shot. In that sense, the gameplay is a one-two punch. Find the poo and make the lizard go sleepy bye. It's definitely a different concept, and on the plus side, you'll be able to actually learn facts about the dinosaurs you're coming into contact with.

While not taxing the Xbox hardware, Dinosaur Hunting's graphics are decent. The environments look impressive, and the sense of scale is very well done, and should make for some intense moments when trying to sedate the more ferocious dinos. However, the experience will be made or broken for me depending on how the game's frame rate holds up and whether or not assorted glitches make a most unwanted appearance.

Dinosaur Hunting looks all right, but the game's concept is what may keep it from being a huge seller. I'm just not sure whether tranquilizing dinosaurs instead of actually hunting them will sell. Even if the gameplay winds up being enjoyable, it may be hard to keep it from getting stale if all we're required to do is mix the correct formula and put lucky lizards to sleep for several hours. The Xbox community will certainly find out if Metro 3D hit the mark when Dinosaur Hunting releases this spring.