~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______ __ __ | __ \.----.|__|.--------.---.-.| | | __/| _|| || | _ || | |___| |__| |__||__|__|__|___._||__| ______ | __ \.---.-.-----.-----. ____ ___ | <| _ | _ | -__| .-~. /_"-._ `-._~-. |___|__||___._|___ |_____| / /_ "~o\ :Y \ \ |_____| / : \~x. ` ') ] Y / | Y< ~-.__j / ! Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ _.--~T : l l< /.-~ / / 03/12/95 ____.--~ . ` l /~\ \<|Y / / v 2.0 .-~~" /| . ',-~\ \L| / / / .^ \ Y~Y \.^>/l_ "--' / Y .-"( . l__ j_j l_/ /~_.-~ . Y l / \ ) ~~~." / `/"~ / \.__/l_ | \ _.-" ~-{__ l : l._Z~-.___.--~ | ~---~ / ~~"---\_ ' __[> l . _.^ ___ _>-y~ \ \ . .-~ .-~ ~>--" / \ ~---" / ./ _.-' "-.,_____.,_ _.--~\ _.-~ ~~ ( _} -Row `. ~( ) \ /,`--'~\--'~\ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Evan Gridley (ejg1@cornell.edu), updated by Victar (vctr113062@aol.com) ADAPTED FROM THE PRIMAL RAGE 1.7 FAQ BY ZARGON a.k.a. MASTER LAO (YU8954@NOVA.GMI.EDU) AND PERICOM (EQR5MALIKI@CLUSTR.NORTH-LONDON.AC.UK) PROOFREAD BY UNDERMIND (imfacyc@prism.gatech.edu) owner of Mardi Gras Games This file is Copyright © 1994 (barely...) and 1995. All rights reserved. Distribution of this file, in whole or in part is permitted, provided that it isn't modified in any form and that proper credit is given to the authors. Atari and Primal Rage are trademarks of Atari TWI. All copyrights are owned by their respective owners, no infringement intended. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++++What's New++++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.9 Vertigo's moves modified Combos added (new combo names!) Moves that "trigger" combo names added where known Lots of PR for home systems info added Minor stuff (Talon's flexible tail is creative license! :) Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.8 Many combos added! Lightning combos marked, percentiles and min. required hits added where known Talon's Pounce and Flip, Frantic Fury corrected Talon's Run description modified New Final Battle Bug added Free Play info added Quick/Fierce vs. High/Low mistake in "Normal Moves" section fixed Special moves that extend combos marked with a "^" All tabs replaced with spaces Teeny little things Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.71 Combos added Barney Armadon color mistake fixed Anti-CPU strategies added Buffer your hop jumps, even in combos! Jumping, Final Battle sections moved Minor stuff Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.6 Combos added (streakers confirmed :) ASCII fixed *again*, esp. in moves section NEW UPGRADE is not coming...? :-( misc. minor stuff Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.5 Combos added Simultaneous Attack Collisions added Infernal & Gut Buster moves fixed Some move descriptions modified (esp. Cannonball, Inferno Flash) Raining Cows (and Bricks & Ice Balls!) confirmed New Final Battle battle bug added Note to Combos section added (& "streakers"?) PR coming to home systems!!! Cross-up corner trap added More boss/upgrade rumors added More streamlining & misc stuff Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v1.0 Storyline (from the GamePro PR Arcade Players Guide!) Meet the Critters (with statistics swiped from the Guide!) All 3rd fatalities confirmed Blizzard's Mega Punch descriptions corrected, many move descriptions elaborated Combos added Colors section elaborated Ballistic section elaborated (guess what source!) Scoring info added! (love that GamePro PR Arcade Player's Guide!) More ASCII streamlining & touch-ups Ending pictures better described (still more thanx to the Guide!) Misc. trivial stuff Changes from Primal Rage 2.3 FAQ v0.9 More info on all 3rd fatalities added Info on Final Battle added Raining Cows added to Secrets New colors added Combo section updated a little Moves also described in simplified code Total Domination, Quick Kill, Scoring info added CPU AI patterns added Several other misc. things added ASCII touch-ups & streamlining spell-checker, proofreading, minor corrections Changes from FAQ (v1.3) for Primal Rage 1.7 FAQ Updated for 2.3 Chips! Atari pack-in Chip info -- from the source! Combination Names! New Fatality Names! 0.6 more PR!!! (???) Old combo listings removed/changed Additions from FAQ (v 1.12): Even more accurate moves list! NEW CHIP INFO!!! Additions from FAQ (v 1.0): Sauron's Flesh Eating is there...oops! Armadon's Leaping Uppercut correction Primal Rage is on the Web! (see Latest and Greatest) Additions from FAQ (v .93): Chaos' Golden Shower and both Vertigo's fatalities have been confirmed Armadon's Meditation and Sauron's Flesh Eating fatalities! Combos like mad...multiple hits in the air explained Some minor corrections (Chaos, Diablo) Additions from FAQ (v .9): Letter system is back to match the template on the game Clock and Counter changed to Toward and Away, respectively Volleyball secret on Sauron's stage! Corrections (Armadon, Diablo) Talon's Jugular Bite FOUND! More combos, endings Jumping section Additions from FAQ (v .86): The minimum movements needed have been checked! Corrections for many of the characters! Joystick visuals added to Special Moves section Tabs are fixed!!! Slide for Talon and the apes added to the Normal Moves section More descriptions A couple more combos Endings! Additions from FAQ (v .82): New Headings What's New section New Intro Combos section Offense and Defense Section New moves, fatalities, and how to chomp on humans! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++ Table of Contents+++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Introduction (What is Primal Rage) 1.1 Storyline 1.2 Meet the Critters 2. Moves List (What can they do? The basic, funky, and wacky stuff) 2.1 Normal Moves 2.2 Special Moves 2.3 Jumping 2.4 Combos 3. Brain Gauge (duh...what's that?) 4. Offense and Defense (attack! uh, run away!) 4.1 Offense 4.2 Defense 4.2.1 Blocking 4.2.2 Cross-up attacks 4.2.3 Avoiding Projectiles 4.3 Simultaneous Attack Collisions 4.4 Total Domination, Quick Kill & Scoring 4.5 CPU AI patterns 4.6 Final Battle 5. Endings (Spoilers here) 6. Misc stuff (That's cheeze! No, it's not! and other stuff) 6.1 Colors! 6.2 Cheeze alert! 6.3 Eat a worshiper! 6.4 Going ballistic 6.5 Sudden Death & the Clock 6.6 Secrets 6.6.1 Volleyball 6.6.2 Bowling 6.6.3 Raining Cows 'n' stuff! 6.7 Free Play! 6.8 PR Version 6.9 NEW UPGRADE is not coming...? :-( 7. PR is coming for home systems!!!! 8. Latest and Greatest (where and how to get updated versions of this FAQ) 8.1 Send me e-mail! (Confirmations? Corrections? Combos? Mail 'em! :) 9. Credits (who we "borrowed" stuff from and famous people) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++ 1. Introduction+++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ************************************************* In the future civilization dies in the cataclysms. The Draconians were born from the death of old Earth. Who will rule the new Urth? ************************************************* Fighting games have recently swamped the arcades. They range from really bad animation and graphics to just a plain old copy of another game. Primal Rage changes that by having excellent graphics and unique characters. But you say, "Who made this? Those dudes that made Asteroids?" Yup, that's them. They have released two games in 1994 and Primal Rage is one of them! Using what's called "Stop-Motion Animation," the graphics are intense. You are given seven characters to choose from, ranging from prehistoric dinosaurs to giant apes and mythological creatures. Atari has put a lot of work into it. Two years worth! The special moves system is also new and different (see Special Moves). Primal Rage debuted at the 1994 CES in Chicago, and was voted "Showstopper" by Game Pro Magazine. Go see for yourself! ///1.1 Storyline/// Before there were humans, gods walked the earth. They embodied the essence of Hunger, Survival, Life, Death, Insanity, Decay, Good, and Evil. They fought countless battles up through the Mesozoic Wars. Then Balsafas, an archmage from a parallel dimension, anticipated the threat that Earth's gods posed. He was not powerful enough to kill the gods, so instead he banished one to a rocky tomb within the moon. This disrupted the fragile balance between the gods; pandemonium ensued, and a great explosion threw clouds of volcanic dust into the atmosphere. The dinosaurs died out, and the surviving gods went into suspended animation. Now, the impact of a huge meteor strikes the Earth. Its destructive force wipes out civilization, rearranges the continents, and frees the imprisioned gods. Get ready to rumble... ///1.2 Meet the Critters/// ARMADON, God of Life Based on: Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Stegasaurus Height: 17 feet Length: 27 feet Weight: 2.25 tons Domain: the Hollows, a big underground chamber filled with stalactites and stalagmites. There are numerous cave openings with worshipers living in them. A big guy with lots of horns and spikes, Armadon is a slow mover and poor jumper but has some of the easiest and most damaging combos in the game. Unlike the other reptiles, he doesn't really "bite" but rather attacks with the horn on his face. Probably the easiest character to use against the CPU, because of his strength & high priority basic attacks. His original name was "Spike" (perhaps that was before the game designers saw "The Land Before Time"... ^_^) BLIZZARD, God of Good Based on: Gorilla/King Kong Height: 20 feet Weight: 1.8 tons Domain: the Cliff, an icy and mountainous area. There's a temple in the mountainside to the right. The big mountain in the background has the faint pattern of an ape face. Blizzard is a big ape with powers of elemental cold and semi-invulnerable rushing punches (sort of a de-evolved cross between Sub-Zero & Balrog :). His freezing abilities are excellent for setting up killer combos, and his air throw is good for cheezing the CPU. He can jump really high, too, but lacks a Leaping Attack. CHAOS, God of Decay Based on: gorilla/Son of Kong Height: 17 feet Weight: 1.1 tons Domain: the Ruins, a strip of land near the wreckage of what was once a metropolis. A river flows in the background, and a beached yacht lies to the left. Similar to Blizzard but smaller, faster, and with slightly less jumping power, Chaos is an ape prone to disgusting bodily functions. His flatulent projectile is good for setting up combos, and his air Ground Pound is great for cheezing the CPU. Though the entire PR gang is quite vocal, Chaos is the only one who ever speaks a word - if he loses a battle, he cries "No!" as he collapses. DIABLO, God of Evil Based on: Allosaur (a relative of T-rex) Height: 17 feet Length: 29 feet Weight: 1.2 tons Domain: The Inferno, a rocky volcanic island created by a geothermic upheaval ten times as great as that which made the Hawaiian islands. Pyramids and stone sculptures lie among the active volcanoes and lava. A striped, bipedal fire-breathing reptile with a big mouth and useless tiny foreclaws, quick on his feet and an excellent jumper. His teleport (with unblockable fire) and Torch moves help compensate for his lack of a throw. SAURON, god of Hunger Based on: Tyrannosaurus Rex Height: 20 feet Length: 27 feet Weight: 2.5 tons Domain: the Cove, a sandy beach next to the ocean. A decaying Parthenon-like temple lies in the background surf. Sauron is similar to Diablo but larger; he's the biggest critter in the game, and consequently the biggest combo target. Both Diablo and Sauron probably walk differently than real Allosaurs/Tyrannosaurs, which most likely held their heads and upper boddies lower to the ground. He is somewhat slow (yet presumably faster than real T-rexes ever were), a medium jumper, and dishes out major damage. His air-throw and air Earthquake Stomp are excellent for cheezing the CPU. (The Ring, the Ring, WHERE IS THE RING? :) TALON, God of Survival Based on: Deinonychus (a relative of Velociraptor) Height: 16 feet Length: 30 feet Weight: 0.9 tons Domain: the Strip, a grassy stretch of land dotted with trees. The number 49 is faintly visible in the ground at center screen. A waterfall splashes off to the right. Small and the fastest critter in the game, Talon is a striped raptor. His agility and excellent jumping ability compensate for his lack of projectiles. His teeth are visible only on the front half of his mouth, and he has a large upraised claw on the inner toe of each foot. (Deinonychi normally kept this claw cocked so as not to interfere with moving about, but brought it down to slash at their prey's belly). Talon is the only critter who flips during his jumps, and the only reptile who can attack with his front claws. He cannot attack with his tail, which incidentally is much more flexible than the rigid tails of real Deinonychi. His speed and high-priority air attacks make him one of the easiest characters to use vs. human or CPU opponents. His biggest weaknesses are probably his short range and the low damage rating of virtually all his attacks (on version 2.3, at least). VERTIGO, Goddess of Insanity Based on: king cobra, Sellosaurus (mistakenly named "Efraasia") Height: 18 feet Length: 48 feet Weight: 1.3 tons Domain: the Tomb, a grassy knoll with Stonehenge-style rock structures. Images of Vertigo's petrified enemies are visible in the leftmost stones. A full moon is in the sky. The only female PR critter, Vertigo has a body shaped somewhat like that of a Sellosaurus (a young Sellosaurus was once mistakenly called "Efraasia", hence the word in GamePro's articles & PR Strategy Guide). Like Sellosaurus, she is a lightly built with legs longer than her forearms, and has a long neck & tail. Unlike Sellosaurus, she has only two fingers on her front hands (Sellosaurus had five) and the head & hood of a king cobra. The white markings on her hood resemble a long-toothed skull. Her original name was "Cobrasaur," but then Sauron threatened to sue for copyright infringement. ^_^ She spits venom and hisses instead of crying out. Vertigo can't jump much higher than Armadon, and she's the slowest and weakest (in terms of damage per attack) PR character, but her attacks possesses the longest reach, and that combined with her Come Slither special move lets her to do some of the lengthiest combos. She can cast spells, too; her teleports and unblockable "Voodoo Spell" help make up for her lack of a regular throw or leaping attack. Unlike the rest of the PR gang, she cannot kick with her hind legs. Her lack of any basic or special anti-air move outside of some jumping attacks is a significant liability. ????, God of Death? Based on: dragon skeleton? Height: ? Length: ? Weight: ? Domain: Dinosaur Graveyard [of the Final Battle]? There was going to be another PR upgrade that reportedly would add a dracolich boss capable of flight & with an energy-siphoning power. Alack, it seems that the upgrade plans were scrapped, and the boss shall live only in our imaginations... :-/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ++++++++++++++++ 2. Move list++++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ///2.1 Normal Moves/// Primal Rage has four buttons arranged in a square, and a joystick. The first vertical column of buttons are "Quick" attacks. The second are "Fierce." The upper horizontal row of buttons are "High" attacks, and the bottom row are "Low" attacks. Both High or both Low buttons pressed together are an extra-damaging "Power" attack [just like the AB and CD attacks in Samurai Shodown]. The High Quick button also functions as the "start" button. In addition to ASCII representations, the buttons will be referred to as 1=High Quick, 2=High Fierce, 3=Low Quick, 4=Low Fierce. A "+" signifies that two buttons are pressed together; for example, "1+2" indicates that both the High Quick and the High Fierce buttons are pressed at the same time. Player 1 side joystick and button configuration: Up-Away Up Up-Toward Strong (UA) (U) (UT) ___|___ O O O | | \ | / Quick Fierce Away (A) O-- --O Toward (T) O O / | \ O O O O O Down-Away Down Down-Toward (DA) (D) (DT) "Standing" means that the character is standing normally during the move (joystick is neutral); "low" or "crouching" means that the character is crouching during the move (joystick is held down). Key: O = button pressed . = button not pressed U = Up T = Toward A = Away D = Down Full = Do a full circle Toward = full circle clockwise when facing right (T-D-A-U) Away = full circle counterclockwise when facing right (T-U-A-D) (think of a wheel rolling "away" or "toward" you're opponent) ? = Unknown A hyphen (-) represents a fluid motion. So you have to roll the joystick. For example: D-T is | \ --O which is Sub-Zero's (MK) freeze motion O O or Ken's (SF2) fireball motion. [roll your joystick from the Down position to the Toward position] All characters: O . = Quick Bite . O = Chomp O O = Big Chomp . . . . . . [or, 1=quick bite, 2=chomp, 1+2=big chomp] . . = Quick Tail . . = Tail . . = Big Tail O . . O O O [3=quick tail, 4=tail, 3+4=big tail] Move specific to Talon and the Apes (Chaos and Blizzard): | . . = Slide O O O [crouching 3+4. BTW the apes' "slide kick" is reminiscent of Cammy's crouching Roundhouse or Nakoruru's crouching CD] Talon also has a short slide which is: | . . O . O [crouching 4] ///2.2 Special Moves/// We'll be classifying special moves into eight types: Projectiles, Leaping Attacks, Throws, Stomps, Teleports, Anti-air, Anti-projectile and "generic" attacks. Projectiles & Teleports are self-explanatory and "generic attacks" are basically "special" punches or kicks. The rest require some explanation. Leaping Attacks are guided jumps by the character in question, and if unblocked (duh) they do damage. With the exception of Talon's Brain Basher on version 2.3, Leaping Attacks are too slow to be part of a combo, although you can interrupt basic attacks with them. Stomps are attacks in which the character stomps the ground and tries to shake up his opponent. These must be avoided by blocking or jumping, or else they'll toss the opponent up into the air for a beating! Throws are special moves which cannot be blocked (although attempting to throw a character in block-stun causes a cheeze warning - see Misc. Info for more on cheezy stuff!) and will be executed instantly if done right (so you can get out of corner traps, etc.). If you do a ground-based throw when your opponent is an invalid target (in the air, in block-stun, or too far away), your character will go through a "missed throw" animation during which you may get pounded. You can always jump to avoid throws (or other unblockable attacks, namely Diablo's Inferno Flash & Vertigo's Voodoo Spell), but if your opponent wasn't trying to throw you after all then he can retaliate with an anti-air move! Anti-air moves work especially well against airborne opponents (particularly since you cannot block in the air), but can also hit opponents on the ground. Anti-air moves aren't necessarily 100% invulnerable to all air attacks, so be careful! In general, your character's exposed back or hindquarters are a vulnerable target, and most special moves leave a character vulnerable to a low 3+4 or similar attacks. Anti-projectile moves are useful for bypassing a projectile and attacking the enemy at the same time. Leaping Attacks technically fall into this category (if executed with *extremely* swift timing) but for practical purposes they're given their own class. Throws that hit and a few other moves render you temporarily immune to projectiles, but have an extremely short attacking range (and if you're that close a smart opponent isn't likely to toss projectiles anyway). The other anti-projectile moves usually have a limited or very specific invulnerability area/period and attacking range; if you mis-time the move you'll run into the projectile, and if the enemy's too near or far, you won't hit him and may be susceptible to counterattack. All special moves can interrupt basic attacks, and most special moves will end a combo. Special moves that can extend a combo (i.e. can be followed up with ground hits, volley hits, or both) are marked with a "^". A few special moves, such as most leaping attacks and Chaos' FoFury, are too slow to be part of a combo. The Primal Rage special move system works opposite the standard; to do a special move, you press _and hold down_ the appropriate buttons, then execute the joystick motion, only letting go of the buttons _after_ the joystick motion (unless you like to stand still forever -- you can't move while doing special moves, except Talon's "run"). Some moves can only be done in this way (Diablo's Torch, the Iron Maiden, and others) but... Despite Primal Rage's attempt to revolutionize the "special move" system, the new version 2.3 upgrade allows you to execute moves either through the proprietary PR style or through "traditional" style button/joystick motion. Probably due to a lot of "I can't do the moves" (read the cabinet next time...!) from new players. So much for "onward and upward." The upgrade contains new programming which allows you to execute joystick motions, _then_ press the requisite buttons. In some situations this has caused accidental special moves, but in general it does make the special moves more forgiving. (tho' some would consider this bad... "oh, no, now _anyone_ can freeze my butt?" :) All Special Moves listed work on a 2.3 machine (see Misc Stuff), and have been personally confirmed by yours truly (yes, even Armdon's Meditation! I can actually do it now! :). Note that the arcade manager can set a GORE/NO GORE switch. In NO GORE mode, all the blood is turned off, all fatalities are disabled, and you cannot eat people; they'll just bounce into the air. Major bummer... * indicates 'Finishing Move' NOTE1: These can be done from ANYWHERE but don't stand too close or you'll hit your opponent while trying to hold down the buttons! For those 'two-part' fatalities such as Vertigo's Petrify, hold the first two buttons while you do the first set of joystick movements, then press the remaining buttons WHILE STILL holding the first two buttons, and finish the remaining joystick movements. NOTE2: you _must_ do the fatalities _quickly_ or they won't work. Do not pause between the halves of a two-part fatality. If you mess up, you can typically re-enter the fatality at least once more before time runs out, so keep trying and don't give up! Easy enough? ^_^ ** indicates 'Chomp a human, get more life' ///ARMADON/// (The Hollows) _________________________________________________ | Bed-O-Nails: Armadon balls up like a porcupine with spikes sticking out. Projectiles will pass harmlessly over him. Anti-air. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick D, U | | . O | O | O . O | |_________________________________________________ | Iron Maiden: Jumps into the air and turns his back downward and lands on opponent [the most damaging single move of the game]! Leaping Attack (cannot be combo'd). | |Hold 2+3; move joystick A-U-T | | . O O O O | O . O-- \ | / --O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Mega Charge (a.k.a. "Rushing Uppercut"): Takes 5 steps and then does an uppercut with his horn. If the move hits, Armadon can volley his opponent. Anti-air, also anti-projectile vs. some enemies. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick A-D-T | | O . O-- / | \ --O | O . O O O |_________________________________________________ | The Gut Gouger: Impales and tosses the opponent with his horn. Throw. | |Hold 1+2+3; move joystick T, A | | O O --O O-- | O . |_________________________________________________ | Hornication Uppercut: Shoryuken! ^_^ Armadon does a jumping nose spike straight in the air Anti-air. | |Hold 1+2+3; move joystick DT-T-UT | | O O \ --O O | O . O / |_________________________________________________ | Spinning Death: Gets into a ball and spins across the screen. Used to be anti-projectile on version 1.7, but not on version 2.3. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick A, T-D (or just circle joystick toward) | | O . O-- --O \ | | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | Flying Spikes: Armadon shoots spikes from his tail. Projectile. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick A-U | | . O O O | . O O-- \ | |_________________________________________________ | *Gut Fling: Armadon digs his horn & beak into the opponent and slings their guts around. Fatality. | |Hold 1+2+3; move joystick D, D, D, D, U | | O O | | | | O | O . OOOO | |_________________________________________________ | *Meditation: Armadon curls up and creates electricity that zaps your opponent. Fatality. | |Hold all buttons; tap joystick T, D, A, T, T [I finally got it to work! Yaaaay! ^_^] | | O O --O | O-- --O --O | O O O |_________________________________________________ | *The Impaler: Armadon curls up and shoots several spikes up into the air; they fall on opponent, skewering him. Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons; tap joystick D, A, U, D. (Sometimes the move happens if you do other things, but this is the fully confirmed, most reliable method.) | O O | O-- O | | O O O | O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Armadon snatches a sacrifice with his tail and snacks on it, proving that he's not purely herbivorous. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick U-T | | O O O O | O O | / --O |_________________________________________________ ///BLIZZARD/// (The Cliff) _________________________________________________ | Mega Punch (Short): Gives your opponent a big bash to the head. This one has a brief wind-up, short range, and little recovery time. It's quick enough to use after Blizzard's low 3+4. Anti-air & anti-projectile. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick A, T | | O . O-- --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | Mega Punch (Quick): This punch has the fastest wind-up, medium range, and the longest recovery time. It can be used after the low 3+4. Anti-air. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick A, T | | O O O-- --O | O O |_________________________________________________ | Mega Punch (Long): This has the same wind-up and recovery time as the Short Mega Punch, and the longest range. In version 1.7, it did more damage than the other two Mega Punches. Anti-air & anti-projectile. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick A, T | | . O O-- --O | . O |_________________________________________________ | Mega Punch (Fake): Blizzard winds up for a Long Mega Punch but doesn't actually punch! Does not damage opponent (duh :). | |Hold 1+3; move joystick D, U | | O . | O | O . O | |_________________________________________________ | ^ Freeze Breath (a.k.a. "Cold Breath"): Chill your opponent out Sub-Zero style, then combo them. On version 2.3, getting frozen doesn't last as long but does inflict a little damage. Projectile. | |Hold 1+2+4; move joystick A, T | | OO O-- --O | . O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Ice Geyser: Blizzard creates a column of ice, inflicting a little damage and freezing the opponent as per his Freeze Breath. Victim must be close and either in the air or not blocking. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+2+4; move joystick D, U | | O O | O | . O O | |_________________________________________________ | ^ Punching Bag: Grab and stun your opponent. Hit button 1 four or five times to beat the enemy up, then before his brain meter regenerates and he shakes out of your grasp, tap another button to deliver the wind up punch. 2=low arc, 3= medium arc, 4= high arc. The Punching Bag can be followed up with various attacks. It is the punches, not the grab, that hurt the opponent, and this is a weak move in and of itself. Multi-hit move. Throw. NOTE: On version 1.7 & perhaps 2.3 as well, the Punching Bag can theoretically score infinite hits. This is because it won't end until the opponent replenishes his brain meter by quickly shaking the joystick back & forth. However, shaking out of it is pretty easy to do. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick T-D-A-U | O . Full | . O Toward |_________________________________________________ | Air Throw: Grab opponent in the air. Useful in combos too. On version 2.3, Blizzard can air-throw some opponents (Blizzard, Chaos, Diablo, Sauron) when they are standing on the ground, unless they do a special move. Throw. | |Tap 2+3 when in the air directly above opponent | | . O | O . |_________________________________________________ | Throw: Blizzard appears to do a hop-jump backward and air-throw his opponent, even though this is a ground-based move. Throw. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick A-U-T | | . O O O O | O . O-- \ | / --O |_________________________________________________ | *Brain Bash: Blizzard pounds opponent into the ground and punches his brain out! Sheeva who? ^_^ Fatality. | |Hold 1+2+4; move joystick D, D-A-U-T | | O O | + Full | . O O Toward |_________________________________________________ | *To-Da-Moon: Blizzard does the punching bag, winds up, and knocks opponent into the background! Fatality. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick D, D, D, D, U | | O O | | | | O | O O OOOO | |_________________________________________________ | *Redemption: Sends opponent's soul to heaven, leaving only the bones. Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons; tap joystick D, T, U, D, U | O O | --O O | O | O O O | O | |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Blizzard grabs a worshiper, gobbles him/her, and spits out the bones. | |Hold all buttons; roll joystick A-U-T-D | | O O Full | O O Toward |_________________________________________________ ///CHAOS/// (The Ruins) _________________________________________________ | Grab-N-Throw: Grabs opponent by the neck and tosses him across the screen. Throw. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick T, A | | . O --O O-- | . O |_________________________________________________ | Power Puke (Slow): Chaos pukes a blob of green vomit. Projectile. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick U-T | | . O O O | O . | / --O |_________________________________________________ | Power Puke (Fast): Projectile. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick U-T | | O . O O | . O | / --O |_________________________________________________ | Fart of Fury: Chaos sticks his butt in the air and farts a poisonous, slow-moving green cloud. Projectiles pass over him as he does so. If the cloud hits, it does no damage and won't count as a combo hit, yet it will stun the opponent for a short time. Unlike other projectiles, the FoFury will disappear after slowly traveling a certain distance. Projectile (cannot be combo'd). | |Hold 2+3; move joystick T-U-A | | . O O O O | O . --O / | \ O-- |_________________________________________________ | ^ Ground Shaker: Chaos jumps and lands creating an earthquake. Can be followed up with various attacks. Stomp. Unlike Sauron's Earthquake, it tends to throw Chaos' opponent away from him. Given precise timing, enemy projectiles will pass over his head as he slams the ground. Can be done in the air on version 2.3 only. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick A, AU, AD | | . O O / | O . O-- \ O |_________________________________________________ | Flying Butt Slam: Jumps and lands on opponent with his butt. Leaping Attack (cannot be combo'd). | ||Hold 2+4; move joystick D-T-U-UT-DT | | . O | \ --O O O O --O \ | . O O O / | / O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Battering Ram: Chaos puts his shoulder out and charges. He can volley his opponent if it hits. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick T, T | | O . --O --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | *Golden Shower: Chaos raises a leg and urinates on the opponent; all that's left are the bones. Fatality. | |Hold 1+3 and move joystick D, D; then hold all buttons and move joystick A, T, A, T | | O . | | then O O O-- --O O-- --O | O . O O O O |_________________________________________________ | *Cannonball: Chaos does a cannonball into the water [lethally poisoning the water supply ^_^]. Fatality. On version 1.7, this only works on stages with water in the background [Sauron's Cove, Chaos' Ruins, & Talon's Strip]. On version 2.3, this move will work on any stage; if there's no water in the background, you won't see Chaos go for a swim, but you will hear the "fatality music" and your opponent will be dead/flickering in the final battle. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick AD, UT-DT-AD | | O O / O --O \ | / | O O O / O O O |_________________________________________________ | *The Churl: Chaos does an extremely slow Power Puke and walks off the edge of the screen, emerging on the other side to suck the puke back in! [This presumably grosses his opponent to death ^_^]. Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons; tap joystick T, T, T, A, A, A. | O O --O --O --O O-- O-- O-- | O O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Chaos grabs a worshiper, gobbles him/her, and spits out the bones. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick T-D-A | | O O --O \ | / O-- | O O O O O |_________________________________________________ ///DIABLO/// (The Inferno) _________________________________________________ | Fireball (Slow): Diablo spits a fireball that travels across the screen. Projectile. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick D-T | | . O | \ --O | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | Fireball (Fast): Projectile. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick D-T | | O . | \ --O | O . O O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Torch: A short-range flame blast from Diablo's mouth; hold buttons for it to last up to 5 seconds. Enemy projectiles pass harmlessly through him. If the Torch connects, it will both damage and stun an opponent. Can be followed up with various attacks if it hits. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick U-T | | O . O O | O . | / --O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Hot Foot: Diablo lowers his head and spits a fiery blast that goes about half-way across the screen at his opponent's feet, knocking him down. Can sometimes be followed up with attacks like the Inferno Flash. Anti-projectile. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick UA, DT | | . O O \ | . O \ O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Mega Lunge: Diablo ducks, charges, and throws his head up. If the move hits, he can volley his opponent. Anti-air & anti-projectile. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick D-T | | O . | \ --O | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | The Pulverizer: Leap into the air and stomp on your opponent a few times (but only hits once). Leaping Attack (cannot be combo'd). | |Hold 1+4; move joystick U-T-D | | O . O O \ | | . O | / --O O O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Inferno Flash: Diablo teleports in a flash of fire, which can damage opponent (stuns 'em too!) and can be followed up with various attacks. The fire is unblockable, but it can be avoided by jumping or counterattacking low as Diablo reappears. Teleport. | |Hold 2+3+4; move joystick U | | . O O | O O | |_________________________________________________ | *Incinerator: Diablo rears back and blows a HUGE blast of fire that burns the flesh off the bones! Fatality. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick UA-D-DT | | O O O O-- / | \ | O O \ O O O |_________________________________________________ | *Fireball: Diablo blasts a huge fireball that roasts your opponent! Fatality. | |Hold 2+3+4; move joystick T, T, T | | . O --O --O --O | O O |_________________________________________________ | *Infernal: Diablo stomps on the ground and sends his opponent down a fiery fissure, to hell. Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold 1+3+4; tap joystick U, D, U, D, D | O . O | O | | | O O | O | O O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Diablo dips his head down and chews up a worshiper. | |hold all buttons; move joystick D, U, D | | O O | O | | O O O | O |_________________________________________________ ///SAURON/// (The Cove) _________________________________________________ | Primal Scream: Sauron roars and creates a short-range shield around himself. Projectiles pass harmlessly through him. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick D, U | | O . | O | O . O | |_________________________________________________ | ^ Earthquake Stomp: Jump on the ground to send your opponent flying toward you, then volley him. Stomp. It used to be unblockable in version 1.7, but not in version 2.3. Can be done in the air on version 2.3 only. | |Hold 1+2+4; move joystick U, D | | O O O | U, D | . O | O |_________________________________________________ | The Cranium Crusher: Shoryuken! ^_^ Sauron leaps head-first into the air. Leaves you vulnerable if you miss. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick D, U | | O . | O | . O O | |_________________________________________________ | Leaping Bone Bash: Pounce on your opponent and bite off some of his flesh. Leaping Attack (cannot be combo'd). | |Hold 2+3; move joystick D, U, D | | . O | O | | O . O | O |_________________________________________________ | Stun Roar: Fireball-like rings of sound fired from his mouth. Projectile. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick A, T | | O . O-- --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | Air Throw: Grab opponent in the air. Useful in combos too. On version 2.3, Sauron can air-throw some opponents (Blizzard, Chaos, Diablo, Sauron) when they are standing on the ground, unless they do a special move. Throw. | |Tap 2+4 when in the air directly above opponent | | . O | . O |_________________________________________________ | Neck Throw: Sauron bites your opponent in the neck and tosses them across the screen. Throw. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick T, A | | . O --O O-- | . O |_________________________________________________ | *Carnage: Grab your opponent by the throat and shake him up. Fatality. | |Hold all buttons; move joystick A, T, A, T, A | | O O O-- --O O-- --O O-- | O O |_________________________________________________ | *Flesh Eating: Sauron walks over to his fallen opponent and tears into them, eating each piece as he rips it off. Fatality. | |Hold 1+3 and move joystick D, D; then hold all buttons and move joystick U, U | | O . | | then O O O O | O . O O O O | | | | OR (version 2.3 only, does not work as reliably as the previous method) | |hold all buttons and move joystick D, D, U, U | | O O | | OO | O O O O | | |_________________________________________________ | *Grape Crusher: Sauron jumps onto opponent as if he were doing an Earthquake Stomp, squishing them flat! Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons; tap joystick U, D, U, D, D | O O O | O | | | O O | O | O O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Sauron dips his head down and chews up a worshiper. | |Hold all buttons and move joystick D, D, U | | O O | | O | O O O O | |_________________________________________________ ///TALON/// (The Strip) _________________________________________________ | ^ Brain Basher: Talon flips in the air and lands on the opponent's head. On version 2.3, Talon can follow it up with extra attacks as he rebounds. Leaping Attack. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick A-U-T | | . O O O O | O . O-- \ | / --O |_________________________________________________ | Pounce and Flip: Talon runs forward, steps three times on his opponent, and flips off [does no block-damage in version 2.3]. 3-hit move. Anti-projectile. | |Hold 2+3; move joystick T-D-DT | | . O --O | \ | O . O O |_________________________________________________ | Frantic Fury: Talon becomes a blur of claws and creeps toward opponent. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick D-T | | O . | \ --O | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | ^ The Slasher (a.k.a. "Double Slash"): Two fierce slashes, but only hits once. Most projectiles pass harmlessly through him. This move can be followed up with various attacks. Anti-air. | |Hold 1+3+4; move joystick D-T | | O . | \ --O | O O O O |_________________________________________________ | The Face Ripper: Talon jumps on the opponent and bite his face several times. Throw. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick D-T | | . O | \ --O | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | Jugular Bite: Talon jumps onto opponent and chomps his neck. 2-hit move. | | NOTE: This can only be used within a combo that hits (therefore it cannot be blocked :), and somewhat close. See combos section for combos with Jugular Bite. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick A, T | | . O O-- --O | . O |_________________________________________________ | Run Forward/Back: Talon can run toward or away very fast. This is good for dodging (can outrun Battering Ram and Mega Punch). Talon can only block high while he is running away, and cannot block at all when he is running toward. Does not damage opponent, of course. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick T or A | | O . O-- or --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | *Heart Wrenching: Talon walks up to the opponent, cuts him open with his lower claws, rips his heart out, and eats it. Fatality. | |Hold 1+3+4; move joystick T-D-A-U | | O . Full T-D-A-U | O O Toward |_________________________________________________ | *Shredding: Talon does a Frantic Fury; blood flies everywhere. Fatality. On version 1.7, the opponent just falls down like usual. On version 2.3, the opponent remains standing, horribly mangled. | |Hold 1+4; move joystick T-D-A-U | | O . Full T-D-A-U | . O Toward |_________________________________________________ | *Stampede: Talon whistles, and a stampede of similarly colored baby Talons shred the fallen opponent with mini-Frantic Furies! Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons; tap joystick T, A, U, D | O O --O O-- O | | O O | O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Talon scoops up a worshiper in his front claws and devours him/her. | |hold all buttons; move joystick T-D | | O O --O \ | | O O O O |_________________________________________________ ///VERTIGO/// (The Tomb) _________________________________________________ | Venom Spit (Slow): Vertigo spits purple acid across the screen. Projectile. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick T, T | | O . --O --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | Venom Spit (Fast): This move is much easier to use in combos than the Slow Venom Spit. Projectile. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick T, T | | . O --O --O | . O |_________________________________________________ | ^ Voodoo Spell: Vertigo emits short-range hypnosis rings that do no damage but stun her opponent, setting him up for a short combo. This move counts as a combo hit and is unblockable, yet can be avoided by jumping. Don't use the Come Slither on a Voodoo'd opponent, or you'll get a No Cheeze meter! | |Hold 2+3; move joystick A, A | | . O O-- O-- | O . |_________________________________________________ | Ground Teleport: Rolls up in a ball and reappears _on the ground_ next to opponent; choose which side by holding the joystick toward or away after doing the move. Does not damage opponent. Teleport. Can be done in the air on version 2.3 only. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick D, D | | . O | | | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | Air Teleport: Rolls up in a ball and reappears _in the air_ next to opponent; choose which side by holding the joystick toward or away after doing the move. Does not damage opponent. Can be done while on the ground or in the air. Teleport. Version 2.3 only. | |Hold 2+4; move joystick D, U | | . O | O | . O O | |_________________________________________________ | ^ Come Slither: Vertigo lashes her tail out and drags her opponent over for some beating ("Get over here!" :). This move counts as a combo hit, but inflicts no damage. It stuns your opponent for a short time, unless he/she was already stunned by the Voodoo Spell - you have been warned! Anti-projectile if it hits. | |Hold 1+3; move joystick A, A | | O . O-- O-- | O . |_________________________________________________ | Scorpion Sting: Whips her tail across the screen, and a blade shoots out too. | |Hold 2+3; tap joystick T, T | | . O --O --O | O . |_________________________________________________ | *Petrify: Vertigo does a Voodoo Spell that turns her opponent into stone, and then she Scorpion Stings him to bits. Fatality. | |Hold 2+4 and tap joystick A, A, A; then hold all buttons and tap joystick T, T | | . O O-- O-- O-- then O O --O --O | . O O O |_________________________________________________ | *Shrink and Eat: Vertigo does a Voodoo Spell that shrinks her opponent. She then eats him like a worshiper. Fatality. | |Hold 2+4 and tap joystick A, A, A; then hold all buttons and tap joystick D, U | | . O O-- O-- O-- then O O | O | . O O O O | |_________________________________________________ | *La Vache Qui Rit ["The cow that smiles/laughs"]: Vertigo turns the opponent into a cow that moos, runs away, and gets butchered by McDonald's. ^_^ Fatality. Version 2.3 only. | Hold all buttons and tap joystick A, A, A, D, T | O O O-- O-- O-- | --O | O O O |_________________________________________________ | **Chomp a human: Vertigo bends her neck down, lifts a worshipper high up, and swallows him whole like a snake eating mice. | Hold all buttons; move joystick D-T-U | | O O | \ --O O O D-T-U | O O O O / | |_________________________________________________ ///2.3 Jumping **NEW INFO**/// All characters can do three types of jumps in Primal Rage. First, to do a standard jump, just press up or diagonally up. Pretty easy, eh? The second type of jump is the long jump. To do a long jump, tap down, then do a "normal" jump immediately afterward. This jump will be higher and faster than the standard jump, and it will go much farther. No more characters whose only jump is a drifter... The third type of jump is the most difficult, and most surprising jump in any game. It is a "hop jump" (a.k.a. "tiger jump") and you do it by pushing the direction you want to jump (T or A), then down, then do the standard jump (i.e. T, D, UT, or A, D, UA). Additionally, the "hop jump" can now be done straight up, just tap forward (or backward), down, and straight up (T or A, D, U)! Unlike version 1.7, Primal Rage version 2.3 lets you execute hop jumps versus the computer, and the computer can use them against you, too! For even more excitement, you can buffer in hop jumps so that they interrupt your power attacks! Chris Tang (TANG@agames.com) writes: >There are extremely effective techniques that utilize this move. My favorite is jumping in with one or two hits, following up with two or three ground attacks which end in a power. While the power comes out, I buffer in the motion for the hop jump- F, D, U. As soon as my power makes collision, my hop jump will send me straight up into the air, where I can launch an attack to catch a low-blocking opponent off-guard. Also, this technique can be used for hit-and-run blocked combos by using the backwards hop-jump instead. This style of play is fast, frantic, and aggressive. It's also a lot of fun. ///2.4 Combos *** NEW INFO! ***/// Yes, you too can do devastating combos in PR. You can even volleyball your opponent in the air! Combos are easy to execute. PR has a fully orthogonal interrupt-driven combo system. That means the "rules" for combos are [from GamePro's PR Guide]: 1. There are three "levels" of attacks: quick/fierce, power, & special moves 2. Any special move can interrupt any quick, fierce, or power attack 3. Any power attack can interrupt any quick or fierce attack NOTE1: Most characters can start a combo by stringing quick attacks together (example: Talon's 3, 3, 3, 3 combo). It is sometimes possible to interrupt an in-close basic attack with the standard version of the same attack. In a few instances, some characters can interrupt a stronger basic attack with a weaker one. An example for Chaos would be 1 (or in-close 2), 2, 1+2, 1, low 3+4. NOTE2: Not all quick attacks can necessarily be interrupted by all fierce attacks, though many can. As an example from my personal experience on version 2.3: low 1, low 1, low 4 works great for Talon but not for Armadon. Basic and special moves can both be "buffered" into a combo. In a combo that alternates between bites and tail attacks, you must tap the buttons quickly. In a combo that chains bites together or chains tail attacks together, you must tap the buttons even more quickly. Combo hits can be done at any time - whenever you hit an opponent, you can tack on another hit, unless the knockback pushes your opponent too far away. EVEN IN THE AIR! You can do two basic attacks in the air, and possibly follow up with an air special move like Chaos' air Ground Pound, or Sauron's air throw. Air hits make great combo starters or enders! Each character has certain air combos that are easier to use, because they have better range, are harder to counter, or are less likely to knock the opponent too far back. Here are some of the easier air combo starters: Armadon: air 4, air 3+4; also air 2, air 1+2 Blizzard, Chaos: air 2, air 1+2 Diablo, Sauron: air 4, air 3+4 Talon: air 4, air 1+2 Vertigo: air 3, air 3+4; also air 4, air 3+4 Note that if your air hit(s) strike your opponent too high, you might not be able to extend the combo with ground hits. Hitting too high doesn't occurr as frequently as in games like SF2, though, especially if you get two air hits or if you're fighting a small opponent. Special attacks can be used to end any combination, or prolong it! Many special moves such as Blizzard's Ice Geyser have a greater range when used within combos, and every character has at least one special move that can be followed up with more hits or volleys. Note that any given combo cannot have more than five of the same basic attack, one low power [trip] basic attack, and one of any given special move. Are your combos still too short? Extend them by using two jumps! Just buffer a hop-jump into your air hits, and you can score another couple air hits followed by the rest of your combo! Sauron's 8-hit THE SECRET OF THE COW combo is an example of this: air 4, air 3+4, hop jump, air 4, air 3+4, 1, 2, 1+2, Primal Scream. And there's a bonus (three, actually)! Be forewarned that if you get a No Cheeze meter then no bonuses for your combo will appear, and the cheezy attacks won't inflict damage. Thunder claps with lightning will happen if you do at least 4 hits _and_ a minimum of 35% damage. To find out how many hits & how much damage your combo did, just look at the right or left side of the screen, depending on whether you're on the one-player or two-player side. [When the CPU does combos on you, its side will display the number of hits in the combo but not the damage rating, and the CPU never gets lightning or other trappings.] If you haven't seen it, the thunder and lightning are incredible. Especially when you're not expecting it (but I guess you are now. =) In v2.3, you get as many claps as you got hits! (in 1.7 you could only get 10!) [Note: Vertigo can get one clap of lightning in version 2.3 if she uses a teleport in any combo.] Due to the decreased damages for attacks in v2.3, lightning is less often seen, but IT IS THERE! Finding combos that do more than 35% damage is harder now than ever, though! Unfortunately, it isn't any easier to get lightning during the Final Battle. Even though attacks on a dead/flickering opponent will do extra damage [see Final Battle section], the damage percentiles calculated to determine lightning & displayed on the side of the screen will reflect how much damage the combo would have done, if your opponent were alive & healthy. Don't despair if you can't get a thunderbolt 'n' lightning (very very frightening(ly!)) combo; there is another reward for using special moves in combos! If you use certain moves in a combination, a "name" for the combo will be printed out in the top center of the screen! Most if not all of the named combos have three 'levels'. The named combos are usually activated by one special move. There is also a minimum hit requirement. For example, if you use Sauron's Neck Throw in a combo which hits at least 4 times, you'll see "CRUNCHY". If the combo hits at least 6 times, you'll see "EXTRA CRUNCHY". If the combo hits at least 7 times (a 9 hitter is possible in the new version) you'll see "TAKE A BITE OUTTA CRIME!". So the combo naming scheme goes something like that - the first level is "[NAME]", the second level is usually "SUPER [NAME]" or some modifier, and the third level is a weird variation on the first two, with an exclamation "!" or question "?" mark at the end (one has ". . ."). On both versions, naked worshipers will dash across the screen if Vertigo does a 4-hit or higher combo ending in the Come Slither, or Armadon does a 4-hit or higher combo ending with the Hornication Uppercut. No one has been able to eat these guys, and not for lack of trying, so perhaps it isn't possible to chomp them. Key: (1) (2) Numbers are for which buttons are being pressed. (3) (4) The word "air" means to hit the buttons while you are jumping or still in the air; "low" means to hit the buttons while crouching; otherwise do the move while standing normally. An asterisk ("*") denotes a combo that I know will earn you lightning (not every lightning combo may be asterisked, though, because I'm not familiar with them all). Damage percentiles are added where known. Combo names may be listed with combos, or separately. Hopefully eventually each combo name will be listed with an appropriate combo; for now, the names will be stuck to the combo they came with, or with none at all if someone just said "I did Talon's SUPER SLIDER!" If the triggering special move or minimum number of required hits is known, it'll be listed. Combo names with the same triggering move are grouped together where possible. Corrections or additions are quite welcome! ///ARMADON/// combo names: GUT BUSTER (Gut Gouger) PINCUSHION COMBO (Bed-o'-Nails) DIVEBOMBER COMBO (Hornication Uppercut, 5) FREIGHT TRAIN TRAIN WRECK (8) DEATH DART COMBO (Flying Spikes) SUPER DEATH DART COMBO (6) BULLSEYE! STEAMROLLER COMBO (Spinning Death, 4) SUPER STEAMROLLER COMBO 3 Hit: air 1, 1, Gut Gouger or Hornication Uppercut 4 Hit: air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 3+4 4 Hit: air 3+4, 1, 2, Hornication Uppercut 4 Hit: (on jumping opponent) air 1+2, 1+2, 1+2, Hornication Uppercut *4 Hit: (on jumping opponent) air 1+2, in-close 1+2, Mega Charge, 1+2 4 Hit: 3+4, Mega Charge, 4, Spinning Death = STEAMROLLER COMBO 5 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, 2, 1+2, Gut Gouger = GUT BUSTER 5 Hit: low 1, low 1+2, Mega Charge, low 2, Bed-o'-Nails = PINCUSHION COMBO 5 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, 2, 1+2, Hornication Uppercut = DIVEBOMBER COMBO 5 Hit: 2, 1+2, Mega Charge, 2, Flying Spikes = DEATH DART COMBO 6 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Charge, 2, Flying Spikes = SUPER DEATH DART COMBO *7 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, 2, 1+2, Mega Charge, 2, Hornication Uppercut = FREIGHT TRAIN *8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Charge, 4, Spinning Death = SUPER STEAMROLLER COMBO *8 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Charge, 4, 3+4 *8 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Charge, 2, Flying Spikes = BULLSEYE! *8 Hit: (on cornered or cross-up opponent) air 3+4, 1, 1, 1, low 3+4, Mega Charge, 2, Hornication Uppercut = TRAIN WRECK ///BLIZZARD/// combo names: COME FLY WITH ME (Ice Geyser, Air Throw, 6) IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO FLY (7) BOOM SHAKALAKA! (9) JACK HAMMER SUPER JACK HAMMER DOES IT HURT? LIGHTNING JAB COMBO (Punching Bag) SUPER LIGHTNING JAB COMBO MIDNIGHT SLAM (7) SUPER MIDNIGHT SLAM BE KIND TO ANIMALS *note* Mega Punch combos are iffy sometimes -- you need to pick which of the 3 MPs to use depending on range, whether the opponent is "bouncing up" from being hit out of a special move, etc. 3 Hit: low 4, low 3+4, Mega Punch 3 Hit: air 3+4, low 1, low 3+4 4 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Short Mega Punch 4 Hit: air 3+4, 1, low 4, low 3+4 4 Hit: air 3+4, low 3, low 3+4, Mega Punch 5 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, low 4, low 3+4, Mega Punch 5 Hit: low 3+4, Ice Geyser, air 3, air 1+2, Air Throw 5 Hit: air 3, air 3+4, 4, 3+4, Mega Punch = JACK HAMMER 6 Hit: air 3, air 3+4, low 4, low 3+4, Ice Geyser, air 3+4, Air Throw 8 Hit: air 3+4, 1, Ice Geyser, air 3+4, 1, 1, low 3+4, Long Mega Punch 8+ Hit: Freeze Breath, Punching Bag, air 2, 1+2 = LIGHTNING JAB COMBO 9 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1, low 4, low 3+4, Ice Geyser, air 2, air 3+4, Air Throw = IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO FLY *9 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 4, low 3+4, Ice Geyser, air 2, air 1+2, Air Throw = BOOM SHAKALAKA! *10 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, low 4, 3+4, Ice Geyser, air 4, air 1+2, low 4, low 3+4, Mega Punch = ? *Many Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 4, 1+2, Ice Geyser, Punching Bag, (walk forward), 1+2, Long Mega Punch = SUPER LIGHTNING JAB COMBO *Many Hit: Freeze Breath, air 4, air 3+4, 2, 1+2, Ice Geyser, Punching Bag, (jump) air 2, Air Throw = ? (approx. 50%) ///CHAOS/// combo names: NON-DAIRY COMBO (Grab-n'-Throw, 3) SUPER NON-DAIRY COMBO (4) TOFU! (5) WACKY COMBO (Battering Ram, 5) SUPER WACKY COMBO (7) SEWER SPEWER (Fast Power Puke, 3) SUPER SEWER SPEWER (4) WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CHAOS! (5) THE SPINNER HURLER COMBO (Slow Power Puke) THE CADELINA SPECIAL! SUPER CADELINA'S SPECIAL 3 Hit: air 3+4, 1+2, Grab 'n' Throw 3 Hit: Ground Pound, Battering Ram, 1+2 3 Hit: low 4, low 3+4, Fast Power Puke = SEWER SPEWER 4 Hit: low 4, low 3+4, Battering Ram, 1+2 4 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Fast Power Puke = SUPER SEWER SPEWER COMBO 5 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 4, low 3+4, Fast Power Puke = WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CHAOS! 5 Hit: Slow Puke, low 3+4, Battering Ram, low 2, low 1+2 = HURLER COMBO 5 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, low 4, 1+2, Grab 'n' Throw = TOFU! 5 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Battering Ram, low 1+2 = WACKY COMBO *7 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, jump again, air 3+4, Ground Pound, Battering Ram, low 2, 1+2 *7 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 4, low 3+4, Battering Ram, low 2, low 1+2 = SUPER WACKY COMBO *11 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1 (or in-close 2), 2, 1+2, 1, low 3+4, Battering Ram, low 2, (long jump forward) air 2, air 1+2 = THE CADELINA SPECIAL! *12 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1 (or in-close 2), 2, 1+2, 1, low 3+4, Battering Ram, low 1, low 1, (long jump forward) air 2, air 1+2 = SUPER CADELINA'S SPECIAL ///DIABLO/// combo names: AFTERBURNER (Inferno Flash) SUPER AFTERBURNER SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! BURNING EYEBALL COMBO (Fast Fireball, 4) MELTING EYEBALL COMBO (5) FLAMING BALL OF DOOM! FLAMING FACE COMBO (Slow Fireball, 4) SUPER FLAMING FACE COMBO (5) WARM IT UP, DIABLO! (6) HEADACHE (Mega Lunge, 4) MIGRAINE ORIGINAL RECIPE COMBO (Torch) 4 Hit: air 1+2, low 3, 1+2, Hot Foot 4 Hit: 1, 2, 1+2, Mega Lunge = HEADACHE 4 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Slow Fireball = FLAMING FACE COMBO 4 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Fast Fireball = BURNING EYEBALL COMBO 5 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 2, 1+2, Slow Fireball = SUPER FLAMING FACE COMBO 5 Hit: Torch, low 1, 2, 1+2, Hot Foot = ORIGINAL RECIPE COMBO 5 Hit: air 4, 2, 3+4, Hot Foot, Inferno Flash = AFTERBURNER 6 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Slow Fireball = WARM IT UP, DIABLO! 6 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, Inferno Flash, low 1, 2, 1+2, Hot Foot = AFTERBURNER 6 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, 1, 2, 1+2, Hot Foot 6 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1, 2, 1+2, Fast Fireball = MELTING EYEBALL COMBO *6 Hit: (on cornered opponent) air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Lunge, 1+2 = MIGRAINE *8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 1, Hot Foot, 2, 1+2, Inferno Flash = SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! *8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, 1+2, Inferno Flash, low 1, 1+2, Slow Fireball = SUPER MELTING EYEBALL *15 Hit: (on cornered opponent) Torch, (hop jump up) air 4, air 1+2, in-close 3, 1+2, (hop jump up) air 4, air 3+4, 3, 1+2, Inferno Flash, low 1, low 3+4, Mega Lunge, 2, 1+2 = ? ///SAURON/// combo names: ROCKET LAUNCHER (Cranium Crusher, 4) UP, UP, AND AWAY THE STOMPER (Earthquake Stomp, 4) THE SUPER STOMPER (5) YOUR DRIVING DAYS ARE OVER PUNK! EAR SPLITTER (Primal Scream, 4) THE SECRET OF THE COW! ROARING TERROR (Stun Roar, 4) SUPER ROARING TERROR CRUNCHY (Neck Throw, 4) EXTRA CRUNCHY (6) TAKE A BITE OUTTA CRIME! (7) 3 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 3+4 4 Hit: air 1+2, 2, 1+2, Primal Scream = EAR SPLITTER 4 Hit: air (hop-jump) 3+4, air Earthquake, 2, Cranium Crusher = UP, UP, AND AWAY 4 Hit: 1, 2, 1+2, Stun Roar = ROARING TERROR 4 Hit: 1, 2, 1+2, Neck Throw = CRUNCHY 5 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 3+4, Cranium Crusher = ROCKET LAUNCHER 6 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, 1, 2, 1+2, Stun Roar = SUPER ROARING TERROR 6 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, 1, 2, 1+2, Neck Throw = EXTRA CRUNCHY 7 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, jump again, air 4, air 3+4, air Earthquake Stomp 1+2, Cranium Crusher = ? *8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, jump again, air 4, air 3+4, 1, 2, 1+2, Neck Throw = TAKE A BITE OUTTA CRIME! *8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, jump again, air 4, air 3+4, 1, 2, 1+2, Primal Scream = THE SECRET OF THE COW ///TALON/// combo names: YUMMY (Face Ripper, 4) DELICIOUS TALON'S FACE RIPPER IS MMM-MMM GOOD! (7) ELEGANT (Pounce and Flip, 6) GLORIOUS WARP FACTOR NINE! (9) THE SLIDER (5) SUPER SLIDER (7) SLIDE, SLIDE SLIPPIDY SLIDE... THE SKULL SLICER (Brain Basher, 4) SUPER SKULL SLICER FULL FRONTAL LOBOTOMY! THROAT POPPER COMBO (Jugular Bite, 5) SUPER THROAT POPPER COMBO (7) GO FOR THE JUGULAR! (8) 3 Hit: air 1+2, 1, 1+2 3 Hit: low 4, low 3+4, Frantic Fury 3 Hit: air 1+2, 2, Jugular Bite 4 Hit: 3, 3, 3, 3 = 16% 4 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4 = 20% 4 Hit: air 3+4, low 4, 1+2, Face Ripper = YUMMY 4 Hit: Brain Basher, air 1+2, low 2, low 1+2 = THE SKULL SLICER 5 Hit: 1, low 4, 1+2, Jugular Bite = THROAT POPPER COMBO 5 Hit: air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 2 (or 4), low 3+4 = 25% 6 Hit: air 1+2, 2, 1+2, Pounce and Flip = ELEGANT 6 Hit: 1, 1, Slasher, low 3, low 3+4, Frantic Fury 6 Hit: low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 4, Face Ripper = DELICIOUS 6 Hit: Brain Basher, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4 = SUPER SKULL SLICER 7 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, 1, low 4, 1+2, Jugular Bite = SUPER THROAT POPPER COMBO 8 Hit: low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 4, Jugular Bite = GO FOR THE JUGULAR! 8 Hit: low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 4, Pounce and Flip = GLORIOUS *9 Hit: air 1+2, low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4 = 35% *9 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4, Frantic Fury *9 Hit: Brain Basher, air 4, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4, Frantic Fury = FULL FRONTAL LOBOTOMY! *10 Hit: air 4, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 1, low 4, low 3+4 *10 Hit: air 2, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 4, 1+2, Face Ripper = TALON'S FACE RIPPER IS MMM-MMM GOOD! *12 Hit: (must be started deep) air 4, air 1+2, low 1, low 1, Slasher, low 1, low 1, low 4, 1+2, Pounce and Flip = WARP FACTOR NINE! ///VERTIGO/// combo names: STREAKER COMBO (Come Slither, Scorpion Sting) SUPER STREAKER COMBO (10) THE PEEPLES PUNISHER! (13) BLINDER (Fast Venom Spit) SUPER BLINDER (10) THE SPITTER (Slow Venom Spit, 5) THE SUPER SPITTER (6) 3 Hit: low 3, low 3+4, Scorpion Sting 4 Hit: air 3+4, 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 5 Hit: air 3+4, 1+2, Come Slither, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 5 Hit: Come Slither, 1, 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 5 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 2, low 3+4, Scorpion Sting = 25% 5 Hit: air 3, air 3+4, 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 5 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 1+2, Come Slither, Slow Venom Spit = THE SPITTER 6 Hit: 2, 1+2, Come Slither, 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 7 Hit: 3+4, Come Slither, (walk forward) low 1, low 1, low 2, low 3+4, Scorpion Sting = STREAKER COMBO 7 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 1+2, Come Slither, 2, 1+2, Fast Venom Spit = BLINDER 7 Hit: (opponent is close) low 1, low 1, low 1, low 2, low 1+2, Come Slither, Slow Venom Spit = THE SUPER SPITTER 8 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1, 1, Come Slither, 1, 2, Scorpion Sting 8 Hit: low 1, low 2, 1+2, Come Slither, (walk forward) low 1, low 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting 8 Hit: Voodoo Spell, (hop jump toward) air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 1, low 2, low 3+4, Scorpion Sting = ? *10 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, 1, 2, 1+2, Come Slither, 1, 2, 1+2, Fast Venom Spit = SUPER BLINDER *11 Hit: low 1, low 1, low 2, low 1+2, Come Slither, (walk forward) low 1, low 1, low 1, low 2, low 3+4, Scorpion Sting = SUPER STREAKER COMBO *12 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, low 1, low 2, low 1+2, Come Slither, (walk forward) low 1, low 1, low 2, low 1+2, Scorpion Sting = SUPER STREAKER COMBO *14 Hit: air 4, air 3+4, low 1, 1, 2, 1+2, Come Slither, (hop jump toward) air 4, air 3+4, low 1, 1, 2, 1+2, Scorpion Sting = ? These are only some of the combos possible. There are probably millions more! Try combining different parts from different combos to get a new one! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++ 3. Brain Gauge+++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Under your health bar (the big artery extending from your heart) is your Brain Gauge. Each time you take or block a hit, your brain gauge goes down. If your brain gauge ever reaches "empty" when you get hit (_not_ while blocking), electricity will loudly crackle around your brain and you will become stunned. Although you can't get stunned while blocking, you can still be taken to "empty" brain, allowing a quick stun with few successful hits thereafter. Brain power regenerates quickly; as long as you don't get hit for a while you will soon be fine. However, if you _do_ become stunned, shake the joystick left and right (nothing else will help!) to regain your brain faster. Once it reaches "full" again you will return to normal. This also works for "auto stuns" from special moves: Blizzard's Punching Bag and freezes, Vertigo's Voodoo Spell and Come Slither, Diablo's Torch and Inferno Flash, or Chaos' FoFury. Note that if a character's brain meter is emptied during a combo, he won't fall down and get up dizzy until after the combo is completed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ++++++++++++++ 4. Offense and Defense++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ///4.1 Offense/// Mix it up! Using attacks that require the opponent to block low and high alternately can be very disturbing (not to mention frustrating!), so know which attacks must be blocked high and which low! Same goes for being on defense - see that section for more details. The old "leaping attacks" can now be blocked with standing blocks (just press away!), although your recovery time from the block is seriously long, so the only bad result of doing a leaping attack is being vulnerable in the air (though you do also land close to your opponent, so if you're a distance fighter...). The exception is Talon's Brain Basher - it's possible for an opponent like Armadon to block it and then uppercut him with a low 1+2. Remember that on version 2.3, all blocked basic attacks and nearly all blocked special attacks _do damage_ to your opponent. Unlike most other games, this damage is indeed significant, and will tip any close match. Block damage can be used to beat reclusive opponents, human or CPU, if you can sustain an assault for long enough. Just do "dink" damage for the entire round, and when the clock runs out and the other guy has no health left... ///4.2 Defense/// 4.2.1 Blocking Blocking in Primal Rage starts off simple: to block a high attack, pull directly away from your opponent on the joystick. To block a low attack, pull down and away on the joystick. Don't touch or hold down the buttons while doing this, or you won't be blocking! If you get hit once, and someone starts to unleash a combo, you can't block it. That's why it's called a combo! So, the moral of the story is... don't get hit! ^_^ On the other hand, sometimes a human player or even the CPU will accidentally pause in the middle of a combo, unintentionally ending it early and giving you a chance to block their next attack. New in version 2.3 is block damage. Well, not entirely new, but now all blocked basic attacks & almost all blocked special attacks do significant "tick" damage to the blocker's heart meter, and slight damage to the brain gauge. However, you can no longer die from taking block damage, no matter how little health you have left! So turtle up when you're running low! [Note: there seems to be an unintentional exception: if the block damage of a move precisely equals the amount of health left, then blocking it can be fatal. This has been seen many times with block damage from basic attacks like Vertigo's low 3+4, and special attacks like Armadon's Iron Maiden.] Block these attacks high (most of them involve a descending overhead strike): 1) Armadon's crouching 3 2) Blizzard and Chaos' standing 3+4, and Chaos' standing 4 3) Talon's standing 1+2 4) Vertigo's crouching 3 or 4 5) Diablo's Pulverizer, Talon's Brain Basher 6) Air attacks, of course. ^_^ Be extra careful on combo'd air attacks - you have to block both hits high! Block these low (most of them involve a strike to the feet): 1) All characters' low 3+4 2) Most characters' low 3, except Armadon's & Vertigo's 3) Most characters' low 4, except Vertigo's 4) Diablo's Hot Foot 5) Talon's Slasher 6) Vertigo's Come Slither 7) Chaos' Ground Shaker? (Sauron's Earthquake can be blocked high in 2.3) 4.2.2 Cross-up Attacks Beware cross-up air attacks, which hit you so far behind that you must push the joystick forward to block! Each character has a center of mass located at about the abdomen. If an attack hits you in front of your center of mass, you can defend normally. If it hits behind your center of mass, you must hold your joystick in the opposite direction instead. The 2.3 CPU Talon likes to do cross-up air 1+2s on you as you're getting up from a knockdown! When buffering a special air attack into air cross-up hits, do the move in the direction you're facing when airborne. Do special moves the ordinary way when buffering them into ground hits, cross-up or not. Armadon's Spinning Death is another example. If Armie times it precisely as you get up, he'll be spinning behind your center of mass - you must hold the joystick in the opposite direction you'd otherwise hold it, or you will get hurt. The 2.3 CPU Armadon does this every once in a while. There is a particular cross-up corner-trap that can get you a No Cheeze meter! Take Vertigo vs player (or CPU) Armadon. Armadon does the Iron Maiden when Vertigo is standing in the right-hand corner. Vertigo jumps up to avoid the attack, and comes down directly above Armadon, who is recovering from his special move. Facing away from the corner [left], she bites him with lots of low 1s. The low 1s hit Armadon behind his center of mass, so the knockback sends him back toward the corner, right into Vertie's jaws! If Vertie tries to use more than five 1s in a single combo she'll get a No Cheeze meter, which is the only thing that keeps this trap from turning into a an infinite combo. 4.2.3 Avoiding Projectiles Jumping to avoid projectiles can be hazardous to your health. If you take off with a long jump or leaping attack as soon as your opponent begins to fire, you might be able to score a hit, but then again you might not clear the projectile and/or jump straight into an anti-air attack. All characters seem to be more vulnerable to projectiles underneath them if they do a jumping High Attacks (jumping Low Attacks are safer). For example, if Vertigo does a jumping quick bite, rendering her body horizontal way above Blizzard's Freeze Breath, she'll get frozen anyway. So, what do you do when you opponent think's he's Ryu? Four other possible options... a) Some parts of some moves are invulnerable to some attacks (sometimes :). Moves such as Chaos' FoFury, Diablo's Torch, Sauron's Primal Scream, & Talon's Slasher will allow projectiles to pass through or over your character without hitting you. Teleports will let you avoid the projectile completely. And then there's all the anti-projectile moves other than Leaping Attacks... b) Depending on who you are, you can just fire a projectile to cancel your opponent's projectile. Some projectiles pass through some other projectiles, though, so be warned! c) If your projectile doesn't cancel the opponent's projectile and you still have some time, you can fire another projectile. The second projectile will cancel your opponent's projectile! Diablo vs. Chaos is a good example. This hasn't been tested on everyone, so it might not work for some! d) Some characters are can duck underneath some projectiles when they crouch, or block low. For example, Vertigo can duck completely under Blizzard's Freeze Breath if you hold the joystick straight down (not down&back), while Diablo & others can duck completely underneath Sauron's Stun Roar if they crouch or block low. On the other hand, no one except Talon in a low block can duck underneath Armadon's Flying Spikes. Some character's basic attacks (such as Vertigo's crouching bites and, given the correct timing, Talon's crouching slide kicks) are low enough that they'll hit a nearby projectile thrower without trading damage. ///4.3 Simultaneous Attack Collisions/// kuan@agames.com (Frank Kuan): writes: Here's an interesting bit if info about version 2.3. When SIMULTANEOUS collisions occur between normal (quick, fierce) and power (two button), it follows this general formula: 1. quick wins over fierce 2. fierce beats power 3. power beats quick. There are a few exceptions. An air attack done during a quick hop attack has less priority than any other attack. On version 1.7, it was more streetfighter'ish in the sense that any normal attack may have a "sweet spot" where at the right range and timing, it would always beat anything else. Version 2.3 was tuned so that "sweet spots" on normal and power attacks were removed, so that simultaneous collisions would occur more often and it would follow the arbitration rules of above. The beauty of the 3 rules of arbitration is that it GUARANTEES the usefulness of every single normal/power attack in the game. It's like rock/papers/scissors. If Talon uses air high power too much, you KNOW you can beat him with any fierce attack. You can verify this information yourself with some experimentation. ///4.4 Total Domination, Quick Kill, & Scoring *new info for version 2.3*/// 4.4.1 Total Domination In version 2.3, winning a "perfect" battle (i.e. without losing *any* health, not even block-damage) is acknowledged as a "TOTAL DOMINATION." These are not always as hard to get as one might think, especially in certain matches vs the CPU (try repeatedly using Sauron's air 3 and/or air throw on CPU Diablo). 4.4.2 Quick Kill A normal PR round lasts for 60 seconds. On version 2.3, destroying your opponent with 50 or more seconds remaining on the timer merits a "QUICK KILL" award. This is *much* harder to get than a TOTAL DOMINATION, though not impossible (try swiftly & repeatedly using Diablo's standing 1+2 on CPU Armadon, or stunning CPU Blizzard with five of Vertigo's standing 3+4s, teleporting next to him, and finishing him off with a lethal combo). 4.4.3 Scoring PR has a scoring system just like most other video games out there. If you beat the top score then you get to enter up to 15 letters, and the character you played will crouch atop a shadowy hill (facing right if you used the 1-player side, or left if you used the 2-player side) whenever the scores are displayed. You have plenty of time to enter your name, since the countdown begins with 15 seconds and renews every time you enter a letter until it runs out or you enter the "end" square. If your score is worthy of a 2nd through 10th place slot, then you just get to enter three letters and the 15-second countdown doesn't renew. On version 1.7, your name would be completely eliminated from the roster if it were bumped off the top slot. On version 2.3, the name in the top slot name is merely bumped to second place by a higher score, and then only its first three letters are visible. Note that the operator can allow only certain letter combinations in the Full Name entry, if he wishes. The PR Censor has a default setting to Strict, and if you enter a censored word it will be replaced by a string of j's. Unfortunately, you cannot see your score on the game screen during your battles. In between battles, when the game shows you what area you have just conquered, your score is represented by the "number of worshipers" in the lower right-hand corner. The scores in the chart below are for version 1.7, though I doubt they've been changed much for version 2.3... action Worshipers/Points Awarded each continue 1 every 1% damage inflicted on opponent 100 first four hits in a single combo 1,000 per hit fifth and successive hits in a single combo 2,000 per hit (maximum 20,000 per combo) eating one of your opponent's followers 10,000 (except during Bonus Round) opponent eats one of your followers -10,000 you eat one of your own followers -40,000 (except during the Bonus Round) doing a finishing move 50,000 Total Domination ??? Quick Kill ??? world domination 100,000 winning the game 200,000 bonus for winning with less than 10 continues 1,000,000 bonus for winning without continuing 5,000,000 (these last three bonuses aren't cumulative) ///4.5 CPU AI patterns/// The CPU AI in version 2.3 has been almost completely overhauled. From the second battle on up, the CPU tends to use all its special moves more (except fatalities, which it never does), more elaborate combos, and cannot be as easily suckered with a constant barrage of attacks as before. But in addition to its new strengths, the CPU has also gained new weaknesses. Generally, you can win by anticipating and retaliating against the CPU's tendency to jump and/or use special moves. Here are some very brief weaknesses to exploit, if you want to rule the new Urth... CPU Armadon Armadon, Blizzard, Chaos, & Talon can use their low 1+2 to hit CPU Armadon out of the air when he jumps, which is very often. He's also a sucker for Armadon's Mega Charge, Diablo's Mega Lunge, and Chaos'/Sauron's air Earthquake. Vertigo can go for a low 1+2, Fast Venom Spit combo, or block & retaliate against his Mega Charge, or bite him out of the air with her low 2 if she's far enough away, then do a Venom Spit as he gets up. He'll probably jump with a 4; she can wait until after he swings his tail, knock him down with another bite, and repeat. Use her air-to-air teleport to escape his corner-traps. Want to practice your combos? Knock Armie down and crouch next to him. Wait for him to get up and try his tail-over-the-head attack. Then nail him with a combo that begins with a low 1. Your low 1 is faster than his attack; you'll hit him out of it and work him over! If you slip up and attack too early, he'll just block your attempted combo, which is not as much fun. ^_^ Armadon always starts his turn in the Final Battle with an off-screen wail; then he leaps in with the Iron Maiden. CPU Blizzard Armadon and Vertigo can repeatedly swat him with their standing 3+4; Blizzard can repeatedly use the Short Mega Punch followed by low 1s; Blizzard and Sauron can air throw him if he doesn't Ice Geyser them first. Diablo and Sauron can chomp him with their standing 2 when he's just within their range; Chaos and Sauron can use their air Earthquakes; Talon can get him with combos starting with a low 4 from a short distance away. Everyone can long jump or hop jump back, in the hope of suckering Blizzard into a Mega Punch, duck/block the move, knock him down, and repeat. Blizzard always starts his round in the Final Battle with the Freeze Breath from off screen; then he jumps in. CPU Chaos He almost always follows up his Power Puke or FoFury with either the Battering Ram or the Flying Butt Slam. Block/dodge the moves and retaliate. Armadon can jump in on him with air 4, air 3+4. Blizzard and Sauron can repeatedly air throw him even if he's on the ground. Chaos and Sauron can fall back on their air Earthquakes. Diablo can long-jump in with air 3+4s; if he leaps from the right distance, Chaos will jump into the attack, especially if Chaos is just getting up from a knockdown. Talon can nail him by long-jumping in with combos that start with air 2, air 1+2. Vertigo can teleport to the ground on his opposite side and nail him with a combo that starts with a low 1. Chaos always starts the Final Battle with the FoFury from off-screen behind you; then he jumps in with the Flying Butt Slam. CPU Diablo He tends to jump in response to your jumps. Leap toward him with your air 3 until you knock him down; then as he gets up, jump toward him with an air throw, or your air 1+2 or 3+4 for the lizards, or your air 2 or 4 for the apes, and he'll probably jump into it. The key is not to do the air attack until after he jumps. Hang back when he starts going crazy with the 1s and 2s, though, because he's about to leap forward with his high-priority air 1+2. When you're getting up from a knockdown, he likes to try a three-hit cross-up combo followed by the Pulverizer. Block the combo, then jump and hit him out of the air. Diablo always starts the Final Battle with a roar from off screen (his voice is more hoarse than Sauron's - probably a side effect of all that smoking :); then he teleports in. CPU Sauron He likes to use his air Earthquake Stomp followed up with his standing 1+2 a lot. When he goes for the Earthquake, long jump toward him (avoiding the stomp) and combo him. He'll try walk up to you and bite you, too; wait until he's in range and scratch him with low 1s. Sauron always starts the Final Battle with a roar from off screen. Then jumps straight down from above with an Earthquake Stomp, but this particular earthquake won't damage you and he won't follow it up with his standing 1+2. CPU Talon He has the most vicious of all the overhauled CPU AI's. He'll fall for Armadon's Iron Maiden, Chaos' & Sauron's air Earthquakes, or Diablo's air 3+4 a lot. Blizzard can tick block-damage off him with combos involving the Fake Mega Punch. Talon can target his alter ego's backside with the air 1+2. Everyone can hop jump toward him and make him block some air attack(s). He'll frequently respond with his Slasher or a slide kick + Frantic Fury combo; low block and quickly retaliate. Talon always starts the Final Battle with a yowl from off screen, then jumps in with the Brain Basher. CPU Vertigo Like Diablo, she tends to jump in response to your jumps. If you jump toward her with a high priority air attack (such as Vertigo's 3+4, the other lizards' 1+2, or the apes' 2 or 4) then she'll most likely leap into it. Again, the key is not to attack until after she leaves the ground. If her jumping bites hit you instead, then you probably either jumped from the wrong distance or attacked too soon. She's vulnerable to combos starting with a low 1 whenever she uses her ground-to-ground teleport, and she almost never uses any other teleport except in response to certain special attacks (such as projectiles). Vertigo always starts the Final Battle with a hiss from off screen, then teleports in, appearing on the ground nearby. ///4.6 Final Battle/// After conquering all seven territories with one character, the last of which must be won from the CPU, you are awarded "WORLD DOMINATION." If a second player joins in during the first six matches, beating him will conqer the territory and ruler you otherwise would have fought, even if the second player didn't use that character. If that's the case, though, then you lose the opportunity to do a fatality on the ruler you didn't fight. If a second player joins in during the seventh match, you must re-conquer the world after beating him. If you join in during any match and beat the other player, you must conquer all the other territories afterward, even if he conquered some of them and you're using the same character as he did. You'll also have to re-conquer the world if you lose a match and continue on the other side, or with a different character (changing your character's color won't make a difference though :). After winning WORLD DOMINATION, you arrive at a stage where you have to fight all seven characters again in one big round, with the clock turned off. This is called the "Final Battle." It takes place on a special "Dinosaur Graveyard" stage littered with mounds of dinosaur bones, including a couple big skeletons propped up to the left. The ground has bright red cracks in it, and there's a huge, swirling vortex in the sky. There are no worshipers or pterodactyls moving about in the background. If you die during the Final Battle then you can continue from the precise point at which you left off [the continue countdown is 15 seconds instead of the usual 10], but you cannot change characters and if a second player joins in the Final Battle ends (see Final Battle Bugs in version 2.3). Fortunately, there are three ways to make the Final Battle easier. The first is to do fatalities on as many opponents as you can (remember that you can't do a fatality on an opponent if your second win is a "time over" victory, or if you don't fight him because a second player has joined in). Dead enemies will flicker like ghosts in the Final Battle, and every attack you do to them will inflict double the normal damage. Regardless of whether a given enemy is solid or flickering, when you exhaust his/her health meter then he/she will collapse and revert to bones, which become part of the background. The second advantage is to know each CPU foes' signature entrance, anticipate it, and dodge or retaliate (signature entrances are described in the section 4.5, "CPU AI PATTERNS"). There are two ways to tell which opponent you'll fight next. One is to watch for the name under the enemy's health meter, which appears just as the battle starts. The other is to listen for the enemy's voice (or projectile sound, for the apes). Each PR character has a unique voice for their wordless battle cries/screams of pain. Your third advantage is that before arriving at this stage, you have a chance to acquire more than 100% total strength. The game will say "NOW YOU MUST REPLENISH YOUR HEALTH BEFORE THE FINAL BATTLE," and a 20-second bonus round commences. It takes place on the background of the last enemy you beat, and all you do is eat worshipers and pterodactyls for more strength. It is possible to obtain up to a maximum of 100% extra health, which will appear in a green life meter after your red life meter has been exhausted. You can eat both people & pterodactyls in the bonus round by doing each character's 'Eat a worshiper' move, or use a normal bite to eat just the pterodactyls. The humans are much more nutritious than the pterodactyls, which give you a mere 2% health each. Even if you can't find anything to eat, 18% extra health automatically trickles into your reserve life bar. A little phrase pops up during this mini-round: Armadon - TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH FOR THE FINAL CONFRONTATION, YOUR TRIBE SACRIFICES ITSELF TO YOU. Blizzard - NOW DINE ON A FINE FEAST OF FOLLOWERS. Chaos - CHOW DOWN. IT'S A PAGAN PICNIC. Diablo - FEASTING FRENZY! Sauron - EAT OF YOUR TRIBE THAT YOU MIGHT REMAIN IMMORTAL. Talon - CHEW UP AS MANY HUMANS AS YOU CAN. Vertigo - SWALLOW THE TINY HUMANS WHOLE. FINAL BATTLE BUG in VERSION 1.7: At the mini-round, do NOT get 100% health. If you do, in the Final Battle, when you lose your first 100% of health, you will NOT get the health you earned in the mini-round. Your game will be over. FINAL BATTLE BUGS in VERSION 2.3: 1) Twice now, I've seen a second entire *red* life meter appear after the first red life meter was used up, but before the green life meter was started. It happened once while I was watching a friend play Armadon, and once while I was playing Blizzard. Not to complain, but it was kind of weird... 2) When Chaos' "signature entrance" FoFury cloud appears behind you, do not hold the joystick toward it (i.e. don't back into it while trying to block). The game will freeze, display a screenfull of incomprehensible numbers along with the words "press three times to continue," and reset when you tap the buttons. It's happened to me on several occasions with different characters, and this time I *am* complaining. A simple way to avoid this glitch is to long jump forward when Chaos appears, dodging both the FoFury and his Flying Butt Slam. 3) JKnight (jknight@csra.net) writes: It *is* possible for a second player to join in during the Final Battle on version 2.3, but the game will crash if/when you make it back to the final battle again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ++++++++++++++++++++ 5. Endings+++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After you defeat all seven opponents during the Final Battle, the following words appear: [char name] CONQUERS CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE RULER OF THE NEW URTH Your tribe of worshipers runs onscreen to cheer your succes. Then comes a couple paragraphs of text about your character, followed by a captioned picture. If your score is worthy of a place on the roster, you get to enter your initials or full name and glimpse your score on the king-of-the-hill demo screen. ///ARMADON/// For over a million years, Armadon had lived peacefully in his cave beneath the Earth's crust, telepathically linked to the biomass. The Cataclysms and the battles for supremacy over the changing planet tortured him. So he rose up to settle things once and for all. Now that the threat has past, he settles down into the ground to enjoy some well deserved rest. The land is scarred but calm. At least for now... Followed by a picture of Armadon in a cave. His worshipers have built some dwellings into the cave's walls; three women are climbing up various ladders. Armadon sits in the middle of the cave meditating, with his eyes closed. His body is outlined with electricity. Picture Caption: THE MEDITATION OF ARMADON ///BLIZZARD/// Blizzard is a noble god, the essence of the animal spirit. Frozen for a millennia at the heart of an immense glacier in the Himalayas, Blizzard was released when the Urth met the great meteor. He lived high in the mountains, descending only when threatened. With his animal power and age-old wisdom, he was unstoppable. With no threats remaining, he returns to his mountain retreat. One day, though, a new force will invade his land from across the endless ocean... This text is followed by a picture depicting Blizzard sitting in an ice-covered chair. He is calmly looks ahead, chin in hand. A man and two women bow to him; a third woman leans against his throne. Picture Caption: BLIZZARD'S SOLITUDE ///CHAOS/// Chaos was the mightiest witch doctor on the first continent. His greatest wish was to control the evolution of humanity. In his quest for power, he cast a mighty spell which backfired and turned him into a disgusting beast, forced to wallow in his own excrement for eons. During the Cataclysm, Chaos praised Throshti, God of Carrion, for release. However, to restore his greatness, he had to defeat all of his enemies. Now, his task completed, he regains control of his life and leads his tribe to greatness. One day, though, his people will be threatened and he will have to pursue power again... Followed by a picture of the human Chaos standing in an archway barely illuminated by four burning torches. His left hand is on the back of an almost completely nude woman, who hugs his side. A ghost-like figure of his ape form is in the background darkness. Picture Caption: CHAOS' REDEMPTION ///DIABLO/// Diablo is evil in its purest form. He was released from his fiery prison, deep within the Urth, drawn by the pain and torment caused in the great Cataclysms. Now that he has conquered the planet, he lives to torture it. With none left to oppose him, he begins to burn the entire planet, sparing only the cruel and vicious. He turns the world into a living hell. For centuries he will revel in the inferno he has created, until at last his rule is challenged by a traveler from across the great sea... Followed by a picture of Diablo standing near some kind of bloodstained gallows with skeletons hanging from it. Two worshipers, a man and a woman, are at his feet. They are apparently fighting for his enjoyment, each using a single bone as a weapon. Bloody, crucified skeletons surround the de facto arena. And you thought Shao Kahn was bad... ^_^ Picture Caption: DIABLO'S HELL ///SAURON/// Sauron is the god of Hunger. When released from his sleep of ages by the catastrophe, he soon realized that he must devour human flesh to remain immortal. The hungry hordes of humanity worshiped him, but lived in dread fear of his presence. Many humans soon sought refuge with other rulers of the planet. Sauron had no choice but to defeat the others in order to feast on their followers. Now that he has devoured most of the land, he sets off in quest of new lands and new meals... This text is followed by a awesomely sick picture. It depicts Sauron standing on the beach next to huge piles of millions of eaten bodies. Faint images of faraway carrion birds fly above his banquet. A dead body hangs from Sauron's teeth. In the foreground is a mostly eaten, fleshless body, and another body with his skull broken open and brains spilling out [the brains are censored from the picture in the PR Players Guide!]. The sky is dark red-orange from a brilliant setting sun. There are no living worshipers. Picture Caption: THE FEAST OF SAURON ///TALON/// For eons, Talon was a great chief of a raptor clan on a hidden South Pacific island. When the great meteor rearranged the continents, Talon's island was brought in contact with the mainland. Wanting to ensure the safety of his wives and children, he set off to eliminate all dangers of the clans welfare. Now raptors live a life of luxury, and humans are kept as cattle or hunted as sport while raptors lounge about in the sunshine. His clan is completely safe and Talon will be happy until the newcomers arrive... Followed by a picture of Talon and two smaller raptors without crests reclining human-style on a grassy hill, under a budding tree. The lounging raptors are overlooking a wooden cattle style pen containing at least six worshipers, male and female, two of whom are running from a raptor with a big net. Outside the pen, two more men flee across the plains from another pair of raptors. Picture Caption: TALON'S DREAM ///VERTIGO/// Long ago a sorceress named Vertigo appeared from another dimension. Then in a great magical battle during the Mesozoic Wars, Vertigo was banished to the moon by the arch mage Balsa Fas. The meteor crash, however, has weakened the old shields enough for her to return and enslave the planet once again. Reveling in her victory, Vertigo has enslaved hordes of humans, having them build her an insane palace in multiple dimensions. Few minds can endure the torture, but there are plenty of humans. One day while practicing her arcane arts, she discovers a land where she is not queen... Followed by a picture of a forward-facing Vertigo looking up and hissing in the middle of some purple swirls. She is standing at a 45-degree angle with her left foot upraised. She is covered with horizontal stripes (!), and her hood is framed with jagged points. A man and a woman in the foreground are covering their ears. In the background are three Escher-style stairways with tired-looking humans walking up or down them. Picture Caption: THE PALACE OF VERTIGO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++ 6. Misc stuff++++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ///6.1 Colors!!!/// In version 2.3, all characters come in four colors. You choose your color when you select your character. Pick your character by holding down either button 2, button 3, button 4 or no other buttons as you press button 1. 1 is the Original Recipe color; 1+2 is the old alternate color; 1+3 and 1+4 are new colors. Should you and another player choose the same character with the same color, then the one who chose the color in dispute first gets to keep it. The late chooser is stuck with the Original Recipe color unless that was the color in dispute, in which case he's stuck with the old alternate color. Each character also has a particular color for their conquered territory/worshipers' clothing. In a character vs same character match, the other set of worshipers have a slightly different clothing color. Armadon 1=ochre&brown 1+2=green&olive 1+3=purple ("Barney Armadon" :) 1+4=yellow Territory, worshiper's clothing color: neon green Alternate worshiper's clothing color: olive Blizzard 1=dark blue&brown 1+2=cyan&gray 1+3=green&gray 1+4=silver&white Territory, worshiper's clothing color: blue Alternate worshiper's clothing color: dark blue Chaos 1=pink&grey 1+2=lilac&grey 1+3=green&pink 1+4=green&purple Territory, worshiper's clothing color: yellow Alternate worshiper's clothing color: dark yellow Diablo 1=red&black 1+2=orange&red 1+3=green&red 1+4=green&brown Territory, worshiper's clothing color: red Alternate worshiper's clothing color: orange Sauron 1=yellow&purple 1+2=light yellow&blue 1+3=light yellow&cinnamon 1+4=purple&black ("Barney the King") Territory, worshiper's clothing color: purple Alternate worshiper's clothing color: dark purple Talon 1=orange 1+2=orange-yellow 1+3=lilac ("Son of Barney") 1+4=white (Talon always has black stripes and white crest/underbelly/feet.) Territory, worshiper's clothing color: white Alternate worshiper's clothing color: gray Vertigo 1=blue&cyan 1+2=green&aquamarine 1+3=light green&yellow 1+4=green&purple ("Bride of Barney") Territory, worshiper's clothing color: aqua Alternate worshiper's clothing color: light green ///6.2 Cheeze Alert/// Are you sick and tired of your opponent yelling, "That's cheezy!"? Well, PR has it's own cheeze alert! If you do something that the _game_ thinks is too cheezy, it will flash a "No Cheeze" sign and the opponent will not be hurt or stunned by the cheeze. This feature was added as a conscious attempt to prevent the inescapable traps that have been known to plague other fighting games. No sign, no cheeze. End of argument. =) Known Cheeze Alerts: Attempted throw or unblockable attack immediately after a blocked attack [while opponent is trapped in "block-stun"] Attempt to use same special move twice in a combo Repeated Inferno Flashes with Diablo [sometimes] Two short slides by Talon in a combo using the Slasher [so what is THE SLIDER?] Two of Talon's low 3s chained together in a combo Vertigo's Come Slither followed by a Voodoo Spell Attempt to use the same basic move more than five times in a combo ///6.3 Eat a worshiper/// Eating people is fun and easy! In version 2.3, worshipers taste better and are more filling! They now give significant energy bonuses, so chow down. Each character has a special move JUST TO EAT PEOPLE, and they're all different. See the moves section to find out how. Ordinary bites will just knock humans into the air, and you can't eat 'em unless they're on the ground. It does take a moment to eat, so be careful - if your opponent isn't distracted or stunned, he may bop you and send your dinner flying! During a normal match, your worshipers will run into the foreground (where you can eat them!) whenever you do a combo or get dizzy. The best way to eat your opponent's followers is to get him dizzy, wait for his followers to rush forward, trip him with your low 3+4, and combo the attack into your Chomp a Human special move. You can also eat your own worshipers after doing a combo that knocks your opponent down, but remember that eating your own tribe will cost you points! There are six different tribespeople, three men and three women: Appearance Name Health Value woman with short black hair Jeanette least woman with long blond hair Tracy a little woman with long black hair Renee a little bald man with spear Jason medium muscular man with short hair Ron plenty fat man with dreadlocks Rob the most!!! The worshipers you see onscreen are a representation of the total number of worshipers/points you've accumulated divided by 50,000, fractions rounded down, maximum of ten of your followers onscreen at a time (except after winning the Final Battle). There are always at least three tribespeople onscreen at the start of a round, even if they were all eaten last round. The higher your score is, the greater the probability of having meatier worshipers onscreen (which is especially helpful during the bonus round before the Final Battle). NOTE1: Some characters eat worshipers faster than others. Blizzard, for example, takes his time chomping on a human & spits out the bones, while Talon just stuffs 'em in his mouth. Fastest eaters: Diablo, Sauron, Talon Medium eaters: Armadon, Vertigo Slowest eaters: Blizzard, Chaos NOTE2: If you're having trouble pursuing & accidentally bopping your dinner, keep 3+4 held down all the time, from before the bonus round starts. Your character can walk back and forth with these buttons held down. When you're in the right position to eat your dinner, hold down 1+2 as well (even if you do a standing bite by accident, it probably won't disturb the humans) and then move the joystick. ///6.4 Going ballistic/// This feature occurs only in human vs human matches. On version 1.7 & presumably 2.3 as well, each character goes ballistic if he/she 1) Has 50% less health than the opponent 2) Has less than 30% health left 3) The character gets hit out of a special move, tripped, thrown, or hit out of the air (i.e. gets knocked down) The wounded character's brain meter crackles as if telegraphing a stun, but when they get up they start flickering (the character's constantly switches between the current color and the Original Recipe, or else the Original Recipe and the old alternate) and go into the ballistic state. The character announces this state with a brief, recycled piece of animation during which they can't hurt or be hurt by their opponent (sort of like the "full POW meter" animations in Samurai Shodown II). In the ballistic state, all your attacks do significantly more damage. You can tell if you are in that state if your character is flickering and has one of these words under your character's name. Armadon - SAMADHI [Bed-o'-Nails animation] Blizzard - ZEN [Ice Geyser animation] Chaos - INSANE [Power Puke animation] Diablo - STEAMED [Inferno fatality animation] Sauron - RAMPAGING [Primal Scream animation] Talon - BERSERK [Frantic Fury animation] Vertigo - RABID [hood flare from victory animation] On version 1.7, going ballistic has the following effects: 1) your attacks do 40% more damage than usual [fractions are rounded down] 2) you receive 15% less damage from any attack 3) you take zero block-damage 4) you have no combo regulation (combos are normally regulated so that after a certain number of hits, each successive hit does only so much damage) 5) you can stay ballistic for 20 clock ticks at the most I suspect these are also the case for version 2.3, though possibly toned down a bit... can anyone confirm? ///6.5 Sudden Death & the Clock/// A PR match is best two out of three rounds. Round one is "First Blood," round two is "Vengeance", and round three [if there is one] is "Domination." Each of these rounds begins when the announcer says "RAGE!" and lasts for up to sixty seconds. The last ten seconds are accompanied by shrill cricket chirps, as a reminder that you're running out of time. If the two of you still have health left by the end of the round, you'll both be knocked down. Then the one with the most energy will get back up; the other guy will stay flat on his back. This is a "time over" victory, which is announced with the words "[char name] WINS." You'll also see "[char name] WINS" when either character gains his first victory, time over or not. A "decisive" victory, in which you completely exhaust your opponent's health meter, will fry his brain, explode his heart. If your first victory is decsive, he'll keel over in an "I lost" animated sequence. If your second win is a decisive victory, then he'll be stunned for a few moments while you can try a fatality. Should you not do the the fatality correctly, or hit him with any move by accident, he'll keel over again. In either case, you'll see the words "[char name] CONQUERS." Note that if your second victory is a time over win, you won't have the opportunity to perform a fatality. Your current victories are represented near your life meter with a little claw-symbol. A draw in PR is announced with the words "DEAD EVEN" and does not count as a win for either contestant. If the third round ends without a clear winner [both characters have zero wins, or one win each], you both get knocked down and go immediately into a "Sudden Death" round as you get up. This round lasts for only 30 seconds [20 seconds on version 1.7] and has a meteor shower thrown in. Both players begin with a full bar of health. As the round progresses, each players' health automatically decreases at a steady rate and both fight as usual until one loses. Whoever wins the Sudden Death round wins the match, and has the usual opportunity to perform a fatality on the loser. Since both characters' energy bars are empty by the end of the 30 seconds, neither character can get a "time over" victory during Sudden Death. If Sudden Death ends in a draw, then both opponents lose and you lose your credit. During the continue countdown, instead of one victorious critter & one unconscious critter, you'll see both contestants lying unconscious, side by side. ///6.6 Secrets - Volleyball, Bowling, Raining Cows 'n' Stuff/// 6.6.1 Volleyball When you and an opponent are on Sauron's stage, have one player do a combo on the other. Once you do this, worshipers will run out and start bowing. Have one player who is close to the worshiper hit him. The worshiper should bounce over to the other player. Before the worshiper lands, have the other player hit the worshiper back. After bouncing the worshiper back and forth ten times, a judge on a high chair and a net will pop up and the round clock stop. You and your opponent can now play volleyball with a helpless human! Once a player reaches a score of three, you resume fighting. You can eat the "ball" too. With Vertigo, I ate the ball twice when I hit quick bite! I lost the point because of that! 6.6.2 Bowling On any stage, have two Armadon players continuously execute the Spinning Death on each other. After three Spinning Death collisions, the players bowl two frames! Ten worshipers will get into a bowling pin formation and let you roll over them with the Spinning Death. 6.6.3 Raining Cows 'n' Stuff! [confirmed by jdavis@iglou.com (Jason Davis)] Mentioned in the "Primal Rage Arcade Player's Guide" by the guys at GamePro. Play as Chaos in his home stage (the Ruins). Arrange for a Sudden Death round to take place (see below). If you do a FoFury so that the green cloud is in the air as the Sudden Death begins, the sky will rain cows instead of meteors. If you don't do an FoFury on Chaos' stage, the sky will rain bricks. If Sudden Death occurs on Blizzard's stage, the sky will rain ice balls. ///6.7 Free Play!/// You'll know that a PR 2.3 machine has been set to "free play" if the words DEMO ONLY appear near the top of the screen. Free play mode is a great opportunity to practice your combos! Player vs. player battles work as usual, but you can't lose to the CPU. All CPU opponents will fight as if they were the first enemy on a normal difficulty setting, but what's more, you can't lose energy! No matter how many times the CPU bites you, you'll get a TOTAL DOMINATION with every match (and you can still enter your score at the end like usual)! I'm pretty sure this wasn't the case for the free play setting on version 1.7; can anyone confirm? ///6.8 PR version/// To check the version of PR you have, push up on the left joystick and pull down on the right simultaneously, during the title screen. The "production version" is 1.7. If you have a beta version, bug your arcade owner to get it updated! The "Hot New Version 2" that Atari has made a spiffy Blizzard sign for is 2.3, and has "Version 2.3" on the title screen in big letters made of bones. It has many features that will turn various players on or off, depending... Not-so-brief list of version 2.3 changes: -demo mode intro text has letters made of bones instead of black letters -one new fatality for each character added -eating humans adds much more energy to your health meter -100% health bug from 1.7 fixed -gameplay speed changed Diablo, Sauron, most leaping attacks, most projectiles sped up Armadon, Blizzard, Talon slowed down -little SF2-style "Christmas Lights" added; they flash with every strike, blocked or not -gone are the faint "blue shields" that used to appear when blocking attacks -generally, damage to heart & brain meters decreased, but block-damage to heart increased -block-damage usually can't kill you -all leaping attacks can now be blocked -if you're on the ground, projectiles don't knock you down anymore -combo names, Total Domination, Quick Kill features added -Sudden Death lasts for 30 seconds instead of 20 -hop jumps can now be used vs the CPU -CPU's "AI" patterns changed; many old tricks no longer work, but some new tricks do -"fatality"/'no fatality" music added; other music enriched w/more percussion -a previous high score drops to 2nd when beaten -In free play mode, the words "DEMO ONLY" appear & CPU can't hurt you -Armadon's Spinning Death doesn't go under projectiles anymore -Armadon's Mega Charge throws his victim higher up (the better to volley 'em! :) -Blizzard's Freeze Breath & Ice Geyser don't freeze opponents for as long -Chaos' Battering Ram makes an annoying new sound -Chaos' Cannonball finishing move can kill enemies on any stage -Chaos' FoFury doesn't stun opponents for as long -Chaos & Sauron can do their Earthquake moves in the air -Diablo's Torch combos more easily -Talon can attack (or be hurt) as he rebounds from the Brain Basher -Talon's Pounce and Flip does no block-damage -Talon's Shredder fatality made gorier -Vertigo has a new teleport, and can do both old & new teleports in the air ///6.9 NEW UPGRADE is not coming...? :-(/// Another update for Primal Rage was scheduled for Jan '95. It was supposed to add a boss charcter; the December '94 issue of GamePro magazine had a tantalizing silhouette of who the new Rage boss might have been. He looked like a horned dracolich [animate dragon skeleton], with three claws on each limb and three spines on the end of his tail. GamePro's sources mentioned rumors that the boss would have been capable of flight and possessed an energy-siphoning power. But, alas... John Bailon, Southern Hills Golfland (H20ORSNO@aol.com) writes: >FYI, Atari/TWI decided to scrap the second update PR that was slated for release early this year. It seems that too many operators complained that the 2.3 update actually made their collections worse and went back to the original version 1. I can confirm this info from a friend of mine who used to work in our Golfland chain (Sunnyvale Golfland) who now works in their A/TWI's marketing division. riesenberger@agames.com adds: >Sorry, bub, no new upgrades. >The Final Battle is also the reason that there will not be another graphic upgrade: The "boss" that was supposed to appear during Final Battle was viewed as not-enough-bang-for-the-buck. Here at Time Warner Interactive, we've been too busy working on the sequel... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++ 7. PR Coming to Home Systems! **NEW INFO**+++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The May '95 issue of "Game Informer" says that PR is coming to ELEVEN different home systems! Release date for the SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, and PC-CD versions is August 25th; release date for the 3DO, Jaguar CD, 32X, Saturn, MacCD, and Sony PS-X is November 14th. The April issues of EGM & GamePro have a few color photos of the title screens, and Sauron vs Vertigo in the Hollows. Sauron and Vertigo look a little small, but the attention to detail is clearly there. Bad news for all you Vertigo fans - poor Vertie has been dropped from the Game Boy and Game Gear versions! (ref. April '95 EGM, p. 90-91). Carnage (scott@inbox.wash.inmet.com), quotes that "Time Warner promises the ports will include the fighting moves, combos, and finishing sequences that made the arcade version so popular." dlenna@micro.ti.com (Dmitri Lenna) passes on some very interesting information from Intelligent Gamer Online: >[Ed. We contacted Tracy Egan at Time Warner Interactive regarding Primal Rage and T-MEK, and here's what we learned for you: coding of some Primal Rage translations began when the arcade games were still in their first (1.x) revisions, but the programmers went back and retroactively added features to the 1.7 code to improve it. As a result, several of the versions (namely the Genesis and handheld games) will be "hybrids," drawing features from 1.7 and 2.3 where appropriate. We'll be receiving a chart soon which will list specifically which features have made the cut, and we'll share that list when we have it. The SNES and next-generation versions, on the other hand, will all use Primal Rage version 2.3 code, as we were told that those systems would better be able to handle it. Primal Rage Update In response to reader inquiries on the subject of Primal Rage (see the IG Online E-mailbag for issue seven) home translations, here's the latest information straight from Time Warner Interactive: Arcade: 32MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, no new stuff ///August 25, 1995 Releases/// Game Boy: 0.25 MB, 6 Gods, no people, 16 moves, 4 special moves (1 fatality) per God, no Easter Eggs, no new stuff Game Gear: 0.5 MB, 6 Gods, no people, 16 moves, 4 special moves (1 fatality) per God, no Easter Eggs, no new stuff SNES: 3 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, no new stuff Genesis: 3 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 8-9 special moves (2 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, no new stuff PC CD-ROM: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff ///Shipping November 14th/// Jaguar: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff 3DO: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff PSX: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff Saturn: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff 32X: 4 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff Mac CD: 250 MB, 7 Gods, people, 70+ moves, 9 special moves (3 fatalities) per God, Easter Eggs, new stuff New Stuff: 3-D Cinematic Opening Sequence, New Animated End-Game Sequences, New Play Options. (Most platforms will offer new home-play features such as dino tug-of-war and 4-on-4 play.) Easter Eggs: Look for arcade favorites plus new cheat modes. On a side note if I may.. the Megs refers to MegaBytes; video game companies for some reason or another use MegaBits. Video game magazines have will the SNES and Genesis versions listed at 24 megs, and the 32X at 32 megs. GB will be 1Meg and GGear will be 2. As for the CDROMs, I don't imagine those are exact, but as an old high school physics teacher used to say "Close enough for Governement work" :). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ++++++++++++ 8. The Latest and Greatest++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ///8.1 How to get this FAQ/// I post the FAQ every once in a while, usually whenever I've updated it or someone requests a repost. Since PR is coming out for various home systems, I'll try posting it to rec.games.video.atari, rec.games.video.nintendo, & rec.games.video.sega in addition to rec.games.video.arcade, and perhaps to some additional newsgroups in the future (so long as the subject is appropriate :). Here's some other ways to get the FAQ... 1) By ftp Type the following commands to get the latest version of this FAQ :-) > ftp ftp.netcom.com > Login:- anonymous > Password:- [Your e-mail address, e.g. eqr5maliki@clstr.unl.ac.uk] > cd pub/vidgames/faqs > hash > get [filename] > quit 2) By e-mail If you want this guide by e-mail then send me (Victar, vctr113062@aol.com) your e-mail address and I'll e-mail you a copy. If you're a fellow AOL user then I can send the entire thing to you as an attached ASCII file; otherwise, it'll show up in several parts. Or, I will repost it on request. 3) By WWW Connect to Casey Barton's WWW Primal Rage page! http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/cebarton/primal/primal-rage.html Excellent translation! [NOTE: I've heard some bad news about URL; it may be that this PR web page is out of order. I'll make inquiries. If all else fails, I might create my own page, though if that happens it'll take a while.] ///8.2 Send me e-mail and nobody gets hurt! ^_^/// If you find any additional information, confirmations, or combos, please e-mail it to me at vctr113062@aol.com! I'm sometimes sluggish with the replies but I do read 'em all, I promise! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +++++++++++++++++ 9. Credits++++++++++++++++++ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRIMAL RAGE 2.3 FAQ COMPILED/EDITED BY EVAN GRIDLEY BASED ON PRIMAL RAGE 1.7 FAQ v1.3 BY ZARGON AND PERICOM UPDATED BY VICTAR Extra Special Thanks to UNDERMIND (imfacyc@prism.gatech.edu) for proofreading the v1.7 moves since he owns a few arcades of his own! Go visit Mardi Gras Games! Special Thanks to the following people who contributed towards the making of this FAQ :-) Zargon a.k.a. Master Lao ................................PR 1.7 FAQ Editorship Pericom (eqr5maliki@clustr.unl.north-london.ac.uk)....PR 1.7 FAQ Editorship Baron Von Riesenberger (Production Coordinator Team Rage).....Initial Moves, Combos Tony Cannon (wanderer@leland.stanford.edu)..........A Whole Slew of Stuffs Luis Vigo.......................................................Other Moves Chris Caniano (v096mhqb@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu)..................Other Moves Jason Hunt (jason.hunt@nitelog.com)..................All Endings and Moves Todd "hawk"Bauman...............................................Other Moves Raymundo E Arras (rarras@mason1.gmu.edu).......................Other Moves Rob Williams (Ray's manager at Timeout)........................Other Moves James Belcher (WILDGAMER@aol.com)..............................Other Moves Dave Nguyen (st93prpw@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu)....................Other Moves Boingo Lover (boingo@netcom.com)...............................Other Moves John F (johnf@triton.unm.edu)..................................Other Moves James Melki (jmelki@mcc.mott.edu)..............................Other Moves Doug McClendon (dmc@falcon.cc.ukans.edu)....................Text and Moves Salvatore D. Tepedino (stepedin@ic.sunysb.edu).................Corrections Christopher Alan Moon (moon@niko.unl.edu)......................Corrections Tung-Feng-Lai (gregory@Garg.Campbell.CA.US)....................Corrections dug@lugaru.com..................................................Corrections IZZY4PA@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU........................................Corrections Evan John Gridley (ejg1@cornell.edu)(hey, that's me!)......Info and Combos Victar (vctr113062@aol.com) [yeah, me & what Armie? :)]...PR 2.3 FAQ Editorship Sceadeau (MSA7064@ritvax.isc.rit.edu)...............................Combos Jin Im (m-yim@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu).....................................Combos Paul Hurlbut (genius@pipeline.com)..................................Combos Kurt Van Thomme (krv002@acad.drake.edu).............................Combos Douglas William Cole (dougc@cw-u02.umd.umich.edu)......................Info Chris McCullough (25096@ef.gc.maricopa.edu)...........................Info John Bailon, Southern Hills Golfland (H20ORSNO@aol.com)...Info Eric Ching (eric@parcplace.com)................................Suggestions Bernard Ryan......................................Miscellaneous Information Casey Barton (cebarton@napier.uwaterloo.ca)..Making a WWW page of this FAQ Andy Eddy (vidgames@netcom.com).................Keeping this FAQ somewhere Ben Hayek (bhayek@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu).......................................Combos & Corrections Donger (bc80115@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu).....................Combos Shane Knighton (sknighto@acs5).........................Confirmations Jason Davis (jdavis@iglou.com)...........................Confirmations & Combos Carnage (scott@inbox.wash.inmet.com)...............PR home release dates Frank Kuan (kuan@agames.com).........................Simultaneous Attack Collisions Crunchy T. Frog (igwnxl0r@umiami.ir.miami.edu)...........Confirmations & Combos Todd Sinclair (todd.sinclair@castles.com)........................Combos & Strategies Dmitheon (lennad@nuge115.its.rpi.edu)...........................Combos & Info Antichrist lordelren@aol.com...........................................Confirmations Patrick Joseph Coffman (urmom@mcl.ucsb.edu)..............Combos Jeff Fairman (sa39041@odin.mda.uth.tmc.edu).................Corrections Chris Tang (TANG@agames.com)....................................Info & Combos Matt (FARNEYMP@udavxb.oca.udayton.edu).................Combos JKnight (jknight@csra.net).....................................Corrections & Combos Adrian Bradley (atb@engin.umich.edu).............................Combos master young (d8young@sbcc.cc.ca.us)............................Combos 44699@ef.gc.maricopa.edu...............................................Combos Intelligent Gamer Online..........................................................Info Mr A J Collier (SIBAJC@upe.ac.za)....................................Info, Combos John Fisher, Steve Reisenberger, & the guys at GamePro.....writin' a kickin' PR Guide! GamePro again.................................publishing all the new fatalities in a magazine article! and anyone else I've forgotten! (sorry! :)