Primal Rage

"Worst Fighting Game Ever with a Mortal Kombat like look!!"

Primal Rage features 7 beasts which are trying to take control of the new Urth as natives worship them as gods. Using the beasts, you have to conquer all 7 territories on the game then engage in a ''final battle'' where you have to beat all 7 beasts on the game in a deja vu of Mortal Kombat's Endurance matches. This game is basically a clone of Mortal Kombat. It has Fatalities, monsters which are clones of Mortal Kombat characters (a gorilla using ice attacks, another spewing vomit/ acid), and the Endurance mode like Final Battle.

Graphics: The graphics are okay for this game despite the character models being miniature. Backgrounds are okay and the game runs quite well without slowdown or glitches like Mortal Kombat 3. However, palette swaping with T-Rexes and gorillas is quite disturbing. At least all the game characters are intact on the game.

Sound: The sound is also good for this game featuring individual sounds for each beast unlike Mortal Kombat 3. Music is also quite good blending in with each stage environment without problems. I wished the game had more commentary from the announcer though.

Control: The worst feature on Primal Rage is the controls. They require you to hold down buttons and press directions on the D-pad before doing an attack which is very annoying to do in battle. The 6-button controller is heavily advised for this game otherwise you'll be pummeled by the computer players very quick as it will be quite aggressive depending on the difficulty level.

Gameplay: Not much to say about gameplay!! This game features a two player mode and a Practice mode where you engage in a Practice match against a computer opponent. Other than that, these are all the features offered. The Options menu offers a wide variety of ways for you to play against a human player or the computer such as 15 difficulty adjustments, various control configurations, and the ability to enable or disable blood. The demo screens don't look that impressive as they only show the title screen, high scores, and a demo fight.

Overall: Primal Rage is overall a great looking game on the graphics and sound. However, a lack of characters, game plot, and fustrating controls will force you to reject this Mortal Kombat deja vu game. Mortal Kombat 3 is much easier and better to enjoy despite not having the better graphic and sound capabilities as Primal Rage.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 04/22/02, Updated 04/22/02