Developer: Iguana Entertainment, Night Dive Studios
Publisher: Night Dive Studios
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil – Review
I AM TUROK, these three iconic words define if you’ve had the legendary dinosaur hunter pass by on your Nintendo 64 in the nineties or not. We already revisited the series in 2015, when the first game was revamped and tossed on Steam. We loved the fact this blast from the prehistoric past was getting its time to shine once again, and we couldn’t be happier when we heard Turok 2: Seeds of Evil would get the same treatment. Here we are today, donning our dinosaur hunter outfit once again, to play the second installment of the revamped Turok games.
Story
Even though the name Turok is still used for this one, it’s a new dinosaur hunter in the lead, who has to save the world from peril once again. Monsters from the Lost Lands have been set loose to destroy the five energy totems that seemingly uphold the balance of the world. The plot is simple, as you’re the only one who can defeat the Primagen, the evil mastermind behind the attacks. Of course, the game doesn’t really give you all that much to work with, but the plot is interesting enough to press on.
Graphics
Just like the revamped version of the first Turok game, we are again treated to something very similar for Seeds of Evil, where the rough edges have been taken off, the colors are a bit more vibrant and last but not least, everything seems to be moving a lot more fluently. In a way we’re treated to pretty much the same as the original game on the Nintendo 64, albeit slightly updated to suit our modern needs. The only problem this game has, just like its predecessor, is that everything feels and looks very flat, due to a lack of some extra textures. That being said, retro enthusiasts or fans of the original games will certainly enjoy this updated version.
Sound
The overall soundtrack of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is a rather intense, but pleasant one, as the music is quite ‘in your face’ the entire time, to get your adrenaline levels rising after every corner you take. This is probably the biggest mood setter of the game, which motivates you to press on, with your weapons drawn.
For some the sound effects may sound a bit ‘sharp’, while the voice acting seems to be vaguely muffled. While both will never become annoying, it’s best to turn down the volume of the sound effects, especially when playing with a headset.
Gameplay
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is a retro first person shooter, in which you’ll constantly be running and gunning, all while solving a hefty amount of puzzles, or simply trying to find your way in the different levels which have a similar layout as that of a rather complicated maze. The concept and the controls may be simple, but actually beating the game is certainly a challenge.
Compared to the original N64 release, the controls are extremely smooth, which make it feel as if you’re playing a really fast paced shooter, while in reality it’s a fairly laid back one in terms of the amount of enemies that will cross your path. The high speed however is also quite fun, as you’ll often find yourself backtracking to find a hidden switch or lever, or because you missed a portal that will take you to the next area.
Turok 2 has an even more expansive arsenal of weapons compared to the first installment, and while many weapons feel the same, the total amount of weapons will still create enough diversity for you to mess around with. You’ll quickly notice that the game handles a lot like a true arcade title, which makes actual precision aiming not always that easy, but when you start packing the bigger weapons, precision is clearly for pansies, as the explosive power will do the trick.
While the multiplayer mode is currently not yet crowded, it’s still the same as it always was, albeit a bit modernized and it allows more players to game together. That said, you’ll be able to go nuts in deathmatches, which play a bit like an old school Unreal Tournament of Quake III, albeit slightly slower and less appealing maps. Nonetheless, the multiplayer feature will probably convince many players to play some Turok 2.
Compared to the first revamped game, this one fixed a lot of the original issues, where walking too close to an edge would make you fall off, and hit detection seems to be fairly precise as well. The only sad part is that some of the mechanics weren’t updated, where you could jump over small obstacles, which would have made the gameplay even smoother than it currently is.
Conclusion
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is a great trip down memory lane, and if you played the first one, be it the revamped version or the original, you’ll certainly have a lot of fun with this one. Even with the limited time we were able to spend on the multiplayer mode it proved to be just as fun as it was back in the day. In the end it’s still a great feature for the game, and we hope many players will soon flood the channels. Other than that, you’ll be treated to a solid old school experience, that with the updated smoothness of the controls is a delight to play.
No Comments