Turok

Verdict:

The dinosaur hunter is back, but Daniel Emery finds him ready for extinction

The original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, released in 1997, brought nothing new to the FPS genre, but its varied mix of weapons, compelling storyline and the fun of slaying dinosaurs was enough to hold the interest of gamers. As more sequels were released, the brand steadily lost quality, becoming a good example of how not to make a first-person shooter.

Turok is back and with this latest incarnation, developer Aspyr has made some major changes. The game’s story bears no relevance to the previous games, and the lead character has been given a completely new persona. As in the first games and comic series, you play as a Native American, but no longer as the time-travelling adventurer Tal' Set. Now the plot centres on Joseph Turok, a Special Forces operative whose spaceship crash lands on a hostile world filled with angry mercenaries and hungry dinosaurs, with an obligatory evil renegade general called Kane. It couldn’t be more clichéd.

Another big change is the style of play. While the original combined mildly taxing puzzles with FPS gameplay, the puzzles are now absent in favour of constant action, with a smattering of stealth thrown in for good measure. This stealth aspect doesn’t work very well, thanks to inconsistent AI routines. You might be well hidden in the bushes, but the enemy will still spot you easily. The next time that same enemy will be practically standing on your torso yet remain entirely oblivious of your presence.

The knife attacks are no better. Turok tries to emulate the well-remembered execution scenes from Hitman, as one way to dispatch enemies (either dinosaurs or humans) is to sink your blade into them from behind. Turok doesn’t manage it half as well though, as the only skill involved is mouse clicking, although pulling these off is difficult since it’s never obvious when you should click.

SAVE ME, PLEASE

The user interface keeps to the tried and tested standard of most FPS games, which is probably a good thing. The addition of alternate fire modes and a massive supply of ammunition gives you plenty of opportunities to rain lead upon your foes. Although this fast-paced action is probably the best aspect of Turok, the game is let down by a dreadful system for saving your game. The game only has limited save points, but these appear at random. It’s entirely possible you’ll come across two save points where the only challenge between them was sacrificing a rabbit, then another time you’ll have to fight your way through hell and back before being allowed to save your progress. This has to be one of the worst ideas ever.

The problems don’t end there. Thanks to some sloppy programming, Turok has many technical issues, most of which could have been avoided. The game takes an age to install from its two DVDs, and level loading times are measured in minutes, not seconds. Even though it takes so long to load a level, the game still has to pause at intermittent intervals while it loads the next part of the map. This frequently happens during combat, spoiling any fun you may be having.

These problems are unforgivable when you consider the game is built around a modified Unreal engine, which has a history of being used to great effect in many other titles. Turok does it no justice however.

TAKE IT EASY CHICKEN

The lack of any ability to run or sprint seems incongruous with the rest of the setting. Joseph Turok may be a hero who survives a crash landing on a hostile planet, assassinates enemy guards with a knife, and is able to pick off dinosaurs with a bow and arrow, yet his motion is limited to a casual saunter. You’d expect him to put some more effort into escaping an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex, but he moves like an arthritic pensioner.

Even though Turok has links to Hollywood, a crucial aspect of the plot isn’t explained. It transpires that General Kane is working for a corporation that’s been working hard to terraform the planet you’re stranded on. Why exactly then would they fill the planet with man-eating dinosaurs, when the corporation’s hired goons are not immune or protected from them? Either Kane is particularly ruthless, or the goons particularly stupid, which is entirely possible based on their in-game behaviour.

The enemies charge across open ground rather than using cover. Guards are unmoved by the sight of their friends being freshly nailed to a tree by your longbow, choosing to remain gawping rather than becoming alerted to your presence. Dinosaurs may have been pea-brained, but this lack of intelligence has also rubbed off on Turok’s human opponents as well.

We wonder what the developer spent its budget on, since it seems not enough attention was paid to fundamental aspects of game design such as beta testing and code optimisation. Much of it may have been spent on the salaries demanded by the list of professional Hollywood actors who provided all the game’s voiceovers. The cast is full of C-list celebrities such as Ron Perlman, Timothy Olyphant and William Fichtner - names that needed to be looked up on IMDB before we had any idea who they were.

CONCLUSION

Despite the actors not being particularly famous, the voiceovers and dialogue is of a high standard, sounds authentic and at times, entertaining. Unfortunately there’s little point in recording professional actors for voiceovers while the underlying game isn’t up to scratch. The multiplayer mode is better than the single-player game, although a better fitting description would be the least-awful aspect of Turok. Although the action can be fun, it doesn’t make up for the game’s flaws. Turok might appeal to anyone obsessed with the comics, or those really desperate for a new FPS fix, but it’s simply a poor-man’s choice when compared with previous corkers such as Call Of Duty 4. Turok may look even worse when compared against the imminent Crysis: Warhead and Brothers in Arms 3.

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