Bringing back the hunt.
Back when the N64 was all the rage, the Turok series was one of the biggest franchises around. I remember the launch of the second game coming in so hot that the boxes and cartridges were not even shrink wrapped before shipping to retail. Needless to say the dinosaur hunter was a popular man. Fast forward and the series has seen better days. After a grueling PS2-era entry and a reboot that tried to be more Call of Duty than dinosaur hunter, developer Nightdive Studios has brought back two classics that take me back to the late 90s in superior fashion.
I will be tackling both games in this review although they are available separately on the store. Let’s start with the original Turok.
MSRP: $19.99 (per game)
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $14.99 (per game) or $20 for the bundle
From the minute the Acclaim logo bounces across the screen I am engulfed in nostalgia. Turok was a product of its time and it shows. The action is fast-paced and the objectives are obscure. Using the map overlay is a must, heck there is even a part about it in the tutorial. The action in these games is fast, and for those that never played them, there are nuances here that make them special.
For starters playing these games on the original N64 was a chore. The idea of aiming with a dedicated stick was non-existent. This means auto-aim was extremely forgiving. Even in these remasters it is on by default, meaning I can speed through levels only slightly aiming in the right direction.
As I mentioned the action is fast. Turok almost feels like a racing game as I fly around corners picking off multiple enemies in as many shots. It feels good. It feels like a 90s FPS.
Nightdive Studios has kept the original assets and only upgraded their resolution and frame rate. It is weird traversing some of these levels without copious amounts of fog. Level design is like a maze of secrets waiting to be uncovered. There are no directional arrows leading players forward, and items are easily missed. The design is dated and it is good to know that going in.
The second game feels like an entirely different beast. Not only does the theme change from primal levels and enemies to a more sci-fi setting, the added multiplayer paved the way for the greatest weapon in an FPS to date: the Cerebral Bore. This weapon is a ridiculous treat that still owns in online games. Landing a hit with one of these will cause many deaths upon initial use as I had to stick around and watch my opponent flail in death. The game is just as fun today as it was then and playing online has its benefits when using it.
Turok 2 also introduced new objectives throughout the campaign. Rescuing children was the big one, and hearing them crying throughout the levels is still genuinely unsettling.
Turok 2 was a powerhouse visually when it released and it has aged decently. The level design is still a maze of madness, but once I got back into that 90s FPS groove, I was off to the races.
Nightdive has done an outstanding job of bringing these games back to life. The visual upgrade is slick and clean. Running at a stable frame rate and boasting some gorgeous resolution. These low poly counts have never looked better. Also that compressed voice work takes me back.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
