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Review:

21st April 2003:
Primal
With Sony backing it with an immense Marketing drive, this game must be awesome right? Check out our full review.
Posted by John Wasabi - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe

With the amount of money spent on marketing Primal, it is a game that is incredibly hard to ignore. The brains at Sony must be confident in their title and it shows for I cant flip any of my favourite channels without seeing an advert of it. Coincidence? I think not and that's the scary thing. Is Primal really worth the amount of investment? Frankly, the answer is yes and no.

Primal embarks on an epic story telling adventure about the disturbances between the balance of good vs evil and how it is your destiny to set it right while rescuing your loved one along the way. That's just the outline of it, sounds simple and nothing special but believe me it is a beautifully told plot with intricate twists and surprises that makes it hard to put down. Kind of like a good book if you know what I mean and the game really wants to set itself as a sort of action movie with a 'sidekick' element. Not wanting to dwell or detail the storyline heavily so as not to spoil it for those who are going to buy/rent Primal lets move on.

Production values of Primal are by far one of the highest we've seen for a long time. Voice acting and cinematic cutscenes litter the game throughout to the highest quality. It may put some people off to know that for the first 30 mins you practically do nothing but watch cutscenes. Alright so in Primal's defence you can skip the cutscenes but then you lose the essence of the game which is plot development and storytelling. Double-edged sword indeed but at least the options are there.

You can switch between the main Character Jen (a kick ass rock chick) and Scree (your gargoyle sidekick) at anytime simply by pressing the select button. Each with their own skill and abilities, they both have to be worked like a partnership in order to progress further. Jen being the primary character is used as an ass kicker of evil that hinder your path while Scree is used as support in the form of a scout or turning himself into a rock while lowering rope for Jen to climb. Later levels will see better use of Scree as he exploits power from stones that transform him into a colossal beast.

The gameplay element of switching characters is quite a unique one for without it, Primal would have been nothing more than a standard adventure platform affair. Primal gives the sense of immense landscapes that are seriously detailed and while it feels overwhelming at first, it becomes obvious where to go. There seems points in the game where you get lost but you'll eventually figure it out and to the Designers credit, they have a map system that works well.

Combat in Primal is good fun and will be viewed to most as a button masher fest, but playing further, you will realize skilled players can pull off more spectacular and deadly combos. Gruesome fatalities can also be performed and believe me they are gory to the point one wonders how much blood can there really be in someone? Nevertheless, its pretty cool stuff and parents, please watch out for age ratings. They are there for a purpose.

Graphically, Primal is jaw dropping and the moody gothic style that is present suits the whole atmosphere and environments in the Primal World. It is without a doubt that Primal is the best-looking 3rd person adventure game on the PS2 at this moment (CORE take note, you'll have to do better with the next Tomb Raider). With its incredibly detailed textures, character models and some of the best animations seen on a video game this makes Primal a joy to watch. There were times when I was just admiring the graphics rather than continuing the quest.

With Dolby Pro logic 2 support and backed by a haunting soundtrack, Primal's music soundtrack alone is worth seeking out. Orchestral to goth-rock transitions really add to the experience of Primal and one that will remembered by gamers for years to come.

The things that stop Primal from achieving legendary status are few but valid and remember these are my opinions, people will have theirs and disagree but no reviewer can speak for everyone. For a start, the camera angles can get annoying, especially in tight areas. I found myself getting killed a few times cause my camera was stuck behind walls. Puzzles are basic with nothing ground breaking or challenging which for a game with some of the highest productions we've seen is strange. Finally the fact that Primal is a 'forced affair' puts me off. The game is determined on getting the player to the next key event rather than reward players with exploration. With its linear motives, it then becomes apparent that your goal is to just make it to the next story sequence and repeat until you get to the end. Its rather sad cause Primal could have provided so much more.

Primal is not as good as 'The Mark of Kri'. Why Sony chose to heavily promote this game over that one will always be a mystery to me heck, I doubt most of you even know what other game I am talking about (Its in our review section, if you're interested). Ultimately, Primal is a case of style over substance. Gameplay innovation and interesting design has given way to amazing cinematic cutscenes and an awesome soundtrack, which saddens me. Primal promised so much yet delivered only a bit of what could have been. Some will adore Primal and not everyone will share my views (I've already had family disputes over this game), all I can say is if you like games of this genre it will come down to preference and unfortunately it's not to mine but do check it out if you think it could be yours.

John Wasabi

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Review Summary:

Primal is let down by a few things but they can be easily overlooked by its overwhelming production values. Opinions have been split about Primal here at Silicon Fusion and ultimately it will come down to consumer preference as Primal is one those games that will be debated about for years to come.

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