Turok: Evolution - Game Boy Advance

Players choose one of two characters to play as in this side-scrolling shooter. I love contra and metal slug style games, and I really like this game too. I am happy gameboy advance offers this game.

Gameplay: The two characters are similar. One is a Native American-his secondary weapon is an axe he can throw. The other character is a muscular rough and tough looking guy-his secondary weapon is a chain with a blade on the end that he swings out at bad guys. He can use this chain to hang from many ceilings. While hanging he can rock back and forth and then let go to fly forward. It's useful to reach some places.

The game plays fast and intense. I think its a ton of fun. Enemies spawn often, and it's fun to destroy them. Weapons include a pistol, machine gun, flame thrower, laser, heavy machine gun, shotgun, and rocket launcher. Players can also find a more powerful version of each gun. In the same order as the weapons, their powered-up versions are laser pistol, 3-way gun, green flame thrower with more power and longer reach, reflective laser, super heavy machine gun, 2-way shotgun that fires green flame, and homing rocket.
Weapons are found throughout the levels, and players can pick them up to add them to their arsenals.

Aside from running, players climb ladders and jump over pits and boulders while destroying enemies.

Occasionally a level is viewed from behind the character's shoulder like the terminator 2 arcade game. Players move a crosshairs to shoot bad guys. I like these occasional levels; they add some nice variety.

Graphics: I like the graphics. Most guns look great when they fire. THe shotgun expels a brilliant flame as it fires, and the three-way gun fires flashing bluish green lasers. THe rockets and regular pistol look good, but I expected more flair because contra in the arcade had more flair. THe bullets are yellow balls, and the rockets look like rockets, but they don't look ultra powerful to me.

THe foregrounds are nice with barracks, boulders, jungles, street lights, city streets, and other cool stuff.

The backgrounds look sharp; I really like the city level; I think it's the third level.

The characters and enemies look good, they could look a little sharper; I don't have a clear sense of their animations or bodies.

Overall I think the graphics do a good job; they work for me.

Sound: THe sound isn't bad, but it's not wonderful. Right now, I can't remember specific toons, but when I play, the music adds to the aggressive feelings I enjoy when I play.

Sound effects are fun, but do not stand out in my memory. I was hoping for deeper gun sound effects; many of them have a flat bang sound, and I was hoping for more exotic gun sound effects. I do like both shotgun sound effects.