Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

"Don't waste your time - There are better FPS's on this console."

Introduction

First of all, let me explain why I purchased this game, why I wanted to play it, and why I had high hopes for it. One day when I was bored, I was perusing Gamespot.com and I decided to search Top Rated First Person Shooters of All Time on the Nintendo 64. The usual suspects came up: Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. But another game was listed with them. One that scored a 9 out of 10 and received the prestigious Editor's Choice award. This game was Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, developed by Iguana and published by Acclaim. A few days later, I had managed to find a copy, and was looking forward to another excellent FPS experience on the N64.

Never have I disagreed more with Gamespot's ratings.

Gameplay

You play as Turok, AKA Joshua Fireseed (yes, he's Native American). The default control scheme here is the same as the first Turok game, and now feels very archaic in the wake of Goldeneye's improved setup. Although the developers were smart enough to include a control scheme mirroring Goldeneye's, it ends up feeling very clunky; in fact it controls so poorly it gives the impression that Turok is a 300lb fatass. This probably has a lot to do with the awful framerate, but I'll get into that later. You move Mr. Fireseed forward, backward, left and right using the four C-buttons. Using the control stick, you can look around to survey your surroundings. The A button cycles forward through your weapons. The B button cycles backwards through your weapons. The Z button fires the equipped weapon. The R button is used for jumping, and of course platforming in a FPS is a great idea that never fails. The L button brings up the map, the uselessness of which will surprise you. Up on the D-pad changes the type of ammo in use, if the gun you happen to be using has more than one type of ammunition. Down on the D-pad will cause you to crouch, and this has absolutely no practical purpose at all.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Wow, 007Ganondorf, that sounds like a pretty craptacular control setup! Yes it is, lucky reader. Yes it is.

Turok 2 is all about shooting guys. Well, I shouldn't say guys, they are more of the alien/reptile/humanoid variety. I wouldn't have a problem with this if the generous amount of gunplay was even the least bit fun. Unfortunately, the shooting very quickly becomes either boring, repetitive, frustrating or a disappointing mix of all three. Sometimes the enemies are too small and/or fast-moving to conceivably aim at with the controls the way they are. This leaves the player swiping with their claws like a madman, hoping the tiny dinosaurs will run blindly into the last-resort attack. To the game's credit there is a large variety of guns, some of them being very cool and innovative, but by the time you acquire them you'll be heavily considering quitting, and even awesome weapons like the Cerebral Bore (which drills into your enemy's skull and then explodes upon contact with the brain) likely won't convince you otherwise.

The game is divided into six levels, which are massive in scale. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a boon rather than a blessing. Wandering around huge worlds with no idea where to go, while encountering annoying enemies and enduring poor controls that never seem to respond well even on high sensitivity settings can be a bit intimidating for new gamers, and a turn-off even for seasoned veterans.

There are objectives to complete in each level, but they are very vague and obviously tacked on, not really having any correlation to the story, merely serving as an attempt to provide a reason why you're doing all this killing.

Story

Surprisingly, this game actually does have a storyline. Not surprisingly, it sucks. At the conclusion of the events of the first Turok game, Joshua Fireseed unwittingly released a great evil into the world. Now it's up to him to kill it. That is all.

Graphics/Sounds

I'm not going to mince words. The graphics are heinous. In comparison, Goldeneye looks considerably better, and has a much smoother framerate, and was released over a year prior to this. The only explanation for this is that Turok 2's levels are HUGE. In this sense, the game was probably too ambitious for its time and console. I suppose butt-ugly graphics, poor draw distance and sluggish speeds were the only way these gigantic levels could come to life. The developers should ask themselves, though, if it was worth it.

In terms of audio, I can safely say this is the best aspect of Turok 2. The enemies sound appropriately mean and ferocious, and the barks of a pistol and booms of a shotgun all come through nicely. The music, too, is actually kind of catchy, and always suits the on-screen action, ranging from dark and creepy to fast paced and heart-pumping, usually with a focus on bass tones. (The main menu music still haunts me)

Replayability

Chances are you won't want too.

There is multiplayer, but there are so many better options for multiplayer on the N64, that even die-hard fans (if there are any) would find it tough to come up with reasons to play this.

Bottom Line

I tried to like Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. I really tried. But despite my best efforts, I couldn't get past the terrible graphics, the painfully slow framerate, the frustratingly unresponsive controls, and gameplay that can be described as repetitive and mindless at best. What saddens this reviewer the most is the wasted potential. If the developers had made numerous, much smaller levels and tweaked the controls to work exactly like Goldeneye's, then sure it would have been a shameless copy, (I'm looking at you TWINE) but at least it would have been enjoyable. And there's nothing wrong with taking lessons from one of the best games of all time.

Thanks for reading.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/09

Game Release: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (US, 10/21/98)