I have to say that I'm disappointed by the somewhat mediocre reviews that Primal has been receiving. Had I based my purchase on the reviews, rather than impulse buying, I would have missed out on an excellent game.

I do agree that it's not for everyone. The combat system could use some work but in the end it's decent. But the story, voice acting, characters and environments are A+ in my book. And it's a drop-dead gorgeous game to boot... esp. since it's on the PS2!

But if you're in the mood for a good adventure game with just a hint of combat, you'd do much worse than Primal.

I found that one of the neatest things was how each of the worlds you explored had a problem that was specific to that world and didn't just seem like a gameplay contrivance. Ie. in the first world you're helping to sort out a whole rite of succession that has been tampered with by the bad guy. In the second world, you don't really have any enemy, per se, but you have to activate a series of pumps in order to cleanse the water, which again has been tampered with by the bad guy.

The story is able to weave the various worlds, each with their own problems and dangers, into a greater whole. By the end of the game... man. You just feel like you've done something worthwhile.

For a game, that is :)