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Welcome back to the Lost Lands in Turok
Evolution on the XBox. Finally in the fourth instalment of the series, Acclaim
Austin have return the Dinosaur Hunter back to the land that made him so
popular way back in the day.
The first game in the series took the
gaming world by storm with it's impressive visuals and over the top gore. It
looked slick, played slick and was an awesome gaming experience. It was the
reason I recall getting a 3D graphics card for my computer (other than the
Quake 3DFX patch!).
It was my opinion that in the second and
even third instalments of the series took a backward step in terms of gameplay
and storyline. I just wanted to fight around and with dinosaurs and I was
stoked to see that they have allowed this again in Evolution.
Firstly the game engine has been overhauled
and the results are amazing. Graphically the title looks gorgeous and both
dinosaurs and your primary enemy, the Dinosoids glisten and gleam with a life
of their own. Animations are smooth and well realised with full frames of
movement incorporated into almost everything you see, including the realistic
looking plant life.
The game starts with Tal Set (Turok) being
armed with only his axe and bow as he hunts down his enemy Bruckner who has
escaped into the Lost Lands in the Full Motion Video at the beginning of the
game during a confrontation with Turok in our world back in 1886.
Level design is well thought out and
implemented. There are several gameplay modes in Evolution, shooting, platform
elements and most surprisingly there are flight areas of the game as well.
These offer a break from your standard shooting and make players realise that
there is some real depth to this game in the process.
Taking flight on the backs of ancient
reptiles armed to the gills with explosive weaponry is an awesome touch and
really makes you think about this new method of combat. Powerups and health
dangle from the skyline as you furiously dogfight your way through each
enthralling level. The flight levels are more than welcome although by the end
of them you are longing to return to the ground and get on with kicking butt
on a more personal level.
Weapons do not fail to impress as per all
the Turok games and the devastation that they are capable of unleashing
is impressive indeed. They are also upgradeable which only increasing the fun
of the game. The explosions and general damage that these powerful weapons can
do is sensational and the secondary fire mode just adds to the scope of
destructive firepower. | 
