Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is one of the N64’s seminal third party efforts. Released in March 1997, just under six months after the system’s launch in the US and a launch title in Europe, it predates Goldeneye as the system’s premiere console-first shooter, and would spawn three sequels of varying success, but nonetheless served as vital exclusives throughout its run. Alongside an overall inspired creative direction based on the Valiant Comics series of the same name, the massive, sprawling levels and impressive 3D environments provided an important foundation for what the FPS genre could achieve on the N64’s hardware, even as many of the releases that followed immediately after were ports of established, but more traditional shooters from the PC.
Of the many excellent design elements on offer from Iguana Entertainment throughout the series, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter would immediately display a penchant for creative and exciting weapon concepts. Ranging from traditional military weaponry to exotic alien armaments, Joshua Tal’Set’s load out by game’s end is the type of variety and excitement that proved little difficulty in endearing it to shooter fans of the ‘90s. Even better is the fact that Turok is not only rife with exciting cheats, but that many, myself included, derive the most enjoyment from treating the game more like a playground than a start-to-finish campaign, and the freedom that comes from not having to conserve ammo or pore over which gun to use in a given moment only increases one’s appreciation for them.
14. Assault Rifle
Resembling an AK-47, this gun’s main drawback is that it’s only able to fire in three-round bursts, as opposed to offering a full automatic option, perhaps one could be switched between. The burst firing rate also creates a short but noticeable delay between each shot that can feel like an eternity against groups of enemies, coincidentally making this a poor option when outnumbered. There’s also a massive iron sight at the end of the barrel that I find distracting, especially in a game that doesn’t offer a precise down-sight aiming option. Great sound and visual design, otherwise, though, with a nice muzzle flash and sharp “rat-a-tat” sound on those bursts.
13. Knife
Not trying to hate on the knife, especially as the only melee weapon in the game. In fact, getting to use this bad boy underwater, where other weapons aren’t an option, is definitely cool as hell. But this is a game with borderline world-destroying technology, and there just isn’t enough time to have your fun with this one before it’s rendered useless.
12. Grenade Launcher
An extremely satisfying weapon when effective, the limiting factor of the grenade launcher is accuracy. Explosives come tumbling out of this barrel with a heavy thunk, pinballing and ricocheting off of walls and floors until detonating in a spectacular ball of fire. But it’s that unpredictability caused by a late-‘90s physics engine that will often leave you reaching for something else, especially in close quarters.
11. Shotgun
As with many FPSs that follow the traditional hierarchy of firearms, the jump from your first peashooter to a boomstick is always an exciting promotion. But in the context of Turok, it doesn’t necessarily stand out, except for the fact that Turok offers a secondary type of ammunition apart from regular shotgun shells: explosive shells. The extra little kaboom on every shot provides some real excitement, and having that little preview as early as the first level (even if you may already have the better version of this weapon by then) prevents the regular shotgun from being just an obligatory part of the arsenal.
10. Pulse Rifle
Taking a gun off of the first boss will definitely make an impact on you, and getting an answer for what the energy cells you’ve been collecting since the first level feels pretty cool, too. Snatching your first non-traditional weapon and laying into enemies rapid-fire gives a solid hint of things to come, but it’s outdone by most of the more extreme energy weaponry such as the other two devices that use the same ammo in more spectacular ways.
9. Pistol
Like the plain shotgun, the pistol isn’t anything special besides a plain old pistol, and doesn’t even have any extra firing modes or ammo. But it’s higher up because it’s used almost immediately as soon as the game starts to encourage the player to explore. It can be obtained before even encountering the first enemy as you can see it in the game’s first clearing in the mouth of a cave in the side of the cliff. And it’s a good pistol, too. With Turok not having a lot of animation or recoil like you might seen in, say, Halo, it’s an effective early weapon that also looks extra cool with its sleek black design.
8. Fusion Cannon
Turok’s answer to the BFG 9000 from Doom, as a youngster I referred to this one as the “nuke gun,” because that’s the vibe I always got from its unstoppable spectacle of destruction. Holding only two shots, it takes a long time to fire up and unleash a shot, but the obscene burst of light and resulting shockwaves upon detonation are worth it, especially when you can take down Thunder the T-Rex with only a few shots.
7. Minigun
Only held back by being a real-life firearm, albeit one often treated as being more cumbersome than it is here. Up to 500 rounds absolutely ripping through everything in seconds. This is your crowd control weapon of the game and although it does take a second to rev up, it doesn’t overheat. In fact, it’d run out of ammo first, though by the later levels, there are a lot of pickups to keep it fully loaded.
6. Quad Rocket Launcher
The more effective explosive weapon compared to the clumsy grenade launcher. Listening to this baby whirr as the payload resets is one of the better animations in the games when it comes to the guns, as are the spiraling trails of smoke the rockets leave on the way to their target. An effective late-stage weapon, even if you only get six shots out of it at full ammo. Taking down some of the big boys towards the end of the game is great with this one, especially while saving the real heavy hitters for the bosses.
5. Auto Shotgun
Serious firepower, awarded early on in the game if you know where to look. Exactly what it sounds like, it’s a shotgun that can be fired much faster, as it doesn’t have to be cocked and reloaded consistently (even though there’s no reloading mechanic in Turok). And once you’re loaded up with explosive shells, it’s even more intense, unleashing little fireballs to blow away enemies one at a time and listening to their death throes one after the other.
4. Particle Accelerator
Probably the most unique weapon in the game, though like the iconic Cerebral Bore of the second game, it’s more about the excitement of seeing it in action than the effectiveness of using it in most situations. The same pale blue color as the best-smelling markers in those sets from your elementary school art room, the electricity pulsating around the barrel flies off in a trail of golden sparks and freezes the enemy in place. They darken in color and give off little white wisps of energy before exploding into bits in a cloud of smoke with that same blue color. It’s a treat to watch, but just takes too much time, so you won’t be using this gun quite as much once the novelty wears off a little.
2. Alien Weapon
The third of the energy cell weapons, the alien weapon boasts a slick black and green color scheme and fires bursts of antimatter that disappear on impact before exploding in a huge green shockwave. It’s ranked so highly due to the combination of visual/audio design and effectiveness in the actual gameplay, as it’s not only powerful, but works great in quick succession and against swarms of enemies by chaining together shots that overlap.
1. The Almighty Chronoscepter
Not necessarily the best because of its gameplay usage or visual design, but an unrivaled source of power according to in-game lore and its status as the required weapon for defeating the game’s antagonist, The Campaigner. A massive staff separated into eight pieces and spread across Turok’s eight levels long before the events of the story take place, Tal’Set pulls back on the assembled weapon with the deep blue crystal at its center pointed at wherever he wants to tear the universe its new asshole, releasing it as a beam of energy that expands in a display that resembles a cross between the Particle Accelerator’s smoke bomb and the Fusion Cannon’s unholy detonation. In the comics and game lore that bridges the events of the first two games, Tal’Set and the other Turoks from across time decide that the Chronoscepter must be destroyed, so Tal’Set pulls an Obi-Wan Kenobi and puts it in a volcano. This triggers an earthquake that shakes the entire Lost Land and awakens the Primagen. So only slightly less destructive than Obi-Wan not finishing the job.
