Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Turok is the re-imaging of the classic N64 dinosaur hunter on the next-gen consoles. You take up your bow and arrow on a strange planet after your spaceship crash lands on a planet that your squad is not familiar with. Trouble arises when Turok's past starts catching up with him. You have to use your elite military training to bring the fight back to your former mentor and the corporation backing him.

What's Hot
It has been a long time since the name Turok was relevant in the lexicon of gamers. His return is more than welcome in the new game. Where as some FPS games want you to be more tactical, Turok lets the beast out of the cage. Taking out the legions of enemies and dinosaurs is as easy as pointing and shooting with a variety of weapons. The best weapons in the game are the most low-tech in the future. Turok specializes in killing with a hunting knife and a bow and arrow.

With the knife, you make quick work of unsuspecting human enemies and charging dinosaurs. Using context sensitive actions, you'll stab and slice down anything in your path silently so as to not draw attention to yourself. The bow uses the same principal, silence. Impaling a human enemy troop against a door with an arrow will have you saying, "Oh SNAP, that didn't just happen!" The firing mechanic for the bow is fun in itself. You can draw the bow back and with the quick release of the trigger, the arrow flies. If you are unhappy with your shot, slowly release the trigger to not waste ammo.

Let's not forget about one awesome component to Turok - dinosaurs. From the beginning you'll face dinosaurs that will want to tear you apart. Good thing you have your trusty knife to stab their brains. Yes, stab their brains. When not violently killing extinct animals, you can appreciate their beauty. Some of the best visuals in the game are the dinosaur models and how they are animated. Dinosaurs behave in Turok like you would expect them to, unpredictable and deadly. Dinosaurs don't take side so you can use them to your advantage if the opportunity arises by letting the enemy humans get their attention first.

Multiplayer is a strong component in Turok. Not only are there the standard deathmatch and CTF modes, you can play Co-Op with up to four players. Online games will turn into knife-stab-fests as players jockey for points. You can fill a game with up to 16 players so there will be plenty of opportunities to frag the other team over seven maps.



What's Not
For as many positive things Turok does for the franchise that has been off the radar for almost a half a decade, there are parts that just are not up to snuff. For starters, the human AI is inconsistent. There are plenty of times stealth kills are possible but for inexplicable reasons, the humans will know you are around. Same goes for gun battles. When sniping is an option, the evil troops will zero in on your spot, even if you changed positions. One instance in particular is most aggravating: When trying to take down a "spider-tank," the cannon will always stay locked on Turok no matter what.

Visuals, overall, are a mixed bag. The dinosaurs look stunning but everything else is okay. The textures in the jungle look muddy and often repeat themselves leaving you wandering around in caves and jungle clearings. For the PS3 version, the graphics also take a dive for one reason or another. Seeing that gamers know the Unreal 3 Engine is more than capable, it is a mystery why Turok looks the way it does. Thankfully, the dinosaurs look awesome.

Minor issues also crop up. Multiplayer is strong but the Co-Op is rather limited. Instead of giving you access to the entire game, you can only team-up for three maps.

Final Word
Turok manages to revive the ailing franchise. The dinosaurs look awesome and fighting them is just as cool. Turok shines when going head to head with a raptor is a primal experience where it's human wits versus a beast's raw power. Human enemies are inconsistent foes when it comes to levels of awareness. The fun of stealth kills are hampered greatly by that fact. Still, there is something about Turok that makes you come back for more and perhaps that intangible quality is how feral the gameplay remains above all the flaws in single and multiplayer.