Sound:  
Turok Evolution’s sound is also very well done. It includes Pro Logic II support, which is apparently a very good thing for those who have something that supports it. (I don’t.) The voices in the short occasional cut scenes are high quality, compared to the garbage that many games throw in lately. Is it THAT hard to find good voice actors? In game, the gun shots, explosions, and other general shooty mayhem sounds good as well. There is even rustling sounds as you move through the plants in the forested sections of the game, which will make you a little paranoid, since your own movements sound like those of a raptor moving up on you. You’ll find yourself spinning around frantically many times in those settings, looking for that dirty lizard that you are certain is there; when in fact, it was only your own shotgun wielding ass that made the sounds. The lizard-like Slegs, your main enemies in the game also have their own array of voice work, which consists of a lot of talk amongst themselves, giving orders to each other. This too is decent voice acting, and the comments add to the simulated intelligence that the enemies exhibit. Again, the sound is another category that Turok’s latest installment brings onto the Gamecube in an excellent way.

Gameplay:  
The gameplay, as can be expected, is pretty straight forward. As in most first person shooters, you have the goal set before you of running around, shooting the hell out of anything that crosses your path and getting to the next place you need to be. You will come across numerous weapons in your “travels” across the levels, which range from a tomahawk, to a pistol, to a plasma rifle, and even a gravity gun, which will toss enemies backwards when the shot hits them.

Your main enemies throughout the game are the Slegs, a reptilian race which are intent on destroying and enslaving the humans, whom Turok ends up being summoned to protect. The Slegs utilize the new squad based AI, which allows them to interact with each other in exciting new ways, all with the express purpose of killing you. Doesn’t seem very polite of Acclaim to put such work into having things kill you, does it? What did you ever do to Acclaim, anyway? The Slegs will retreat if you are chasing them, to get you to follow them back to some of their buddies, who, fortunately for them, always seem to be wielding rifles or shotguns. The new AI is very good 90% of the time, but occasionally you still see an enemy standing in place after you shoot him with an arrow or pistol bullet. Still, the ratio of good to bad swings heavily in the favor of the good, and is again, a major improvement over previous AI.

The most drastically noticeable addition to the gameplay are the flying levels. These are almost Starfox-like levels, where you man a Pterodactyl outfitted with machine guns and rocket launchers (never heard about those in science class at my school) and fly around shooting more Slegs than you can shake a prehistoric petrified stick at. The controls in these levels can feel a bit floaty at times, but even with sometimes sketchy controls, the flying does change up the pace, and the flying areas are actually more enjoyable than I expected them to be.

The level layouts themselves vary from very good to somewhat boring. The outdoor areas are very fun to play in. The terrain layout is usually pretty straight forward, so you know where to proceed, but the areas are quite open as a whole, so you get a feeling of exploration. The indoor levels on the other hand, can seem to go on forever, much like in a certain Xbox launch title. (I won’t name names here.) One level inside a Sleg fortress is particularly long, and at times incredibly frustrating, due to large amounts of enemies and small amounts of space and health power-ups. The layouts of the indoor areas just isn’t very exciting, as opposed to the jungle areas, which are 90% of the time very exciting to explore.

Overall, the gameplay offers enough variety to keep you from getting bored, and the levels are generally well laid out. The flying levels offer a change of pace from just shoot, shoot, shoot, by allowing you to fly, shoot, shoot. Turok offers typical FPS fare, with its own unique prehistoric environment as a backdrop to its solid gameplay. I definitely had my expectations met, and exceeded on most fronts.

Control:
The controls take on a new scheme from the N64 Turok games. You use the control stick to move forward, backward and strafe sideways, while the C stick is used to look around and aim. The R trigger fires weapons, L ducks, A jumps, X switches between the functions of your equipped weapon, and B and Y swap your weapons.

On the flying levels, R shoots your guns, L is your rockets, A slows you, Y accelerates your pace, and B and X allow you to turn hard left or right. The schemes are pretty simple, but effective, allowing you to flow easily in the frantic pace once you adjust to the controls. Nothing to complain about on the control front.

Multiplayer:
This is a strength of any FPS and Turok is hardly an exception. The multiplayer has many modes, from typical capture the flag and deathmatch, to Warrior Rage mode, where the more kills you make in a row, the higher your power grows. Almost any mode you can think of is included, and Turok Evolution holds its own in terms of multiplayer goodness. Nothing too extraordinary, but solid the whole way through.

OVERALL:
Turok is a series that I have liked since the first game on the N64. I didn’t really set my expectations too high for Turok Evolution, and I ended up being pleased with a well-put-together game. The level design, the enemies, the weapons; all are well done, and for the most part very enjoyable. If you are looking for a solid FPS to hold you over for a while, then this would be a good one to tide your craving over until something like Timesplitters 2 (which should also be very, very good). If you are a fan of the series, then as one fan to another, I definitely recommend you pick this one up and give it a spin. If you enjoy FPS, I can also recommend this one to you as a well-done game. The series makes a great transition to the new platform, and I look forward to the next installment in the future. Now, as my time is up, I must return to my exile in Sports.

 

The Lowdown on  Turok: Evolution Aesthetics: Very Good Control: Very Good Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Very Good Sound: Very Good Innovation: 4/6 Lasting Appeal: 5/6 Overall: Very Good! "A Must-Buy"