Turok

Written by Joe Comunale  on November 01, 2006

First Impressions: We recommend not trying to outrun a raptor by footЕwhy else do you think there are vehicles?

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Propaganda Games is exploring many possibilities with its revival of Turok, a series that gained much of its popularity on the Nintendo 64. While the game will stay true to its roots, the developer has a number of lofty goals to expand on the series.

The story is driven behind finding and hunting down a war criminal named Roland Cain. As the narrative commences, Joseph Turok is ordered to take flight to the planet where they think Cain is residing. Upon trying to land, their craft is gunned down, leaving Turok and his fellow crewmembers marooned on foreign ground. As bad as that sounds, at least they were right on Cain's whereabouts. However, to reach him, Turok and his confreres will also have to endure the planet's many natural inhabitants, which consist of different breeds of dinosaur.

Propaganda Games' upcoming Turok will have a hefty strategic influence. The game's jungle-based settings will allow for many natural hiding places, giving players a way to take cover in battle. But these barriers are merely temporary, as some objects in the environment will be susceptible to gunfire. A knife and crossbow will allow players to move about and attack enemies in silence. Of course, players will also be able to take a more direct approach with some of the game's explosively loud weaponry, including everything from your conventional pistols and shotguns, to your more stylish, fictional armament. How about a flamethrower with a subsidiary rocket launching device? Vehicles will also be strewn throughout the game. Let's see if those speedy raptors can still run us down.

More than anything, Propaganda Games is focused on creating a realistic and dynamic enemy-AI that will adversely react to the actions that a player makes. This means going far beyond the basic УattackФ and УdefendФ options. With three conflicting forces all on one battle ground, there is bound to be some interesting confrontations. While Cain and his opposing forces will direct all their firepower at your crew, the dinosaurs are a neutral enemy, meaning they will attack both human forces, as well as other dinosaurs.

This is where the strategic ingredients of the game will come into play. As you explore this otherworldly environment, opportunities will present themselves where you can actually instigate a confrontation between the dinosaurs and Cain's men. A flare gun is the perfect tool for doing just that, which you can use to bait the dinosaurs toward Cain's men and vice versa. Once your orchestrated conflict withers down, you can go in and clean up the mess (read: kill the remaining survivors).

Yielding certain results from a particular tactic won't always be so cut and dry, however. The developers are aiming for an enemy-AI that is quite diverse, so different human enemies will respond in different manners. One type of foe may be more of a straightforward, run-and-gun style shooter, while another enemy might use a more tactical approach--hiding behind shrubbery or trees before opening fire. Likewise, the dinosaurs will come in many shapes and sizes, each acting in a believable and realistic manner. With all this in mind, there will be situations where a player may choose one offensive route over another, in anticipation of a particular response from the enemy.