Year: 1995
Platform: Super Nintendo
Publisher: Ocean
Developer: Factor 5
Genre: Action/adventure
Rating: ***

The Factor 5 team sure got a lot of use out of their box art for "Turrican 2", since it's used on "Super Turrican" and "Super Turrican 2" as well (not to mention the "Turrican" soundtrack CD...). Pretty tacky if you ask me. Anyway, the Turrican premise is the same as all of the previous incarnations of the game, with a few new twists. First of all, the lovable Turrican suit doesn't look the same, which immediately kills any feeling of familiarity. The backgrounds and creatures also have a different look and feel, which makes this the most unique game of the series. The weapons have all been upgraded and the flame thrower returns, although it's not omni-directional like the one in "Turrican 2." The Turrican suit has also incorporated the cyberfist, which is essentially the same as the plasma rope from "Mega Turrican" only much more difficult to use. Along these same lines, this entry is also the hardest game in the series, demanding punishing dexterity and being much more stingy with the power-ups than its predecessors. A good and technically impressive game, but quickly frustrating and not as enjoyable as the other games in the series.

Our hero was supposed to return in 2000 with THQ's "Turrican 3D", but the title got cancelled. Sadly, Turrican's resurrection in Factor 5's "Thornado" (2001) was also scrapped.