Video Game Vintage Title: Turok

Turok

Turok is the 2008 installment in the first-person shooter Turok video games series and is loosely based on comic series under the same name. The game was released in February 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was later ported on to Microsoft Windows in April 2008. Turok was developed by Propaganda Games, published by Touchstone Games and distributed by Disney Interactive Studios. A sequel was planned for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 but it was cancelled before it was announced.

Turok Plot

The player takes on the role of a soldier named Corporal Joseph Turok. Previously, Turok was a member of the Wolf Pack, a specialized military detachment whose members were trained in black ops by General Roland Kane. After a falling out with the group, Turok was reassigned to a general military unit known as Whiskey Company. The team has been assembled to apprehend his former mentor and return him to Earth. After committing various war crimes, Kane had disappeared three years earlier only to surface on a backwater world. Unbeknownst to Whiskey Company, the planet is under the jurisdiction of the Mendel-Grumman (M-G) Corporation, and Kane is in command of a private army of M-G soldiers and equipment.

At first, the crew shuns Turok, thinking that he is an inexperienced fighter, untrustworthy, and a liability. One particular member, Slade, has a personal grudge against Turok because his brother Robert was also a member of Wolf Pack, and was killed in the same battle in Columbia from which Turok had reputedly fled, earning him his dubious reputation.

On approach to their destination, their starship is shot down from orbit and crash lands on the terraformed surface, where Turok quickly learns that the jungles covering the surface, even the planet are inhabited by dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are wild and dangerous, and the M-G soldiers have been capturing them to be used as experimental weapons for General Kane, meaning a three-way battle between Whiskey Company, the M-G soldiers, and the dinosaurs takes place throughout the game. Upon crashing, many of Whiskey Company are killed by the crash or are either killed by dinosaurs or M-G soldiers.

Turok is first guided through the ship's engine blocks by two unnamed soldiers and then by Sergeant Morris, the senior NCO of the company. Upon seeing where the rest of the ship came down, Morris attempts to contact members of Whiskey Company but is ambushed and killed by a raptor. Turok travels a little further on and discovers Morris' mangled body being eaten by mini raptors. He takes his gun and proceeds to kill them. Turok then proceeds to find other Whiskey Company members on his own, following wreckage and bodies. He soon finds a soldier who is gunned down by an M-G soldier before Turok can help him. He eventually finds Slade, who is less than pleased to meet Turok. They proceed to get to the main crash site, finding Turok's bow in the process. The pair navigate the jungles, an M-G outpost, a dinosaur-infested valley, and a raptor cave. They eventually link up with Reese, Whiskey Company's resident sniper, and stumble upon a group of M-G troops searching starship wreckage for survivors before heading through a lair of feline-like raptors. The group eventually makes their way to the crash site where they find Chief Engineer Carter, heavy weapons trooper Jericho, weapons specialist Logan, Whiskey Company's medic Parker, second-in-command Henderson, Company leader Cole, Chief Security Officer Louis, technician and pilot Shepard,and soldiers Foster and Gonzales. After resting up, Turok is sent by Cole on a mission to find the comm unit from the ship's wreckage to attempt to call for help.

While searching for the unit, he is discovered by Grimes, a member of Wolf Pack and one of Turok's trainers. Grimes left Turok with a warning at knife-point before vanishing as quickly as he appeared. Turok then finds Cowboy engaged by several M-G soldiers. After clearing out a camp, Cowboy is wounded by a hidden enemy's arrow moments before Foster, Gonzales, Parker, Slade and Logan arrive. Slade then accuses Turok of deliberately shooting Cowboy, mocking his native American heritage while he's at it. While Parker, Logan and Slade take Cowboy back to the camp, Turok, Gonzales, and Foster continue looking for the comm unit. Logan at this point starts to exhibit signs of mental trauma.

The marines shortly came across what looked like an abandoned outpost, and Foster, who was on point, got shot by a sniper. Turok and Gonzales assault the outpost, taking out M-G troops and raptors in the process before having to defend said outpost from an M-G counterattack. Moving deeper into the jungle, they finally find more wreckage from the ship and take out the M-G troops patrolling the area. Gonzales finds the comm unit on a rocky ledge and celebrates the fact, only for him to get snatched in by Mama Scarface (A giant T-Rex who has scars on her right side from battles with MG soldiers) and carried off. Turok sets off in pursuit. During the chase, Turok ends up in the nest of the T-Rex and is attacked by her offspring. When he locates the Comm Unit, Mama Scarface herself appears and attacks him. During the battle, she gets her right eye knifed, but she throws Turok off of her and out of her lair. After regaining consciousness, Turok finds that night has fallen and he now has to make his way back to camp while navigating through an abandoned outpost and fighting raptors along the way.

Reaching the camp, he informs the others that Foster and Gonzales didn't make it. Slade is not happy about the news and claims that Gonzales was his closest friend. In a suggestive manner, he challenges Turok to a knife fight and accuses him of being a traitor. Cowboy, having recovered from the arrow, defends Turok, stating that Turok held his own during that ill-fated mission with Wolf Pack, and Jericho drags a defiant Slade out of the way. After that argument, Turok gave the comm unit to Cowboy and thanked him for his support. Cole, about to inform Turok of something, is suddenly killed by an arrow fired from Grimes and a battle ensues at the camp as M-G troops storm the area. Whiskey Company wins the battle, fending off waves of infantry and even a spider tank, but also lost Henderson, Lewis, and Parker. Even worse, the comm unit was destroyed during the fight. A brief clash for leadership occurred until Logan, unofficially, takes command. Jericho then insists that they go hunt down M-G in retaliation for their fellow soldier's deaths but an approaching storm soon changes his mind. Upon hearing a strange noise along with a large light beam in the distance of the forests, Logan orders Turok and Slade to investigate. Knowing that this was a suicide mission, Carter speaks up but is ordered to go with them. The rest of the company then search for a way off of the planet.

While en route to where the light was coming from, Turok and company witness a raptor being pulled down into a giant hole by an unknown force and find more holes of the same kind the closer they got to the light. When they arrived at their destination, a seemingly derelict outpost, they discover that the light emitted was from an APC that was pulled halfway into the ground. Forcing their way into the outpost, they come across a log entry from Kane. Kane details that these scorpion-like bugs have a potent neurotoxin and, after an accident which killed several M-G scientists, states that he had found this interesting element in the bugs' blood and has begun analysis. Carter, who was on a separate computer, soon finds the location of a shuttle in an abandoned substation not far from the main M-G base. Turok relays this info to Logan, only to be attacked by giant scorpion bugs, which drag Carter underground. Managing to escape from the swarm, Turok and Slade find a chopper on a landing pad on the other end of the outpost. Before they can even reach the landing pad, the ground collapses and Turok and Slade are separated. Turok then had to navigate the dark cave system, fending off bugs before reuniting with Slade at an underground river. Their reunion was cut short as a kraken-like creature emerges from the water and Turok manages to kill it by using geothermic gas fissures and a flamethrower. Slade begrudgingly thanks Turok for saving his life, having now come to respect the former Wolf Pack soldier. They eventually escape the caves and linked up with what's left of Whiskey Company. Turok informs them that Carter was killed by the bugs and Logan comments on how people keep dying around him.

Upon seeing a patrolling convoy coming for their position, Logan accuses Turok of drawing M-G soldiers to them since the beginning, and threatens shooting Turok. A battle begins, in which Turok, Shepard, Logan and Jericho are split from the other three, Logan and Jericho are killed in battle. Turok and Shepard go one The two escape the area and link up with Slade, Cowboy and Reese. They reach the hanger where the ship was located, only to discover that the ship was long destroyed by the environment. With no other choice, they decide to get into the main base. Upon discovering a back entrance into the MG base, Reese is killed by an arrow to his eye. The four remaining soldiers enter the base, indirectly helped by Mama Scarface who was rampaging at the Base's gate. Having entered the base, they come across a log from Kane, stating that he had developed a nerve gas from the scorpion-bug's blood, a gas that can kill any living creature before dissipating without a trace. Now the group knows they have to destroy this base to stop this weapon from being spread. Turok sets charges on the generators, fighting off both M-G sentries and flying bugs. However, he and the others are captured by Kane. During the ensuing argument between Kane and Turok, Cowboy speaks out, saying none of them would have survived this long without him and Kane kills him. Turok detonates the charges, which results in the death of Grimes.

Turok, Shepard and Slade navigate their way through the collapsing base, battling MG soldiers and raptors. Soon they reach the ship but Turok refuses to board it and goes to prevent Kane from escaping. He destroys Kanes ship using rocket turrets. After destroying the starship, Turok is faced with an intense knife battle under the ruins of the MG Base with Kane, in which Turok kills Kane. Soon after this event had occurred, Turok is confronted by Mama Scarface, who is driven insane by the loss of her brood, for final time. Turok manages to eventually put Mama Scareface at ease by carefully placing a grenade in its ruptured eye which causes the T. rex's upper jaw to explode. Turok is showered by the blood of the T. rex whilst witnessing the other members of Whiskey Company (Shepard and Slade) return to save him in a Starship. Turok enters the ship and the three friends finally escape from the planet.

Turok Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to that of most first-person shooters, with a strong focus on survival in dangerous natural environments. The human enemies, under the leadership of Kane, are the main threat to the player, although dinosaurs may often be found wandering throughout the game. The dinosaurs act as a neutral force and, if the player chooses, can be used as a tool to attack enemy soldiers. This may be done by attracting roaming dinosaurs to a firefight (via: flares, gunshots, etc.) to aid the player and help dispatch the enemy, with possible other ways depending on the situation. The dinosaurs' intelligence are much alike the Earth dinosaurs, so other dinosaurs and all humans, including the player's allies and enemies, may be attacked. The game does not utilize an aim-assist feature.

Propaganda Games has included an additional, stealth mechanic in the game. Because Turok takes place mostly in jungle environments with a focus on ambiance, the player may kill enemies with a bow or knife without being heard or use dinosaurs to attract the attention of other enemies and slip by unnoticed. A famed new feature into this game is the Silent Kill, which is done by drawing your knife, then attacking a human or unaware dino from behind. The kill can be utilized against dinosaurs and humans alike as a finishing blow, and can be executed from any side. The knife is also utilized as a self-defense weapon during phases known as "mauls", where the player is attacked by a dino or bug, and must hammer on the according buttons in order to counter-attack or fend off the attack.

At the end of the game, when you fight Kane as a boss, he steals your knife, and you must quickly hammer on the randomly chosen button(s) and finally kill him at the 4th or 5th set of buttons. These gameplay elements have been made optional, meaning the player is never forced to use stealth to their advantage if they wish not to. Well-known among Turok fans, the games generally feature a large, creative arsenal, with unconventional futuristic weaponry, much unlike that found in typical first-person shooters.

Reception
Turok received mostly mixed or average reviews, citing undesirable details in the gameworld. As of April 2012, the game holds an aggregate score of 70% on Gamerankings and a 69 out of 100 on Metacritic.

In terms of individual reviews, Turok has received a 9/10 from Play magazine and a 7/10 from both the Official Xbox Magazine and the Official PlayStation Magazine. Both praised multiplayer but commented on the "sketchy enemy awareness" and "dodgy textures". Game Trailers, which gave the game 8.3/10, highlighted the game's use of the Unreal 3 Engine, believing it to be "the best use of the tech outside of Epic's own efforts" and praising the modeling and animation of the dinosaurs in particular. 1up.com gave the game a score of C+, specifically complaining about its stealth mechanics, the use of camera shaking, and occasional graphical glitches in the PlayStation 3 version. Gameplasma gave the game a 7 out of 10 claiming that "the storyline is mediocre" and it is "forgettable". Hyper's Yuri Spadeface commends the game for its "solid frame rate". However, he criticised the "frustrating level design and average execution".

Turok received 3/5 from X-Play, commenting on its aim-assist being woefully inadequate both in multiplayer and singleplayer, but praised its graphics and "outlook". In its G-phoria episode, it won the category of "Game Deserves An Uwe Boll Movie". Gamepro magazine reviewed the game, saying that "Turok isn't good enough to single handedly repair the franchise's tarnished reputation, but it is good enough that you'll want to forgive some of its ancestors' sins." They gave the graphics a 4.0, the sound a 3.75, the control a 4.75, and the fun factor a 3.75 out of 5.

Game Informer magazine reviewed Turok, and gave it a 7/10, stating "the ecosystem environment does not live up to what it was supposed to or should be. Minor problems like a paper thin story, the constant knocking of the camera from explosives and dinosaurs, the poor multiplayer and poorly spaced checkpoints, drag down what otherwise is a decent shooter." However, they liked the game for its voice talents including Powers Boothe and Timothy Olyphant. It was reviewed by Ben and Bertz, who both agreed on the same score.

Elsewhere, Turok was criticized to a further extent. Honest Gamers awarded the game 5/10, citing the unforgiving checkpoint system, badly contextualized story and poor AI as reasons for the mediocre mark; and PC Gamer UK awarded the game 57%, calling it "weary and uninspired."