PRIMAL RAGE STRATEGY GUIDE
 
v 0.2  10-27-94
 
By: Todd Sinclair (Todd.Sinclair@Castles.com)
               or (Ace@community.net)
 
Contents
------------------------------------------
 
1  What is...
     1.1 What is Primal Rage?
     1.2 What is the Primal Rage Strategy Guide?
2  Character Descriptions
3  Strategies
     3.1  General Strategies
     3.2  Specific Strategies
4  Other Cool Stuff
5  Where to get the lastest copy of the FAQ and Strategy Guide.
6  I want your Cheeze!
7  Credits
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1  Intro : What is Primal Rage? 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's this really cool new fighting game, using stop-motion animation for
the characters. Wanna know more, check out the FAQ by Zargon and 
Pericom (see #5 below)
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2  What is the Primal Rage Strategy Guide?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
The Guide is an effort to make the game playable for new players.  The
computer is extremely pattern-based, so it is quite easy to defeat once
you master the patterns (cheezes?) with a certain character.  This
usually results in the difficulty being set at the highest level, where
you make one mistake and the computer will pummel you with combos taking
half your energy in less than a couple seconds.  By listing out all the
strategies against the computer, and the computer's general playing
style, the Guide should make it possible for even a new player to at
least put up a fight, and let the rest of us see those endings without
knowing someone who works at the arcade. And remember... it's only
Cheezy if it's against a human!
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2  Character Descriptions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
ARMADON - Armadon looks like a cross between a Rhino and a Porcupine.
By far the strongest character, he can take off almost 50% damage in
only 4 hits.  The horn on his head can bounce you in the air with ease,
and has great reach.  He is VERY slow though, especially on the ground,
but his power makes up for it.  He's basically your average tank.  Great
for people who like sheer power.
 
BLIZZARD - A giant, blue-skinned ape, Blizzard can freeze opponents in
the air or on the ground.  He has a wicked ground throw, and is almost
as powerful as Armadon.  He has about average speed, although he has the
slowest human chomp of all.  If you like beating up helpless, frozen
opponents, then Blizzard is for you.
 
CHAOS - Another ape, about 3/4 the size of Blizzard.  His Battering Ram
is great on jumping people and in combos, and his 'golden shower'
fatality is great for a few laughs.  He's got average speed, average
damage, and some pretty useful moves.
 
DIABLO - A big, red, T-Rex, Diablo spits fire and can teleport among
other things.  He does a good amount of damage, and has some pretty fast
bites.  If you've ever wondered what Barney REALLY looks like, then try
Diablo.
 
SAURON - A big, yellow T-Rex, Sauron is big, slow, and ugly.  He can do
a lot of damage, but he doesn't really have any natural combos.  When he
does hit, though, he hits hard, and let's not forget that annoying
Primal Scream force shield.  Probably best for people who like power
over speed.
 
TALON - Talon is an orange Velociraptor, with black tiger stripes.  By
far the fastest, smallest character, Talon has some really wicked
combos. Although he doesn't do as much damage as, say, Armadon, he
definately makes up for it in speed. Talon is best for people who like
speed over power, and for any new player.
 
VERTIGO - Looking like a blue snake/dino mutant, Vertigo has very quick
combos and a lot of reach.  She doesn't do that much damage, but she is
really good in the air.  Probably best for people who like to play
defensively, or who like super-fast combos, or who like to play new
people by just pushing 1 button. Her jab bites are quick.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3.1  General Strategies and Computer Fighting Styles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
ARMADON
-------
     Armadon is quite deadly, especially at higher difficulty levels.
Jumping is not a good idea, he has too many air defenses.  The only real
way to fight him is to play very defensively.  If you just walk
backwards, he'll probably do a Spinning Death or Iron Maiden.  On the
Spinning Death, just block, bite him, back up, and wait.  For the Iron
Maiden, jump and hit him in the air.
 
BLIZZARD
--------
     Blizzard is really only dangerous if he freezes you or you get too
close.  Again, don't jump at him unless he's doing his Cold Breath, or
you'll most likely get caught by an Ice Geyser.  If you just wait on the
ground, he'll either do a Cold Breath or a Long Mega Punch, both of
which can be blocked and countered. He may walk up to you first, but I
have yet to see him just walk up and trip me.
 
CHAOS
-----
     This guy is just plain deadly at higher levels.  If you jump,
you'll probably be hit by a Batterng Ram.  If you get knocked down, you
should bock low or jump right away... he starts his combos before you
even stand up again.  One of his favorite tricks is to do the Fart of
Fury, then while you're backing up to block, do a Ground Shaker, sending
you up into the cloud.  If you just stand there, he'll simply walk up
and trip you, followed by a battering ram in most cases.  The only time
he's really vulnerable is when he's farting or puking.  Also, if you wait
until the very last possible second to attack when you jump at him, he 
usually won't do the battering ram in time to hit you.
 
DIABLO
------
     Not exactly hard, Diablo gets a little tough at high levels.  He
can time his Mega Lunge perfectly so that it hits you whenever you jump
at him.  The best time to get him is when he spits a fireball.. his head
is such a nice, big target.
 
SAURON
------
     Sauron's pretty simple, unless you get unlucky or don't know how to
play your character.  If you jump, you'll probably get hit by his Primal
Scream force shield, which knocks you down and takes half your brain.
The time to panic is when Sauron jumps at you... he has this 4-hit combo
that you'll learn to recognize the instant it's started, as it's really
the only one he has... jumping tail, low bite, low tail, Cranium Crusher
uppercut.  Unless you have a full brain gauge when he does this, you'll
be dizzy... and he usually will do it again... and then you're dead.
Best time to get him is when he does his Stun Roar, just like Diablo.
To make him do the Stun Roar, take a step or two forward, then walk
backwards.  99% of the time he'll do it.  So obediant, so.... stupid...
 
TALON
-----
     This guy is death with large, pointy claws.  Do NOT stay on the
ground... he does combos no human could ever hope to pull off.  The best
idea is to stay far away on the ground, or better yet, keep jumping at
him, attacking the instant you leave the ground.  If done properly,
Talon will jump and have his head bashed in by whatever extremity you
chose to extend.
 
VERTIGO
-------
     She's actually pretty weak, unless you get too close.  Her combos
are blindingly fast, but don't do a massive amount of damage.  She has
the habit of almost always spitting venom twice in a row, rarely just
once, even if she hits you with the first one.  Jumping is the way to
go, although you MUST hit your buttons before the gets off her
attacks... she can hit you 2-3 times in the air every time.  You pretty
much beat her the way you do Talon.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2  Specific Strategies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
The following is a list of ways to beat each of the computer players
using any of the characters.  These almost always work better than the
general strategies.  A lot of them are unknown at this point... just try
using the general strategies and do the best you can.
 
ARMADON vs.
-----------
 
**   ARMADON - Pretty simple, if you get the timing right.  Keep about a
screen's length apart, then do the Rushing Uppercut.  Usually, the
computer Armadon will try to do a Hornication Uppercut, which results in
you sticking your horn up his butt.  Back up a screen length away, do it
again after he stands up.  The Rushing Uppercut, if done right, will
also knock Armadon out of a Spinning Death and a Rushing Uppercut of his
own.  If you happen to time it wrong, and he blocks, he'll do 1 of two
things : try to hit you with his horn. I this case, just back up and
start over.  Otherwise, he'll try to hit you with his tail twice.
Unless you're really close, the first swing will miss.  Do the Rushing
Uppercut again quickly, or he'll knock you upside the head with a spiked
tail.
 
**   BLIZZARD - Again, pretty easy.  Similar to Talon, you just get a
screen length away, and wait for a Long Mega Punch or a Cold Breath.  As
soon as he does either of those, do a Rushing Uppercut or a Spinning
Death (the latter is better for going under the Cold Breath, but leaves
you more vulnerable is Blizzard blocks in time).  If you're good, you
can finish him off faster by doing a jumping combo as soon as he does
the Cold Breath
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.  He usually starts out with a Battering Ram, so
watch out.
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.  Just wait for a fireball and pound his head in.
 
**   SAURON - Make Sauron do a Stun Roar, then do a Rushing Uppercut.
Take 2 steps forward, then walk backwards.  That usually makes him do it
again as soon as he stands up.
 
**   TALON - He can be annoying at times, but usually isn't too
difficult.  The basic idea is to hit him with a fierce horn (buttons 1 &
2) in the air.  Just jump at him, and hit the buttons the instant you
leave the ground.  It works best if you're standing right next to him.
If you find he's hitting you in the air, try button 4 instead (wide tail
swing, longer range).  Don't just jump around at random though.  When
you knock him down, jump the instant he stands back up.  If you can time
it right, do a jumping 2 instead. If it hits, immediately push buttons 1 
and 2 for a quick 2-hit combo in the air.
 
**   VERTIGO - Easy.  Same idea as fighting Talon.  Just get right next
to her, and either do a jumping 1 & 2  or a jumping 3 & 4.
 
 
BLIZZARD vs.
------------
 
**   ARMADON - Same principle as fighting as Armadon vs. Armadon.  Get a
screen length away, then do a Long Mega Punch.  Usually, Armadon does
his Hornication Uppercut, and gets hit by your punch.  If he blocks it,
well, you're in trouble if he decides to actually fight back.
 
**   BLIZZARD - Unknown.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.  Just bash his head in when he fireballs you.
 
**   SAURON - Unknown.  See above.  The Cold Breath will usually cause
Sauron to try a Leaping Bone Bash.... hopefully, he'll be frozen on the
way up....
 
**   TALON - Annoying little sucker, Talon is.  As when playing as
Armadon, you want to get close, then jump over him, attacking as soon as
you leave the ground (button 2 works best).  If it hits, or even if it
doesn't, follow with an Air Throw.  Usually taking 2 steps forward then
jumping with an air throw seems to work pretty good.
 
**   VERTIGO - As with Talon, just jump at her (buttons 3 & 4 seem to
work best on her).  Don't forget your Air Throw.
 
 
CHAOS vs.
---------
 
**   ARMADON - Unknown.
 
**   BLIZZARD - Unknown.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.
 
**   SAURON - Unknown.
 
**   TALON - Unknown.
 
**   VERTIGO - Unknown.
 
 
DIABLO vs.
----------
 
**   ARMADON - Unknown.  Only way I've seen it done so far is to block
until he does a Spinning Death, then bite him real hard.
 
**   BLIZZARD - This is a little tricky, but works pretty well.  Stand a
screen length away, wait for a Cold Breath.  Immediately, do a
Pulverizer.  If you did it fast enough, you'll hit Blizzard before he
recovers from his Cold Breath (and you'll see why we call the Pulverizer
'the Velcro' ;).  If he does a Long Mega Punch, you might be able to get
off a Mega Lunge before he recovers.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.  Try doing the Pulverizer as he spits fireballs
at you.
 
**   SAURON - Not totally effective, but will definately make you look
really cheezy.... just keep teleporting (Inferno Flash) really, really
fast.  Usually Sauron will block, but if you're doing it fast enough,
you'll toast him when he does try to attack.  This works best in the
corner.  It also has the side effect of wearing out your wrist, and the
joystick.  Use at your own risk!
 
**   TALON - Unknown.
 
**   VERTIGO - Unknown.
 
 
SAURON vs.
----------
 
* quick note - Sauron's Air Throw will work as long as your opponent is
off the gound, and is touching ANY part of your body.  That means you
can get some NASTY air combos off, followed by an air throw.  Sauron is
so big, if you're off the ground, you're touching at least his feet,
which is enough for the throw.
 
**   ARMADON - Unknown.
 
**   BLIZZARD - Unknown.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.
 
**   SAURON - Unknown.
 
**   TALON - Unknown.
 
**   VERTIGO - Unknown.
 
 
TALON vs.
---------
 
**   ARMADON - Suprisingly, this is one of the easier people to beat
with Talon.  Simply block any inital attack in the round, then do quick
jabs (button 1).  If he blocks, only do 2.  If they hit, do 3 jabs.
Then take 1 step forward, and repeat.  If you do it quick enough (not
too hard), you'll hit him before he can hit you.  You can even hit him
out of a Spinning Death this way.
 
If you really want to impress that large crowd watching you in awe, try 
this combo... it's a little difficult to pull off consistently, though.  
Be sure to start pushing the jab (button 1) button before you finish the 
double slash, or it'll count as 2 small combos instead.
Using the above rules (ie, if he blocks, 2 jabs then step forward), do 
this (assuming you hit on the first jab):
 
jab - jab - jab - Double Slash - jab - jab - Pounce & Flip
 
9 hits, 50% damage, and lightning bolts up the kazoo.
 
**   BLIZZARD - Again, quite easy.  Stand where you are at the
beginning, and when Blizzard does the Cold Breath or Long Mega Punch, do
the Pounce and Flip.  When you land, stay where you are (I find it
easier to hold buttons 2 & 3 and push the joystick forward, then I need
only flick the stick down and forward), and repeat.  Then there's always
the 'Snapping Jaws Cheeze'. See section 4 below.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.
 
**   DIABLO - If you can manage to get up to him, he's a lot like playing
against Talon.  2 jabs (button 1), then a jumping 3 & 4.  If he jumps, 
you'll hit him.  If he tries the Mega Lunge, he'll go the wrong way, and 
you can do a slide (down + 3 & 4)and hit him frond behind. 
 
**   SAURON - Wait for a Stun Roar, do a Pounce and Flip.  When you
land, walk up to Sauron until you touch him, then immediately walk
backwards.  This will usually cause Sauron to Stun Roar again.  You know
what to do from there.
 
**   TALON - As with everyone else, keep jumping at him.  Usually, the
claw rake will work (jumping 1 & 2), although if Talon hits you a lot,
switch to buttons 3 & 4.  If you hit, center the joystick and hit button
2 (the 'Snapping Jaws') for that extra hit.
 
**   VERTIGO - Unknown.  Like you need a cheat.  Just beat the crap
outta her with jumpkicks.  And there's always the 'Snapping Jaws
Cheeze'. See section 4 below.
 
 
VERTIGO vs.
-----------
 
**   ARMADON - Unknown.  'Snapping Jaws Cheeze' should work....
 
**   BLIZZARD - Unknown, except for the 'Snapping Jaws Cheeze'. See
section 4 below.
 
**   CHAOS - Unknown.  'Snapping Jaws Cheeze' maybe?
 
**   DIABLO - Unknown.
 
**   SAURON - Unknown.
 
**   TALON - Unknown.
 
**   VERTIGO - Unknown.  'Snapping Jaws Cheeze' will probably work.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4  Other Cool Stuff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This section is other various Cheezes, bugs, and other interesting stuff
that doesn't fit anywhere else, or I forgot to mention above.
 
**  The 'Snapping Jaws Cheeze'  **
 
This interesting AI glitch only seems to work with Talon and Vertigo,
and has only been verified against Vertigo and Blizzard.  Diablo seems
like it should be possible to use it with, and Chaos and Armadon might
fall for it, also.  For Talon, it's a centered joystick and button 2.  
For Vertigo, it's a centered joystick and button 1.
 
Basically what it is is getting just far enough away so your 'magic' 
bite doesn't quite hit.  Then you just keep tapping the appropriate
button.  When not done right, you get your head bashed in.  When done
right, this happens:  The first hit misses, the computer just stares at
you.  As you start the second bite, the computer tries to hit you.  Your
bite is too fast though, and you hit the computer instead.  The next hit
misses, and so on.  So, in short... you just keep tapping the button, and 
they just keep getting hit until they're brain-fried.  Be warned, 
though... 
I did this with Talon on Vertigo, and I REALLY pissed her off.... she
killed me with some combos that were so fast I can't even tell you
what she did (once she woke up, that is ;).
 
 
**  The Armadon Shredder Bug **
 
This only works when you're Talon, and I've only seen it work against
the computer Armadon on his stage.  If you win and Armadon is all the
way in the corner (which is usually the case if you use the Armadon
Cheeze listed in Talon's section), do the shredder fatality.  What will
happen is Talon will spin around, drift over to Armadon, but that's it.
He'll spin and spin for like 10-15 seconds, no blood, then drift off the
edge of the screen.  The whole time Armadon just stares at the sky,
swaying back and forth like he's drunk.  Still counts as a fatality
though.
 
 
**  The Vertigo 'Bite the Crap Outta Them Forever' Bug  **
 
This might work for others, but I've only seen it for Vertigo vs.
Computer Armadon.  The way the game works, it gives you time to finish
off any combos even after your opponent's health runs out, so you don't
mess up the fatality.  Well, it seems Vertigo's bite is sooo quick, you
can keep doing it theorectically forever.  The guy playing didn't know
what he was doing, so he was just pushing buttons.  He finished off
Armadon with a low jab, but didn't realize he has killed him.  He kept
hitting Armadon a good 20-30 times before he realized what was up and
stopped.  Armadon promptly fell over and didn't move =)
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5  Where can I get the newest version of the Primal Rage FAQ and the
Primal Rage Strategy Guide?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Either FTP to netcom.com and look in the directory /pub/vidgames/faqs
for :
 
primalrg.txt  - FAQ
????????????  - Strategy Guide
 
or send an e-mail message to  ftp-request@netcom.com
with the line:
 
send /pub/vidgames/faqs/primalrg.txt to [your.address@here]
 
for the FAQ,
 
or :
 
send /pub/vidgames/faqs/????????.??? to [your.address@here]
 
for the Strategy Guide.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6  I want your Cheeze!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
If you have any suggestions or comments, or more importantly, any sure-
fire ways to beat the computer (especially against CHAOS... I really HATE
CHAOS), send them to : 
 
Todd.Sinclair@Castles.com
or Ace @ Community.net
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
7  Credits
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
So far, me and a bunch of anonymous people at Solano College who let me
try moves on them, let me have rounds to try new stuff, and pumping in
the quarters that keep the college tuition as low as it is =)
 
[end]


 


 



 
 
 
 

