Mr. N64's Breakdown of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter's Game Elements

Breakdown of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter's Game Elements:

Graphics:
5 out of 5: The explosions and fire effects in Turok are absolutely stunning. It's extremely hard to distinguish them from effects from a major motion picture. The animation of the actual weapons is also extremely well done. There are lots of nice touches that really make the graphics impressive. For example, the clouds in the sky move. Finally, someone realized this meteorological fact and successfully put it in a video game. If you look up at the sun, a real-time lens flare is generated a la Wave Race 64. The underwater graphics create a stunningly realistic sense of swimming. The whole underwater scene even warps to simulate the water bending the light from above. The fog surrounding everything is also executed well. The on-screen map is also very well done, making navigation significantly easier than in most first-person games.

The only hole in the representation of Turok's environment is the representation of the surrounding cliffs. Every cliff side looks exactly like every other, and this makes it difficult to recognize certain landmarks for navigation. Get up close to one of these cliffs and everything degenerates in to a pulsating, incomprehensible blur -- which I should add is much nicer than the heavily pixelated messes found in non-N64 first-person games. Oh well, maybe Turok is farsighted (hey, he could be ;-)

The enemies in Turok are also extremely well detailed, but if an enemy gets close enough for you to see this detail, you're as good as gone. The blood effects are gross, and definitely deserving of the game's 17 and older M rating. Shoot an enemy in the neck and watch the blood squirt out in pulses to simulate real blood flow. Shoot an enemy from below in an area with a shallow ceiling, and see the blood splatter on the ceiling. I personally think that these effects are unnecessary, and certainly don't add to the fun of the game. I am glad that Acclaim added the option to either turn the blood green or turn it off all together. It shows that the game is much more than a gore-fest.

Music:

4.9 out of 5: The word "music" is a bit misleading here. The "music" in Turok is nothing more than a few percussion routines with steady drum beats and other jungle instruments. While some more variety would have been nice, the constant drums don't get the slightest bit annoying -- even after extended play. The drums themselves are CD quality and fit the surroundings nicely. There are different drums for inside caves, underwater etc., and again, the rhythm fits nicely. If for some reason you don't like the music, you can turn its volume down on the options menu.

Sound FX:
4.9 out of 5: Animal noises that fill the background are of a high quality, as are the sounds made by firing the many weapons. Turok's voice is a bit corny, but it works well. The death cries of enemies are where the biggest problem lies. While these shrieks supposedly added to the game's 17 and older rating, quite a few of the cries sound like squealing pigs mixed with other synthesized oddities. Underwater sounds are also quite good.

Play Control:
7.5 out of 10: A lot of people have criticized Turok's control because it's so different, but this criticism is unjustified. This kind of a control scheme is one of the reasons that the C buttons on the controller are arranged as they are. It works well, and after a while, it truly feels like you are inside Turok's head. The control under water is especially nice. It truly gives the feeling that you're swimming under water. The ability to look down while jumping makes this action less frustrating and more realistic. The only real negative aspect of controlling Turok is the "diagonal jump," which feels extremely unnatural, and is difficult to pull off.

While the control of Turok is very well done, the control of Turok's weaponry isn't so hot. Cycling up or down in the weapon inventory leaves you prone to enemy attack. And once you select the right weapon, you may have to wait while Turok activates it. Having the game pause or go to a sub-menu while selecting weapons would have been a nicer solution, despite the frequent breaks in the action such a system would require. Further weapon delays are also experienced, as many of the weapons require charging before they can be fired. This takes away a significant amount of the fun of a first-person shooter. While it would have detracted from the realism of the game, instantaneous firing of weapons would have been an improvement.

Frustration Factor:

4 out of 10 (10 being the worst): It's hard to say just how frustrating Turok is. I played it without an NCP to save my game (which is NOT recommended). I was able to complete the first level on easy without any real frustrating experiences except that I couldn't save the game. Even if you do have an NCP, the save points are so far apart that you'll be stuck playing for a long time before you're able to turn off the game without losing a lot of ground. Changing weapons can be frustrating (as can waiting for them to fire), but this isn't a huge annoyance. If you play enough, I'm sure it gets a little less frustrating.

Turok took a huge time commitment to play, and when I finished playing, I felt worn out and as though I had wasted my afternoon wandering in Turok's "Lost Land." To me, this lack of reward for my time was the most frustrating, as I generally play video games to relax and have a more upbeat experience. If you're into this kind of game, however, I don't think that Turok can be considered all that frustrating. And if worst should come to worst, you can always do a little research and find some codes for the game's cheat menu that will make things more enjoyable.

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