Back in the day, all you needed was a clunky console, a dusty cartridge with a cool design, and a bow to shoot dinosaurs with. It was a simpler time, and Turok exemplified why we fell in love with the shooter genre in the first place.
Yes, it was corny, and yes, it wasn’t the most complex game out there, but it didn’t need to be. We’re glad to report that maybe a slice of that kind of simple happiness might find its way onto consoles very soon, with Turok: Origins. Developed by Saber Interactive, who developed the World War Z games and one (surprisingly) good Ghostbusters tie-in title in 2009, so what gives them the creds to develop a Turok game all of a sudden?
Looking at what the reveal showed us, things become a tad clearer to us. Origins seems to be a combination of sleek shooter fun and the pulpy, over-the-top action only Turok would be able to deliver on, so the best of both worlds. Kind of. For PlayStation players, this is especially big, since Turok used to be a Nintendo 64 brand first and foremost, so this might very well be the first step into the forgotten lands for many players.
It’s kind of refreshing seeing Turok return to consoles, especially in a sea of shooters going for realism or epic sci-fi space battles first and foremost. Turok, on the other hand, reminds us that sometimes the simplest hook – dinosaurs and guns – is all a gamer’s heart wants to feel truly happy.
The Jungle Calls, and It’s Calling For Turok!
The reveal made one thing abundantly clear: It IS a return to form for the dinosaur-hunting, tek-bow-shooting native American hunter. The lush jungle stretches out in every direction, possibly full of hidden paths and, of course, giant dinosaurs waiting to rip you into pieces.
The dinosaurs don’t seem to be simple window-dressing or a PR stunt either – looking at you, Turok 2008 – they look as if they’re the main reason to play this game, an integral part of gameplay, and really a form of character in and of themselves.
What we noticed as well was the sense of scale; the dinosaurs felt enormous, without feeling like movie monsters – large animals, but designed to kill you, of course.
The modern fidelity of the trailer, which appeared to be a mix of gameplay and pre-rendered scenes, doesn’t kill the vibe at all, although we are a little worried the title devolves into looter-shooter territory. We want the term “live service” as far away from our dear Turok as possible. Please.
Weapons Need “Ooomph” In A Turok Game
If you’ve played the first and second Turok Games, with Seeds of Evil being the “worst” offender, you know that these games can be considered gun porn. It isn’t as much the sheer amount of weapons in Tal-Sets/Joshua Fireseed’s arsenal, it’s the creativity and the audio-visual design of the individual guns that set the series apart.
Fans of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil only need to hear one name, and we guarantee you, they will grin from ear to ear: Cerebral Bore. We won’t spoil anything, but if you’re interested, Google it. You won’t be disappointed. Fact is: The weapons in Turok: Origins need to do two things: they need to be creative, and they need to feel right. We can’t explain it better than this.
Shotguns need to bust your eardrums, the bowstring needs to twang just the right way, and impact sounds are equally as important. Let’s just hope Saber gets these things, along with the dinosaur design right, and we’ll finally be able to return to the forgotten lands as Turok – Dinosaur Hunter. Possibly with our friends. We can’t wait!
