Posted on: December 21, 2020

Sat42

Games: 396 Reviews: 15

3.5/5 First person movement is standout

The remaster of Turok is definitely better than the original '97 release on the Nintendo 64, even if you opt to play this update without the fancy graphical enhancements in order to be as close as possible to the "vanilla" (original) visuals (which may help with visual consistency). The main reason for the improvement lies in the controls: mouse + keyboard will always be better for freeform FPS games than the N64 controller (which only really stands the test of time when playing 3D platformers). The remaster also has the benefit of a much higher frame rate and greater FOV, and along with the excellent implementation of first person movement and associated gun play, it makes for an enjoyably smooth FPS experience. Turok was always designed to provide fast-paced FPS action, which shines here better than ever before thanks to the aforementioned improvements, but the game stumbles in its insistence on throwing regular platforming challenges at the player: these can be too difficult from a design perspective, meaning they'll give you a harder time than even the game's toughest boss fight (on the normal difficulty setting at least). Again, the remaster does help to smoothen things out a little, but the jumping sequences remain problematical. The other emphasis is on exploration which is usually more enjoyable, though it can slow things down a lot. The AI is just about able to do its job, but the animations are surprisingly smooth and sophisticated (and were nothing short of amazing back in '97): e.g., there's the realistic looking running animation with pivoting, and the death animations with blood splatting are "wicked". The setting is wacky and while the narrative is really just mediocre, the game has good atmosphere (I recommend playing with the remaster's extended view distance turned off so as to be plunged into the fog of the original). You feel compelled to make it all the way to the end. It's fairly shallow stuff - a good game, nothing more nothing less.

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Posted on: August 27, 2017

MotherKojiro

Verified owner

Games: 481 Reviews: 196

What an Arsenal!

I'll be honest: I completely obsessed with this game back in the day, and I've lost track of how many times I've played it through. I haven't had an N64 for at least a decade, so to see this on GOG was pretty exciting. I sat down to play, still remembering all the secrets and where to go to find every little thing, thinking this would be nice to finally have again, but I was still surprised. Playing this with mouselook makes a world of difference; it's a HUGE improvement, and now that draw distance doesn't suck anymore, the game looks a lot better, as well. This isn't going to be a game that everyone enjoys. As I haven't played a lot of modern Shooters, I can't really speak to the idea that it's dated, but I have heard as much. You'll also find quite a few platforming sections, and if that turns you off, I'd definitely stay away. I will say that the platforming is a lot better than in many of its contemporaries, but I can see why some would flinch at the idea. Most Shooters of this era stand mostly on the merits of their respective arsenals, at least in my opinion, and this one more than delivers. This game has a ridiculous number of weapons, many of which are quite creative; it wasn't afraid to stray from the melee/pistol/shotgun/machine gun/weak energy/powerful energy formula that Doom had popularized. In fact, it has more than a few that are so over-the-top that even the BFG would turn its face sheepishly away and furtively slink out of the room. So, if you're not one to shy away from a little first-person platforming, and think that taking down cybernetically enhanced velociraptors with a nuclear-apocalypse-launching energy rifle, then give this one a go!

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Posted on: August 27, 2018

oldsxcool

Verified owner

Games: 168 Reviews: 12

I can FINALLY play this game!

I still have the original Nintendo 64 cart and thought the game was pretty good until I got to the 3rd level where the difficulty really ramps up in this game. Until playing this version I had no idea how badly hampered the Nintendo 64 original was with its massively limited sight distance due to the infamous wall of fog and the extremely closed in field of view. It's much easier navigating around the terrain and being able to recognize where you are and where you've been since you don't have the wall of fog making it difficult to identify areas. While the frame rate on the Nintendo 64 was actually not that bad, the game is much faster paced and easier to control screaming at 60 frames per second. Platforming sections don't feel like a gamble every time with the sluggish controls on the Nintendo 64. A very welcomed added bonus are the extra graphical features that have been added to just touch the game up a bit like bloom, light scatter, water reflections and refraction, and 16x AF which all help this early 3D game age a little better. What I also thought was cool is that you have the ability to select the original PC soundtrack or the N64 soundtrack which is set to N64 by default. I'm glad they chose to keep the N64 soundtrack because I still like it better than the PC mix, and the N64 music sounds clearer than ever since it's no longer compressed to fit on a cartridge. Sorry to have made such a big comparison between the PC and the N64 version, but I believe most of us who played Turok back in the day played in on the Nintendo 64. If you are on the fence like I was on getting this release because you already own the N64 version or you've been emulating the N64 version on PC, or even own the original PC version of this game; DO IT! This is a first class remaster of a great game. Is it worth $20? Not for me so much, but I got it on sale for $5, and at that price it's a complete no brainer.

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Posted on: March 8, 2020

boredgunner

Verified owner

Games: 216 Reviews: 31

Outstanding remaster

This series was my childhood. As a remaster, this makes all the necessary improvements and will run on any configuration and resolution although the engine doesn't go above 60 FPS. You get to choose the console soundtrack or the higher quality but different PC one, OpenAL was kept as the sound API so you get nice 3D HRTF which is very nice in surround sound. All the cheats were kept the same. You can of course aim properly now in this remaster which is such a relief. There are a few controversial changes to level design though, but they're pretty minor. The first instance is on the very first level regarding the second key: it is hidden in the original game, but here it resides in an entirely newly designed area out in the open, and only the auto shotgun remains similarly hidden. The other level design layout change is on level 4; the room containing the frozen creatures is no longer hidden, instead sitting out in the open. Both changes were clearly designed to make the game easier, no doubt because in their playtesting too many players failed to find these crucial elements which would lead to them being stuck. To me, someone whose favorite games growing up were Turok 1 and 2 back when they were new, this is not a big deal since it's exclusive to these two instances. All Chronoscepter pieces are in the same place. Ultimately, this is the only way to play Turok. As for Turok itself as a game? It is a distinct mix of FPS and platforming, solid in both regards thanks to a diverse selection of weapons with some really cool sci-fi ones, and tricky platforming in your early playthroughs. The AI is outdated compared to great PC FPS games but it makes up for it in difficulty on higher modes.

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Posted on: February 6, 2021

hyperyoda

Games: 559 Reviews: 6

Fun throwback

This game has a lot of nostalgia for me. I have it on Steam and would, but it on GOG if it were remastered or if there were any tweaks or special goodies. Even $7 on sale (which it is now) is not enough to warrant a second purchase if it's identical to the Steam release.

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