I'll be the first to admit that I didn't like the "new" Turok all that much. Even with the dinosaurs, bow and Native American protagonist, it just didn't feel like the Turok I remembered. In a sense, it was a bit like the arguments made against Marvel's "Ultimate" Universe - if you're going to do something similar, but not exactly similar, why bother with the reccognized name at all? It wasn't until I went back and played the original Turok games that I realized many of my memories were clouded by the warm-fuzzies of nostalgia and that retooling things isn't always a bad thing.

Turok is a visual tease. The flora and fauna that make up the game's various locales, which take you between forests, bases and underground caves, have a nice, lush feel that makes you want to walk in and simply lose yourself. It's not until you try to walk into your lush surroundings that you realize that you're limited to the path designated by the planet's park service rangers. While this doesn't say much for the gameplay, the fact that you'll want to get a closer look at the world around you says a lot for the visuals.

For all the good the visuals do, the overall look isn't that exciting. Sure, the dinosaurs and jungles look cool, but everything else looks like it was ripped from Gears of War or Unreal Tournament 3. This is one of the only parts where Turok's new approach really falters. The original concept of a Native American in a world filled with dinosaurs was much more interesting visually than another unshaven, bald space marine in power armor.

One of the game's better aspects is its storytelling. Although it seems to go back to the action movie cliché well a little too often, the entire story unfolds in a cinematic fashion. Although the writing is weighed down with hammy lines, voicework is generally well done and features the talents of actors Ron Perlman, Donnie Wahlberg and Prison Break's William Fichtner.

Turok places you in the role of Joseph Turok, a Native American who, along with Whiskey Company, is sent to hunt down a rogue military faction. Of course, Turok's new group doesn't embrace his arrival; not only is he a former member of the group he is now hunting, but his new group sees him as a traitor rather than someone who has "seen the light" and switched sides. While en route to the group's base of operations, Whiskey Company's ship is shot down. Turok survives, only to find himself trapped on a planet-sized version of Jurassic Park. It's a far cry from the original concept, but it ends up working in the end.

Although you can't hide in the jungles that surround you, your enemies can, which makes for some of the game's more exciting moments. The first time a raptor stalks you through tall grass is one of those great game memories that will stick with you through the game. Unfortunately, moments like this are few and far between, leaving drab, uninteresting gameplay to fill in the gaps.

As well-told as the story is, it eventually takes a backseat to action - which generally boils down to you fighting dinosaurs. Turok doesn't tread much new ground as far as mission structure is concerned. Mission objectives are straightforward and are really just a means for ferrying you around the planet. The only factor that differentiates Turok from other FPS's is its use of a "food chain" system similar to King Kong. You'll often come across militia members squaring off against dinosaurs. The best approach is to let them fight it out and pick off the weaklings. While it probably doesn't say much for bravado, it makes for a really interesting world dynamic. Once you obtain a flare gun, you can even try enticing dinosaurs to kill each other since they, like my friend's one year-old daughter, are drawn to bright lights. However, the mechanic is underutilized - especially when compared to King Kong, which used a similar system to create some really neat real-time puzzles. Eventually, having dinosaurs and militants thin each other out just feels like something that was added without considering how it could be exploited to create interesting gameplay. Combined with the game's limited stealth and cool-looking quick kill actions, it could have made for something much more than another FPS.

Multiplayer games are a little more enjoyable, if only for the reason that dinosaurs will periodically insert themselves into the mix, making everyone's day a pain. There's nothing worse than racking up a killing spree only to have a dinosaur suddenly jump out and knock you off your perch. Four-player Co-op is also available and, provided you can find a game, incredibly fun because of the increased numbers of enemies.

Turok really stumbles when it comes to difficulty. It's not that the game is necessarily hard, but certain gameplay decisions make the game harder than it reasonably should be. Few things are rarely explained. While figuring out how to do things is one of the cornerstones of game design, there should be some sort of clue about how to overcome something. Turok seems a bit above this sort of handholding and leaves a number of decisions squarely on the player's shoulders, often times leaving you (or someone on the Internet) to divine the answer. On the plus side, instances like these are limited mostly to boss fights. Standard enemies, however, have their own issues.

Another of the game's larger difficulty issues is that it doesn't know when to quit. Fighting one massive wave of enemies is always fun, but when that wave is followed by two or three successive waves, the fun concept is drilled into the ground and becomes a tiresome, repetitive pain.

Turok comes armed with FPS standards like machine guns, shotguns and rocket launchers. You are limited to only being able to carry two weapons at one time, which lends a small bit of situational strategy to weapon choices. Adding to this decision is the ability to dual-wield certain weapons. While offering added firepower, you aren't allowed to use grenades, which are helpful when taking down bigger dinosaurs, or the zoom feature.

However, traditional weapons aren't nearly as fun to use as the not-so-standard weapons like knives and bows. The knife, in particular, is an incredibly fun weapon to use and was one of the reasons Turok feels like it could be more than another FPS. Though it depends on the now over-used timed button-mashing mechanic, using the knife to execute enemies is one of the game's more exhilarating moments. It's an odd thing to say, and probably something that will land me on a watch list of possible thrill-kill troublemakers, but the cinematic sequences that accompany each knife kill - like breaking a dinosaur's back over your knee - are a lot of fun to watch.

While it could just be an issue of personal comfort, I wasn't a big fan of Turok's control layout. Using the (R2) and (L2) buttons as the primary fire controls wasn't incredibly comfortable, even after a few hours of playing. Though the idea is functional, it's repeated use of the buttons is easier with the index fingers that the middle finger. Again, this is mostly a personal issue, though players who are used to the (R1) and (L1) buttons for shooting should take note. At the very least, it only helped to strengthen my argument that every game should have alternate or customizable control schemes since a little issue like this had a big impact on my overall enjoyment.

Though it may be lacking in areas, Turok is a soild, enjoyable game. There is enough going on that will keep you entertained while you're playing, but once you stop, it is easier to pick out the flaws than remember the reasons you enjoyed playing.