Turok was a real kick in the pants on the Nintendo 64, arguably one of that system's top games and the second incarnation on the original Xbox was, how should I say this? Disappointing. It lacked the living, breathing action and cohesiveness of a well-scripted and designed game. Well, the license still is pretty kick-butt, so Propagnada Studios has reloaded and leveled off a double barrel of action and violence, but will it make us remember the good Turok, or the disappointing?

Let me start off by saying that the whole video-game industry has been officially put on notice, it's time to come up with a new character name other then Kane. Any form of Kane as well, Caine, Kayn, Cain, Cane, Qjyane, or any other weird version of the name. Yes, we all know the name creates an air of tough-guy-ness. He's deadly, he's mean, he's the kind of dude you would never turn your back on, or backstab. So anyway, in Turok, you play a tough guy military special forces type who happens to be the only remaining member of the Wolfpack, an elite military unit comprised of former military convicts led by a guy named (you guessed it) Kane, Roland Kane to be exact. Apparantly Kane decided to start doing some things while in command of his group of hard-core soldiers that didn't sit too well with our man Turok, so he bolted back to the confines of the regular military and hooked up with a division of hard-nosed marines called Whiskey Co. Almost immediately Whiskey Co. is sent back to take out the rogue Kane and his group of deserters/rogues. Well no sooner does the spaceship carrying Whiskey Co. enter orbit, is it shot down by Kane and the craft wrecks on the surface of a very lush, very deadly jungle planet, rife with man-eating plants, dinosaurs and mercenaries.

 
 "On this planet, walk softly and carry a biiiiig gun."

So there you are, running around a jungle with pretty much everything around you trying to kill you. I'd like to say that there is more to the game, but that's it in a nutshell. There is some quasi-interesting banter between another Whiskey Co. survivor and yourself that attempts to ratchet up the tension but it's just another cliche used in games and movies. As you work your way around the lay of the land, the first thing I noticed was the sensitivity of the targeting in the game. It is not at all as smooth as other FPS like HALO 3 and The Orange Box. While engaging in firefights this is especially noticeable as you often over-compensate when an enemy moves back and forth. This is even more frustrating when trying to kill the small, raptors that seem to move like lightning.

Now taking a queue from other shooters, there is no health bar or med kits scattered around; instead, your character's vision begins to blur as you take too much damage and the edges of the screen go red with blood. Taking cover and stopping the damage will quickly get you going again, but if you can't take cover then too much damage will eventually kill you. Now interestingly enough, sometimes when a dino gets too close and attacks you by leaping on you, the game switches quickly to a third-person perspective and you must follow the instructions that flash on the screen in order to dispatch your foe. Pull the triggers repeatedly or shake the left thumbstick will engage Turok to whip out his hunting knife and kill his attacker. This is clever the first few times as how the dino is killed will differ, but what starts out as a kind of cool, "God of War" inspired kill, becomes kind of tedious and boring.

 
"Geez, your breath..."

Now the look of Turok is not too bad. I suppose 360 owners have been spoiled this past six months with a slew of titles that any system would gladly rip out its innards to have, so expect to be a little disappointed now that you know what a really top-tier shooter looks like. In a game with dinosaurs and a jungle, I expect a lot, and the dinos don't disappoint; they look good and move fast (too fast sometimes). Take a look a dead one and you will instantly recall the Jurassic Park movies, and I mean this in a good way. The jungle itself however can be a bit muddled and object kind of lose themselves in one another. Hidden vines and backgrounds aren't as defined as they should be and it made the experience somewhat cheap. The structures you eventually find and see work better as they just seem to be more cleanly designed. Now don't get me wrong, the game looks decent enough, and had it been brought out a year ago, I may be singing its visual praises a bit louder, but, again, I have seen gaming Nirvana and this is not it.

The voicework in the game is better because one of my all time favorite actors Ron Perlman voices Slade, your grumpy "doesn't like you" partner. And Powers Boothe plays are villain Kane. The voicework is much better then I had originally expected, and in turn makes the game better. There are some cool dino noises and decent sound effects. Plenty to be heard in a game rife with baddies.

Of course, any shooter title has to have decent weapons and said weapons need to be equally effective. Well, I will say that I was happy with the guns in Turok and fans of the series will be happy to know that the bow does make an appearance. More creatively, was the sticky bomb gun, surprisingly effective sniper rifle and the requisite chain gun. Don't worry, there are all sorts of weapons and grenades to use in Turok and ammo is spread liberally around. You may run into a section or two where you are out of ammo and need to rely on your knife, but your partner Slade will make up for any shortcomings you may have.  And as time goes on, you will be able to carry several guns (not all of em, but several) and if you are like me, will backtrack to get weapons when it appears the situation will benefit from it. Toggling between weapons is easy enough using the D-pad left and right, up and down.

"Hey you guys!!!!!!!!!!"

The multiplayer aspect of the game is sort of a mixed bag; there are seven different multiplayer maps each with a different "common" theme, capture the flag, deathmatch and even a co-op mode. The co-op mode allows up to four people to team up and play through three semi-different missions than the original single-player campaign. I say semi because essentially you kind of backtrack through some of the areas you have already torn through as Turok in the single campaign. It is a cool idea only made cruddy by having three missions to complete. This is too bad because this game had some potential here as a real good ride for a multiplayer mode.

Lastly, the game does throw some curveballs by you; one being that there are dinos that won't harm you if you ignore them. It's helpful to know your stuff, because wasting ammo on a non-threat can be crucial. Next, occasionally you will get knocked on your butt from an attack, either human or dino, when you stand up, you are all discombobulated and may be facing the completely wrong direction. I personally liked this little trick as it recognizes the fact that when you get rocked you may not know where you are immediately, just like real life. And last, there are some really big baddies in which to deal with, and this is what I was expecting in a Turok title, massive baddies in which to fill full of lead.

Gameplay: 7.0
It's not as polished and smooth as many other FPS on the 360. The controls work well, but the lack of a run function kind of stinks and that missing "tight" aiming can frustrate those who are used to a more friendly targeting scheme.

Graphics: 7.0
The dinos look cool, but the jungle is a disappointment. The A.I. is spotty and often times an enemy soldier will stand there like a fool when you staple his partner to the wall with your bow and arrow. They may try and outflank you during some firefights, but honestly the A.I. from the original half-life are smarter then these fools.

Sound: 8.2
The quality sound work and voice overs are a highlight for me. The game sounds good with screaming Dinos and ample sound effects. This is an action game with big guns and wild reptiles after all.

Difficulty: Medium
The A.I. isn't too difficult to overcome and even the more difficult modes aren't too bad for experts in the genre.

Concept: 8.0
The Turok license has been waiting for a game that could match the "holy crud" feel of the original on the N64, this is not it; but the game has made a turn in the right direction over the last Turok game. Besides, I love the whole idea behind a living, deadly jungle rife with wildlife wanting to eat you and a paramilitary force wanting to ensure that they do.

Multiplayer: 6.8
Too little to offer a really deep multiplayer experience. Seven levels just does not cut it in today's online world. The co-op mode is great, but then you are let down by its lack of any significant time to play.

Overall: 7.0
The game would have benefited from a release date of last summer. It is a decent enough game, but just does not hold a candle to the other group of truly next-gen FPS on the 360.