The fact is, combining the shooting classes of Team Fortress with the diverse melee focus of Left 4 Dead‘s zombies is a fairly unique idea - not just one that comes packed with years of built-in balance testing. The lack of originality demonstrated in Lukewarm’s decision to so clearly dip into Valve’s refined and undoubtedly proven multiplayer design comes uncomfortably close to plagiarism, yet it’s difficult to condemn the developer for lifting these ideas in the creation of their own competitive title. Lastly, the diminutiveDilophosaurusspits blinding venom while the flying Pteradon is able to shriek to reveal human positions andswoop down to snatch them up. The gigantic Carnotaurus tramples enemies while sprinting or swings its head to knock down the soldiers while the massive Tyrannosaurus can perform a one-hit kill by way of a massive bite or let out an earth-shaking roar to boost the attack strengths of nearby dinosaurs. Raptors can pounce on humans and immobilize them via mauling until either their stamina gauge depletes or they’re shot by a competitor. The dinosaur side sees Primal Carnage more obviously borrowing from the special zombie classes of the Left 4 Dead series. Primal Carnage‘s warm-blooded classes are drawn from multiplayer FPS archetypes - the Commando carries an automatic rifle and grenade launcher the Pyromaniac wields a flamethrower and chainsaw the Scientist packs a sniper rifle and stamina draining tranquilizer gun the Trapper has pistols and a net the Pathfinder is equipped with a shotgun and blinding flares. A notable Team Fortress 2 influence is felt while playing the human side in a given match, design and gameplay obviously aped from the wildly popular online shooter. Lukewarm Media has drawn deeply from the wells of some ofValve’s most popular titles in their multiplayer-only action game, creating a title that aims high, but lacks polish and variety. Now, having experienced what is, strangely, one of the only recent videogames using this common childhood scenario as its premise, I can only assess Primal Carnage on the strengths and weaknesses of its worth as a game - not, to my surprise, on the inclusion of dinosaurs alone. Between the ages of, say, five and eleven years old I would have been absolutely bowled over by a game that allowed me to play as - or try to survive against - a dinosaur.

Primal carnage xbox onr