Turok is a name some of us remember from the original N64 versions or even the not so popular Turok: Evolution seen on the Xbox and PS2 back in 2002. The series was synonymous with over-the-top weapons and gore with a cryptic, sometimes nonexistent story line. And of course, dinosaurs!

The latest in this franchise has little in common with those. In an attempt to reinvent the series for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, Propaganda Games and Touchstone have gone to a more modern, realistic approach. The only thing this game has in common with the originals made by Acclaim is a Native-American protagonist named Turok and dinosaurs. The similarities pretty much end there. The first release for Propaganda, a new studio based in Vancouver, pits you as Joseph Turok; a former member of Wolfpack, a ruthless black ops squad headed by Roland Kane. Turok, now an adopted member of Whiskey Company, is out with his new unit to hunt down his former mentor. Whiskey Company has tracked Kane to a remote planet and as your team approaches, they’re shot down. The mission quickly switches from capturing Kane to surviving this prehistoric-like, dino-infested world.

For the most part, this game plays like every other FPS out there. Built on the U3 engine, the graphics are on par with most current-gen games. Sure there are the normal problems you see with most Unreal 3 engine games, a few blurry textures and the game can suffer from texture pop-in but those are nitpicks. The animations are good although you may see the occasional dinosaur running on a treadmill. Saving is done automatically via checkpoints. They are pretty close together so dying doesn’t usually set you back too far. You will also rarely see a black screen during loading. Areas are loaded when save points are reached and is seamless although you will see a short freeze from time to time.

Besides dinosaurs, the thing that makes this game unique is the lack of a true HUD and the ever-enjoyable stealth kill. There are no maps or compasses to help you navigate the terrain. If you take too long to find the path, which can happen, an arrow will appear and point you in the right direction. You do have a targeting reticule and a small readout on the bottom right of your screen that shows the total ammo you are carrying and grenade count. Most weapons will tell you when ammo is low by a small light that flashes red when it’s time to reload. You don’t have a health bar either so, like COD4, a screen turning red is a sign to take cover.

The weapon selection is not as large as in past Turok games, and gone are the old over-the-top favorites. Although limited, the weapons in Turok can be quite satisfying. You can only carry 2 weapons aside from your trusty bow and knife but many weapons have an alternate fire capability that gives you a few more choices then what you might expect with the limited arsenal. This game does feature dual-wielding of almost every weapon available. If you’d like to dual-wield a couple of shotguns or maybe an SMG and a sticky-bomb gun, this game delivers. The stealth kill system is run primarily with the knife and is an instant kill. Sneak up behind a soldier, await the prompt and you are thrown into a stealth kill animation that never seems to get tiring (fighting dinosaurs with the knife also gives you a nice kill animation and is the most effective weapon against small to medium-sized species). The bow can also be used for silent assassinations. When firing the bow, as in the past, the longer you hold the trigger, the more power behind the shot. Say you want to pin a soldier to the wall; hold down the trigger until you see Turok’s arm begin to shake and let it fly.

The gore is also tuned down. Although you can still blow dinosaurs into what is best described as a “meat fountain”, soldiers do not gush blood. They are in thick-plate body armor so when they are shot or stabbed, only sparks fly. Although this may be a disappointment to some, it doesn’t really take away from the game. You will still find half-eaten carrion lying around along with the occasional soldier dead and covered in buzzing flies.

I found the sound in this game to be quite good. All of the weapons have a nice sound, explosions have plenty of punch, dinosaurs sound great and the music fits nicely. The driving drumbeat you remember from previous titles is still there. Forests and swamps sound alive to go along with top-notch voice acting. You can also hear enemy soldiers calling out for teammates to take cover and flank.

Speaking of soldiers, the A.I. is pretty good, although spotty. The dinosaurs are well done but the soldiers can be quite dumb. One moment they will flank you, popping in and out of cover, making them difficult to bring down and then the next, they are taking cover on the wrong side of a rock leaving them completely exposed or walking almost right next to you totally oblivious. Your teammates are pretty much only good for decoration and the occasional cut scene or one-liner. They will sometimes down an opponent or take an assist on a kill but for the most part, you’re on your own.

The overall difficulty of this game can also be spotty. One moment it seems like nothing can bring you down and the next moment you die over and over again. The boss battles overall are fun and challenging but can sometimes leave you frustrated trying to find the right pattern.

The single player campaign takes about 10-15 hours. The story is not really all that original but well told. This game sometimes gives you the illusion of being open but it is very linear. You can only backtrack so far and for the most part, there is only one path to follow. There is plenty of ammo around so you never get the feeling that you have to conserve rounds. Because of the A.I., situations rarely play out the same, which could give Turok some replay value.

If you’re a big COD4 or Halo 3 fan, multiplayer is not going to dazzle you. Aside from dinosaurs roaming around in multiplayer it’s nothing new. There are 7 multiplayer maps. You have the ability to customize your matches but the options are limited in comparison to the top online shooters today. You can dive into player matches, ranked matches and private matches online with the ability to play small free for all (8 players), large free for all (12 players), team game (8 players), large team game (16 players) and co-op (4 players). The match types available are: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Assault Capture the Flag (neutral flag) and War Games. Although this game does feature co-op, there are only three co-op missions available.

The gameplay is pretty standard for a first-person shooter. The controls are locked and there is no southpaw option. The default sensitivity also seems a little high. Add to that a little muzzle climb and aiming can be difficult. Luckily, you can adjust sensitivity but if you find the graphics a bit dark in caves you are out of luck; there is no gamma adjustment.

Although it’s nothing new, I still found this game to be fun. Killing dinosaurs never got old and the game was challenging. The weapons were nice, most of the environments were impressive and there were definitely some “wow” moments. For their first game, Propaganda did quite a nice job. I look forward to seeing what they do next.

The Good

1. Presentation
2. Sound
3. Gameplay

The O.K.

1. Story line
2. Graphics
3. A.I.
4. Weapon selection
5. Multiplayer

The Bad

1. Lack of gamma and control settings
2. Limited co-op
3. No parties in ranked matches
4. Lack of voice chat on PS3 version

Recommendation: If you are a fan of shooters, although you aren’t big on dinosaurs, this is a rental. If you’re like me and love the idea of jumping on a raptor and slitting its throat, then by all means buy this one when it’s released on 2/5/2008 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 (PC date could be pushed back).

8/10