<p><P>Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion<br><br>"I…am Turok! I…star in a series of highly successful FPSs on the N64! I…single-handedly saved Acclaim from a premature death! I…don’t normally talk this much, so I’m going to turn this over to a regular previewer."<br><br>Yep, thanks for that Turok. Turok, Dinosaur Hunter there, folks, who’s going to be appearing in his final N64 game this autumn, the snappily-titled Turok 3: The Shadow of Oblivion.<br><br>Those of you who slaved their way past the Primagen in 98’s magnificent Turok 2: Seeds of Evil may remember Oblivion, the scarily voiced being who turned up every so often with the sole intention of making you soil yourself. Well, this time he’s back, as scarily voiced as ever, and he’s got a whole heap o’ violence in store for Turok.<br><br>In the first heady days of the N64’s launch, there was one game that came from nowhere to dazzle. We were expecting -- downright demanding – big things from Wave Race, Pilotwings and Super Mario, but it was Turok: Dinosaur Hunter that really surprised. Coming from Acclaim – best known at the time for terrible movie licenses that you wouldn’t let your dog eat, or rather, play – and developed by the then-unknown Iguana Entertainment, it somehow managed to be a brilliant game. It sold by the truckload, and single handedly turned Acclaim from the company responsible for some of the worst software ever (remember Rise of the Robots, anyone?) to the premier third party developer for the N64.<br><br>The sequel was even better. Coming on a sleek black cart and loaded down in so much gore and violence that the cart literally leaked blood, it was huge, beautiful and incredibly difficult. Filled with enough tension to have you gnawing your fingernails down to the knuckle, it also sold by the truckload.<br><br>And here we are, after Turok: Rage Wars, last Christmas’ multiplayer diversion, with Turok’s last chance to shine on the N64. The Shadow of Oblivion concerns itself with Turok’s climactic battle against – fancy that! – Oblivion, who is, we’re told, a ‘monstrous cosmic entity that consumed everything in its path’. Nice one.<br><br>Iguana – or, rather, Acclaim-Austin as they’re now called – have set themselves the task of fixing the problems that beset Turok 2 – the massive levels, the lack of save points and the occasionally horrendous frame-rate – and the result is likely to be one of the best FPSs on the N64.<br><br>Oblivion – voiced by series creator David Dienstiber – is out to destroy the ‘Turok Lineage’, which will free him from the ‘Netherscape’ and basically result in a whole lot of horrible ‘nastiness’. Joshua Fireseed having since passed on, God rest his soul, it’s up to two of his descendants (both of whom will be controllable) to stop him. And, in the grand Turok tradition, the best way to do this is through a whole o’ blood spillin’.<br><br>This time, limb-severage and torture will take place over 20 levels, set in five environments. Praise be, this will eliminate the massive, oft-confusing levels of the original two games. To help this along, you can now save anywhere at anytime. The game will be set across the usual FPS staples of futuristic cities, dank musty dungeons, and a return to the original’s Lost Land.<br><br>If there’s one thing the Turok games have had in spades, it’s guns. This being the franchise that invented the Cerebral Bore, you’d expect nothing less than the outright carnage that the 24 weapons on offer will deliver. So far, we’ve heard of the ‘Stealth Rifle’, the delightfully named Eviscerator, and the mental-image-conjuring Inferno Cannon. Foolishly standing in the way of those weapons are over 40 enemies, all filled with more blood than Pelican House, and more than happy to spill it.<br><br>From the screenshots we’ve seen so far, Turok 3 looks set to finally get rid of the series’ notorious fogging problems. Those framerates will be smoothed out, and Turok 3 will not require the Expansion Pak, though it remains an option. Expect more of the hours of speech seen in Turok 2 – and perhaps a return of the lovely Adon. Included in the asking price will be a Rage Wars-equaling multiplayer mode, with over 48 levels and eight modes of play. Now that’s Asda price.<br><br>Despite all his problems – fogging, framerates, distinct lack of matter between the ears – we’ve always loved Turok. Hence, Turok 3, fixing most of those problems, will be one of the best things to hit the N64. It remains to be seen if, with the smaller levels, Acclaim-Austin can keep up the fantastic atmosphere of the original, but if they iron out the original’s problems, this should be nothing short of fantastic. Sorry, what’s that?<br><br>"I…order you to buy my game when it’s out this autumn. Or I’ll…blow your brains out with a ruddy great shotgun!"<br><br>I wouldn’t disappoint him, folks, he’s a bit unstable.<br></P><br /> <P><a href="mailto:bribrad@eircom.net">Noel Brady</a></P><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <p> <p> <br /> <br /> <br />