Turok Review (PS3) By Sayed Islam Published: 02/18/08 PrintEmail
Excluding all that, the most intriguing weapon is the shotgun. Aside from blasting foes, players can tag an enemy with a nifty gizmo. When a foe is tagged, dinosaurs will assail that tagged opponent. The best method to this is when you tag a human hostile, and place an explosive in a dinosaur. Consequently, both the dinosaur and the human character will be blown up into miniscule chunks of gore and blood. It is immensely gratifying to see a dinosaur consume a non playable character, and then having that creature explode right in front of your eyes.
The gameplay even has moments where it feels like elements of Far Cry and Jurassic Park merged into one (which is not necessarily a negative). Getting lost during gameplay is a near implausibility. Fortunately, it is helpful to see that you get an indicator that tells you where to go next. I wish more game creators would have this cursor gameplay mechanic in their future endeavors.
Unfortunately there are some flaws with the game design. For starters, the enemy artificial intelligence is egregious. At certain times, you will see a dinosaur with a blank stare on its face making eye contact and exposing its back to Turok. These dinosaurs must have been drinking galloons of contaminated water to behave this asinine. Unlucky, the abysmal artificial intelligence does not stop with the monsters. Your teammates act as idiotic as the dinosaurs, and they will haphazardly shoot at everything. It was almost as if they were all dropped on their head when they were infants.
Moreover, the single player campaign can easily be finished in approximately nine hours. The multiplayer features a sixteen player mode that includes the usual assortment of capture the flag and death match. This mode is generic, and there are only seven maps. It is adequate nonetheless not on the same level as Halo 3, FEAR, Resistance: Fall of Man, or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
The audio has its pros and cons. Voice acting is decent with Joseph being played by a respectable actor, but some supporting cast members are only average. The real selling point is the music. A live orchestral musical score is an exemplary way of music implementation. It significantly amplifies the action on screen.
The graphics are remarkable. Dinosaurs and other monsters are realistic. Every single detail from the teeth to the bones are masterfully done. Animations are smooth. Flora such as the grass has a brisk touch to them. If people go into Turok with low expectations, then they are going to be pleasantly surprised. Is this a Halo killer? No, absolutely not. Will this be better than Resistance 2? Probably not. This game will not modernize the genre, but it is step in the right direction for the franchise. Overall, Turok is a serviceable entry into the next generation of consoles.
