Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Acclaim Studios Austin |
| Publisher(s) | Acclaim Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | August 31, 2000 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (17+) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color |
Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is a Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color video game released in August of 2000. It is a sequel to Turok 2: Seeds of Evil.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
The storyline for Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion picks up where Turok 2: Seeds of Evil left off when gamers were first introduced to "Oblivion", a monstrous cosmic entity that consumed everything in its path. Oblivion reigned before the birth of our universe. Invading the bodies of the living and devouring them from the inside-out, Oblivion fed off of the very energy of the dead and dying. When the Primagen's Lightship was destroyed, the chain reaction it triggered as a result was so powerful that the universe as it existed was completely eradicated, and the almighty Oblivion was pushed to the very brink of destruction. For the first time, Oblivion felt pain, fear...and hatred. Though totally ravaged, Oblivion survived and now desperately seeks a means to punch through the Netherscape that separates our world from the Lost Land, and the Lost Land from countless others. The last shreds of the pure energy source that created our world and nearly wiped out Oblivion are contained within the Light Burden, the bag that every member of the Turok lineage has carried. The death of the Turok mantle will signal the beginning of the end... the rebirth of Oblivion. To help it in its quest, Oblivion has utilized the aid of hundreds of its spawn-offspring. These creatures, collectively known as "The Sons of Darkness" are fanatical worshippers of their lord Oblivion. Deep within the Lost Lands, Oblivion's henchmen have a massive headquarters from where they assemble their armies, direct their operations, and centre their cult, which worships Oblivion like a god. The player will eventually have to infiltrate this headquarters to destroy the scourge of the universe. It is here that their destiny will unfold, here that they must bring oblivion to that which was thought eternal...Oblivion itself.
The game begins with Joshua Fireseed (the current Turok) with his sister, Danielle, and brother, Joseph. Danielle's husband has just died, and Joshua has dreams of a child that must be protected, as he is the last of the Fireseed lineage or so. During the night, Oblivion Spawns teleport into their home and try to kill Joshua in his sleep. He catches them and fights, but is outnumbered. He tells Danielle and Joseph to escape, while he stays behind with a bomb in his hand to blow the Spawns away, along with himself. He is apparently killed in doing so, while Danielle and Joseph drive away. They are attacked by a monster, but Adon (a female alien who helped Turok in battles before) comes in and saves them, then teleports them to a council meeting to deal with the situation of Oblivion. They decide that either Danielle or Joseph must become the next Turok, and the player gets to choose. Danielle is a character more built on firepower with a grappling hook, while Joseph is more of a stealth-type character with night-vision goggles. In the cinemas however, it is implied that they go together in their missions.
[edit] Oblivion Virus
A fictional virus discoved in the game, this virus is introduced when Oblivion breaks into our dimension. It infects the dead and the dying, causing horrific mutations, such as transforming into a spider-like creature. Once a person is infected, they begin to transform, starting by becoming a mindless zombie, using a form of acid as an attack. Eventually, the virus will alter the victims DNA, turning them into a large spider creature that uses the same attack as the zombie. The virus also alters the victims brain functions and personality, that is they lose all ability to communicate. They also are guided by basic instincts, such as hunger and thirst.
[edit] Levels
[edit] Level 1: Seal the Breach
This level begins in a dark city with heavily-armed police having sealed off numerous areas; these police essentially serve as 'walls' blocking the player's progress, since they are immune to all weapons the player should have by that point and kill the player instantly with their guns. Danielle receives her grappling hook and uses it to swing across the rooftops, while Joseph gets his Night Vision Goggles to navigate a series of deadly laser beams inside a museum.
The objective of the mission is to reach the top of a skyscraper seen at the beginning where a 'breach' between our world and Oblivion's world has formed; the player is initially prevented from doing so as a gunship crashes through the walkway connecting the two buildings. At the end of the level, a cutscene shows two police gunships flying close to the breach; one is destroyed by tentacles and the other grapped and turned into the level's boss. It ends up with several tentacles attached to it, and a shark-like mouth.
Following the defeat of the Oblivion Gunship, Danielle and Joseph head through the portal to the next level.
[edit] Level 2: The Military Base
A military base located in the desert (presumed to be Area 51 or something similar). The player encounters Military Guards bent on stopping their progress. Later, after gaining a Corridor Keycard, the player encounters a wounded scientist who tells them the the Self-Destruct has been activated and the player must turn it off. When the player arrives undergroud, they encounter a aquatic lifeform that uses a weak long-range attack. The level's boss is called the Xiphias. A much larger version of the creatures the player encountered in the last few parts.
[edit] Level 3: The Lost Land Junkyard
One of the longest levels in the game, the player must traverse the Junkyard to find a portal to the other areas of the Lost Land. Encountering creatures known as "Lost Ones", most of the level is fighting these creatures and re-activating downed equipment to proceed. The boss of this level is called the "Opisthor". A creature similar to a Plesiosaur. This happens to be one of the easiest boss fight in the game, however, you still must fight the Lost Ones during the battle.
[edit] Level 4: The Lost Land
The 1st level from the first Turok game, the enemies and level are identical to the first game. But instead of going through the teleporter, you fall into a entirely new area. Here you find a new enemy, the Warrior. Here you fight two bosses, the Warlord, which regenerates each time his health falls, you need to lure him over a cage, then flip the switch when he regenerates. Also, when you come to the Pyramid, you enter a whole new area filled with the Fireborn, a lava enemy from Turok 2. You also must fight the Alpha Fireborn for the Fire Gem, so you can combine it with the Ice Gem to enter Oblivion's lair.
[edit] Level 5: Oblivion
A mechanical based level similar to the Primagen's Lightship, you fight against the same creatures you fought in the Oblivion Portals in Turok 2. The whole level is a large mining operation, which finds you disrupting the operations. After traversing through each area more than once, you come to a large arena. After a cutscene involving a child transforming into Oblivion, you fight it. (You can stun it with the PSG.) After several rounds, Oblivion blows up and you must chase it, fighting Oblivion Cult Leaders, flipping two switches to get across. The final boss is Joshua, possessed by Oblivion.
[edit] Weapons
The weapons of the Turok games has always been one of the most critically acclaimed aspects of the series. From the standards of Turok 2, the game simplifies itself a bit by removing a few features such as secondary ammo, having no underwater weapons (all weapons work underwater), and so on. Joseph and Danielle share some of the same weapons, but also have some unique weapons of their own that the other cannot receive. However, if the player manages to unlock Joshua Fireseed as a playable character by beating the game on Oblivion difficulty (the most difficult setting) without dying and cheating, they get all the weapons. Every weapon in the game has an upgrade, except the Vampire Gun and PSG.
[edit] Weapons Joseph and Danielle share
- Razorwind - Upgrade to their basic close-combat weapon. The Razorwind acts as a kind of circular-bladed boomerang. When thrown, it cuts into enemies and returns to the player. The player can't really attack while the blade is gone, but they can reposition themselves so that the blade can cut into an enemy as it returns to the player. If it hits, it comes back with blood, and can be cleaned off by throwing it against a wall.
- Bow and Arrow - Ranged weapon for both characters. Holding the firing button allows the arrow to be prepared for a longer-ranged shot. Arrows can be picked back up.
- Pistol - A basic single-shot handgun.
- Assault Rifle - A rifle with a three-round burst.
- Shotgun - Double barrelled shotgun that uses two shells per shot, great for close-range shots or against groups.
- Vampire Gun - An organic weapon worn like a glove on the player. It is meant to be used close-ranged. If the weapon is used and misses its target or is too far away from the target, the weapon will drain the life of the player. If used properly however, it sucks enemy health and returns it to the player, while gradually making the enemy thinner and thinner until they are dead. This is the only weapon, besides the PSG, without an upgrade.
- Grenade Launcher - Fires a grenade that bounces on surfaces before exploding.
- Cerebral Bore - Returning from the last game, this alien weapon locks onto cerebral activity, and fires a projectile that follows an enemy and drills into their skull, spilling cranial fluids everywhere until eventually detonating, leaving them headless. It is a lot more lenient in searching out enemies this time around, as it is not as limited to tracking down only intelligent beings anymore.
- PSG (Personal Singularity Generator) - The strongest weapon in the game. It must be assembled from five parts located within different parts of the whole game. The weapon fires a single ball of purple energy which is a gravitational singularity, an infinity occurring in an astrophysical model, involving infinite curvature in the space/time continuum, namely a miniture black hole, that pulls all surrounding matter around it towards it (including the player, who must keep running away from the energy ball), before making a gigantic explosion.
[edit] Joseph-Only Weapons
- Blade - Joseph's melee weapon is a big knife.
- Storm Bow - Upgrade to the Bow & Arrow. It's a crossbow that fires arrows quickly. It has a sniper scope.
- Silenced Pistol - Upgrade to the Pistol. It has a suppressor and laser sight attached.
- Sniper Rifle - Upgrade to the Assault Rifle. It has a sniper scope, and fires a single shot at a time.
- Shredder - Upgrade to the Shotgun. The shots can ricochet off walls to hit multiple enemies. Different from Turok 2, it can electrocute and stun enemies for a split second. It takes up five shells per shot.
- Napalm Cannon - Upgrade to the Grenade Launcher. It fires a single napalm bomb that sticks to surfaces and enemies. It must be remotely detonated.
- Cerebral Possessor - Upgrade to the Cerebral Bore. The Cerebral Possessor works the same way the Cerebral Bore does, except when it does not drill into an enemies skull. Instead, when it lands onto an enemy's head, it takes possession of them, and the player will have a first person view of the victim. For a short period of time, the player may move the enemy around the map before it detonates (or it can remotely detonate). Usually, the player will want to take this opportunity to move the victim towards another enemy to take down more foes altogether.
[edit] Danielle-Only Weapons
- Tomahawk - Danielle's close-combat weapon is a small axe.
- Tek Bow - Upgrade to the Bow & Arrow. It fires explosive arrows, and it has sniping scope.
- Mag .60 - Upgraded to the Pistol. It is less accurate, but fires a three-shot burst.
- Firestorm Cannon - Upgrade to the Assault Rifle. It is a sort of alien mini-gun.
- Fireswarm - Upgrade to the Shotgun. It is similar to the shotgun, but fires a burst of flame directly into a single target that puts them aflame (as opposed to a spread out shot of pellets).
- RPG Launcher - Upgrade to the Grenade Launcher. It fires a single rocket-propelled grenade towards its target and explodes on impact.
- Cerebral Burst - Upgrade to the Cerebral Bore. The Cerebral Burst works the same way the Cerebral Bore does, except it does not drill into an enemies skull. It simply lands on the enemy and there will be a timer on-screen to when the projectile will explode. It can detonate remotely as well. Unlike the Cerebral Possessor, the enemy still has full control of their actions and can still pose as a threat until the projectile explodes.
[edit] Trivia
- Oblivion and the Flesh Eater creatures that serve it were first introduced in Turok 2, along with the character Adon.
- This was the first Turok game to be entirely linear, with no Hub area or level keys and no re-visiting of earlier levels.
- N64 Magazine described the first boss, 'Oblivion Gunship,' as 'The crappest-looking boss ever' in their game guide.
- The police on the first level can be killed using the PSG, though at that point the player shouldn't have it.
- When approaching the temple in the Lost Land level, strange chanting is heard which ceases as the player approaches. By using the level select cheat to fight the level boss without first approaching the temple, the chanting will still be present as the player climbs on top. This allows the content to be made out; namely, several voices repeating the words 'Foreign chanting' over and over.
