Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Reviews
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Remastered is quite literally like finding an old toy you loved as a child, having a nostalgic moment with it when you pick it up, and putting it back down soon after that moment has passed. You're older, you're wiser and you've seen and done more advanced things since the time where that toy meant something to you, so the resonance you feel with it is fleeting at best. Most cherished, hallowed classics of the medium — Megaman, Mario, etc. —are considered as such because they never feel too old, but that isn't the case here. That's where I am with Turok. It's fun for a few hours or so, and going through the levels – especially the speed-run begging tutorial – was like hopping on the old bike and popping wheelies like I was 14 again. It doesn't take long for that feeling to wear off, and due to this, I can only recommend Turok to those who loved the old game so much that they feel compelled to spend money on it again. It's not likely to be worth the twenty-dollar purchase, otherwise. That said, it's still a very fun game and the remastered package is done quite well, so I'm going to grade the game based on the quality of the remastered port, with however bored I became with it notwithstanding.
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Remastered is the best possible way to experience this N64 classic, either on your TV or in Handheld/Tabletop Mode (where it performs flawlessly). Turok influenced a lot of first-person shooters that came after it, and it's still very enjoyable in 2018—thanks in large part to Night Dive's boatload of options. You don't wind up hunting a lot of dinosaurs, but you do manage to fight a Dimetrodon that has a minigun strapped to its back, which makes up for a lot.
Sometimes you can wonder to yourself, "How on earth did they come up with this stuff?" and to the modern developer the type of unrealistic setting this game has to offer might not be the way to go. We need to remember that games are games, they don't have to be realistic, and the pure escapism that Turok offered all those years ago is, you have to feel, something of a dying art. It's fast paced arcade shooter style is a ton of fun, and considering the types of leaps and bounds it brought to the FPS genre, it's no wonder that it managed to succeed all those years ago.
The blame should definitely not go to Night Dive Studios. It has, once again, done what it is best at, which is publishing various greats from the past, and with as little alteration as possible. The thing is, though, that Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was never exactly one of those "greats," something that is far more obvious after all these years. Of course, when it comes to personal taste, everything is subjective, right? That's correct, but there's a second problem with this version, even for those who loved the Acclaim's original release, and that is its current £13.39 price tag, which should be forbidden for such an old product, enhanced or not.
Thanks to the new Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, players can re-live a brilliant title from the beginnings of the console shooter
Turok returns to a Nintendo console 22 years after its original release and does so with a remastering with minimal technical changes and no changes in the control, beyond a new gyro control mode that complements and assists traditional control. The game had quality in its day and maintains it, its arcade and frantic gameplay you can see the seams, although this is not an impediment to enjoy it because the game is very fun. Perhaps it is not for everyone and the most modern generations find it too classic and unfriendly, but whoever enjoyed it in its day has no excuse to meet again. The Indian returns home.
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Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is back where it belongs, on a Nintendo Console, after a seventeen-year hiatus! Although it’s only a remaster, and not a new game, it’s still very welcomed and something we should celebrate. Sticking to the original aesthetic and design, the developers have kept the overall look of Turok whilst implemented updated control methods, lighting, textures, visual effects, and audio in order to please those who grew up with the game. Turok is a game in which you shouldn’t judge it by its looks alone, the action-packed nature of the gameplay truly makes this a game you shouldn’t pass on if you own a Nintendo Switch.
It’s easy to forgive Turok‘s shortcomings though because it’s still a pretty fun shooter, and its low-fi graphics are much more palatable in portable form. It’s not exactly an essential purchase for all, but as a playable piece of nostalgia, it’s been dragged into the modern era fairly successfully for fans to enjoy without many of its original frustrations and limitations.