February 2, 2008

Dino Hunting Season Begins with the Return of Turok
By Louis Bedigian

“Turok enjoys an extra dimension that no other shooter can match.”

More than 10 years ago, Nintendo 64 received its first major first-person shooter. Golden Eye 007 is remembered as the leader in MOA (Multiplayer Obsession Addiction), but before Rare’s classic landed on store shelves, a game arrived that was based on a little-known comic and inspired by the success of Jurassic Park – Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

Though its future looked bright in 1997, there was a time when we didn’t know what would happen to Turok. Once Acclaim (the game’s original publisher) couldn’t survive any longer, it was feared that the series would be lost forever.

Salvation came when Disney Interactive picked up the rights to continue the Turok franchise. With a stronger financial backing, PS3 and Xbox 360 technology, and a dedicated development team at the helm, the series appears to be back on track to reclaiming its crown. To find out just how well the game is coming along, we spoke with Associate Director Tim Lewinson.

When Turok began on the Nintendo 64, it was somewhat of a platform leader (initially). There wasn't much competition at the time, and gamers were very knew to the concept of first-person shooters that were made exclusively for a console. Now this has become the norm, and Turok is up against an endless number of console shooters. What's being done to help Turok ward off the competition and bring this series back to the forefront?

Tim Lewinson: Turok has always been about three things – a Native American protagonist, cool weapons, and dinosaurs. With the addition of our neutral AI dinosaurs, who will go after both you and human enemies, Turok enjoys an extra dimension that no other shooter can match.

I grew up loving dinosaurs, so the thing that has excited me most about Turok is its semi-prehistoric worlds and unique dino enemies. Give us the scoop on which dinosaurs will be included in this sequel.

TL: We have both herbivores and carnivores in Turok, to properly represent a working ecosystem. From hardrosaurs to compys, raptors to the T-Rex, there are species here that everyone will be familiar with…and a few that are special to Turok. The lurker, for example, is a studio creation that's a cross between a vicious jungle cat and a lizard - low and close to the ground, moving like a cruise missile.

What tools/information are being used in designing the dinosaurs? I would assume that a lot of research has gone into how dinosaurs may have once looked and moved.

TL: We've performed extensive creature research, and have taken a few liberties for gameplay purposes to ensure that the feel of battling a slavering dinosaur comes across for the Turok player.

How have the next-gen consoles helped in creating bigger and better dinosaurs?

TL: More than just graphics, the increased horsepower of next-generation consoles has allowed us to make great strides in artificial intelligence – to have separate groups working in tandem or against each other is a great thing to see, and having it happen on the fly in a dynamic manner means that every time you replay a level, you can expect to see something new.

Aside from the standard FPS content – running, shooting and sniping – what kinds of mission objectives can we expect from the game?

TL: I can't give those away just yet, but both our single-player and multiplayer have a range of cool objectives for the player to enjoy.

Thus far the screenshots have revealed what appears to be a jungle environment. What other locales are going to be featured?

TL: We have many differing locales – rich jungles, dark caverns, massive military bases – and these will flow into each other to create a seamless experience.

What is the story behind the new Turok? Why are we fighting creatures once more that are supposed to be extinct?

TL: Turok, a former black-ops soldier, is working with a Special Forces group named Whiskey Company to track down and bring to justice Roland Kane, leader of the legendary Wolfpack and Turok's former mentor. As the WC ship approaches the planet where Kane and his troops are holed up, the spacecraft is shot down and crashes, forcing Turok and his companions to find a way to survive this terrible predicament.

Will there be any human adversaries? Or any other threats?

TL: For sure, the aforementioned Mendel-Gruman soldiers, working with Kane's wolfpack, are a handful in and of themselves for Turok to deal with.

How about the weapons content – what will we have to attack and defend ourselves?

TL: Our weapons range from the primal to those with a twist on current-generation weapons, and we've also thrown in futuristic takes on fighting as well. Depending on your playing style, a stealthy approach might involve using the knife or bow, while luring dinos against your enemies will require the shotgun flare. Still others might want to use the sticky gun to lay down a bunch of mines to trigger the ol' meat fountain – whatever you like, we've got something for you.

Speaking of attacking and defending, would you say that this is mostly a game of survival or hunting?

TL: It's a mixture of both – you're always trying to survive, but when the odds are stacked against you, the hunter can become the hunted in a blink of an eye. It behooves the smart Turok player to assess the situation before running in blindly - with smart AI like this, it can mean the difference between life and death.

In the multiplayer mode, is it man vs. man, man vs. beast, or a mixture of the two?

TL: Man vs. man with beasts thrown into the mix. Nothing better than having a raptor chase down your opponent during a hot match of capture the flag.

Besides the usual crop of multiplayer content – deathmatch, capture the flag, etc. – will there be any that were designed around the unique elements of Turok?

TL: Definitely! As mentioned before, the presence of dinosaurs in our multiplayer modes make Turok stand out from the pack, but we've also created a special team-based assault mode called War Games. Here, each team is given differing objectives that change depending on how each team performs. Whether it means blocking one team from blowing open a gate, to finding an alternate route into the base to hack the system, the ebb and flow of War Games makes for exciting, visceral online combat. We also support up to four players in co-op with three specially created maps, that tell aspects of the single-player storyline from a different perspective.

Thank you for your time.

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