Sunday, July 15, 2007
Turok E3
Tuork has more pressure than just about any other game in development today. Consider these simple facts. First, dinosaurs are objectively awesome. Satan wouldn't have been able to make us doubt the existence of God if the bones he scattered around the earth were lame single-celled organisms or no longer leafy green plants. Second, Turok is the only game that actually stars these fantastic mythical beasts. How crazy is that? We finally have the technology to create the most realistic version of dinosaurs that have ever existed, and we're saddled with war games and, I don't know, Sudoku. Thankfully, the one dinosaur fueled game coming out not only looks incredible, it plays like a dream. With Rare shockingly absent from the E3 festivities this year, Turok was the one game that could make my trip worthwhile. Needless to say, watching a raptor feast on the entrails of my still breathing enemy as I walked up behind the animal and plunged a knife through his shockingly developed brain, I did not have an ounce of regret for taking a week off of work.
Granted, there is only one element separating Turok from the mass of other first person shooters on the market. But fighting dinosaurs changes the feel of the entire game. I have played so many games where I have to kill an invading alien army or, and this is as bad as it gets, mere humans, that the thrill of the hunt has been completely lost. But to run from a pack of raptors, to hunt one while being hunted by a hidden group just out of sight, is exponentially more intense than plugging some bipedal moron.
The level design caters to this invisible fear. Instead of carving a strict route through a barren jungle, the world is completely open. You can climb a giant rock to snipe your foes from afar or crawl through the grass with knife in hand. It really makes other shooters feel lifeless. I am shocked that, with all the heavy hitters proudly on display at E3, Turok was the most impressive game I saw at the show. It contains the visceral joy from Gears of War with an enemy that is actually interesting. I can't wait until this comes out in February.
Granted, there is only one element separating Turok from the mass of other first person shooters on the market. But fighting dinosaurs changes the feel of the entire game. I have played so many games where I have to kill an invading alien army or, and this is as bad as it gets, mere humans, that the thrill of the hunt has been completely lost. But to run from a pack of raptors, to hunt one while being hunted by a hidden group just out of sight, is exponentially more intense than plugging some bipedal moron.
The level design caters to this invisible fear. Instead of carving a strict route through a barren jungle, the world is completely open. You can climb a giant rock to snipe your foes from afar or crawl through the grass with knife in hand. It really makes other shooters feel lifeless. I am shocked that, with all the heavy hitters proudly on display at E3, Turok was the most impressive game I saw at the show. It contains the visceral joy from Gears of War with an enemy that is actually interesting. I can't wait until this comes out in February.
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