GENRE
	Shooter
	DEVELOPER
	Iguana
	PUBLISHER
	Acclaim
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

There are two things that you as a reader must know about this review. The most important issue regarding this Turok 2 review is that I refuse to compare this game to Goldeneye. I know what you’re thinking… “Is Eric Dipping into the hippie sauce again?” The truth of the matter is that I see both of these games as two VASTLY different experiences. It’s unfair to compare the two just because they are in the same gaming genre. However, I do promise that my love of Goldeneye will NOT affect this review. Goldeneye was my first love on the 64 so it’s special to me. Kind of like the first time I saw Buffy. Mmmmm……Buffy….GRRRR! But I still won't let this cloud my judgement of Turok 2.

The second thing you have to know is that I DO NOT YET OWN an EXPANSION PAK. That doesn’t mean this review is useless to you though. Are you so shallow that you only care about looks?! Let me say this: Turok2 is so good that I don’t think it even needs the expansion pak! So if you can’t afford, or just aren’t planning on buying the 4meg pak but you still want Turok2 then please read on. Either way I promise that this review will help you make an informed decision about this game.

visuals

I did not want to deal with all of this letter box hi Rez, over heating 4meg pak and phantom framerate nonsense. I instead opted to take the Coca Cola Classic route to T2 land. To be honest, I'm not so sure that I want to spend money on that device just yet. I'd rather by Tetris DX right now. Therefore the following comments regarding graphics do not include Hi Rez enhancements.

So how does T2 look? Bloody outstanding! I mean that literally. There is blood and guts all over this game! When you blow off an enemy’s head blood shoots out of its arteries like a Buffalo goalie from the eighties. When an enemy collapses after some synaptic jerks blood oozes into a pool around the corpse. I hate violence for violence’s sake. But the enemies in T2 are so well crafted (both visually and through their AI) that you want to see them die miserably.

The non-enhanced frame rates of T2 are just fine. Don’t believe the hype gang. T2 plays very smoothly. Although its not perfect. I did notice some massive slowdown when blasting away with the Tricisicsidfissdferetops that you ride in level two. Overall though, Turok 2 accomplishes a lot of fancy lighting and other goodies with a decent rate. This frame rate is more than adequate for an enjoyable gaming experience.

Much like The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the most impressive aspect of Turok 2 are the stunning environments. The levels are huge, sprawling masterpieces of gaming architecture. From fantastic waterfalls to super realistic torches I absolutely loved exploring this ancient world of Turok 2. Bravo to Acclaim Studios’ level designers.

Acclaim Studios sure knows how to animate fire! You could say that their fire animation is red hot (man that's a nasty line). The textures look great. It seems like the “sharing” infrastructure of Acclaim Studios paid off here with the lighting system. The flare gun in particular emits some very Probe UK (Forsaken) lighting effects. All of the T2 weapons use real time lighting and the graphical representation of these super killers is sensational. In addition, enemies are designed with an extra attention to evil. The soft skin textures are gross and the level of enemy detail is so intense you can actually see human meat in the Dinoids teeth! Or is that Spam? Enemies look nasty and believe me when I say that they will scare you more than once.

Finally, Adon. Now are those Scorpion Launchers or what?!! Her skins’ a bit on the rare side but man is she hot! I must comment that her super deformed gynormous breasts aren’t all that appealing to me. Tomb Raider tits are so old and lame these days. A cup size for Adon with sim rather than arcade proportions would have been better.

Anyway, it must be said that from fang to claw, T2 is a T Rex of first person shooter graphics. I was floored when I saw the teleportation hub. Beautiful work! While opening portal doors I kept thinking that Acclaim Studios should make a space shooter.

The overall mood of the visuals is dark and intimidating. You step into the first level just after a massacre and man does this game capture that Kodak moment. All of the visual cues add to the "horror thriller" attitude of Turok 2. In closing, T2 looks great regardless of the resolution.

audio

Coming from Acclaim Studios, you just know that Turok 2 is going to have ass kicking sound. From a stereo soundtrack, an excellent amount of voice and super sound effects T2 is an audio delight. T2 is truly a great audio effort when considers how the N64 has no dedicated sound chip. The soundtrack is intense orchestra-based composition that really builds suspense and tension in the game. Good music makes you nervous with each corner that you turn and T2’s music does just that. Unfortunately this great soundtrack is absent in the multplayer mode.

Adon talks a lot! There is a ton of voice dedicated to her mission preambles. Although her accent is extremely annoying. Lastly; the sound effects. Just walk by a waterfall in this game and you’ll see how much attention to detail Acclaim Studios and Iguana put into T2’s sound. The water sounds so real and it’s in stereo! That’s just the water! Also spine tingling are the tortured cries of Aida’s villagers. Wait until you hear the cerebral bore or the gurgle of freshly spilt dinoid blood. Very clean samples. Great affect on the overall dark and terrifying mood of the game.

gameplay

I’m not very keen on the Turok control set up. I don’t understand how one can consider the C (digital) buttons an accurate way of moving about. I think that movement has more of a necessity for analog control then looking around does. Thankfully Acclaim Studios offers an alternate "arcade” control set up (whatever that means). This “arcade” control set up is not implemented as well as another shooter uses it but at least the option is there. You also get to choose right or left control. ***HINT: Turn off the centering spring option because it sucks poontang*** The centering feature makes your Turok like a spring. He always bounces back. Not very useful.

Overall though the control in Turok is very precise and the jumping engine is very tight. The Iguana team has certainly perfected the control work they began in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. My only complaint is in the sniper mode. When you look really close to an object the time it takes to move about is way too slow. It usually ends up costing you a shot or two and a lot of frustration. This feature could use some refining. To summate my control babble: it’s a pleasure to control Turok in this game.

As for gameplay; this game is huge! It’s totally not what you’d expect from a first person shooter. The first level took me HOURS of exploration to finish. The enemies during this board were few and far between. But they always posed a threat when I ran into one. It’s the enemy AI in this game that makes T2 a real masterpiece. Never have I seen enemies hide behind boxes and sneak peeks at you. Or run in fear when you come rolling in on them with a Firestorm. I hate to say this but you have to see the reactions of the enemies to understand what I’m saying. Also, the work that Iguana has done when you’re riding the Trisoisdofodisfotops is wicked. It feels like you’re in an artillery duel when you’re blasting at the cannons high above. The single player quest mode is wicked in Turok 2 with plenty of things to collect, places to explore, puzzles to solve and of course, enemies to kill.

multiplayer

I’d be negligent if I didn’t discuss the most important addition to the Turok series; the multiplayer. With several modes and plenty of weapons and characters to choose from Seeds of Evil has an outstanding multiplayer feature. The feel of the multiplayer action is speedy and intense. It reminds me of a cross between Forsaken and Quake. If the multiplayer mode were a game on it’s own it would have been worth buying. It’s totally fun and incredibly addictive.

overall

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil offers a lot of challenge and excitement. Although it would have been a better experience if the levels were tightened up a little more (sometimes there is a little too much exploration). The one player mode is still outstanding. If Hi Rez framerates are giving you a problem then go nude and loose the expansion pak. I think this game is outstanding even without the enhancement. The multiplayer mode was a must have addition to this title and it’s been executed well here. T2 is almost like stepping into a horror movie so turn down the lights, crank the TV and be prepared to get scared. Seeds of Evil is an adrenaline thrill ride from start to finish. I strongly suggest a purchase as the multiplayer alone warrants a buy.

A hint for the next T2. Let me save the game whenever I want. Use save points only as "restart checkpoints." Backtracking to save stations is an unnecessary hassle that really detracts from the game.

9.1/10