Summary
Ho Hum
The Good
I really enjoyed all the different weapons that Turok could get - there were a LOT. The bow and arrow was a powerful first weapon, and you can recollect your arrows after you use them (they don't disappear after fired). The plasma rifle definitely did some damage in the middle of the game, and also doubled as a sniper. But my favourite weapon so far is the razor wind...it literally acts like an organic boomerang - it knows where to go and kills enemies quickly but painfully.
The background music was also very melodic and deep, it only seems to get better and better as the levels pass. This is very important in any game - the soundtrack is probably the most attractive part of the game, or any game, for that matter. The sound effects were good too. I still get a good laugh every time I get a hundred tokens and the character says, "I AM TUROK!"
I particularly enjoyed the intermission hub between levels - the scenery was beautiful and if it were any more real you could fall off the edge! The cheats you earn between levels can be very fun too...
The Bad
On the whole I didn't really like this game that much. The most important reason is the movement. I found it too easy to be able to fall of a cliff or into a pool of lava, and felt almost as if I had no balance or I was pushed. The biggest example is on the level in the ship with all the air vents, and the air currents would gradually push you off the steel bridge into the energy stream. I found this very annoying and too hard (especially with those turrets firing at you).
Also, it was too easy to die. If you fell into a puddle of acid or lava it was instant death. You can't simply suffer greatly and get back up. Health is too scarce, and you're almost always on your own.
Another annoying thing is the saving procedure. In this game you can't save your game on the spot, you have to find a safe haven portal (and there is not a lot). You are also granted one full-health cheat and one full-ammo cheat per level, but sometimes even that is not enough. So make sure you only use the full-health cheat if you're under 15% or so.
The most irritating thing, however, is when you save, quit, then reload your game. Your automap memory is erased, so everywhere you've travelled to you'll have to find it all over again. This might be a no-brainer for those with superior navigation abilities, but the levels are huge. It is too easy to get lost even with the automap, especially in the ship when the textures and the scenery repeat themselves throughout.
Multiplayer isn't really that exciting either. You only get eight land weapons and four underwater weapons, and even then they've been stripped of power and graphics from the single player version. Music in multiplayer is disabled, and the wall textures are monotone (only one wall texture per level - but you get to choose which one).
The Bottom Line
This game is definitely above mediocre, but I would certainly not consider it a masterpiece. There are a few attractive "up's," but also a lot of technical "down's." It's definitely a good adventure and if you want to get it fine (you'll definitely love the graphics and the weaponry), but this game discouraged me from trying out the prequel or the sequel.
