History Videogame / Turok

''Turok'' is a video game franchise based on the ''{{ComicBook/Turok}}'' comic book series published by Creator/ValiantComics.

The first Turok video game, titled ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'', was released in 1997 for the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} console. It followed Tal'Set Tan'Celle'Nyo, the eldest male in his family chosen to become Turok: [[GuardianOfTheMultiverse The protector of the boundary between this dimension and the others]], a series of parallel universes held together by "[[AnotherDimension The Lost Lands]]," a world where "[[PlaceBeyondTime Time Has No Meaning]]." In other words, a place where things like [[MechaMooks robots]], [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgs]] and [[TheGreys ali]][[InsectoidAliens ens]] from the distant future, [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons from the darkest pits of Hell]], and [[LivingDinosaurs Dinosaurs from primeval jungles]] ran rampant, and where various people from different dimensions were at war for its control. The job of the current Turok was to keep balance in this world and close the portals to the other dimensions that were bound to The Lost Lands. ([[RuleOfCool This was also a good excuse]] to give a Native American warrior things like Nuclear Fission Cannons and Radioactive {{Death Ray}}s.)

Turok was well received by gamers and critics alike, and paved the way for the even more popular sequel: ''Turok 2: Seeds of Evil'' (1998), which was lauded for its excellent AI, graphics and long, sprawling levels. It followed the life of [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Joshua Fireseed]], a modern-day eighteen-year-old young man chosen to become the next Turok, as [[ExcusePlot he slaughtered his way through hordes of enemies]] to stop the evil [[OmnicidalManiac Primagen]] from destroying [[TheMultiverse his universe]]. A PC port and a side-scrolling UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor version were released in the wake of the game's success, but both were poorly received.

The third canonical entry to the franchise was ''Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion'' (2000), which took a more story oriented path than the previous games, and more-or-less picked up where ''Seeds of Evil'' left off. TheHero of the previous game [[TheHeroDies dies]], leaving his two remaining family members -- younger brother [[MouthyKid Joseph]] and older sister [[DarkActionGirl Danielle]] -- to carry on the family tradition of blowing up dinosaurs with [[{{BFG}} big guns]]... And to also stop the [[EldritchAbomination abomination]] known as Oblivion from ''[[OmnicidalManiac devouring all life in the universe]]''. The game was sadly mired by programming errors and annoying bugs, as well as poor voice acting. A common fan criticism is that it didn't have the ''[[InNameOnly feel]]'' of a ''Turok'' game.

The final game to appear as part of the original storyline was ''Turok: Evolution'' (2002), a prequel game revolving around the early exploits of the first game's protagonist, Tal'Set, as he battles the tyrannical Slegs (a race of [[LizardFolk Snake/Lizard/Dinosaur people]]) and their commander, a genetically-engineered T-Rex named Tyrannus. Unfortunately, it released to mixed reviews with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version in particular being singled out for framerate issues and poor graphics. Creator/{{Acclaim}} [[CreatorKiller went bankrupt]] shortly after the release of this and the disastrous ''[[RatedMForMoney BMX]] [[HotterAndSexier XXX]]''.

A ContinuityReboot by Propaganda Games and Creator/{{Disney}}'s [[Creator/TouchstonePictures Touchstone Games]], [[RecycledTitle simply titled]] ''Turok'', was released in 2008 for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, PC and UsefulNotes/XBox360, with the titular hero as a SpaceMarine. While not a ''terrible'' game, it was dismissed as [[SoOkayItsAverage simply a generically-average shooter]] that had the bad fortune to be released at a point when several unique and very ''good'' shooters were crowding the market, and received predictably poor reviews and fan reception. While a sequel was planned, it was cancelled, deep-sixing Touchstone Games and Disney's move to make a franchise out of it. (Ironically, Disney would purchase the company who took the Acclaim name and finish off the brand name for good in 2010, while Creator/DreamWorksAnimation obtained the rights to the ''Turok'' franchise when they purchased copyright holder Classic Media in 2012.)

In 2015, a PC-exclusive UpdatedRerelease of ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'' was released on Website/GOGDotCom and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} by Creator/NightdiveStudios, who were behind the updated rereleases of ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and ''{{VideoGame/Strife}}'', boasting features such as redesigned levels, increased draw distance and frame rate, widescreen support, and new graphical effects. A similar remastering of ''Turok 2: Seeds of Evil'' followed in March 2017. Both remasters were eventually released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 later on. On August 23, 2022, a remaster of ''Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion'' was announced for PC, Playstation 4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, Xbox One, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS and Nintendo Switch. It was released on November 30, 2023.

** [[spoiler: Chronoscepter does more than double the damage. The game encourages players to get all 3 pieces. Yes, you can now defeat the Campaigner in 3 full shots]].

* FinalBoss: The Campaigner in ''Dinosaur Hunter'', Primagen in ''Seeds of Evil'', [[spoiler: [[TrueFinalBoss Oblivionated Joshua]]]] in ''Shadow of Oblivion'', [[AnticlimaxBoss Captain/General Tobias Bruckner]] in ''Evolution'', and the ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' in ''Turok 2008''.

*** Bloodied bodies litter the streets of cities overcome by Hellish Demons that seek to bring about absolute rule of their [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]] God, Oblivion; disembowelments and skinnings of screaming children becomes reasonably commonplace.

* SealedEvilInACan: The Primagen in ''2''. He created the Lost Land when he crashed his dimension-travelling CoolShip, being entombed at its center. If he manages to break free, he will destroy the Lost Land and several other worlds, including Earth, as a side-effect of his destabilizing it. [[spoiler:He never escapes his Lightship; the player/Turok uses the Primagen Keys to enter the can and access his quarters in the ship (which is separate from the main Lightship level) and defeats/kills him in there]].

** The Endtrails in the second game are ''T. rex'' [[{{Expy}} expies]].

* YourHeadAsplode: The Cerebral Bore.
** In ''Seeds of Evil'', going "BoomHeadshot" with most weapons--even the low-end pistol--will leave many hostiles with a red crater [[HighPressureBlood spewing ridiculous volumes of blood]] where their heads once resided.

* DumbMuscle: The Purr-lin have this as their [[PlanetOfHats Hat]]. While not given much characterization in the first game, the second game has Adon narrating about how they regard humans as "weak, squeaking insects" and hate the other races out of resentment for the other races scientific and technological progress, which the Purr-lin have presumably been unable to make due to their stupidity.

*** Proximity mines somehow send out completely horizontal shockwaves. This means the blast tears the feet off enemies while the rest of the body is left intact, falls over and thrashes around on the ground helplessly for a moment before expiring.

* EvilSoundsDeep: The Demon enemies in The Lost Land level in ''Turok'' have the human voices, but they have been made deeper and slower (on the PC, however, they're the same as the humans). The Campaigner also has a deep voice and is a GutturalGrowler.

* TRexpy: The second-to-final boss of the first game: Thunder is a genetically engineered {{Cyborg}} [[MixAndMatchCritters composite]] ''T. rex'' with [[BreathWeapon flame breath]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre rocket launchers]], and a [[EnergyWeapon frickin' laser beam attached to its frickin' head]]. [[AndAnotherThing Oh]], and he has a ShockwaveStomp.

** Appears twice in the fourth game: The first is a one-off encounter, and the second is [[GeneralRipper Bruckner's]] mount.
** RecurringBoss in the 2008 reboot, which you don't actually kill until the end of the game.

* UpdatedReRelease: Nightdive Studios have remastered the 3 mainline N64 games for modern PCs and Nintendo Switch. The remasters of the first 2 games are improved versions of the original PC ports, with support for modern systems and modern resolutions, an improved lighting system, and some quality-of-life additions to gameplay such as objective markers in ''Turok 2'' due to that game's rather confusion level layout and easily missable objectives. ''Turok 3'' is the most updated from the original, as it had to be remade from the ground up due to never having had a PC port. The graphics have been completely redone and look a full console generation ahead of the original, though maintaining the original artstyle and general appearance.

* VampiricDraining: The Vampire Gun in ''3''.

* NostalgiaLevel: ''Turok 3'' reproduces parts of the first stage of the first Turok game.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: In every game, there is a {{BFG}} that must be assembled, [[IKEAWeaponry piece by piece]], throughout the entire game. Except for the most recent two.

* {{Retcon}}:
** The series' very favorite thing; ''Turok 2'' and ''3'' are the only ones to not totally ignore the events of every preceding game. ''Seeds of Evil'' didn't bother to pick up on ''Dinosaur Hunter''[='=]s "Campaigner is actually an Android" ending or explain how Joshua became Turok (this is because the Turok in the first game was supposed to be Joshua as per the cover and manual comic, but for some reason was shown as Tal'Set instead). ''Rage Wars'' barely had a plot at all and claimed the first Turok was the bad guy, leading to Acclaim making the insane claim in the ''Extreme G'' strategy guide that Tal'Set had ''never'' been Turok and the Turok in ''Dinosaur Hunter'' was Joshua. ''Turok 2008'' ignored the entire preceding series.

* AbsurdlyCoolCity: The Suspended City

In 2019, 11 years after the release of the 2008 reboot, Pillow Pig Games and Universal Studios Interactive announced ''Turok: Escape from Lost Valley'', a 2D isometric action game with a cutesy, SuperDeformed art style. It released on July 25, 2019 [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1078560/Turok_Escape_from_Lost_Valley/ on Steam.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ltpqzLFLk The trailer can be seen here.]]

** The Cerebral Bore. Extremely cool-looking and shows a satisfying way to kill enemies by ripping and blowing their heads off. The problems? The weapon is very limited in use. Enemies have to be locked-on in order to use it. It won't work on bosses nor sub-bosses. And worse, it won' work on certain enemies: Smaller enemies, Dead-kind, and Purr-linns. While headshots are instant-kills, there are chances that the weapon would explode and ''miss''.

In 2015, a PC-exclusive UpdatedRerelease of ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'' was released on Website/GOGDotCom and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} by Creator/NightdiveStudios, who were behind the updated rereleases of ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and ''{{VideoGame/Strife}}'', boasting features such as redesigned levels, increased draw distance and frame rate, widescreen support, and new graphical effects. A similar remastering of ''Turok 2: Seeds of Evil'' followed in March 2017. Both remasters were eventually released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 later on. On August 23, 2022, a remaster of ''Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion'' was announced for PC, Playstation 4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, Xbox One, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS and Nintendo Switch. It is set to release on November 30, 2023.

In 2015, a PC-exclusive UpdatedRerelease of ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'' was released on Website/GOGDotCom and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} by Creator/NightdiveStudios, who were behind the updated rereleases of ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and ''{{VideoGame/Strife}}'', boasting features such as redesigned levels, increased draw distance and frame rate, widescreen support, and new graphical effects. A similar remastering of ''Turok 2: Seeds of Evil'' followed in March 2017. Both remasters were eventually released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 later on. On August 23, 2022, a remaster of ''Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion'' was announced for PC, Playstation 4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, Xbox One, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS and Nintendo Switch. It is set to release on November 14, 2023.

* ObviousBeta: ''Modern Vintage Gamer'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Mk-d6QLio made a video]] about his efforts to dump and preserve an "80% complete" development cart of ''Turok 3''. Aside from the 4-letter header code issued by Nintendo, it turned out to be identical to the finished game.

** ''Shadow of Oblivion'': Now renamed Acclaim Studios Austin, the logo starts off fairly normally with the iguana simply looking around before lightning strikes turning the iguana into a skeleton and the words in Acclaim into [[BuffySpeak weird, pulsing flesh-things]] (with the dot on the ''i'' turning into a reptilian eyeball). The skeleton soon falls off leaving only the name of the studio behind.

In 2015, a PC-exclusive UpdatedRerelease of ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'' was released on Website/GOGDotCom and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} by Creator/NightdiveStudios, who were behind the updated rereleases of ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and ''{{VideoGame/Strife}}'', boasting features such as redesigned levels, increased draw distance and frame rate, widescreen support, and new graphical effects. A similar remastering of ''Turok 2: Seeds of Evil'' followed in March 2017. Both remasters were eventually released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 later on.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Fully embraced. The Campaigner in the first game, who is probably the hardest enemy in the game if you don't have the Chronoscepter, and the Primagen in the second, though he does fight dirty. Kane in the reboot shows that he's the best knife fighter in Wolf Pack and easily shows by beating Turok in a sparring match in a flashback.

[[caption-width-right:350: [-[[{{Pun}} Get ready... TUROK!]]-]]]

[[quoteright:242:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Turok-001_3557.png]]
[[caption-width-right:242: [-[[{{Pun}} Get ready... TUROK!]]-]]]

* PteroSoarer: ''Evolution'' features them.

* BareYourMidriff: Adon

* TurnsRed: [[BigCreepyCrawlies Mantis]] and [[KingOfTheDinosaurs Thunder]], who both get more frantic and ferocious the lower their health goes.