When the Nintendo 64 invaded our homes in 1996 the opening lineup left something to be desired. While Mario 64 was fantastic to the point that 18 years later it’s still one of the best games ever, other launch titles such as Pilotwings 64 and Waverace 64 didn’t stack up. Many gamers were hoping for an action packed adventure that didn’t revolve around our favorite plumber. Unfortunately, now timeless classics like the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye 007 were still quite a ways away. Fortunately, in the early months of 1997 the void was filled by a comic-derived Doom clone called Turok Dinosaur Hunter.
Though it had some of the worst controls FPS history, Turok was praised for its graphics, expansive environments, and wealth of baddie-slaying weaponry making it a must have for any N64 owner. Naturally, a sequel was expected and in 1998 Turok fans received Turok 2: Seeds of Evil.
Featuring a deeper story, improved visuals, and a greater arsenal of weaponry, Turok 2 was impressive from the start. More inspired level design took Turok out of the jungles of the Lost Land and sent him into a variety of strange locales such as an alien ship commanded by insect creatures, underground caves ruled by bloodthirsty molemen, and a human city ripped apart by war. On surface, Turok 2 was simply an updated version of the original. That was what many thought until they acquired explosive rounds for their shotgun midway through the first level and suddenly realized that in their hands laid the power to behead, dismember, and vaporize an enemy. While Turok 1 allowed for enemies to cough and splatter blood on the walls and ground, Turok 2 took video game violence to a whole new level making sure one thing was certain; Turok 2 was bigger and badder than the first game.
So how does it hold up today? Honestly, Turok 2 has a special place in my heart and a recent play through was like a time warp into my childhood. Unfortunately, the uniquely mapped controls that I mastered at age 10 now seem strange and alien. Using an analog to aim my weapons is a well-accepted part of modern gaming but after years of Battlefield and Call of Duty and using my right hand to aim, I can barely line up a shot in Turok using my left thumb to aim. As such sniping an enemy without getting picked off in the process or even gunning down a moving enemy is about as easy as moving a parked car by hand. In one particular case, I sat behind a barricade armed with a pistol, as it was ten minutes into the first level, trying to snipe an unsuspecting enemy waiting to ambush me. Attempting to perfectly line up my crosshairs with my foe’s reptilian head was easily the most frustrating moment of the day. When I finally thought I had the shot, I pulled the trigger only to somehow slip away from target, missing completely and earning myself a death by a perfectly thrown plasma grenade. Other issues with the aiming controls came up when attempting to fire upon a charging enemy. Because the game featured an impressive AI for its day, certain enemies easily dodged my shots and made mincemeat of my character as I struggled to line up a shot.
Horrible controls aside the game isn’t the graphical masterpiece it once was, but that’s expected of a game that was released in 1998. Sure, the characters are polygonal and I can occasionally see through the walls every now and again, but none of this wrecks the game. It’s the music, atmosphere, and story that make a game great and that’s exactly where Turok 2 shines.
Featuring an epic soundtrack that sounds more like it belongs to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, the music in the first level gets my blood pumping for some action. What’s even better than the music is the atmosphere. While the N64 was limited in terms of graphics, the first couple of levels, the Port of Adia and the River of Souls, greatly resemble Ancient Byzantium in terms of architecture to the armor and weapons found on the games numerous dead Adian soldiers. Later levels include a dark and dreary marsh inhabited by the monstrous Pur-Lin creatures, the Death Marshes, a mysterious alien ship, Hive of the Mantids, and underground caverns filled with venomous spiders and blind cannibals, Lair of the Blind Ones. All of these levels are expansive and ripe for exploration. And while the later levels are a bit cliche they serve to set the sequel apart from the original, for Turok 1 was mainly a jungle treading affair.
Though more complex than the first game in terms of graphics, AI, locales, and weaponry, the game sticks to the ‘stop supervillain X ‘ from taking over the world with an added side story revolving around a demonic entity called Oblivion that doesn’t get fully explored until Turok 3 Shadow of Oblivion. As a whole, the plot of Turok 2 has a new Turok warrior traveling the Lost Land, an Earth-like world where time has no meaning, to collect ancient talismans and stop an evil army of dinosaur hybrids from destroying a series of energy totems that keep a supremely evil alien imprisoned in his starship. It’s nothing special or even original but where the game lacks in story it makes up everywhere else, except for the controls, of course.
So once again, how does it hold up today? While a primitive piece of junk when compared to the most recent Turok on Xbox 360 and PS3, Turok 2 holds up quite well. The graphics are great considering its age, the weapons are fun to toy around with, especially the Cerebral Bore and Nuke weapons, the enemies are interesting, though a little lacking in creativity, and the levels are expansive. The controls, however, make the game a chore to play, and so to save oneself a whole lot of frustration when running through this game be sure to type BEWAREOBLIVIONISATHAND in the cheat menu and reward yourself with invincibility and infinite ammo. That being said, should you ever find a copy of Turok 2 or download it’s rom for use with an emulator you’re in for a somewhat flawed but gracefully aged N64 classic.