In short, Turok 2 looks really good with the Expansion Pak, well that is if you're admiring still shots. Everything is in hi-res, the weapons looks awesome, and even more impressive is how your shots illuminate everything around you. The enemies are smooth via texture wrapping, and fit the theme of the game. This means you'll face off against neanderthal-like dinosaurs early on, and more high-tech baddies as you progress. Each monstrosity has its own walking, attacking, and (of course) death animations. Nice attention to detail, albeit a little disturbing ;P. All of this is brought together well...until movement starts. In hi-res mode, you'll experience high quality visuals at a jaw-grinding frame rate. Thankfully, you can always turn hi-res off, but it won't make a signficant difference. Besides, who bought an Expansion Pak only to let it sit, unused?

Unfortunately, the frame rate is poor and thus can also affect gameplay. See that enemy? Yeah, he's moving along, but when you pull that trigger, watch your enimes die in sloooow motion. Turok plods along at a snail's pace, which is bad for those of you who are impatient. Despite that, this game is handled just like the original Turok. That means you'll have the sweet controller setup that was present in the previous. Controlling your character becomes second nature once you get a hang of the unique set up. As far as weapons go, you have authority over every detail; which version of a weapon to use, what type of ammo, etc. What I really like is the Tek Bow and Plasma Rifle. They are a sniper's dream come true ^_^. An added plus are the mission objectives, which add a little depth. It's a huge step over the old Turok where all you had to do was get to the end of the level and find the keys to open up other levels. There is one huge drawback I had with the game - after playing my full share of 'Doom-esque' games, all of these wonderful features previously mentioned don't make the game any more enjoyable. It just felt like I was jumping through hoops, and if you feel like that when playing a game, you know you're not having fun. If you love games of this genre though, Turok will satiate your need for death and destruction with ease.

I'm taken aback by the music too. Since when was the N64 capable of such audio treats? All of the tunes sound as if they were taken out of a movie. Some are loud and overwhelming; others are low, ambient, and eerie. Turok 2 gets my vote for best N64 music ever, and I wish they could put together a soundtrack or something. And as if that wasn't enough, all of the blasts, death gurgles, moaning, screaming, and other sound effects are top notch. All in all, I couldn't find one thing wrong in the audio department.

So, how could I talk about so many highlights in this game and still rate it as I did? Well, I can't really get into FPS games anymore. I've had my fill; no amount of innovation or new features could change my mind. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try. If all of these things I've talked about gets your bloodlust going, by all means, try this out. As for me, I think I'll play something else.

· · · Hero