Turok Hands-On

The Turok series had a tumultuous time over its six-game run from Acclaim, from the fantastic first two entries, to the worthless, multiplayer-centered Rage Wars. Following Acclaims' unsurprising implosion shortly after the mediocre Evolution seemed to signal the end for the legendary Dinosaur Hunter. All was not lost, however, as publisher Touchstone and developer Propaganda Games, (a group of mostly former EA employees) acquired the game rights, and is now poised to deliver a brand new, futuristic entry in the franchise on consoles this February, with the PC release set in spring. While you may have seen previews on the single player portion of the game before, this past week in San Francisco they were finally ready to unveil the mostly complete multiplayer side, and gave the Actiontrip guys some hands-on time, with full on booming 5.1, in 16 player matches over Xbox Live on the 360.

Now, that's what I call brothers in arms.

Not so tough now are ya?

First person shooter (FPS) multiplayer exploded onto consoles with GoldenEye on the N64 way back in '97, and Turok 2 followed suit in '98, with fun weapons and tight maps, garnering its own large fanbase, myself included (Cerebral Bore, anyone?). Unfortunately, later games in the series failed to live up, and didn't capture the attention of critics and most gamers. In today's world not only are there a glut of FPS games, especially in the Xbox camp, but also many don't really offer much originality or longevity in the multiplayer department. Propaganda thinks they can stand head and shoulders above the rest, not just with great map design and gameplay, but with something no other game can offer in the battlefield and that is, of course, dinosaurs. Having these beasts, programmed with smart A.I., in the middle of your multiplayer sessions adds some randomness to the events and keeps you on your toes. But there is also some strategy to be had.

The first four multiplayer game modes are pretty standard fare for an FPS, with deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, assault capture the flag (an offense/defense type), but a fifth, unfortunately unplayable mode at this event, called War Games, where victory will come from teams completing certain goals, has me intrigued. Rather than the slower, more deliberate Halo-type pacing, Propaganda has opted for a faster (but not Unreal Tournament speed) feel, which I prefer, with matches that are frenetic. And it's all presented at a smooth 30 frames per second with 16 simultaneous players and high graphic detail, but that is expected from an Unreal Engine 3-powered game. The only caveat is a lack of split-screen support, but the visual fidelity would probably have suffered too much.

One thing that stands out right away with the weapons is the unique alternate fires, and new offerings. With the shotgun, for example, you can also fire a flare, which will attract any nearby dinos. Say you are watching an enemy from above, and he is near a raptor nest. Tag him with a flare, shoot the eggs to spawn a raptor, and watch as carnage ensues. The sticky bomb gun can not only attach remotely-exploded rounds to foes, but can also create mines for unsuspecting travelers, like, say, at the top of a ladder. And take the pulse rifle; its main fire is typical, but how about using it to lob a concussion round behind a bunch of enemies, blasting them forward into a raptor infested pit? Great stuff. The mini-gun also gets an upgrade, just set it down to turn it into an A.I. turret. And to top it all off is the knife, which allows gruesome, up close and personal kills, provided you have good timing. All of the weapons are also divided into sets, which can be set before playing. Want to use only explosive or assault types? Just choose your favorites. Even with the basic modes the play comes off fresh, and a lot of fun.

The dinosaurs are definitely not just eye candy (but man, do they look good!), as they actively react to everything happening on the play field, protecting themselves and their nests, or actively pursuing when they hear or see fighting. Often times the best routes through each map will lead you straight to them, and the worst is to be in the middle of a quiet approach, only to have a raptor come charging in, knock you down, and then eat your face off. Luckily your opponents have to contend with the same problem, and so, naturally, you'll want to sick dinos on them whenever possible.

One headshot, coming up.

Ah, dual-wielding! It spells good, clean FPS fun.

Only three of the seven adversarial maps were shown (the three co-op maps were not demonstrated), but I liked what I played. An Invasion is a dark, craggy area, set atop magma vents, and is constantly wracked with quakes and tremors, giving match a great, tense feel. Firestorm seems to be a refinery of sorts, with catwalks ladders, and piping everywhere, but there is also a "valley" running crosswise, that is your only way to approach the other side stealthily. However, this path is patrolled by raptors, which provides a good sense of risk vs. reward. The last map (and the one I liked the most), was Testing Grounds, a mix up of lush jungle, caves, and man-made structures and bases, with raptors running around many of the areas. According to John Grimm, Multiplayer Lead, great care was taken to make the maps not too small, not too big, and to give each of them a unique feel and "play". Based on my pay so far I'd say. If the rest are up to the same standards, then gamers are in for a treat, come launch day.

At the end of the day, Turok multiplayer is shaping up nicely and so far has enough to set it apart from the (huge) crowd of FPS games, with some unique ideas. (Did you talk to them about my idea to give the dinos firearms? That would really kick ass! -Ed).