TUROK SERIES

Reviewed By: Shane
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: N64, Computer
Produced by: Acclaim
Price Range: $30-50
Learning curve time: 90 mins.
Age level: Adults
ESRB Rating: Mature
Patches / Upgrades: None
System Requirements: 300+ processor w/ lots of ram, good sound and video card

Genre: Sci-Fi Shooter
Christian Rating: 4 of 5
   (slightly offensiv)
Gameplay: 3 of 5
   (average)
Violence: 1 of 5
   (extreme)
Adult Content: 4 of 5
   (barely present)

Screenshot from 'Turok 3'. Illustration copyrighted.

The “Turok” series of games includes "Turok: Dinosaur Hunter", "Turok 2: Seeds of Evil", "Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion", and "Turok: Rage Wars". They are loosely based on a comic of the same name (which is why I bought the first one).

PLOT
The stories in "Dinosaur Hunter", "Seeds of Evil", and “Shadow of Oblivion” is minimal and “Rage Wars” doesn't even have one. However, the basic idea in the first two games of the series is to kill everybody in sight. But in “Shadow of Oblivion” Turok was kidnapped so you kill everybody, THEN save Turok.

GAMEPLAY
"Dinosaur Hunter" contained an excessive amount of jumping. “Seeds of Evil” had too few enemies and savepoints. “Shadows of Oblivion” was simply too short.

SUMMARY OF GOOD vs. BAD
Screenshot from 'Turok 3' The games have side missions like "rescue four children, and activate distress beacon" but you don't have to be careful where you shoot because you cannot hurt the people who are your allies. Language is fine and only two female characters appear in the entire series. While there is some cleavage (see screenshot) sexuality is not much of an issue. However, these games are clearly not for anyone under 18! It is the violence level that is almost unbelievable!

In “Seeds of Evil” Acclaim toned down the violence, eliminated all human enemies and replaced them with lizards…even giving the option to turn the blood off! However, that doesn't matter when you take out the cerebral bore and it fires a missile which sucks the brains out of an enemy's head and explodes, leaving the stump of the spinal cord sticking out of the neck.

Such gratuitous violence I could understand in a training sim for the military, but in a video game? Inappropriate.

Year of Release—1995-2000

…in Turok one of the weapons latches onto the enemy's head and sucks thier brains out, THAT is violence.
—Robert Moore

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.