Turok : Rage Wars

by Scary Larry
January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST

Yeah, we know - enough with the Turok already. But leaving the complex story-driven engine behind, Acclaim has come up with an iteration of Turok that just might appeal to fans of 3D shooters everywhere.

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Doin' the Bot
This new version of Turok has everything shooting fans could want and more. In addition to the massive arsenal from previous games, you now have exotic weapons like the Chestburster, Emaciator, and War Hammer to go along with old faves like the Cerebral Bore, Scorpion Missile Launcher, and Napalm Gel. You'll fire your guns in several different deadly game modes, including Cooperative, Capture-The-Flag, Team Bloodlust, and Frag Tag. Each kind of game mode has unique one-player and multiplayer options, and you'll even be able to create your own 'bot to help you out in arena fighting.

The storyline is fairly non-existent, in order to make the game move faster without exhaustive searching and exploring like in the previous Turoks. With tons of different and well-defined levels to explore, the action is never repetitive or boring - your next head shot is just around the corner.

Acclaim even sets you up with a ton of different players to choose form (although you have to unlock some of them). You can choose Turok, The Campaigner (from the original Turok), Adon (from Turok 2: Seeds of Evil), and more. There's new dinosoids to chose from as well, including Raptors. All of these characters are gloriously detailed and smoothly animated. You won't notice, though - you'll probably only see a smattering of blood and move on.

Dino Delight
The graphics are sharp and solid, with great detail and imaginative character design dominating the game. The secondary graphic feature that will amaze gamers is the level layout and design. There are more twists, turns, camp holes, and dead ends in this game then there were in Clinton's impeachment hearings. But the game goes for a look that is sometimes too dark, making some of the detail less than distinguishable.

The sound is perfect for all the creeping around that goes on. Your audio cues sometimes turn the tide in multiplayer games, where any indication of a camping gunner help you out. Beastly roars, sharp gunfire, thudding explosions, and even chattering chimpanzees are all crystal clear, but the ambient music could have been stronger, and you're stuck with it - pumping your own tunes drowns out the subtle sound effects.

The controls follow the basic Turok/Quake II set. You move with the C buttons and fire with the Z button. The analog allows precise aiming but first-timers may find the controls too loose for close quarter combat. There's going to be a lot of toe-to-toe shooting for novices.

Turok But Not To Roll
Forget what you know about Turok from past games - this version will set corridor shooters on fire with its expansive set of options and features. It's not just another shooter - it's the future of shooters with great multiplayer leanings. Will your Native American name end up being Last Man Standing? Get some friends together and find out.