E3: Turok Impressions Roundup

Filed in archive Games on July 16, 2007

I've got mixed feelings about the Turok series. As awesome as should be to have a gunfight with a pack of cybernetically-enhanced velociraptors, it wasn't really that awesome at all - the N64 games were foggy, blurry messes with terrible controls. That doesn't seem to be the case with this new Turok title, though - the graphics are crisp, the action looks fun, and there isn't an awkward platforming section in sight. Here's what some of the people who actually got to play the game have to say about it:

IGN -

Touchstone and Propaganda made it clear during their bloody visit that the dinosaurs are the stars of this game, and the bone-breaking beasts get their fair share of close-ups - especially during "Dino Mauling." See, when a prehistoric villain puts Turok's ass on the ground, the reptile can follow up by leaping onto the hero and going to town with its massive jaws. When Dino makes his move, the camera jumps from the first-person mode you've been rocking to a third-person close-up of a pinned Turok desperately trying to keep the hungry, hungry hunter's mouth away from his skull - your part in all of this is to frantically tap the on-screen button command. Succeed, and Turok buries his trusty blade into the dinosaur. Fail, and you take a losing part in the circle of life.

Gamespy -

All of this occurs in a fantastically illustrated jungle environment with unmatched flora and fauna, which, at this early stage of development, was staggeringly impressive. Nice physical touches like the shockwave from grenade blasts blowing grass outwards, flattening the greenery temporarily, show up all the time.

1UP -

While not terribly innovative from what we've seen thus far, the game seems to have its bases covered with great visuals, nice weapon variety, brutal up-close knife kills, online co-op (for custom levels - not those from the single-player campaign), various versus modes, satisfying combat, etc. It's clear at this point that the developers have something with the promise of being an impressive shooter - not just something that's trying to sell by reviving a semi-fondly-regarded franchise.