Gaming Target - Game Boy: Turok: Evolution

Written by Matt Swider on September 23, 2002

Review: Matt: УWow this is hard!Ф Е Kyle: УYeah, I heard Turok Evolution for GBA was tough.Ф Е Matt: УWhat are you talking about, I'm just putting in the 16 character password!Ф

Alongside each one of Turok's previous appearances for Nintendo 64, Acclaim has always commissioned the release of a portable version and follows the tradition as Turok Evolution hits all platforms. While the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 counterparts remain nearly identical to each other, Game Boy Advance owners will experience an altered adventure in the form of a two-dimensional side-scrolling action game. This may not be too surprising for regular handheld consumers since the Game Boy Advance hasn't seen too many ports from the current home consoles. However, with the increasing number of first-person shooters being released for the system, the idea still seems feasible. Nevertheless, the 2D route might have been the wisest decision of developer RFX Interactive, as it appears the console equivalents offer less than evolutionary gameplay. For Game Boy Advance, Turok Evolution boasts a setup similar to Contra, allowing the game to build upon its four portable predecessors with a truly evolutionary process.

Turok Evolution starts out by with players picking either Tal'set, the Native American Turok of the game, or Djunn, a tough looking biker type. As mentioned, Turok Evolution most resembles Konami's classic run of Contra games, only with a Turok themed twist in being full of dinosaurs. The basic objective for players is to stay alive as they trek to the exit of each level. Naturally, most of the game involves constantly blasting away enemies with one of the various weapons but does contains a scant amount of puzzle related elements as well. Upon reaching the fourth level within each stage, the game switches over to an approach most comparable to the likes of Silent Scope. Here, the camera automatically scrolls to the right while players take aim with a moveable crosshair in attempt to hit passing enemies. This eventually leads up to a battle against a giant boss with an exploitable weakness each time.

At points, Turok Evolution can be extremely trying and rather challenging. To ensure that the game is nothing short of constant action, the developer decided to have enimies repspawn. This ultimately leads to a relentless amount of shooting and for the most part, injects an element of thrill into the gameplay with guns continuously firing. However, being hit causes great frustration when cheap shots occur as enemies materializes from out of nowhere or even directly underneath your character. This alone sets the difficulty higher than most would expect, though it probably saves the game from becoming too bland or stale, which is what most titles like this often experience.

Having instant reaction speed will help in taking out any enemies that creep up from behind. Plus moving the character around is simple enough to master and changing weapons is done in a rather practical scheme. So, those who don't exactly possess the swiftest response time won't be out of luck as players can shoot all around and rotate instantaneously thanks to some incredibly tight controls. Although the same can't exactly be said for the control in the boss stages, the small amount of variety it puts forth exceeds any gripes that arise.

Even if RFX Interactive didn't take the challenge of creating an extravagant looking first-person shooter, it's apparent that the reason wasn't due to them opting for simple in-game graphics. Actually, the visual department happens to be one of the finer points of Turok Evolution despite its being limited to only two dimensions. Mounds of detail was crafted with impressive comic book fashioned artwork that can be seen through the background and character presentation of each level. The animation is extremely fluid as the game moves about and never becomes disconnected even when guns are firing in every direction. Backing the power of each weapon is a number of striking visual effects with intense explosions that reflect on a character's body. Additionally, upon coming to levels such as the jungle, players can witness other dramatic Game Boy Advance techniques such as the use of transparency when partially immersed under water. The rest of the stages supply players with a notable amount of variety, thus completing a two-dimensional design that can only be appreciated when witnessing the action firsthand.

While standing as a visual marvel, Turok Evolution presents only a modest amount of audio excitement. It is still able to deliver though, and gives the game a well-rounded package. Its sound effects have a way of complimenting the gameplay with countless screams from enemies and a constant blast produced by the varying guns. The soundtrack consists of many techno beats and several drum rhythms that can be enjoyed during the initial menus, however once it comes down to the in-game music, you become too involved to even notice its presence. Nonetheless, what you do hear help to supply the entire game with a solid presentation.

Due to the challenging nature that is present in Turok Evolution, it should take gamers a couple of days to have this game beat. Plus, in owning two copies of the game, players will be able to take part in multiplayer combat that finally makes its debut in the portable Turok series. Just as we experienced in Contra so many years ago, this can be extremely entertaining and gives the adventure more lasting appeal. The unfortunate thing is game uses a complex password system in conjunction with each level and weapon picked up. Opting for battery-backed memory makes a significant difference these days as devoted Game Boy Advance owners know the troubles and woes passwords always seem to present.