Turok (Xbox 360)

A very good -- but not extraordinary -- sci-fi shooter.
2/8/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 2

"Dinosaurs eat meat. You are meat. Run away!" is just one of the amusing bits of advice you'll read while respawning in Turok, a spiritual successor to one of the first worthy first-person 3-D shooters for consoles.

While not as groundbreaking as 1996's Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for the Nintendo 64, this new shooter for the Xbox 360 is laudable on its own merit, delivering an immersive action experience spread throughout great-looking environments. It doesn't hold a candle to last year's Xbox 360 shooters such as BioShock, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 or The Orange Box, but this ambitious adventure proves to be a fun romp through a dangerous world.

Created by Vancouver's Propaganda Games and published through Touchstone (er, Disney), Turok once again stars Native American criminal-turned-soldier, Joseph Turok, who crash-lands on a mysterious planet with teammates who don't want him there. Our muscle-bound and Mohawk-sporting hero, however, has bigger problems, as this world is populated by vicious dinosaurs and a malicious military organization likely responsible for shooting down their spaceship. Over time, Turok will make amends with fellow squad members and discover how and why this planet has living dinosaurs roaming about.

Not all dinosaurs are deadly, of course, but you'll need to take down meat-eating beasts like Tyrannosaurus Rex. In one memorable scene about three hours into the game, the coast seemed clear, so I began climbing a ladder to reach the top of a lookout point; all of a sudden I was yanked down to the ground by not one but two Velociraptors. Interestingly, this wasn't a scripted event, as I played the level again (I was, after all, killed in this surprise attack) and noticed the raptors chasing each other only after I reached the top of the tower.

Turok's core gameplay will be familiar to fans of first-person shooters, as the game doesn't deviate much from the formula: You'll be accomplishing missions, such as finding a specific site or gaining entrance into a facility, while taking down those who stand in your way with all kinds of weaponry, most of which offer primary and secondary fire options. Tapping the Xbox 360's directional gamepad left or right toggles between various guns -- including automatic rifles, shotguns, dual-wielding handguns, a sniper rifle and a sticky bomb rifle -- as well as grenades, rocket launcher, combat knife (for close combat kills) and my personal preference, a bow.

In order to remain undetected when facing large groups, you can hide in the bushes; holding down the right trigger button pulls back the bow. Now you've got a few seconds to line up the crosshairs on an unsuspecting human and let go (dinosaurs aren't as affected by arrows as people). Wait too long and your hand will shake and the arrow will fly off uncontrollably.

Aside from the bow and arrow, none of the guns are that memorable, though the grenades and rocket launchers were fun in multiplayer games (more on this in a moment).

Turok also offers a few context-sensitive moments, where you must press the correct button repeatedly, according to the onscreen icon. This might be to open heavy doors, to prevent a dinosaur from eating you by opening its mouth wide enough to escape, or to perform a quiet kill with your combat knife up close. Players should also master a dodge-and-roll maneuver, which will come in handy for those who want to stay alive.