Real Talk By: The AX

Primal Carnage has managed to sneak it’s way onto the PSN with very little warning. The port was first announced at the same conference that unveiled the PS4, and it seems that interest in the indie title has waned.  Having garnered roughly 4,000 user reviews (at the time of this writing) on Steam, the class-based multiplayer games has a dedicated following and has quite a positive reputation.  Does the PS4 port hold up as well as the PC version does?

The short and easy answer is “kind of.” While the strengths and fun gameplay of the PC version transfer pretty successfully to the PS4, the port lacks the amount of polish that the Steam version has.  Granted, this could be chalked up to playing the game so close to launch, but one would think that a port announced 2 ½ years ago would feel more complete than it does.  I don’t necessarily mean that the game is ugly by any means; the environments are lush and vibrant.  The ambiance makes me feel like I’m playing Team Fortress on Isla Nublar.  I’m more referring to the significantly noticeable texture popping and screen tearing.  The game does also suffer some frame rate issues, but it’s hard to tell whether that’s due to the game’s design or my internet connection.

For those who haven’t played Primal Carnage, give it a look.  The game’s strengths by far outplay it’s weaknesses.  There isn’t really any story because the game is solely a multiplayer shooter which pits a team of humans against a team of carnivorous dinosaurs (I specify because there are no Stegos or Trikes). It takes some getting used to, especially for one like me who is awful at arena shooters, but it’s incredibly easy to warm up to.

My first impressions of the game were dismal. The controls weren’t very intuitive, and regardless of whether I was playing as a human or a dinosaur, I was consistently pwned.  I couldn’t seem to get the hang of it and while I don’t mind losing, I hate getting stomped.  It wasn’t until I explored with the different classes of dinos and humans that I became to truly appreciate the complexity of the beast and learn some tricks of the trade. Classes are customizable and strategies can be made. Players are granted the ability to change class in match to compete with the opposing team’s class choices.

The arenas are standard fare with nothing remarkable to note.  There are almost no items to interact with and environments did not appear to be destructible.  One thing in particular that I found interesting was the ability to select which server you would like to play on rather than having a sophisticated matchmaking system.  While this could lead to wasting time finding a group that is on about your level, it also has a certain amount of charm that reminds me of playing Battlefield on PC in the early 2000s. The ability to host LAN games is also a very welcome addition.

Primal Carnage is a great game, one that is definitely worth checking out if you’re okay with no single player component. I would however recommend (as an admitted console elitist) that the PC is the platform of choice for this title.  While most of the game’s content transfers smoothly to PS4, the amount of bugs doesn’t warrant it’s purchase on console. Check out Primal Carnage on Steam as it is on sale quite often, and hold onto your butts!

Primal Carnage Gets

3 Out of 5

What’s Legit?

+Fun Gameplay

+Class Customization options

What’s Perpetrating?

-Buggy

-Matchmaking

#PrimalCarnage @PlayLegit

Review Copy Provided By Circle 5 Studios*