Let's get one thing straight: this game is all about insane action. In the intensity department, it ranks right up there with the Flood levels of Halo and the Serious Sam series. Gone are the days of Turok fighting on or two enemies at a time. In this game hordes of enemies are thrown in your path. This is run-and-gun action at its best, and I'm here to tell you it's a whole lot of fun.

Some levels require a more cerebral approach, forcing you to snipe from long distances. While these levels are fun, the game quickly resorts back to its action roots, which is fine with me since that is when it truly shines. Much more intense than any previous title in the series, this is one game that is sure to make you sweat.

Now that I've made that clear it's time to sort out a little confusion. The beginning of this game stinks. The first level a player encounters is a completely uninspired romp through the jungle - clearly the game's worst traditional level. And then it gets worse. Acclaim decided that Evolution needed some change-of-pace levels so they decided to let you fly on the back of an armed pterodactyl. These rail shooter sections are similar to the action in StarFox or Panzer Dragoon, except they aren't nearly as polished. The first flying encounter is a nearly unplayable mess that is sure to immediately turn away many players. Control and targeting clearly needed more work, and the result is a frustrating experience. The point is that by putting 1.5 hours worth of the worst material in the game right at the beginning many people will simply give up before they discover the gem hiding under the cover.

After the initial flying levels the game really starts to pick up steam, offering some of the most intense action ever in a FPS. The moral of the story is to give this game a chance and I can assure you that you will be pleased. In fact, this trend holds true for the entire game, which is quite long. The further you get into the game the better and more intense it gets. Even the later flying levels are much better implemented than those at the beginning.

With this much action you'll need an arsenal to survive and on that point Evolution delivers. Unique weapons have always been a big part of the Turok experience and that is no exception here. You have the Tek-Bow with two levels of zoom and the ability to fire normal, explosive, or poison arrows. Most of the other weapons have a secondary function. For example, your grenades in secondary mode have extended spikes that allow them to stick on a target. Your shotgun will fire from one to four bullets at a time, depending on how many times you cock it between shots. The rocket launcher's secondary function is none other than the legendary Cerebral Bore, which just never ceases to be fun. To top it all off, there are some new weapons including a flamethrower, dark matter cubes that create a contained black hole, and the spider mine, which you control remotely and use as a spy device or to gas enemies.

Graphically, the Xbox version is quite impressive. This is the only version to have a real-time lighting engine and it's certainly put to good use. The effects created from firing weapons like the rocket launcher are jaw dropping. And don't even get me started on the truly amazing looking flamethrower. Toasting your enemies has never been so pretty. The dark matter cube sets off a light show that rivals July fireworks. When the action gets moving, this game is simply beautiful without a single hitch in frame rate.

While enemies don't have the highest polygon counts, or move with the smoothest animation, they are more than adequate considering how many of them can be on screen at any time. Large grassy plains, tall mountains, jungle temples, and wonderful flowing waterfalls are all a sight to behold. Your stray fire can knock down trees, and wonderful particle effects abound with each explosion. Blood flows like water, and all enemies have the classic Turok death animations intact. Aim high and blow off a head, aim low with the chain gun and saw off some legs. It's nothing but brutal, bloody, fun.

The sounds of battle are also quite impressive. Enemies grunt and yell as they die. Weapon fire is deep and powerful and explosions will rattle the floorboards if you turn up that subwoofer. The action is accompanied by some impressive orchestral scores that will surely draw you into the action.

On the bad side are a few nagging issues that could have been easily fixed. For example, the developers decided not to use the wonderful circular weapon selection system from previous Turok titles. Instead of being able to quickly select any weapon at any time, you are stuck cycling through your weapon queue. This oversight alone caused me many deaths and plenty of frustration.

Also, while the box touts "the most advanced AI ever in a FPS," that's not exactly true. That's not to say it's bad, it's just nothing special. You'll be able to sneak up on more than one enemy while he is firing the wrong direction. The game counteracts these problems by throwing many, many enemies at you. Truthfully with this much action, if the AI was any better it might be really hard to survive, so the point is somewhat moot.

While there is a story, I certainly can't explain it to you. Told through series of terribly voice-acted movies and cut scenes, the story often feels like you are reading every other page of a sci-fi novel. It just doesn't make much sense. Thankfully the action is good enough for you to simply forget about it. Take this as a pure action game, whose goal is simply to survive, and you have all the story you need.

I highly anticipated this title, and now that I've thoroughly explored it, I can honestly say that I'm very pleased. Despite the poor initial levels and my other gripes, this game is an adrenaline-filled rush that any action junky will appreciate. It's a shame that many players may never give it enough of a chance to really experience the white-knuckled gameplay it possesses. The Turok series is alive and well and I hope Acclaim is able to build off this already strong foundation.

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