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Gargoyle of My Dreams

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 37
Date: January 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When Jen Tate and her rock star boyfriend leave a wild dance hall to go pay the rent, the last thing they expect is to be attacked and beaten within an inch of their lives by a gigantic demon. Lying in an emergency recovery room, Jen leaves her body and meets Scree, a gargoyle turned guide, and is drawn into Oblivion and the center of the demonic worlds where chaos and order fight a continuous battle. Unfortunately, chaos is winning, and it will take Jen's special powers to restore the balance.

Jen and Scree work their ways through four different demon realms all superbly detailed, restoring or creating order and improving their skills for the last titanic fight. The game requires equal amounts of battle skills and thought - Only Jen can fight, but it takes Scree's talents as well to overcome some of the ingenious obstacles in their path. As the game progresses, Jen acquires special demonic powers in each realm. The player switches between the to characters - depending on what skills are needed.

Primal is a winner at many levels. The characters, Jen and Scree, are delightful. Jen is a rocker who is determined to work her way up and make good. Scree, a spirit torn from his body and thrust into a statue, plays the part of the wise straight man. The dialog between them is full of little twists and barbs, but it is clear that a great deal of affection builds between them as the story evolves.

The realms of the story are immense and beautifully illustrated; their civilizations believable and interesting. The only flaw in the world building is that there are only a few characters other than Jen and Scree that achieve any personality. Animation and movement control are excellent. This isn't one of those RPG's where the controller is the real opponent.

Primal is rated as mature - primarily due to blood and violence. Jen's language has a rough edge as well. From my viewpoint, none of these factors is extreme - parts don't go flying everywhere, etc., but the Primal is definitely pitched to the 15+ age group. Even so, this is really too good a game to miss.

PRIMAL!(sexy half-demon goth rock chick runs for Lara vote!)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: March 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Primal progresses through four realms in the Parallel world of Oblivion. In Each realm her appearence changes dramatically and each realm is ruled by either the forces of order or chaos, and something major is messing up the balance.

Unusually, unlike other games, which claim to be deep and fantastical and try to be as complex and open-ended as possible, Primal sesigners have devised a storyline, which is stuck to throughout the game, wearing it's linear nature with pride.

Reasons for buying it:
-Deep, dark and huge.
-Broad, intultive puzzles.
-Very nasty monsters.

Reasons for leaving it:
-Vague sense of being unfaithful to Mrs Croft
-Not a game that gets along with natural light.
-Where's the mini-gun?
(AS YOU SEE DIGGING HARD FOR BAD POINTS!)

Graphics/visuals: Gorgeous. Slinky characters, near-edible textures!
9.4/10

Sound: Alf soaring and dramatic. Decent acting!
8.9/10

Gameplay: Simple, fun. Combat a teeny bit simplistic.
8.2/10

Life span: Huge and linear. The save-anywhere option is great.
8.6/10

OVERALL SCORE AND THOUGHTS:
I give this 8.8/10 (88%)

-A finely crafted adventure, which reveals its depths gradually, unfolding at a pace to suit even the most fantasy-challenged.

One of PS2s best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: January 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game when it was first released and must have played it at least 10 times. This game is excellent and deserves so much more credit than it has been given here. The story that unfolds throughout your quest has to be one of PS2s most thorough and enticing! No where did this game come up short as it has excellent controls, innovative combat style, unique characters, an excellent replay value and a variety of awesome environments to hold anyone's interest!

There are two protagonist characters, Jen and Scree, who will not only provide you with great gameplay, but will also entertain anyone with a good sense of humor. They are very well developed, so much that the audience will learn to sympathize with each of them equally. Each has their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities which motivate the plot differently as you must play both simultaneously to be successful on you quest to fight against Abbadon and his reign of darkness. Aurella, who needs to restore balance to the Nexus and save Chronos, guides you through the four corners of the Nexus and provides you will the necessary keys to prevail in the end.

The worlds themselves are unique and beautiful in their own right. Each is occupied by a different race and holds a separate power that Jen must learn to wield in order to survive and overcome the obstacles only found within that world. Scree is always at her side to provide additional strength and another perspective to help Jen figure out the correct course of action to fulfill her destiny. You will journey to the lush, dark, wintery forests of Solem where you discover the horned race of the Ferai. Journey next to the deep blue waters of Aquis and meet the Undine, a mer-like race. Journey off to the grey, dreary, wet and gothic towns of Aetha, where the Wraith aristocracy is on a vampiric hunt for blood. Last, travel to Volca, the fiery world found deep within a volcano to overcome the Djinn race that is the most fierce of all and provides Jen with the final essence needed to restore the Nexus.

Many interesting items wait to be discovered such as tarot cards, lodestones, energy fountains, keys, and most importantly, rift gates which allow you passage from one end of a world to another.

If you love fantasy games and are looking for a unique adventure, give this one a try as I am sure you will be completely satisfied and appreciate everything that the game has to offer.

An A for effort...but just barely above average

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: February 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was torn between giving this game 3 or 4 stars, but in the end I decided it earned a 4...if just barely.
This is a beautiful game, with some of the coolest graphics I've seen on the PS2, and I do mean cool. It's not just that they're well done (though they are), but the designers of this game created some really cool worlds to get lost in. I was very impressed by them. I've always been a sucker for the whole "4 elemental realms" thing, which so many games and stories have used, and this game pulls it off perhaps better than any other I have played.
The sound is also done very well, though just as a matter of personal preference, I don't really care for modern rock music when I'm playing a game that takes place in a fantasy realm, even if the main character is supposed to be from the present time. That's mainly just the combat music though...most of it is orchestrated and very well done. Voice acting is pretty good, especially Scree.
The story isn't the most original thing I've ever heard, but it is very good...definitely enough to keep your interest.
So far this game is going for a perfect score of 5, but unfortunately the designers really dropped the ball when it came to the gameplay, in my opinion. Most actions are pretty simple, and I have no complaints about. The ability to change between Jen and Scree is nice and adds a nice element of variety in figuring out how to use their seperate abilities to solve puzzles. The puzzles themselves ranged from simple to only slightly confusing, but were generally really well done and entertaining. So still, all is well.
But then there is the fighting...I loathed the combat system in this game, to the point that it almost ruined the game for me. I felt a feeling of dread whenever I saw enemies just because I hated the thought of having to endure combat. You'd think it would be fun controlling a chick with various demon forms/abilities, but unfortunately no. The combos were hard to pull off or even figure out, combat controls themselves were incredibly slow and un-responsive, and just all around...well, not fun. I think I would have enjoyed the game more with no fighting and just the puzzle solving. I mean, I love to fight, but the controls have to be there or it just isn't fun.
On a final note, I really missed jumping. I mean, I guess it's kind of realistic not being able to take big jumps, but that's just one of the things that make games fun. I mean it is a game, and not real life. It seems like she should have AT LEAST been able to jump while in demon form, I mean c'mon.
So that's my opinion. The controls (particularly combat) were really lacking, but the game did have some really interesting and fun puzzle solving, an interesting story, beautiful graphics, and absolutely awesome worlds to explore. Worth a runthrough. Lastly, there is pretty much no replay value. If you're interested, buy it cheap.

A fine gothic action-adventure with great production value

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: August 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

A very good-looking game with awesome sound, awe-inspiring visuals and a deep plot that will keep you busy for anything between 15 and 30 hours - you set the pace. There's no need to rush, because the different worlds are very detailed in terms of architecture and overall design and seem to welcome you to take look around to relish the cool atmosphere. The difficulty level is easy-medium. The game is action based but also has puzzles, which however are simple enough to avoid frustration (with very few exceptions, where you need to look a little closer at your surroundings).
The game is divided into 4 episodes. Each is a different part of the alternate world, Jen has to discover in order to find her lost boy-friend (abducted by demonic creatures). The episodes show a great deal of variety: from lost underground civilizations in eternal snow to medieval castles and villages in the rain to underwater worlds and Egyptian temples and tombs - you'll be there.
Jen's sidekick is a gargoyle named Scree, who has special abilities like turning to stone (you guessed that one), possessing statues and using them to fight larger enemies or create bridges/smash doors, etc. and climbing stone walls. Jen is the fighter: she learns different moves as she discovers and unleashes different demonic forms of herself, each one connected to the area she's in (e.g. she can become a water-dwelling demon once she gets to Aquis, an underwater civilization). She can also climb ropes and squeeze through tiny cracks in walls, Scree is too big for. Even though they need to work as a team to solve some of the riddles this game is far from ICO. It's a lot easier and as mentioned above more action oriented.
The fighting system is fun for the most part. Only few moves do not seem to have the desired effect and feel sluggish or delayed. Since each episode introduce a new demon form with new abilities, you may switch to that one form you like best. Jen's last incarnation as a fiery She-Pharaoh has the most balanced and most fun combat - and combat you will a lot in this last episode!
Overall everything in this game is excellent with minor complaints about the above mentioned battle-moves, which are not a big problem, because the game's difficulty is forgiving enough when a fight does not go as flawless as desired.
The sound effects are very well done as is the voice acting, which deserves special mentioning due to the casting of well known actors for the dialog of all main characters.
There is some replay value due to the enormous size of the game as well as numerous unlockables such as behind the scenes commentaries (yup, there's a whole bunch of em).

Have fun playing!

A Great Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: April 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I haven't yet finished this game, but so far I'm several hours into it and I love it. The graphics are outstanding and the story is compelling... The realms that you visit are gorgeous and atmospheric. The characters are cool and the voice acting is good. The game is similar to Resident Evil Zero, in that Jen and Scree must help each other, and you can toggle back and forth between characters throughout the game.

In each realm that you visit, Jen learns to harness a new demon energy with unique abilities. The combat controls are simple and the enemies are fun to do battle with -- and they can surprise you. For instance... you'll be making your way along a quiet path, with faithful Scree by your side...when all of a sudden an arrow comes whizzing out of nowhere. Next thing you know, you're surrounded.

But if your looking for something with a lot of intense action and gore, this isn't it. This is more of an adventure game that is very story and puzzle driven. On the other hand, if you *are* looking for adventure, you'll LOVE this. The puzzles are fresh -- it's not your typical "get the key to room that has another key to another room, that has yet another key to another room, etc, etc."

Dark and gothic supernatural adventure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: March 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have played 2 hours into the game so far, and would have to say that I am totally excited to finish this game, its always a good thing to have a game that you really want to keep playing. Reasons why? It has a story that keeps you interested, and characters that arent the same old thing. This game its totally story driven, and dark and awesome. Its about a 21 year old girl named Jen that has a violent wake up call, and finds out she is half demon and has been specially picked for greater perpose.

Graphically this game shines, it has some of the best graphics out on PS2 I've seen, huge levels and crazy detail.

The controls are different but refreshing and new, its not like your typical 3rd person adventure.

The combat is awesome, I haven't actually gotten into many fights but the ones I have gotten into are really fun, but simple.

Voice acting is superb, they seem to have chosen some great voices to put these characters together.

Music is very immersive and dark, they even play heavy metal during the fights!

I was really excited to when I saw the preview on this game, because they haven't released many dark gothic games for the PS2 that shinedall...if you want to play the DMC series I would suggest the first one. So this is definately a great game what I've played so far, I will give a complete review when I finish this game. So, go buy this game!

Aperfectool

Fantastic adventure game - just save often

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This brilliant adventure game has Jen as an intelligent 21 year old woman who learns she has supernatural powers - and must use them to keep the world from ending.

There are many ways in which this game shines. First and foremost, the plot and environment in which the adventure takes place has a huge attention to detail. Jen and her boyfriend are into the nightclub scene - he's a heavy metal singer - and the way in which the movie opens really draws you in. The club they're in looks exactly like a few I've been in.

The characters are extremely realistic, smart and savvy. This isn't a brainless bimbo having to 'learn about life'. Sure, she doesn't know about her supernatural powers at first, but she's quick on the uptake and takes care of herself. This is definitely a chick that girls can look up to and that guys will want to get to know.

Along comes Scree, a fun gargoyle that gives her a hand. The combination of Jen's abilities and Scree's special powers makes the puzzle solving and adventures even more fun, as you figure out which would be better in a situation. Yes, there's some fighting. But this is NOT a button-mashing game. The intro sequence definitely sets the pace. This is more like an interactive movie in which you actively affect the plot, rather than a run-around-gathering-coins brainless activity.

There are different worlds and different characters you meet, and the PS2's graphics have really been tested in this game. The heat waves that rise from torches, the steamy breath in the wintery world, the reflective lighting, the detail on the characters - it's all extremely impressive and helps immerse you in the game.

The sound is great too. Unlike other games that feel you need an action-packed thumping soundtrack while you explore a quiet environment, this game gives you the soft noises you'd expect - very realistic ones at that. It makes the times where something is jarring - like the snarl of a nearby monster - really affect you. The Heavy Metal thumping only jumps in during battles, where it doesn't seem intrusive.

The game definitely isn't for the wham-bam-thank-you-maam type of gamer. Puzzles won't be solved in 3 seconds by jumping up platforms. You have to really examine your environment and consider what might help you out. Which is good for most gamers, but will be frustrating for gamers raised on instant gratification.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game is that it wasn't QAed thoroughly enough before release. The game had numerous problems with freezing up and stuttering speech, meaning that I had to save frequently to ensure lots of work was not lost. Perhaps it's understandable with a game this complex, but another month of testing and fixing would have been well worth it.

Decent enough but sparse and sometimes boring

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

There's a good game lost somewhere in the maze of often-boring puzzles and confusingly huge map areas that is 'Primal'. An excellent, original storyline, likeable characters and a good control system can't save it from its flaws, however, and unfortunately this game never gets past Mediocre.

In terms of general atmosphere and game-environment the closest comparison I can make is with 'Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'. Like LOK, Primal has an involving, gothic storyline, and lush, detailed areas to explore. The addition of a 'Buddy' system in Primal is also a welcome change, particularly since you can change between Jen (the protagonist) and Scree, her gargoyle companion, at any time. Similar to LOK, the game employs a Warp-Gate system because of its vast size, and to a point, this also works will, becuase the map system is so good. The graphics are sumptuous and the sound and voice acting is top-notch.

So far, so good.

Where Primal fails is in its over-ambition. It's a huge, sprawling game, and the first half of it is full of dangerously-difficult enemies and confusing arenas. This is remedied somewhat by the inclusion of a save-anywhere feature but I defy all but the most dedicated players to complete Primal without resorting to a wlakthrough. Also, because the difficulty levels are so steep (until Jen gains any kind of power worth mentioning) the enemies are sparse, and this is somewhat boring. The puzzles are plentiful, and none are too difficult, but a few more bad guys to waste would have been a great addition. Technically, there are some minor glitches, but in a game of this size, it's no big deal.

I can really only recommend Primal to people who love a good story and are willing to put up with some very dull gameplay to hear it. It's a beautiful, original game with some excellent qualities, but sadly can't compare to LOK in terms of action or interest.

I was caught inside this one

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have just finished the game and must say, from a female point of view, I loved it. If you are looking for a game that will take a part of you in with it, then this is the game for you. I will tell you now if you are looking for high action this is not what you want. Far more puzzle solving and exploring skills are needed. You do battle, but they are not so difficult that you are stuck for days on them. The graphics are great and you enjoy the images of four main world, which harbor many different races of deamons. Jenn, your main character, can change into other deamon forms as the game progresses; and each come with their own special moves. She grows on you.

To help you on your quest for a new RPG I want to tell you that I am a die hard Final Fantasy fan. I began this game after finishing FF10. I was so excited to find another game that intrigued me. I can't wait for the next instalment and suggest that you trust your instincts and take a chance on this one....:)

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