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Turok

Score: 8.0 / 10

Turok is the first game I’ve really been able to follow from the conceptualization stage right through to the release, which made reviewing the finished product all the more difficult – at least as far as “journalistic objectivity” goes because I know firsthand how hard Propaganda Games has worked on their debut title.

Fortunately, Turok turns out to be a successful reboot and re-launch of the franchise, even if it has a hard time matching to the intensity and spot-on scripted game scenarios of a game like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

As Joseph Turok, you’re part of a group of “elite” soldiers called Whiskey Company sent to a far-flung planet to capture Roland Kane.  The twist is that Turok is a former member of Kane’s Wolf Pack and Kane even served as Turok’s mentor.  As Whiskey Company’s ship approaches the planet, it gets shot down.  

 

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The resulting crash on the dinosaur-infested planet, scatters the company across the landscape.  Initially, it’s all about survival, then it’s about getting off the planet (forgetting Kane), then, when Kane’s plans are revealed, it’s about stopping Kane from getting away (and maybe getting off the planet).  There’s also something broader involved that is really only hinted at, but that

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just leaves things open for a sequel.

The setup allows for all those sci-fi clichés and one-liners, we’re all so familiar with.  The only thing that saves it from being unbearable is the particularly good work of the voice actors, which include Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Fallout 3) and Powers Boothe (Deadwood, Area 51).

But the biggest stars here are the dinosaurs.  While the dinosaur’s awareness of their surroundings doesn’t always work the way you might think they should, it’s believable enough of the time to make them a factor in most encounters in the game.  Though I don’t think there’s any scientific data to back this up, dinos are attracted to bright objects so when a flare it fired the dinos will converge on where it sticks.  For example, sticking an enemy (human or dino) with a flare means the local gaggle of raptors will attack that enemy.  Sometimes it’s just a useful diversion in order to run away.  The larger herbivores can also be used to some extent.  Firing a couple of rounds close to a herbivore will send it stampeding.  Maybe the most important aspect of the dinosaurs is that they look awesome – from the little guys to the annoying Lurkers to the massive Tyrannosaurus, all of them have received an attention to detail that speaks volumes for the talent of the animators and designers.

To make those dinosaurs as realistic as possible is some great sound design, so it’s a wonder why the weapons don’t sound beefier.  It’s not that they sound puny, they just don’t have the same kind of impact you might expect.  That applies to all but the knife, which is Turok’s version of Gears of War’s chainsaw bayonet, though a lot quieter.

Stealth plays a haphazard role throughout the game.  Turok will be called upon to dispatch a group of enemies quietly, which means use of the bow and the knife.  Typically, I would be able to squeeze in two – possibly three – stealth kills before someone spotted me from a mile away and opened fire.  The stealth elements aren’t as realized as the rest of the game.  Executing a “stealth” kill with the knife is easy – equip the knife, get close enough to an enemy, press the right trigger down, and watch a quick and bloody 3^rd Person animation of Turok dispatching said enemy (or dino).  The action never gets old for me, even though animations do repeat themselves.  The downside is that during multiplayer matches everyone seems to be running around with the knife out.  If you’re not a good shot, this means you’ll be gutted a lot.  Or at the very least you and your opponent will hop and circle around each other trying to stick each other.

Turok is essentially one long level and unlike Halo 3 there’s no backtracking.  You’re given objectives, which aren’t always clear, to make it to before you move on to the next objective.  Sometimes the action feels padded – like Halo 3’s backtracking – with continuous waves of dinos or scorpions until you have enough sense to just make a run for it to the next area.  Which brings us the matter of checkpoints…

All the first-person shooters I can think of have copious amounts of checkpoints.  Turok has gone the other way by plotting the save points at very specific spots in the game, usually just before long battles, which can mean multiple attempts at some sections simply because you goof up on dispatching the last group of enemies.

This next part comes with a caveat.  At launch I had the privilege of playing some multiplayer, which covers the expected multiplayer modes like capture the flag, with members of the development team over Xbox Live.  After more than a week of playing online I’ve had a good time with it so far.  Competing with the likes of Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 can’t be easy, but I’ve played some really good matches at capacity most of the time.  I’ve encountered occasional lag, but nothing out of the ordinary for a first-person shooter over Xbox Live.

Though the development team has a lot of experience under its belt, Turok is Propaganda’s first release.  As a first release and a re-launch of the Turok franchise, the team should be proud; the action moves at a good clip, it looks great, the sci-fi clichés make us comfortable, and it’s fun.  That said, it still has its shortcomings which shouldn’t be glossed over or ignored; there’s room for improvement for any sequel.

- Omni

(February 15, 2008)

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