The Primal Rage Strategy Guide (For PR version 2.3) v0.2 (12-31-94) By: Todd Sinclair (todd.sinclair@castles.com or Ace@community.net) Yes, Primal Rage 2.3 is here... and it is completely different. The whole game has been slowed down, and the combo system reworked. A lot of the old combos do not work due to the changes made. All characters do around half as much damage as in version 1.7, while you get lots more energy for eating worshippers (meaning player-player matches should be more interesting). The computer also fights totally different. There's a lot of changes... enough so that almost every single strategy listed in the previous Guide is no longer valid. Hence, the Primal Rage 2.3 Strategy Guide! Remember, this is for Primal Rage 2.3... these cheats aren't guaranteed to work anyway, but using them on a version 1.7 machine will probably result in you losing. The game's that different. -------------- Contents -------------- i. Revision History 1 What is... 1.1 What is Primal Rage? 1.2 What is the Primal Rage Strategy Guide? 1.3 Why are there 2 Primal Rage Strategy Guides? 2 Not-so-special moves and combos 3 Strategies 3.1 Character Changes 3.2 Playing Strategies 3.3 General Computer Strategies 3.4 Specific Computer Strategies 3 Other Cool Stuff 4 Where to get the lastest copy of the FAQ and Strategy Guide. 5 I want your Cheeze! 6 Credits --------------------- i. Revision History --------------------- v0.1 - First version, not much. Initial obvious changes from PR 1.7, some vague general strategies and things to watch out for. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.1 Intro : What is Primal Rage? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the newest fighting games out, using stop-motion animation of real models for the characters. If you don't know what it is, though, you shouldn't be reading this. Go read the FAQ by Zargon and Pericom, or check out the WWW Primal Rage FAQ (see section 4 for info on obtaining them) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.2 What is the Primal Rage Strategy Guide? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Guide is an effort to make the game playable for new players. The computer is extremely pattern-based, so it is quite easy to defeat once you master the patterns (cheezes?) with a certain character. This usually results in the difficulty being set at the highest level, where you make one mistake and the computer will pummel you with combos taking half your energy in less than a couple seconds. By listing out all the strategies against the computer, and the computer's general playing style, the Guide should make it possible for even a new player to at least put up a fight, and let the rest of us see those endings without knowing someone who works at the arcade. And remember... it's only Cheezy if it's against a human! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.3 Why are there 2 Primal Rage Strategy Guides (and what's the difference?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are two major versions of Primal Rage. The other Strategy Guide was for Primal Rage version 1.7. This one is for Primal Rage version 2.3, which was just recently released. You can tell which version you have by watching the main screen. If it says 'version 2.3', then it's version 2.3. If it says nothing above the title, push up on the left joystick and down on the right joystick. It should say 'version 1.7' in small green letters right above the title. That machine is version 1.7. Got it? The difference between the two versions is huge, playwise. The computer fights completely different, the characters do less damage, the whole game has been slowed down, and the combo system re-worked. Most old combos no longer work, or do negligable damage. So, the older Guide (1.7) will not work on version 2.3 machines. That's why this one was created. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Not-so-special moves and combos. (Stuff not in the FAQ, but needed for survival) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The buttons are the same as the FAQ : 1 2 3 4 Useful Air Combos [AC's] ------------------------ These are good mini-combos for getting multiple hits (and more damage) in air battles. They're here so I can refer to them in the rest of the Guide by name and not have to explain what it is each time. ARMADON description Name in Guide ------- | | 2, 1+2 (double horn in the air) [Double Horn AC] BLIZZARD -------- 3+4, Air Throw (Downward Punch, Air Throw) [Punch-Throw AC] CHAOS ----- ?? DIABLO ------ ?? SAURON ------ ?? TALON ----- 3, 1+2 (jumpkick, Claw Rake) [Kick-Slash AC] 2, 1+2 (small claw rake, large claw rake) [Claw Rake AC] VERTIGO ------- 1, 1+2 (small bite, strong bite) [Double Bite AC] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.1 Character Changes ------------------------------------------------------------------------ +---------+ | ARMADON | +---------+ All you Armadon players are gonna love 2.3. He's become MUCH faster, most notibly his Tail Spike move. He may now have the fastest.. um... rate of fire... of all the animals. His Iron Maiden has changed, too. He launches higher into the air, but instead of it being a smooth arc, he flies up at an angle, then VERY quickly crashes straight down when he gets over the opponent. If you're not paying attention, it almost looks like he's jumping at you, not doing his Iron Maiden. The bad side is that blocking backwards seems to block the Iron Maiden... no more jumping out of the way, just block and hit him as he gets up. His Rushing Uppercut also throws the opponent high into the air, allowing him to 'volleyball' them as they fall. A Rushing Uppercut, then 2 horn jabs are quite easy now. +----------+ | Blizzard | +----------+ Well, he's a little faster. His trip/Ice Geyser no longer seems possible, although the computer did a trip/Cold Breath on me... possible replacement. Both freeze moves have a MUCH shorter freeze time, meaning you better get over there fast if you wanna hit anything. +---------+ | CHAOS | +---------+ Again, Chaos seems to be a much-improved character. His Battering Ram has been changed so that you get launched forward more. The result is that, like Armadon's and Diablo's Rushing attacks, you can juggle the opponent on the way down. A Battering Ram, double-uppercut, low punch is quite easy to pull off now. His Flying Butt Slam works like Armadon's Iron Maiden... launch up at an angle, then quickly straight down once over the opponent. Now... what could he possibly do for his other fatality?? (shudder) +----------+ | DIABLO | +----------+ Overall, like evryone except for Talon, he seems to be speeded up a bit, especially in the tail area. The low bite - low bite - trip - Hot Foot combo (that was used on Chaos and Armadon in v1.7) no longer seems possible... the Hot Foot kept missing. +----------+ | SAURON | +----------+ This big-boy is now someone to watch out for. His Earthquake Stomp has been disguised as a normal jump... it appears he's simply jumping straight up, then suddenly crashes down to the ground. Much better than v1.7. His Cranium Crusher, too, is faster. Overall, his moves are quicker and easier to pull off. The down side is that his regular movement (ie, walking) is much slower. Even Diablo can out-run him quite easily. +---------+ | TALON | +---------+ No! Talon! What have they done to you?? You're slow.... your moves don't do much damage... your Pounce & Flip does NOTHING... you're a... wimp!! Yep... it seems they REALLY gave Talon a workover. The Pounce & Flip does about as much damage now as it did when it was blocked in the final battle on version 1.7 (aka, not much at all). The 9-hit combo listed in the other Guide under fighting Armadon used to do around 51%. Now, it's only possible as an 8-hit (1 jab will miss), and only does about 28%. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems.... his kicks still do decent damage... and he can 'staircase' in a jumping attack like Armadon and Diablo in the old version... (ie, hit you many times in a jumping combo before his feet touch the ground) For one, though, his Jugular Bite is much easier to get off (they also made it a named combo). His Brain Basher works different. He no longer launches himself off your head - he bounces off it. This means that it's possible to get off some combos with it, as you're close enough for a hit. The good side is his new, improved Shredder fatality. That alone is worth playing as him. (And besides... it's Talon! That alone is reason enough to play him) +-----------+ | VERTIGO | +-----------+ Definate possibilities. She still doesn't have any anti-air moves, but seems to have 3 teleports now. One is the normal teleport, like v1.7. She also has one where she disappears and drops from the top of the screen (ala Samuari Shodown). The last one is a double-teleport - she disappears, reappears for a split-second, a lightning bolt goes off, and she reappears somewhere else. I don't know the purpose of that one... might be a special move being blocked by the computer, as it has set off the cheeze warning before. The best part about her is that she teleports in MID-AIR now. Her Come Slither also must be blocked low now, it appears. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.2 Playing Strategies - Become one with your animal ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARMADON ------- He's fast now... some of his old combos do still work, like a jumping 4, 3+4, low 3+4, low 3+4, Rushing Uppercut. The added bonus is that his Rushing Uppercut tosses the opponent high into the air, making it easy to add it 2 horns (standing 1, 2). His Tail Spike move is fast now... don't be afraid to get into a 'fireball war', as you will probably win. The Spinning Death doesn't seem to go under Blizzard's Cold Breath anymore, though, so don't try it. He plays pretty much the same, just faster. BLIZZARD -------- The trip - Ice Geyser combo doesn't seem to work. However, the computer hit me with a Trip - Cold Breath once... possible replacement. His short Mega Punch is speeded up now, and a Trip - Short Mega Punch is pretty easy. CHAOS ----- His Battering Ram now throws the opponent forward, so it's easy to tack on a Double Uppercut (low 2)- low punch on the end (I've seen the computer do *2* Double Uppercuts... still don't know how to do it though) DIABLO ------ He seemed pretty much the same. Tail's a bit faster, though. SAURON ------ The Cranium Crusher is a lot faster.... much better than the Primal Scream to take out flying opponents. Sauron's Earthquake Stomp is now disguised as a normal jump... he jumps up normally, then quickly crashes to the ground. Catches most people off-gaurd until they learn to watch for it. Also, his ground throw is quick enough to be used in a combo (named combo at that... 'crunchy' series) TALON ----- His Pounce & Flip does NOTHING now... just 3 extra hits for a tiny amount of damage. His Jugular Bite is easier to get off now, and is probably a better end to a combo than the Pounce & Flip (plus it does more damage). The new, modified 8-hit ground combo is jab(1) - jab - Double Slash - jab - jab - Jugular Bite (about 28% damage or so, ranked as a 'Super Throat Popper Combo'. If you start with a jumpkick and go to 9 hits, it becomes 'GO FOR THE JUGULAR!'). Probably the hardest change to get used to (for me anyway) is how his kick timing has changed. Jumpkicks work different... his fierce (3+4) kick is a lot slower, and can't really be used in combos. It'll probably take a regular Talon player a while to adjust to his new speed. VERTIGO ------- Her greatest asset, IMHO, is her ability to teleport in mid-air. Along with being able to appear both on the ground and drop from the sky, it makes her one of the most annoying people to fight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.3 General Computer Fighting Styles/Strategies ------------------------------------------------------------------------ +--------------+ | IN GENERAL | +--------------+ The computer has become MUCH better at defending against air attacks. Expect to be hit by an uppercut or lunging bite many times before you get the timing down. As usual, if you must jump, it's safer to not push any buttons until you are directly overhead, at the last possible second. Rushing attacks (Armadon's Spinning Death or Rushing Uppercut, Diablo's Mega Lunge, etc) no longer go under some projectiles all the time. This is very bad... +-----------+ | ARMADON | +-----------+ He's gotten a bit tougher! If you jump, he'll nail you with his Hornication Uppercut with great accuracy. He loves doing tail trip/Tail Spike combo. Found a weakness though... he no longer does a Spinning Death when he's far away. Instead, he'll jump at you to get closer. You just need to time it so you hit him in the air. +------------+ | BLIZZARD | +------------+ He has learned to jump straight up when he catches you in an Ice Geyser. He also gets sick of you jumping after a while, and will start to uppercut you whenever you try. Also, some of the rushing attacks no longer go under his Cold Breath (Armadon's Spinning Death, for example). He basically plays more defensively. +---------+ | CHAOS | +---------+ Like Blizzard, he will also start uppercutting you if you keep jumping at him too much. He doesn't really seem too much different, except for the fact that he's not as patterned as he was. If you jump, sometimes he'll block, sometimes he'll uppercut you, sometimes he'll jump, sometimes he'll do a Battering Ram, etc. The bad side is that he has bigger and better combos. Usually in 1.7, he'd do a combo ending in a Battering Ram and that's it. Now, he usually tacks on a couple uppercuts for that little extra. +----------+ | DIABLO | +----------+ Not too much different... he uses bite/bite/fireball and bite/bite/torch combos now, and his tail is faster... watch out for it. He doesn't seem to do the Mega Lunge when you jump very often, and when he does, he misses a lot. +----------+ | SAURON | +----------+ Bad news... walking forward, then backwards no longer causes Sauron to Stun Roar reliably. Good news is that with the lessened damage, those 4-hit combos of his shouldn't be able to kill you in 5 seconds. +---------+ | TALON | +---------+ Oh man... he may be slow and wimpy, but the computer is downright killer with him! He's nothing of the fighter he used to be, but the computer doesn't make any mistakes with him. Talon almost NEVER jumps. If YOU jump, he'll do a lunging upward bite almost every time. If you stay on the ground, he'll calmly walk up and take a bite out of your throat. He's gonna be a tough one to find a pattern for... +-----------+ | VERTIGO | +-----------+ She seems about the same, although she can teleport in mid-air now. It also seems her Come Slither can't be blocked high anymore, which is bad when you're trying to back up. Also, when you're trying to back up and she tries the Come Slither, you get stuck in block mode until you release the joystick and push back again. Really a pain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4 Specific Fighting Strategies ----------------------------------------------------------------------- It's a name game, face it. And, despite his new weakened form, Talon still rules... so we'll start with him! TALON vs. --------- ** ARMADON ** Well, the walk-up-and-jab cheeze no longer works effectively. It'll occassionally hit, but if you miss once, he'll nail you with a little combo. Best way so far is to back up. He'll usually jump. You need to learn when he's about to jump, and nail him in the air (a [kick-slash AC] works well). If you miss him, or he doesn't jump, expect a Hornication Uppercut or a Bed-o-Nails. ** BLIZZARD ** The old cheeze works with limited success (back up, do a Pounce & Flip whenever Blizzard does a Mega Punch or Cold Breath). The problem is that the Pounce & Flip does NO damage at all. Best thing I could come up with was to wait for a Cold Breath, then do a jumping combo of some sort. Talon's legs do reasonable damage, and you can work him down quite quickly if he cooperates. Just watch out... he WILL jump straight up and throw you if you get caught by his Ice Geyser. ** CHAOS ** Hmmm... the double-slash - Pounce & Flip cheeze doesn't seem to work anymore... Chaos likes to jump more, it seems, though, which is good... Like Blizzard, the best thing I could come up with is to wait for a Power Puke, then do a jumpkick combo of some sort. ** DIABLO ** Not too hard, really. He hasn't changed that much. Just watch out for the Pulverizers and don't get too close... that tail is fast! ** SAURON ** Little harder, without being able to make him do a Stun Roar reliably. Best thing to do is stay back and wait for it... he'll Stun Roar eventually. Then do a jumpkick combo of some sort. He does seem to throw the Stun Roar if you back WAAAAY up, ie all the way across the screen. The bad part is that Talon can't jump that far and still be able to get off a decent jumping combo. Also, watch for when he jumps straight up.. it's usually an Earthquake Stomp. ** TALON ** Gotta be the hardest player to fight.... BUT, I've found a way that sorta works. Back up. Wait. If he cooperates, he'll try a Brain Basher. Now here's where it gets hard. You have 2 choices... either do a lunging upward bite (down + 2), or if you have REALLY good reflexes, do a [kick-slash AC]. Either way, back up after you hit him. If you're close to the corner, power jump over him without pushing any buttons. The problem with this is that it doesn't always work... it always seems to work pretty good in the first round, but in the second, he never jumps. The third... well, sometimes. There's gotta be a better way... even when he does cooperate, this usually won't kill him - you time out. ** VERTIGO ** Ah, at last someone with a pattern! It seems our good old Vertigo STILL hasn't learned not to jump. It's MUCH harder than v1.7, though. You have to jump from a little more than your starting distance apart. Either do a stong jumpkick (3+4), or a [kick-slash AC]. Here's the important part - if you miss and she doesn't jump, don't push any buttons! Just back up... she'll try a double-bite combo, and it WILL hit if you try to attack her. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Other Cool Stuff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This section is other various Cheezes, bugs, and other interesting stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else, or I forgot to mention above.... ...and looky... already found what appears to be a bug... ** The Joystick Reversal Bug ** Not sure on this yet, but it happened to me twice already, so it's probably a bug. It seems that sometimes when you're close to your opponent, jumping around an such, the computer gets confused, resulting in your jumping the OPPOSITE way than where you want to go, often resulting in getting thrashed. What happened to me was I jumped, landed behind Vertigo, then tried to jump away from her. But the bug hit, and I jumped OVER her again. (ie, push the joystick up-right, you'll jump left). I hope it was just me or just a fluke, as this could cause you to lose quite a few games if it happens too much. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Where to get the latest copy of the Primal Rage FAQ and both Strategy Guides ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Either FTP to netcom.com and look in the directory /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs for : primalrg.txt - FAQ prsg1_7.txt - Strategy Guide, PR version 1.7 prsg2_3.txt - Strategy Guide, PR version 2.3 or send an e-mail message to ftp-request@netcom.com with the line: send /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs/primalrg.txt to your.address@here for the FAQ, or : send /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs/prsg1_7.txt to your.address@here for the Strategy Guide (PR version 1.7) or: send /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs/prsg2_3.txt to your.address@here for the Strategy Guide (PR version 2.3). (or put all of them!) Also, check out the WWW Primal Rage FAQ at: http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/cebarton/primal/primal-rage.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 I want your Cheeze! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any suggestions, comments, flames, ideas, cheezes, random drivel, or signed blank checks, write me at: Todd.Sinclair@Castles.com or Ace@Community.net I'll reply to all messages I get... if you send one and don't hear anything in a couple days, send another message to the other address. My main mail place has problems with e-mail from time to time. And be sure to tell me which version of Primal Rage (1.7 or 2.3) the cheat is for. (If you can't see the intro, 2.3 is the one with the multi-colored circles when an attack is blocked, and with the names for combos). Anyone out there got any cool Ascii pic I can put in the title? (besides the one in the FAQ) Not only will you get my gratitude, but you'll have your artwork admired by MILLIONS of people all over the WORLD!!! You'll be famous, and get a great job drawing ascii pics for $100,000 a year! Seriously! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Credits ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Andy Eddy (vidgames@netcom.com)................Keeping this Guide around