Killing dinosaurs is undeniably fun, but the punishing difficulty and derivative gameplay sucks some of that away.
Turok places you in the marine shoes of Joeseph Turok, a member of a group called Whiskey Company who is on the hunt for a guy called Kane who is the leader of a group called Wolfpack-an evil group Turok was once in. But he quit for unknown reasons and is now fighting against them. As they arrive on the planet he is apparently on, their ship is shot down and they are stranded. It doesn't help there are dinosaurs and evil people with guns on the planet, and now Turok must find and kill Kane, as well as get off the planet. It's a decent plot, but it's nothing special.
Turok plays like a standard shooter. You go through a linear level, killing what gets in your way with a variety of weapons, with the occasional boss fight too. It would have been nice if there was more freedom, but at least the levels aren't as cramped as Jericho. Either way, this game doesn't do a whole lot new. It can feel very derivative at times, and it does get boring at some points. But then you fight a boss fight or an intense situation and the fun comes back.
The weapons in previous games have been pretty crazy, with firearms like the Cerebral Bore. But here, the list is a little less exciting. You get your typical firearms like shotguns and pistols which do the job. You also get a knife and a bow-the two best weapons in Turok. The knife lets you instantly kill an enemy by running up to them and squeezing the trigger, which you can use on standard enemies and dinosaurs. It's the effective weapon, as it can get you out of the toughest situations. Is there an area with six or seven raptors? You could knife kill them all easily with little to no damage. It's not so easy with six humans, as they can shoot you while doing the kill. But still, it's a bit of a crutch. An exciting one, at that.
The Bow and arrow is best for sniping, as it takes out most enemies with one shot. The rest of the weapons, however, are a little dull. We've used the shotgun and assault rifle before. It's nice that you can duel wield most weapons, meaning you could combine shotgun with assault rifle, but even then you'll still find yourself saying 'I've done this before'.
But the biggest issue I had with Turok was its difficulty. I don't usually complain about a game being too hard, as I like challenge. But here, Turok was simply unfair. Turok lacks an auto-targeting of most shooters, meaning you have to be really accurate here. It's annoying that you miss shots because enemies move too fast. Also, checkpoints are few and far between meaning you'll play for twenty minutes, only to die and have to retry again and again and again. It's a big problem, and one that I couldn't' really overlook.
The graphics and sound, however, definitely impress. Visually, the game is one of the best on the system. The dinosaurs look real, with their shiny skin and muscles and bones sticking out. The humans look good, though it's odd why they don't splatter with blood after knife kills. Environments are pretty closed, though not to the level of Jericho, which is good enough and they look good too, but when you step out into an open area where you see a beautiful mountainside-it's stunning.
The sound excels too. A fantastic orchestral score plays in the background at the perfect moments. The acting is good, with some Hollywood actors like Powers Boothe and Ron Perlman. They add some personality to what would usually be mindless space marines. The effects are nice, with the great dinosaur screeches and grass movement. You have to use your ears in Turok, as there could be a raptor behind you which you can spot as they're in the grass.
Turok is a game that not anyone will love. If you liked the previous games, are looking for a challenge or an excuse for killing dinosaurs then step right up-Turok will be your game of the year. Everyone else will just be playing another shooter, though it's better than average.