Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (2000). Play online

Summary

Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (often just called Turok 3) felt like a proper send‑off for the N64 series. I could play as Danielle, who jumps higher and hauls the heavy firepower, or as Joseph, whose creep‑through‑cracks skill and sniper‑night‑vision combo made stealth runs fun. Both characters sport eight upgradeable weapons, giving a total of sixteen arsenals to tweak. The game let me save anywhere on a Controller Pak, and its multiplayer packed eight modes—blood‑lust, capture the flag, last‑stand, monkey tag and more—spread across 42 maps, even with bots for solo chaos. Development cut the Expansion Pak from the dev kits to keep the frame rate smooth; owners of the Pak still got a high‑res, letterbox view, plus a 30° wider FOV and a draw distance two to four times that of Turok 2. While a co‑op campaign was planned, unique abilities for each hero caused technical road‑blocks, so it never shipped. Levels were handcrafted with independent events, and Nintendo Power praised the realistic models and lip‑synced cutscenes, a rarity on the console. Critics generally liked it, and the title hit North America on August 31 2000.

Storyline

When the Primagen’s Lightship is shattered at the end of Turok 2, the resulting chain reaction wipes out the existing universe and drives the ancient cosmic horror Oblivion to the brink of extinction. Though battered, Oblivian survives and seeks a way to breach the Netherscape that separates the living world from the timeless Lost Lands. The last fragments of the pure energy that created life are hidden in the Light Burden, the bag carried by every Turok, and Oblivion’s minions have erected a massive headquarters deep within the Lost Lands to marshal their forces.

The story opens with Joshua Fireseed, the current Turok, plagued by dreams of a child he must protect. Oblivion Spawns infiltrate his home and attack while he sleeps; Joshua fights them off, then orders his sister Danielle and brother Joseph to flee, sacrificing himself with a bomb to destroy the Spawns. As Danielle and Joseph escape, a monster ambushes them, but the alien ally Adon rescues them and teleports them to a council meeting.

The council decides that either Danielle or Joseph must become the next Turok, leaving the player to choose. The chosen hero then infiltrates Oblivion’s headquarters in the Lost Lands, battling through hordes to destroy the scourge and stop the cosmic entity once and for all.