Simply en-raptor-ing or a T-wreck?

Are Exoprimal's live-service ambitions more dated than its fossilised foes?

Our latest hands-on with Capcom's upcoming mech shooter, which is set in a future overrun by hordes of interdimensional raptors, is an absurd experience that leaves us with a few burning questions. The fundamentals here are solid but, at a time when we're seeing more live-service titles close every month, the obtuse central multiplayer mode and signs of aggressive monetisation could lead to extinction.

Accurately conveying what exactly goes on in your average match of Exoprimal is a Jurassic task. The title of its flagship mode, Dinosaur Survival, is deceptively simple. What might at first appear to be a basic horde match is actually a bizarre blend of PvP and PvE mechanics. Fundamentally, each match is a competitive team challenge that sees two groups of five racing to complete objectives. To begin with, this takes the form of a PvE challenge where you defend an area against an onslaught of dinos - which is what you'd expect from the mode's name. Watching thousands of raptors suddenly descend from portals like some kind of snarling soup is always a treat, as is ploughing through them with the wide selection of available mech suits, but this simple fun is constantly weakened by the convoluted multiplayer trappings.

SMASH AND BURN