" I have only one thing to say, 'A Distant Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury. Sooo much [story] potential…Nothing at all offered. "

      Title: Primal Prey by Arush Games

      Format: PC FPS

      Reviewing Monkey: Dungapult

      The Hype: Tired of Deer Hunter? Bored with Cabella’s? Why not give hunting the T-Rex a try.

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Graphics: Truthfully, I was surprisingly impressed with the look of Primal Prey. Knowing going in that it ran on the Deer Hunter 4 engine, I really wasn’t expecting much. What you get, though, is a crisp, vibrant, and very pretty look at some prehistoric predators. Probably comparative to the first Unreal or Half Life, the graphics are smooth and lush but not overly detailed. Being used to playing a lot of Mechwarrior 4 and UT lately, I certainly noticed the step down but really was never distracted by it. 3 out of 5

      Sound: I couldn’t get over the feeling that a lot of the sound effects were kiped from other games. I wish I could say which ones and be sure of it…But that’s just the feeling I got. Nothing new, but essentially reliable, the sounds kept me in the game but certainly didn’t take me any place new. 3 out of 5

      Game Play: Like all of these hunting Sims, game play really just boils down to a cross between a very limited FPS and a semi-strategy game. Sneak around, get your shot, and try and score a kill without tipping off your prey. Nothing really ground breaking or even overly interesting. But, then, it is using the same engine as Deer Hunter so you knew it wasn’t going to go that far off. Still, in the end, fun for a good couple of hours. 3 out of 5

      Level and Environment Designs: The levels, in general, are just big open jungles. That being said, they are fairly pretty jungles and give you what you want out of the game in general. My big complaint…And it is a serious detractor so far as I’m concerned, is the lack of really strategic firing positions. Any hunter worth his salt knows about trying to gain a good firing vantage…and that’s not a factor in this game at all. 2.5 out of 5

      Multiplayer: None. And, frankly, I’m disappointed. Not that I would spend a lot of time doing it…But I be a lot of people would. And co-op hunts or time limit rounds would be fun. 0 out of 5

      Replayability: Like all Arush games PC Daredevil is "Webisodic". That meaning that you get the first level for free (like a demo) and then download additional levels when and if you want them for about 5 bucks apiece, which is probably about perfect for this game…Since you’ll likely want to play 2 or 3 levels and will likely be happy paying 10 bucks to do it. 3 out of 5

      Story/Dramatics: I guess just hunting dinosaurs is story enough for the folks at Arush. But, to them, I have only one thing to say, "A Distant Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. Sooo much potential…Nothing at all offered. 0 out of 5

      Instructions and Learning Curve: No paper instructions, which is bad, but simple game play, which is good. In truth, you really don’t need any help on this one. 4 out of 5

      Installation and Real System Requirements: The required is a P2 450…Which strikes me as steep for what you’re getting. Still, on that it runs pretty damned good…so no real problems. 3 out of 5

      The Verdict:

If you like hunting games and you’re bored of chasing deer around, give this a try. It’s also pretty good for just passing the time. Personally, I found it a long way from engrossing…but for the free first level download it’s probably worth checking out.

      The Good: Big beasties and pretty colors.

      The Bad: Really nothing gripping or innovative.

      The Overall Ugly: Fun. Not great, not mandatory, but fun. You may want to give it a shot.

      What it's Worth: Ten bucks.