Turok

Turok is the 2008 instalment in the first-person shooter Turok video games series based on Acclaim Entertainment's comic series under the same name. The game was scheduled to be released in North America for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 5, 2008; however, it was instead released on January 31. It was released on April 22, 2008, for the Microsoft Windows. Turok was developed by Propaganda Games and published and distributed by Touchstone Interactive banner in North America, Ireland and United Kingdom and by Capcom in all other territories.

Plot
The game is treated as a series reboot and bears no relation to the continuity of the previous Turok editions or to the comic books.

The player takes on the role of a soldier named Corporal Joseph Turok. Previously, Turok was a member of the Wolf Pack, a specialized military detachment whose members were trained in black ops by General Roland Kane. After a falling out with the group, Turok was reassigned to a general military unit known as Whiskey Company. The team has been assembled to apprehend his former mentor and return him to Earth. After committing various war crimes, Kane had disappeared three years earlier only to surface on a backwater world. Unbeknownst to Whiskey Company, the planet is under the jurisdiction of the Mendel-Gruman (M-G) Corporation, and Kane is in command of a private army of M-G soldiers and equipment.

At first, the crew shuns Turok, thinking that he is an inexperienced fighter, untrustworthy, and a liability. One particular member, Slade, has a personal grudge against Turok because his brother Robert was also a member of Wolf Pack, and was killed in the same battle from which Turok had reputedly fled, earning him his dubious reputation.

On approach to their Destination, their starship is shot down from orbit and crash lands on the terraformed surface, where Turok quickly learns that the jungles covering the surface are inhabited by genetically engineered dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are wild and untamed, and are also being used as experimental weapons for General Kane, meaning a three-way battle between Whiskey Company, the M-G soldiers, and the dinosaurs takes place throughout the game. Upon crashing, many of Whiskey Company are killed by the crash or are either killed by dinosaurs or MG soldiers. Turok is first guided through the ship by two unnamed soldiers and Sergeant Morris. Upon seeing where the rest of the ship came down, Morris attempts to contact members of Whiskey Company but is killed by a raptor. Turok then proceeds to find other members. He finds a soldier but he is killed before Turok can help him. He eventually finds Slade and they proceed to get to the main crash site. Eventually, they link up with Reese and stumble upon a group of MG troops. They eventually make their way to the crash site where they find Carter, Jericho, Logan, Parker, Henderson, Cole, Shepard, Foster and Gonzales. Turok is sent by Cole on a mission to find the comm unit from the ship to attempt to call for help. He is discovered by Grimes, a member of Wolf Pack and one of Turok's trainers. He then finds Cowboy engaged by several MG soldiers. After clearing out a camp, Cowboy is wounded by a hidden enemy moments before Foster, Gonzales, Parker, Slade and Logan arrive. While Parker, Logan and Slade take Cowboy back to the camp, Turok, Gonzales, and Foster continue looking for the comm unit. Turok returns to the camp several hours later with the comm unit but without Foster and Gonzales, Foster having been sniped and Gonzales haven been carried away by Mama Scarface, a T-Rex, whom Turok fought. After giving the comm unit to Cowboy, Cole is killed and a battle ensues at the camp. Whiskey Company wins, but also lost Henderson, Lewis, Cole and Parker. Upon hearing a strange noise in the distance, Logan orders Turok and Slade to investigate. Carter speaks up but is ordered to go with them. When they arrive at the base, they discover that it has been attacked. Several minutes later, they are attacked by giant bugs, which results in the death of Carter. Before they can escape in a chopper, the ground collapses. They escape the caverns after fighting a giant sea monster. They eventually link up with what's left of Whiskey Company. Upon attacking a convoy, Logan and Jericho are killed. Turok and Shepard escape the area and link up with Slade, Cowboy and Reese. Upon discovering a back way into an MG base, Reese is killed. The four remaining soldiers enter the base and Turok sets charges on the generators. However, he is captured by Kane. During and argument between Kane and Cowboy, Cowboy is killed. Turok detonates the charges, which results in the death of Grimes and the wounding of Kane. Shepard, Turok and Slade find a ship but before they leave, Turok goes to fight Kane. Turok destroys his ship and kills Kane in a knife battle. Moments after, Mama Scarface enters and attacks Turok. Turok manages to wound her and shove a grenade in her eye, which detonates, killing her. Turok is then picked up by Shepard and Slade and they leave the planet.

Characters
The game's main protagonist. He was a former member of Wolf Pack, and a former military oprative given extensive training in knife fighting and use of the longbow, in addition to training with more conventional firearms. Turok left Wolf Pack because he did not agree with the orders he was given. He joined Whiskey Company and was one of the few that survived. Like Tal'set and Joshua Fireseed in the previous continuity, Joseph has Native American heritage, specifically Kiowa. He is one of only three marines who survives to the end of the game. (Voiced by Gregory Norman Cruz.)
 * Joseph Turok

A member of Whiskey Company that holds a grudge against Turok after his older brother Robert, a member of Wolf Pack, was killed in action, something he blames Turok for. Slade has a short temper that is seen many times throughout the game, specifically towards a marine named Carter. He takes a particular delight in using the flamethrower. Slade finally respects Turok after Turok saves him from a giant serpent seen underground. One of only three marines who survives to the end of the game. His name is a reference to Teen Titans villain Deathstroke whose name is "Slade Wilson". (Both characters are voiced by Ron Perlman.)
 * Slade

A technician for Whiskey Company that is prone to complaining and annoys Turok because he talks too much. He is the only one able to pilot a spacecraft in Whiskey Company. One of only three marines who survives to the end of the game. (Voiced by Donnie Wahlberg.)
 * Shepard

A marine that accepts Turok. When Turok first encounters Cowboy, Cowboy is shot by an arrow and Slade blames it on Turok. He is one of the final four marines but is shot by Kane for speaking out. (Voiced by Timothy Olyphant.)
 * Cowboy

Whiskey Company's sniper, an albino. He saves Turok from a raptor attack. He appeared as a very calm person throughout the game. He never really showed any emotion even during the ambush that killed Cole, Henderson and Louis and remained calm until his death. Reese is one of the final five marines and dies while assaulting the M-G base when he is shot through the eye with an arrow, likely launched by Grimes. (Voiced by Gideon Emery.)
 * Reese

A ranking officer of Whiskey Company. He becomes increasingly unstable as the game progresses. While attempting to find a spacecraft to escape the dinosaur planet, he accuses Turok of alerting M-G soldiers to their position, and promptly reveals their positions to the soldiers, who hadn't actually been aware of their location. Logan is killed by an M-G helicopter while trying ineffectively to destroy it. Logan had also taken command of Whiskey Company after all higher-ranking officers had died. (Voiced by William Fichtner.)
 * Logan

Fazio is a characters originally designed by Touchstone to be in Turok but was cut. He was supposed to be one of the lower ranking soldiers that survived the crash and ambush. His death would have come very shortly after Reese's. He would've run to the gate, yelled to Turok and Cowboy to come to the gate, telling them it was safe. He would have then been eaten by Mama Scarface when she arrived.
 * Fazio

Morris is the sergeant encountered at the beginning of The Lost Land. He, besides Turok, is the only one to survive the escape from the engine chunk of the ship after it crashed. He and Turok are also the first ones to encounter the dinosaurs. He notices smoke on the horizon and says that that is where the rest of the ship came down. He then walks off to contact several members of Whiskey company. Just as he comes in contact with someone, he is carried off by a raptor. His body is seen a little further on being eaten by mini raptors.
 * Morris

Captain and the leader of Whiskey Company. He is usually calm but can be sharp if needed. When Turok, Slade and Reese arrive at the main crash site, he orders Turok to search for the comm. Turok contacts Cole several times throughout the game. After Turok finds Cowboy, he sends Logan, Parker, Foster, Gonzales, and Slade to rendezvous with them. When Turok returns to the camp without Foster and Gonzales he doesn't question it. He is killed by an arrow to the abdomen at the start of a large battle with the M-G soldiers. (Voiced by Mark Rolston.)
 * Cole

Whiskey Company's heavy weapon specialist. He is dedicated to his men and persisted on going after the M-G soldiers after they killed many marines. He is presumed dead after he stayed behind to hold off MG soldiers while the others escaped. Turok saw him taking hits before escaping, but his death was not actually witnessed. (Voiced by Chris Judge.)
 * Jericho

A marine with what seems to be latino heritage. He had gone with Turok in one mission to recover the long-range radio but was carried off by Mama Scarface, the massive T. Rex, who likely fed him to her offspring. Slade had said at one point in the game that Gonzales was his best friend. (Voiced by Lombardo Boyar.)
 * Gonzalez

Another technician for Whiskey Company. He worries a lot and annoys Slade. Carter was sent with Turok and Slade to go see what was making an odd sound after he had complained to Logan. He was killed by giant bugs and dragged underground. (Voiced by Jason Harris.)
 * Carter

Whiskey Company's second-in-command. He was only seen once in the game and was said to have died when the M-G soldiers attacked Whiskey Company's campsite. His death is not shown unlike Louis and Cole's deaths. (Voiced by Steve Van Wormer.)
 * Henderson

Another high ranking officer. He died in the same battle as Cole and Henderson. His death is seen when the MG heavy gunners arrive.
 * Louis

A soldier paired with Turok and Gonzalez to retrieve the comm unit. He is shot by an M-G sniper. (Voiced by Jon Curry.)
 * Foster

Whiskey Company's medic. He tried to treat Cowboy for his arrow wound. It is unclear how he died, but he does not make it off the dinosaur planet at the end with Turok, Slade, and Shepard. It is thought that he was either killed during the attack as he is not seen during the meeting to decide who will lead Whiskey company or he was killed on the return journey to the main crash site as he is not seen when Turok returns with comm unit. (Voiced by Josh Gomez.)
 * Parker

The AWOL leader of Wolf Pack. After Kane left the military he began working with the Mendel-Gruman Company. Kane set up a base on a planet, and among other things, genetically engineered quite a few species of resurrected dinosaurs, and created an incredibly potent toxin that he planned to sell to the M-G Company. He failed in his attempt to escape the dinosaur planet after his facilities were destroyed when Turok blew up his escape vessel and defeated him in a knife fight. Roland Kane was the person that trained Turok to his amazing combat level. (Voiced by Powers Boothe.)
 * Roland Kane

Wolf Pack's second-in-command. He is seen multiple times throughout the game, the first is outside an M-G base on the second level, when he confronts Turok, and when Kane captures the four remaining members in Whiskey Company. It is unclear whether or not he survives the events of the game. He may have been killed when the reactor room exploded and he was hit by a falling metal beam. Grimes also causes the death of Cole and Reese, and he injured Cowboy. His signature weapon is the bow, and his skill with the weapon is exceptional.
 * John Grimes

The paramilitary company that is funding Kane's research on the planet and providing the soldiers that kill many members of Whiskey Company.
 * MG Corp.

Dinosaurs

 * Tyrannosaurus Rex: A Tyrannosaur that has grown to immense size possibly due to age or to some kind of genetic mutation, making her the largest carnivore on the planet. She is a menace of Whiskey Company and is seen multiple times throughout the game. The T-Rex was nicknamed "Mama Scarface" because of the scar on her eye and because of her many offspring.
 * Velociraptor: The most common dinosaur seen on the planet. They hunt in packs and tend to gang up on targets.
 * Spitters: Genetically altered to be the purpose of biological weapons, escaped from the Mendel-Gruman Company's Laboratories. These velociraptors that have venom sacs on their necks that they use to spit acid.
 * Mini-Raptors: Smaller versions of Velociraptors.
 * Baby T-Rex: The offspring of Mama Scarface that attack like raptors in large groups. They are only seen in the T-Rex nest.
 * Compsognathus: Harmless creatures that can reveal your position due to high-pitched squealing.
 * Dilophosaurus: A large predator that mainly hunts alone but can be seen in groups of two-four. It is possible to knife kill them by knocking them over onto their sides.
 * Parasaurolophus: A harmless herbivore that can be dangerous if startled.
 * Apatosaurus: The largest dinosaur in the game which is only seen as background imagery.
 * Pteranodon: Pterosaurs that appear as background imagery occasionally.
 * Giganotosaurus: Only seen in the third level. Slade misidentifies it as a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Other creatures

 * Lurkers: Cat-like creatures that will wait on rocks or trees until they can pounce on you.
 * Soldier Bugs: Genetically altered to be the purpose of biological weapons, escaped from the Mendel-Gruman Company's Laboratories. These large scorpions that can easily overwhelm prey due to numbers and size. They mostly live in dark areas and harsh light, such as a flare or fire, will startle them.
 * Meganeura: Like scorpions, insects also escaped. A large dragonfly can be occasionally seen throughout the game and will spit harmful acid at you.
 * The Beast: An underwater serpent that also has tentacles. It is a boss that lives underground. The Beast has the ability to lunge at you and throw boulders, You can destroy it when it lunges at you near a gas vent by shooting it with your flamethrower. It will become the bridge when it is destroyed.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to that of most first-person shooters, with a strong focus on survival in dangerous natural environments. The human enemies, under the leadership of Kane, are the main threat to the player, although dinosaurs may often be found wandering throughout the game. The dinosaurs act as a neutral force and, if the player chooses, can be used as a tool to attack enemy soldiers. This may be done by attracting roaming dinosaurs to a firefight (via: flares, gunshots, etc.) to aid the player and help dispatch the enemy, with possible other ways depending on the situation. The dinosaur A.I is not limited in attacking specific enemies, so other dinosaurs and all humans, including the player's allies and enemies, may be attacked. The game does not utilize an aim-assist feature.

Propaganda Games has included an additional, stealth mechanic in the game. Because Turok takes place mostly in jungle environments with a focus on ambiance, the player may kill enemies with a bow or knife without being heard or use dinosaurs to attract the attention of other enemies and slip by unnoticed. A famed new feature into this game is the Silent Kill, which is done by drawing your knife, then attacking a human or unaware dino from behind. The kill can be utilized against dinosaurs and humans alike as a finishing blow, and can be executed from any side. The knife is also utilized as a self-defense weapon during phases known as "mauls", where the player is attacked by a dino or bug, and must hammer on the according buttons in order to counter-attack or fend off the attack.

At the end of the game, when you fight Kane as a boss, he steals your knife, and you must quickly hammer on the randomly chosen button(s) and finally kill him at the 4th or 5th set of buttons. These gameplay elements have been made optional, meaning the player is never forced to use stealth to their advantage if they wish not to. Well-known among Turok fans, the games generally feature a large, creative arsenal, with unconventional futuristic weaponry, much unlike that found in typical first-person shooters. Propaganda assured fans that they would stay true to the franchise's roots and create memorable weapons for the players' use. However, the fan favorite cerebral bore didn't make its return in Turok. This Turok uses a heavily modified version of the Unreal 3 Engine, with modifications on realistic textures, A.I, and particle effects.

Multiplayer
Online multiplayer support is also available. There is a (Team) Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Wargames, and Assault Capture the Flag. Multiplayer supports up to 16 people, and 4 players for three co-op missions. A feature in the multiplayer—randomly spawning computer-controlled dinosaurs and insects that appear in various locations in levels—adds a new factor to the gameplay. While players must worry about the opposing enemies, they must now also worry about the hostile dinosaurs that will be attempting to kill them. There can be up to 4 A.I controlled dinosaurs or insects on any map at one time. Unfortunately, splitscreen multiplayer is not supported in any form.

Originally, the Xbox 360 version of Turok was set to feature an Achievement called "Grab Bag", which required players to kill at least one enemy, one dinosaur, one teammate, and themselves, all in the same match. This caused controversy on the Internet as the achievement essentially rewards players for team killing. Josh Holmes, a representative of Propaganda Games, described the creation of the achievement by saying "What we found was that players playing their first match in Turok - almost every player - was (accidentally) killing himself, a team mate and an enemy with a grenade or a Stick [sic] Bomb gun and so we thought 'hey, we should give them an achievement for that', as kind of a joke." He went on to say that developers were planning to release a patch removing Grab Bag if excessive team killing became a problem after launch. This, however, was not the case. At launch, the achievement had been modified via patch, so that one doesn't need to kill a teammate along with yourself, an enemy, and a dinosaur. The achievement description has changed accordingly. The strong lag in multiplayer has been fixed by a patch.

A Map pack called the "Velociraptor Pack" has been released, containing 2 new multiplayer maps, one new Co-op map, and 2 refurbished maps, which now take place at Night.

According to IGN's news article:"Of the five new Turok downloadable maps for consoles, two are completely new multiplayer maps, one is a new co-op map and two are re-lit versions of popular multiplayer maps available with the game. Below is a brief description of the five new maps:


 * Co-Op – A brand new Turok co-op map for 2–4 players. In this co-op map your Whiskey Company squad has been captured and is being held in a Mendel-Gruman facility designed for holding dinosaurs. You and your team have to break out and make it to the rescue chopper before the Wolf Pack troops decide to feed you to the captured raptors.
 * Desolation – A brand new swamp-based map where simple structures are set up alongside a rock cliff to allow helicopters and transports into the area to bring in supplies. There are many hiding spots on this multi-level map which enables numerous quiet kill opportunities.
 * Sentinel – Another new multiplayer map and one of the largest Turok maps to date. The setting takes place at the top of a mountain around one of Kane's orbital defense arrays—the very base that shot down the Whiskey Company ship from orbit in the single-player campaign. Also, the presence of a few large dinosaurs on the map can make things very interesting during multiplayer combat.
 * Inconclusive Tests – This time the Testing Grounds map takes place at night and offers a different view of the world that now contains more dark hiding spots. A word of caution—watch out for the raptors.
 * A Rivalry Continues – As the name suggests, the struggle for the compound from A Heated Rivalry is not over and has extended into the eerie darkness of the night.

Reception
Turok has received mostly postitive reviews since its release, while still citing afew minor undesirable details in the gameworld, but do not generally affect the enjoyment of the gameplay or the interesting things that happen in the games story. As of March 2008, the game holds an aggregate score of 70% on Gamerankings and a 69 out of 100 on Metacritic.

In terms of individual reviews, Turok has received a 9/10 from Play magazine and a 7/10 from both the Official Xbox Magazine and the Official PlayStation Magazine. Both praised multiplayer but commented on the "sketchy enemy awareness" and "dodgy textures". Game Trailers, which gave the game 8.3/10, highlighted the game's use of the Unreal 3 Engine, believing it to be "the best use of the tech outside of Epic's own efforts" and praising the modeling and animation of the dinosaurs in particular. 1up.com gave the game a score of C+, specifically complaining about its stealth mechanics, the use of camera shaking, and occasional graphical glitches in the PlayStation 3 version. Gameplasma gave the game a 7 out of 10 claiming that "the storyline is mediocre" and it is "forgettable". Hyper's Yuri Spadeface commends the game for its "solid frame rate". However, he criticised the "frustrating level design and average execution".

Turok received 3/5 from X-Play, commenting on its aim-assist being woefully inadequate both in multiplayer and single-player, but praised its graphics and "outlook". In its G-phoria episode, it won the category of "Game Deserves An Uwe Boll Movie". Gamepro magazine reviewed the game, saying that "Turok isn't good enough to single handedly repair the franchise's tarnished reputation, but it is good enough that you'll want to forgive some of its ancestors' sins." They gave the graphics a 4.0, the sound a 3.75, the control a 4.75, and the fun factor a 3.75 out of 5.

Game Informer magazine reviewed Turok, and gave it a 7/10, stating "the ecosystem environment does not live up to what it was supposed to or should be. Minor problems like a paper thin story, the constant knocking of the camera from explosives and dinosaurs, the poor multiplayer and poorly spaced checkpoints, drag down what otherwise is a decent shooter." However, they liked the game for its voice talents including Powers Boothe and Timothy Olyphant. It was reviewed by Ben and Bertz, who both agreed on the same score.

Elsewhere, Turok was criticised to a further extent. Honest Gamers awarded the game 5/10, citing the unforgiving checkpoint system, badly-contextualized story and poor AI as reasons for the mediocre mark; and PC Gamer UK awarded the game 57%, calling it "weary and uninspired."

Sequel
A sequel was in development, but lay-offs at Propaganda Games resulted in the project being cancelled.