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 Turok
(Playstation 3)
This is a somewhat disappointing reboot for the long-running dinosaur
hunting franchise that doesn't quite live up to the standards set by
previous titles. While the game offers a competent game engine, solid play
mechanics and some decent action sequences where you battle the dinosaurs,
its overall design lacks imagination and its predictable gameplay makes
the experience far less interesting than you'd expect. Poor design
choices, such as long gaps between checkpoints and annoying enemy AI make
this more frustrating than challenging. Read our review and discover why
Turok tries but doesn't quite reach the heights to which it aspires. |
Having been dormant for the past several
years, this next generation reboot of the Turok franchise falls short in
the end, offering little in the way of innovation in an oversatured genre.
The game places players in the role of Turok, a native American soldier
with a murky past who finds himself between two rival factions on a
dangerous tropical planet. Both sides in this struggle for survival are
gunning for each other and neither of them trusts our hero, who has been
in contact with both. However, this is only the half of it - this
seemingly tranquil planet is over run by dinosaurs for some reason, and
these deadly foes don't care which side did what, they are looking for
food. While they make tough adversaries, players can also use their
animalistic tendencies in unexpected ways to help them in the game.
They'll focus on nearby enemies and kill them, allowing you to watch from
a safe distance, but you'll have to stay alert, since once they're done
with these foes, they'll come after you. It adds a layer of strategy to
the game and smart players can definitely use this to your advantage,
though you have to look at the layout of each level before hand. It's easy
to go after the dinosaurs, but doing so will alert any of the nearby
enemies to your presences, which will double the amount of incoming
attacks you have to face. It's better most of the time, to let them attack
each other, then go in and pick up the pieces after they're done with each
other. This makes for a more interesting game on that level, but the
implementation of these ideas leaves a lot to be desired, undercutting
much of the promise that Turok holds.
 Players
have several options in combat when it comes to weapons. As is the case
with many FPS titles, you have an array of guns including dual-wield
pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and grenades. All of these act in the way
you'd expect them to, and you can use the grenades to scatter enemies when
they are attacking you at the same time, or to throw off dinosaurs that
are nearby. As you progress through the levels, you'll also be able to
pick up additional weapons and ammo from fallen enemies and use them to
increase your firepower. In addition, each of the main standard weapons
offers two modes of fire, one of which offers a more powerful shot, while
the other delivers a quieter shot that doesn't alert anyone that you're
firing. These weapons make Turok feel very much like a standard FPS, and
for the most part the game plays like one. However, you have several
unique weapons that help to differentiate the action. The first of these
is your bow, a high powered weapon that shoots arrows with a great deal of
precision. This weapon is most effective when targeting a distant foe, and
has the advantage of taking most opponents out with a single shot.
However, it isn't effective when you're faced with multiple armed foes or
at close range when a dinosaur pounces on you. In these situations, you'll
be able to use your trusty pocket-knife to stab at opponents, savagely
taking them out with a series of fast thrusts. You can also use your knife
to sneak up and take out human opponents in a stealth manner. However, its
largely ineffective against larger dinosaurs and humans that have been
alerted to your presence. This adds some visceral excitement to the action
and at least gives Turok a sense of originality. However, you don't use
these enough to really make that much of a difference in the overall
scheme of things and they end up feeling more like gimmicks than useful
tools.
The standard enemies attack and strafe
you from all directions, while mastering the complicated maps requires
some perspective, since there are many narrow sections where you have to
watch your step or you'll find yourself plunging below. Learning the feel
of the jungle locations requires you to look before you move and this is
especially true when you're traversing long vines. Since enemies have a
habit of spotting you before you see them, it pays to find cover before
you move out into the open. Unfortunately, the foes you face are somewhat
relentless and once you've been spotted, they won't stop hitting you until
you hit them. One of the more frustrating aspects of Turok lies in the
fact that many of the human opponents require multiple shots to defeat,
and will suddenly rise again even if you think they're gone. This means
you'll take a lot of unnecessary damage and makes the gameplay in single
player mode at least, feel cheap and somewhat unfair. Luckily, this is one
of those forgiving damage designs where, if you find yourself heavily
damaged, you merely have to find cover for a few seconds and your health
will automatically regenerate. This makes it easier to progress through
the game, though Turok penalizes failure severely. There aren't as many
checkpoints as you would like, and losing your life means going all the
way back to the last save. Since this can involve many minutes of gameplay
as well as extended cut-scenes, it makes the game much more frustrating
than it needed to be, and this poor design choice helps to undermine what
could have been a much more enjoyable game.
 From
an aesthetic standpoint, the game looks fairly average by FPS standards on
the PSP. It features some impressive tropical environments filled with
realistic plant life and trees and there are certain sections of the game
that capture the claustrophobic nature of these situations effectively.
There are some truly beautiful tropical locations which are bright and
colorful, but there are also other drab areas that take place inside
military bases which feel indistinguishable from a hundred other games.
The dinosaurs themselves look quite impressive and they move with a
menacing grace that makes your heart pump when they attack. The game moves
at a decent framerate overall and its action sequences are complimented by
some decent cinematic sequences that help to flesh out the storyline.
Unfortunately, this production polish can't hide the serious flaws that
undermine what could have been a solid FPS title. Despite the fact that
Turok offers some decent gameplay mechanics, the game's overall quality is
largely underwhelming. Aside from the admittedly cool prospect of hunting
dinosaurs, most of the game offers nothing that hasn't been seen many
times over in other FPS titles. Even the main character's trademark
weapon, the bow is rendered somewhat useless in the heat of battle, making
it more a gimmick than anything else. The game's visuals are decent, with
some above-average dinosaur renderings and some fairly lush tropical
environments. However, the gameplay isn't that imaginative, and becomes
frustrating thanks to a lack of checkpoints. Having to retrace significant
areas of the game again and again grows tiresome quickly. Turok's plot is
secondary while the sidekick character grates fairly quickly, making for a
somewhat disappointing experience overall. When you compare Turok to other
FPS titles on the Playstation 3 such as Unreal Tournament III or Call of
Duty 4, it's flawed design and gameplay mechanics become even more
apparent, it lacks the pacing, polish and balance of those better games
and while solid in some aspects, it's problems land it squarely in the
realm of mediocrity.
- Michael Palisano
Grade: D
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