Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

    I loved the original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and I had high expectations for Turok 2. All the promises Acclaim made to us that Turok 2 would be better than GoldenEye. But these were promises unkept.
    The solo missions are much the same design as those in the first Turok, but on a much, much, much larger scale. These levels are frickin' huge! This wouldn't be such a bad thing if there was an option to save anywhere. But instead, you have to settle for saving at the halfway point of each level. And just finding the save point is difficult! Another thing that I did not like is the fact that the levels are so maze like. Take Half-Life, or GoldenEye, for instance. They have some pretty good sized levels, but they aren't mazes.
    The actual gameplay is fun. The weapons in Turok are just head and shoulders above the rest, in their sheer power and their special effects. The enemies are also pretty cool looking, and almost show intelligence. Depending on your weapon, the enemies will either charge you, hold their ground and attack like good FPS enemies, or search frantically for cover. One thing that disappointed me with this game, as well as the original Turok is the lack of dinosaurs. The first Turok had dinosaurs in the first couple levels, but had cyborgs, aliens, and other bullshit in the last levels. That is the same with Turok 2. My wish, my one and only wish, is to have a FPS where you actually get to shoot dinosaurs!!!!
    In Turok 2, Acclaim has made an attempt to provide gamers with a deeper experience than normal FPS. In the same vein as GoldenEye 007, there are mission objectives that you must complete in each level. However, unlike GoldenEye, the mission objectives are really poorly executed in T2. The objectives usually consist saving some stupid damn kids, finding batteries in 3 locations, then using the batteries in 3 other locations to turn on some search lights (and with the HUGE levels, these types of objectives are just tedious, boring, pointless, frustrating, and dumb). The objectives are spread too far apart. And the objectives themselves are just stupid. To compliment the lame objectives, Acclaim included a really lame story. I wish Acclaim would have left this like a normal FPS than trying to tackle the all-mighty GoldenEye.
    The multiplayer game, which had been hyped as being "far superior to GoldenEye" just turned out like crap. Games like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark just have a feel to them. While playing them, the controls seem intuitive and it is like you are a part of the game. In T2, you just don't get that feeling. Another gripe with the multi in T2, is that if you include any powerful weapons, the matches become a race to the good weapons instead of a fair fight deathmatch. There are also frame rate problems. If the action gets intense at all, the game will freeze up like Sick Wake when he talks to girls. Multiplayer is a forgettable experience.
    The graphics in Turok 2 really are spectacular. The best on the N64 (even now). They convey a sense of realism that is unparalleled. The special effects on the weapons, the mist (actual mist instead of graphics hiding fog), and the lens flair from the sun all look amazing. The drawback to this is the horrid framerate. I'd trade a playable frame rate for average graphics any day. Wouldn't you? There are also several FMV cinemas that try and tell the story, but I wasn't impressed.
    The music in T2 is also very good. It really sets a great mood. The sound effects are where Turok 2 really shines though. Each gun has a distinctly different sound. Each enemy makes a unique sound. Running water, roaring fires, and more all make very realistic and really cool sounds. Also, in the background, you will hear the chilling screams of dying soldiers or the cries for help of little children. It really sounds great and sets the setting and the mood better than most games.
    Overall, Turok 2 isn't really all that bad. It certainly isn't everything we'd hoped for and more. It certainly isn't better than GoldenEye (or even the original Turok). But it is a fun game. The solo missions are fun for simply shooting stuff, but the mission objectives and sheer size of the levels are somewhat of a turn off. Multiplayer could have been so much better, but it wasn't/ isn't. Definitely worth renting, but not really worth buying.