Turok was one of the coolest games around when it came out back on the N64.
First-person shooters were still not a HUGELY popular genre, so any game added to it was
a welcome edition.
Now, a game in the genre that actually broke away from the pack was really rare.
Sure, it was based on a comic book, but the original Turok’s dark, gloomy atmosphere
really helped to gain it recognition.
It also had a code to turn blood purple.
But after the franchise had been on the scene for a little bit, there were TONS of other
first-shooters to choose from, and a lot of them use the same style that Turok made so
famous.
So how will a series reboot be in today’s market?
Surprisingly, almost as good as the original.
This is Turok for the Xbox 360.
Like I said, Turok is a reboot of the franchise.
It’s not a sequel, it’s not a prequel, and it’s definitely not a remake, so just
wipe your head clean of anything you know about Turok.
You play as Turok, a Native American soldier with a knack for butting people in the head
and stabbing things with his trusty knife.
Now, the game started out in space, which I thought was a little bit strange, but after
a crash landing that forces you to make up with a less than enthusiastic man named Slade,
you see that the area is overrun by dinosaurs and soldiers who want nothing more than to
shoot you in the face... or eat you in the face.
It felt like a little bit of a phoned in storyline, just introducing you to dinosaurs through
a crash landing, but the game also uses nice flashback sequences to keep things interesting.
Gameplay in Turok definitely feels different when compared to the Halos and Call of Duty
games on the market.
Combat moves much slower, but at the same time, weapons also feel much more violent.
It fits well with the violent, jerky motions that the dinosaurs have, but it can be a pain
to line up shots.
Running and shooting usually won’t lead to any success, especially when fighting other
humans or those small little miniature pinscher dinosaurs.
There’s also a crap-load of quick time events, like “pull the right trigger 75 times to
kill a dinosaur”.
The problem is that they’ll occasionally switch triggers, so I’ll be pulling the
right one only to die as the game gives me the virtual middle finger.
Now, as much as reboots can show how far we’ve come in both good and bad ways, Turok actually
feels like a much newer experience.
The environments are filled with suspense, and every second is spent wondering which
enemies you’ll run into next.
The physics are really the only thing that feel stale; shooting an enemy and thinking
that he’s dead, only to have him get up again, is really a pain.
Just die already!
What is your armor made of?
Dragonscale?
I think I’ve been playing too much Skyrim.
Visually, Turok does look a little bit dated, even for a game released 3 years ago.
Faces and textures are a little bit sloppy, but all of the dinosaurs look excellent.
The game also uses some good lighting effects to keep the creepy atmosphere.
Blood also looks really, really good.
I noticed that more than anything else.
Turok is one of the best reboots I’ve played in a really long time, and given the number
that have been around recently, that’s saying a lot.
It might not have the staying power of some of the bigger names in the industry, but you
should still give it a try.