GH Review: Turok (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3)

***Zardon*** · Jan 31, 2008, 07:51 PM

Read The Review Here
_______________________

With 2007 now over and a raft of high quality first person shooters in our wake (Halo 3, Bioshock, Crysis, Call Of Duty 4), it is going to take something special to grab our attention in 2008. With this in mind I was pleased to receive a copy of Turok for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. So do we start off 2008 with a bang, or merely a whimper?

***Zardon*** · Jan 31, 2008, 08:00 PM

mike2h · Jan 31, 2008, 08:13 PM

to bad about the game sounds like it could have been lots of fun if somebody had their act together.
for what should have been a major release it appparently had a small budget.
thx for the work!
& your dug

Customgamer1 · Jan 31, 2008, 08:22 PM

I just played this game on the 360 last night.

VERY UNIMPRESSED!!!!!!! I was expecting great graphics and sounds and was let down big time by both. Also the game play is just so so.

I would give it a 70 just based on the demo.

Dark Lord · Jan 31, 2008, 08:37 PM

some how i figured this would happen when i saw all the over the top advertising its getting. the 4+ part making of thats on gametrailers right now was a very good indication of this.

at least theres no aliens and odd crap like the last few turoks had.

maybe some day well see another game like the first one.

ET3D · Feb 3, 2008, 08:48 AM

I have a general problems with the reviews here, that they take several minutes to load. The problem is that the background for some reason loads last, and until then the text is black on black. (I'm using Firefox 2.) Also, I'd prefer not having the video start immediately.

***Zardon*** · Feb 3, 2008, 09:39 AM

all the reviews or just the game reviews? I can set the videos to pause mode, but they still need to buffer.

We are using high quality flash .264 encoding and the general consensus I have received in email, is that they look great, but I understand they might cause some issues for people on slower lines.

Ill look into a better way of doing it. just for you

BlueMak · Feb 3, 2008, 02:08 PM

It would be nice to have the videos, if not not buffer, at least not auto play. I usualy wait for a video to buffer and when I am ready (after finishing doing something else) click play. (all sites that I can do that)

As for Turok, I never expected a great game...

ET3D · Feb 4, 2008, 05:11 AM

It's more of an issue with gaming reviews, because hardware reviews are broken into many pages. Since the background is the same for all pages, there's only need to wait for it once, and since there's less on the first page, it shows up quicker anyway. Possibly it's also smaller (see below).

The problem is that the background loads last, after all other images (quite a bit of time after them). My guess is that it's because it's large. To test that theory, I saved it just now, and it took 435K (BTW, nice image; pity it's hidden by the video). If nothing else was loading, and assuming a perfect connection that would take 2-3 seconds for me. Given that other images and a video are downloading, and that downloads rarely reach the maximum connection speed, it takes a lot longer.

Further testing: IE6 doesn't display the page until it's completely loaded, which takes 15-20 seconds, without the video (doesn't have the right plugin installed). Seamonkey loads the page in 20-25 seconds, with the video still buffering.

I can see two ways to alleviate the problem: first, to have a lighter background initially, so that the text can be read before the background loads; second, to make the background image smaller. I saved it with Irfanview with 80% quality, and it took 185K and looked the same to me. It's still not small, but it's a significant saving.

As for the videos, yes, they do look good, and I think they add to the reviews, but like BlueMak I tend to do something else while the page loads, and then I have to rewind the video when I come back to the review page.

***Zardon*** · Feb 4, 2008, 06:40 AM

ok feedback taken, will put the videos on a seperate page from now on. Hopefully this improves matters. As for the backgrounds yes they can be smaller however I always notice IQ loss on the 52 inch 1080p screen I use. ill compromise a little more (with a new tool I received last week -ifranview isn't wonderful for jpeg algoritms) if it helps you guys.

BlueMak · Feb 4, 2008, 06:44 AM

Zardon you rule.

***Zardon*** · Feb 4, 2008, 06:48 AM

Well its your guys site, ill keep fine tuning things until you are happy. Sorry for any hassles.

ET3D · Feb 5, 2008, 06:05 AM

Thank you. I envy that 52" 1080p.

I guess you also notice the IQ loss because you're a graphics guy, and I must say the review pages do look good because of the attention you give them. There's always a balance to strike between looks and functionality, and finding the balance that's good for everyone may not be possible.

Cannyone · Feb 7, 2008, 03:04 AM

I was hoping this title might be more polished. It has a co-op mode. And a friend and I have been having fun with various co-op games. I'm just glad I waited to read a review! Thanks

Jan 31, 2008, 07:51 PM	#1
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,239 Rep Power: 3150	GH Review: Turok (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) Read The Review Here _______________________ With 2007 now over and a raft of high quality first person shooters in our wake (Halo 3, Bioshock, Crysis, Call Of Duty 4), it is going to take something special to grab our attention in 2008. With this in mind I was pleased to receive a copy of Turok for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. So do we start off 2008 with a bang, or merely a whimper?

Jan 31, 2008, 08:00 PM	#2
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,239 Rep Power: 3150	support DH and GH, DIGG IT !

Jan 31, 2008, 08:13 PM	#3
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,489 Rep Power: 74 System Specs	to bad about the game sounds like it could have been lots of fun if somebody had their act together. for what should have been a major release it appparently had a small budget. thx for the work! & your dug __________________

Jan 31, 2008, 08:22 PM	#4
Customgamer1 Fell off the tech wagon Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,265 Rep Power: 57 System Specs	I just played this game on the 360 last night. VERY UNIMPRESSED!!!!!!! I was expecting great graphics and sounds and was let down big time by both. Also the game play is just so so. I would give it a 70 just based on the demo. __________________ Asus Laptop: 2.5 Intel Core 2 Duo, 4gigs DDR 2, Windows 7 64bit! Windows 7 > OSX!

Jan 31, 2008, 08:37 PM	#5
Dark Lord DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 5,581 Rep Power: 66 System Specs	some how i figured this would happen when i saw all the over the top advertising its getting. the 4+ part making of thats on gametrailers right now was a very good indication of this. at least theres no aliens and odd crap like the last few turoks had. maybe some day well see another game like the first one. __________________

Feb 3, 2008, 08:48 AM	#6
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 2,523 Rep Power: 59 System Specs	I have a general problems with the reviews here, that they take several minutes to load. The problem is that the background for some reason loads last, and until then the text is black on black. (I'm using Firefox 2.) Also, I'd prefer not having the video start immediately.

Feb 3, 2008, 09:39 AM	#7
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,239 Rep Power: 3150	all the reviews or just the game reviews? I can set the videos to pause mode, but they still need to buffer. We are using high quality flash .264 encoding and the general consensus I have received in email, is that they look great, but I understand they might cause some issues for people on slower lines. Ill look into a better way of doing it. just for you

Feb 3, 2008, 02:08 PM	#8
BlueMak DH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 8,227 Rep Power: 117 System Specs	It would be nice to have the videos, if not not buffer, at least not auto play. I usualy wait for a video to buffer and when I am ready (after finishing doing something else) click play. (all sites that I can do that) As for Turok, I never expected a great game... __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 4, 2008, 05:11 AM	#9
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 2,523 Rep Power: 59 System Specs	It's more of an issue with gaming reviews, because hardware reviews are broken into many pages. Since the background is the same for all pages, there's only need to wait for it once, and since there's less on the first page, it shows up quicker anyway. Possibly it's also smaller (see below). The problem is that the background loads last, after all other images (quite a bit of time after them). My guess is that it's because it's large. To test that theory, I saved it just now, and it took 435K (BTW, nice image; pity it's hidden by the video). If nothing else was loading, and assuming a perfect connection that would take 2-3 seconds for me. Given that other images and a video are downloading, and that downloads rarely reach the maximum connection speed, it takes a lot longer. Further testing: IE6 doesn't display the page until it's completely loaded, which takes 15-20 seconds, without the video (doesn't have the right plugin installed). Seamonkey loads the page in 20-25 seconds, with the video still buffering. I can see two ways to alleviate the problem: first, to have a lighter background initially, so that the text can be read before the background loads; second, to make the background image smaller. I saved it with Irfanview with 80% quality, and it took 185K and looked the same to me. It's still not small, but it's a significant saving. As for the videos, yes, they do look good, and I think they add to the reviews, but like BlueMak I tend to do something else while the page loads, and then I have to rewind the video when I come back to the review page.

Feb 4, 2008, 06:40 AM	#10
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,239 Rep Power: 3150	ok feedback taken, will put the videos on a seperate page from now on. Hopefully this improves matters. As for the backgrounds yes they can be smaller however I always notice IQ loss on the 52 inch 1080p screen I use. ill compromise a little more (with a new tool I received last week -ifranview isn't wonderful for jpeg algoritms) if it helps you guys.

Feb 4, 2008, 06:44 AM	#11
BlueMak DH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 8,227 Rep Power: 117 System Specs	Zardon you rule. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 4, 2008, 06:48 AM	#12
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,239 Rep Power: 3150	Well its your guys site, ill keep fine tuning things until you are happy. Sorry for any hassles.

Feb 5, 2008, 06:05 AM	#13
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 2,523 Rep Power: 59 System Specs	Thank you. I envy that 52" 1080p. I guess you also notice the IQ loss because you're a graphics guy, and I must say the review pages do look good because of the attention you give them. There's always a balance to strike between looks and functionality, and finding the balance that's good for everyone may not be possible.

Feb 7, 2008, 03:04 AM	#14
Cannyone DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Albuquerque NM Posts: 80 Rep Power: 22 System Specs	I was hoping this title might be more polished. It has a co-op mode. And a friend and I have been having fun with various co-op games. I'm just glad I waited to read a review! Thanks __________________ Eagles may Soar! But Weasels don't have to worry about being sucked into a jet engine...