Review: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

A time machine to a better 1997

The year was 1997 and ten-year-old me was obsessed with two things, dinosaurs and video games. Imagine my excitement when the latest issue of GamePro magazine arrived in my mailbox informing me of an upcoming game where I got to roam amongst dinosaurs. I was excited to say the least.

Now, 18 years later that very same game I adored as a child is rereleased for PC and my inner child is both happy and sad; happy that I’ve been able to play Turok: Dinosaur Hunter again, and sad that it just isn’t as perfect as I remember it.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (PC)
Developer: Iguana Entertainment, Night Dive Studios
Publisher: Night Dive Studios
MSRP: $19.99
Released: December 17, 2015

Most people remember Turok: Dinosaur Hunter from the Nintendo 64, but there was also a PC port released back in 1997 as well. This latest release takes the best parts of both versions and combines them with an all-new engine to make a definitive PC version. That said, don’t expect much new as the overall experience is largely unchanged from the N64 version: same music, same bland graphics, and same cheat codes. By just playing the game you’d probably not notice the differences unless you’ve recently done a playthrough of the N64 version, which I certainly haven’t.

Shooters in 1997 played a hell of a lot differently than they do now: no infinite lives or regenerating health, and you better be ready to collect keys; Turok is a classic shooter through and through. Stages feel massive and open due to most of the levels being designed as if you’re outside in a very cliffy but smooth terrain. Levels offer branching paths though many just lead to a secret or weapon at a dead end, but you can explore freely in most areas as you wish, as well as travel between levels using portals at the end of the first level. While not completely open world, Turok is certainly a far cry from the hallways of Doom, at least until the final level of the game when things get a bit more linear and enclosed. 

There isn’t much of an in-game narrative to Turok. A Native American armed with weapons ranging from a bow and arrow to modern guns to alien technology fights through waves of humans, dinosaurs, and cyborgs to stop an evil person from taking over the world. Honestly, the story doesn’t matter at all; the shooty bits are the real draw here. Blasting dinosaurs feels pretty satisfying all around, even if it is less Destiny and more like the classic Unreal series. The death animations of the humans are some of the best in any FPS; I especially enjoy when they grab their neck while blood squirts out. Sadistic, I know.

The only time gunplay feels tedious is with the bullet-sponge bosses and late-game enemies. As the game advances it constantly rewards you with new weapons that help, including some with over-the-top, screen-filling explosions. Even with top tier weapons, bosses can still be a pain in the ass. 

If you feel nostalgia for the worst parts of retro gaming then you’ll get a kick out of this; saving the game still requires finding checkpoints. You have to manually select a save slot, and — just like on the N64 — to reload a save you must start a new game then pause and select your save to load. Aside from playing the game in widescreen, there are some other enhancements, though nothing major, you’ll still be seeing the same ugly textures reused over and over. Options are included for field of view, and a new longer draw distance that still maintains the fog in the distance on most levels.

Not having to deal with only being able to see a short distance ahead of you due to fog makes the game far easier, especially when enemies don’t detect you till you get closer to them, and all the weapons seem to have unlimited range. While there is an option to reduce the draw distance — thus moving the fog closer to you — it doesn’t feel like it is enough to replicate the feel of the N64 experience of being surprised by enemies coming out of the fog just mere feet ahead of you.

The increased draw distance does fix one major issue the original version had; there is rarely any need to pull up your on-screen map overlay. I remember playing on the N64 with the map on the screen most of the time due to getting lost in the fog and not knowing where to go next, an experience I’d rather not relive.

While the ten-year-old inside of me would like to pretend that Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is perfect and the best shooter of all time, I have to admit it isn’t and this version isn’t anything special. If you’re looking to relive a retro experience with slightly better draw distance, a solid 60fps framerate, and a far superior control system then by all means pick this up. If you’re more accustomed to the modern day FPS, it’s best to leave this one buried in the past.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}