After weeks of role-playing and action games, "Turok" promised a chance to get my finger back on the trigger of a first-person shooter -- after all, what's more rapid-fire than mowing down swarms of dinosaurs?
But for all its lush jungle foliage and star-packed voice cast -- Powers Boothe, Ron Perlman, Timothy Olyphant -- "Turok" shoots itself in the foot with its lamentable game mechanics.
When your elite commando Turok faces down these prehistoric lizards -- a ton of raptors, so it seems -- be prepared to spend most of the time getting kicked off your feet. On one hand, it makes for a tense firefight, but the constant knockdowns get tiresome. Because of this repetitive setback, the arsenal of automatic weapons is less effective than a plain ol' combat knife.
That's right -- knife vs. raptors.
This proves to be the most satisfying way to dispatch the beasts. A correctly timed press of the trigger at the onscreen prompt launches Turok into an action cutscene where he wrestles, slashes and stabs for the kill.
What's aggravating about this, though, is the inconsistent appearance of the knife prompt. Sometimes, all you need is to be in the general vicinity of the creature; other times, you have to be right in front of the gnashing teeth to trigger the kill. It's immensely frustrating.
And so is trying to execute stealth kills. Crouched down in waist-high vegetation at least 20 feet away from an enemy, you're instantly spotted the moment the guard turns in your direction. What especially doesn't make sense about this is the fact the enemy A.I. isn't that bright. But when you do manage to pull off a sneak attack, at least you get to enjoy another kill cutscene.
That Turok, he's really good with a knife.
The sweet thing about dinosaurs is that they have no loyalty to the bad guys who are responsible for their existence, which means you can lure them to thin out enemy troops. Saves on ammo.
While running and gunning, you'll notice the ultra-sensitive sight control, which makes getting a bead unnecessarily difficult. Fortunately, you can soften the default response a tad in the settings.
Besides the targeting challenge, human enemies take about a dozen shots to drop, sometimes even with a headshot. The much-touted bow is just as bad. And the weapons' zoom function that lets you focus is nowhere near effective enough for distance shots.
The same game mechanics accompany the online multiplayer, so there's really no draw to spend much time with it.
One last complaint: the poorly spaced save points. I swear there will be several checkpoints in a row for minor skirmishes, and yet none for a grueling, multi-tiered mission. It's not challenging; it's annoying.
Surprisingly, there's a decent storyline, peppered with touching flashbacks of Turok learning the fine art of knifing someone to death.
"Turok" gets points for good looks, voice-acting and some frightening dinosaur encounters, but the meat of the game -- the mechanics -- plays like a fossil. Additional Information:
'Turok'
Grade: C
Developer: Propaganda Games
Publisher: Touchstone
Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)
Genre: Shooter
ESRB: Mature
Retail: $59.99
