Primal Rage

"A raptor with a Mohawk?"

Well, here it is. If you happened to read my review for the PSX fighter Warpath: Jurassic Park, I mentioned how it brought back memories of playing this game on the Genesis. Heck, Warpath borrowed from Primal Rage in so many ways. (fighting as dinosaurs, snacking on humans, blood, blood, and did I mention blood?) Point is Warpath is essentially Primal Rage wrapped in the Jurassic Park license. Question is are my fond memories just that, fond memories?

Gameplay: Primal Rage presents you will seven beasts, that range from apes, a legged serpent, and dinosaurs with the strangest one being a Mohawk bearing raptor. There is no fancy fighting here, just brutal bloody fighting. So don't expect the intricate fighting of titles such as Tekken or Street Fighter, since simple button mashing can often get you places. One fatal flaw in this plan is the AI is skewed. Either enemies are easy to defeat, or they rely on cheap tactics such as recycling special moves far too often. Thankfully, the game includes a two-player mode so as long as your friend (or sibling) are decent the AI problem is solved. However, one thing that still holds down this title is the lack of replay. If it had extra unlockable modes like Warpath has, (such as Survival) I would probably play this game more then every once in a while. Heck, due to the modes I still pop in the Warpath disk at least once month. Just to let all you strange gamers know, Primal Rage includes all kinds of disgusting behavior in the form of moves. Farts, puking anyone? You can call it a claim to fame, but now that I'm older it suddenly seems kind of cheap and vulgar.

Graphics: The graphics are decent, but sadly they can't compare to the arcade version. The battlegrounds look decent enough, but the sometimes blob looking textures, and the complete lack of the animation from the arcade version are noticeable flaws. The blood is gracious and of course red. Although the game mostly lacks flashy effects, what is here such as Diablo's flame attacks are done well. The character models look good, in fact better then the 16-bit Mortal Kombat titles. Problem is some of the beasts such as the apes and Sauron/Diablo are little more then palette swaps, something in this case the arcade has as well.

Sound: Sound wise this game excels. The various sound bites for the different creatures are well done, and the cheers the worshippers is a nice touch. Also music is varied, and changes to fit a specific battleground. The announcer definitely fits the theme, setting the tone for the carnage at hand. I can't really fault this Genesis cart sonically.

Control: The basic fighting moves are easy enough to perform, but the complicated moves are a serious chore. Thankfully, if you have a six button controller you can map a few of the special moves to the X,Y, and Z buttons via the options menu.

How does it perform on the Sega Nomad portable?:
Actually the game is all the better on the Sega Nomad. Like many Genesis titles, the game looks better on the Nomad hardware thanks to the smaller screen. In fact, this difference is enough that I find it hard to play this game on anything but the Nomad. Thats not to say it looks poor on the TV, just things like the sometimes blob looking textures are nigh invisible on this portable.

If I was the raptor I would look into a career in punk rock. His choice in hairstyle fits the look, besides there is a lot of money to be had since that type of music isn't extinct. Groan! Bad joke huh? Any ways, Primal Rage just doesn't have what it takes to still compete. Honestly, while Warpath is an out and out rip off, it added enough depth to make it last. Being the first Primal Rage didn't for see that, and as such is lacking now. However, seeing as a used copy can usually be acquired for $5 it's worth a buy. I've got enough kicks out of it to warrant the bucks, besides I collect Genesis games so I'll buy it regardless of the quality of the experience. A few cheap thrills, and another game in the collection. Works for me!

Score:6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/27/02, Updated 08/27/02