exoprimal
Yesterday at the Capcom Spotlight event, we got a bunch of news about some exciting upcoming releases.
A long awaited Resident Evil 4 the remake demo dropped last night, and there have been major updates on upcoming games like Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Street Fighter 6 and the Monster Hunter Rise: Dawn of the Sun expansion.
None of these titles featured raging dinosaurs – a total travesty, I know – so thank goodness for the launch of a new exoprimal trailer alongside all the other Capcom marching bands.
It’s an online-only (groan) cooperative team-based shooter that sees players suit up in mechanized sets and take out an ongoing infestation of prehistoric, scale-like monstrosities. Yes please.
Also, exoprimal now has an official release date: July 14, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. It will also be available on day one of Xbox Game Pass, which is nice.
Additionally, an open beta test is coming Thursday, March 16 at 5:00 p.m. PDT through Sunday, March 19 at 4:59 p.m. PDT on all platforms, with a few bonuses for players who participate:
“OBT will feature cross-platform matchmaking, allowing Exofighter teams to compete against rival units on other systems. Players will also have the opportunity to try out all 10 Exosuits, including the two unveiled today. special bonus, all OBT participants will qualify to receive an Aibius medal charm to equip their exosuits in the full game.
In the new Spotlight video, we were presented with some surprisingly solid story cutscenes, set to a rocking theme song that sounded like it was taken from an unreleased Linkin Park album. Lots of gameplay to enjoy here too, with hordes of angry dinos invading our heroes, who fight back while wearing awesome robotic exosuits.
I’m on board with exoprimal, one thousand percent. We don’t have enough dinosaur games these days, and I was a 90s kid obsessed with jurassic park, so I’ll be there at launch, no questions asked. Still, that hasn’t stopped the nagging feeling that this game has already been done. All the “space marines” fall on a planet infested with strange dinosaurs. Where have I seen this before?
Oh yes. Second extinction.
Systemic Reaction’s first-person shooter was doing all of that in 2021 with its early access indie release, and it was a total blast. It had its own low-budget style, and sure enough, it lacked the AAA polish we see in exoprimal. But I think we have to give credit where credit is due.
The way it looks to me, anyway, is that Capcom saw this Second extinction was doing and decided to put all the power of its top developers behind a brighter, bigger and more impressive iteration. All speculation, of course. It makes you wonder, though.
Now I have no idea when development actually started on exoprimaland pseudo-coincidences happen all the time in entertainment and video games (remember Antz And The life of an insect?). But sometimes these events are not coincidences, though I guess we’ll never really know. The mystery will remain, like the mystery of what the dinosaurs actually looked like. I go with lion-chicken-goose.
I guess futuristic dinosaur action is all the rage in 2023, especially with Sam Raimi 65 hit theaters.
So if you’re looking forward to exoprimalgo ahead and give Second extinction a ride, which is slated for full release any day. That way, before you put on your factory-fresh Exosuit, you’ll be able to appreciate who the grandfather of mutant dinosaur shooters is. Really East.
Turok: Dinosaur HunterOf course.