Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

"It can't compare to the N64 game, but it's fun."

When I purchased Turok 2, I thought "If this is anything like the N64 game, then I'm in great shape." Well, it's nothing like it. It would be a pure pipe dream to begin to compare it to Seeds of Evil 64. At least with Battle of the Binosaurs, there was no possibility of confusion with the stellar N64 title. Anyhoo, back to the game. It's (duh) a side scroller (to my limited knowledge, only Faceball 2000 exists as a first-person shooter on the Game Boy) that is,in all respects, a mixed bag.

The graphics are nothing to scream about, but if you are fortunate enough to own a Game Boy Color, some of the backgrounds are spellbinding for a Game Boy title. However, on some areas, the color is too limited, giving these parts an unfinished feel. Turok runs smoothly, and his animations bring to mind the Genesis game Aladdin. Pretty damn good for an 8-bit title. On a Game Boy pocket, the graphics blend into each other, making it difficult to see incoming projectiles. And don't even try to fire up Turok 2 on the original Game Boy. It just stinks. If possible, play on a Color.

The sound is nothing special either. The effects do their job, but the music seems like something from a bad ninja flick. Some drums that use that thumping Game Boy bass would be appreciated and more appropriate.

Controlwise, the game handles nicely. The leaps of faith are tempered by the responsive controls. However, switching weapons just sucks. It also would be nice to switch weapons while paused.

And is it fun? All things considered, yes. This genre of games is getting old, but we must remember that this is the first wave of Game Boy Color titles,and the focus is on the graphics. Pretty soon, we'll see some games that use the beautiful Game Boy Color's palatte, and innovative gameplay to boot. Yes the game's style is dated, but it's a great example of why the category is so popular.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99