Primal Rage

Retro Coin Op Synopsis

Fighting games went old school in Atari’s Primal Rage… waaaaaaay old school, circa 1 million years B.C. Bloodthirsty dinosaurs and other Jurassic punks collided in this one-on-one fighter, and only the strong would survive (although, in hindsight, they did all die out eventually anyway).

Seven beasts were available for combat in Primal Rage: a raptor, a pair of great apes, an ankylosaurus, a bizarre snub-nosed reptile, and of course, the obligatory T-rexes. The detailed designs were courtesy of stop-motion animated models, which were digitized to create the game’s realistic-looking characters (well, as realistic as big blue gorillas get…)

As always, the game consisted of a fight to the death, with players executing a series of attacks, including special combo moves and a few fatalities. This was nothing new to the fighting game world, but never underestimate the power of dinosaurs. Primal Rage certainly didn’t underestimate their power, throwing in hordes of tiny dino-worshiping humans as a comical background touch (the comedy turned dark when the thunderlizards got hungry).

It may not have been Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat, but at least Primal Rage helped dino-crazed kids blow off steam with a little T-rex vs. T-rex carnage.

Arcade Machine Release History

1984 - Primal Rage

Arcade Game Sub Categories

Fighting

Machine Manufacturer

Atari

Other Arcade Game Links