Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire
Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire on?
- Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire release?
- Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire was first released on July 2, 1993.
About Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire
Unknown monsters and weird robotic creatures attack the Earth. For some reason, the only ones who can stop the invasion are the three Dinosaurs for Hire: Archie, a tyrannosaurus rex and their leader; the triceratops Lorenzo, lover of fine food, fine wine, and fine clothes, and the one-eyed, unpredictable stegosaurus Reese. Each dino has its own strengths and weaknesses. You guide the dinosaur of your choice through the platform levels of the game. You are equipped with a gun: tons of enemies will attack you from all the sides, so your best bet will be walking with the fire button pressed down. You can shoot to all the directions and also engage in melee combat when the enemy is too close. Each level has a boss enemy waiting for you in the end. There is also a cooperative two-player mode.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- SEGA Interactive Development Division
- Publisher
- Sega of America
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1993 | $25 | $63 | $80 | 13 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $4.25 in Oct 2007, $26 five years ago, and $25 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $3.50 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $3.48 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $2.22 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $2.47 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $10.28 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $8.12 | $22 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.99 | $22 |
| Jan 2016 | $12.75 | $29 |
| Jan 2017 | $15.50 | $40 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.99 | $31 |
| Jan 2019 | $23 | $35 |
| Jan 2020 | $19.99 | $46 |
| Jan 2021 | $25 | $55 |
| Jan 2022 | $27 | $93 |
| Jan 2023 | $32 | $85 |
| Jan 2024 | $30 | $63 |
| Jan 2025 | $25 | $52 |
| Jan 2026 | $26 | $67 |
| Oct 2026 | $25 | $63 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | October 1993 | 1050 | 010086010503 |
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1993
- Authenticity
- Low
A licensed run-and-gun starring three dinosaurs, and a US cart that sits above the middle on price.
Dinosaurs for Hire is a platform shoot 'em up developed and published by Sega for the Genesis in North America in October 1993, based on the Malibu Comics series. You use guns to take down enemies and bosses as one of three playable characters.
What the press said at the time
| Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 52 | November 1993 | 7, 7, 6, 7, 7 |
| Sega Pro Issue 28 | February 1994 | 83% |
| Sega Pro Issue 33 | June 1994 | 83% |
| Sega Pro Issue 37 | October 1994 | 83% |
| Sega Pro Issue 41 | February 1995 | 73% |
| Sega Pro Issue 43 | April 1995 | 73% |
| Mean Machines Sega | 69/100 | |
| Video Games | 40% | |
| Mega | 35% | |
| MegaTech | 64/100 | |
| Sega Power | 63% | |
| Sega Zone | 58% | |
| TodoSega | 91/100 |
“Overall, an entertaining shoot 'em-up. But at times, the programming looks shoddy and rushed.”
“Basically your average shoot-'em-up with good animation and an excellent difficulty level. Despite the score lastability could be a problém.”
“Basically your average shoot-’em-up with good animation and an excellent difficulty level. Despite the score long-term lastability could be a problém.”
“Basically your average shoot-’em-up with … good animation and an excellent difficulty level. Despite the score long-term lastability couid be a … problém.”
Electronic Gaming Monthly's average rating is the mean of its Review Crew's scores, each given on a 1 to 10 scale "in relation to other titles available for the same system." Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle.
Tom Mason's Dinosaurs for Hire screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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