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Prey (2017) is the game of the year no one played

bosseye

Member
I need to go back to this.

The lackluster enemy visual design didn't click with me and it didn't feel fun to kill stuff :(

This. I found the mimics to be interesting but everything else was so tedious to look at and to fight.

A good game, I loved the world building and exploration but the enemies and combat were a chore for me.
 

renzolama

Member
Great concept | environment | world-building

I didn't care for the gameplay much, specifically finding the enemy encounters to feel like tedious resource sinks after the first couple hours. The encounter design where enemies continually respawned (it doesn't matter what the narrative reason for them 'reapparing' is, it's still respawning when they keep showing up in the same areas after being killed) felt like a constant interruption to the completion of the games objectives rather than being an extension of the game's objectives. I'm also not a fan of the Arkane "all our faces are melting" character artwork/design, and this was the first game where I felt that dislike keenly enough that it started impacting my ability to suspend my disbelief while interacting with certain characters.

Definitely nowhere close to a game of the year for me. Even as a primarily FPS fan, I would have appreciated the game more if they'd doubled down on the story / adventure aspects and reduced the tedious combat encounters. It felt like the enemies were only there to provide filler / delay in between completing narrative quest objectives anyway.
 
The game does some really special things.

I haven't finished it yet but it's like a bioshock successor I never knew I wanted except it's far better.
 

rtcn63

Member
I loved the atmosphere, world building, and premise so much, which is what made stopping it such a bummer. I just didn't enjoy the actual act of playing it at all.

Arkane is really good at making love letters to people who grew up playing those earlier games and had D&D parties et al. PC gamers in the '80s/90s, I guess. For everyone else- it just doesn't rock your socks. At least not as much as you'd like. Their work plays heavily on nostalgia.
 
I haven't played Prey. Though I've played such an amount of really good to great games this year, I hope more people make LTTPs and summaries of games that got slept on.

This year is crazy. Honestly.

After Horizon, Zelda, Persona 5, Yakuza 0, Pyre... Prey took me by surprise ! It's straight up there as goty and even game of the generation contender. I'm just starting Nier: Automata...

Prey is this good. Not perfect but fucking amazing.
 
Best gaming moment of 2017 is when you go outside and realise that the space station is an actual interconnected place, not just a series of separate levels. Super impressive.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
It's so weird. I played the demo and couldn't even make it through to the end of it. The combat was godawful, the controls felt horrendous, nothing about the story seemed very original or interesting. I got fed up trying to swat mimics with a wrench or use the glu gun effectively in the 30m I gave it that I assumed the worst.

And yet its largely considered one of the best games of 2017 by many. One day I'll give it a look, but are the PS4 performance issues ironed out?
 
Best gaming moment of 2017 is when you go outside and realise that the space station is an actual interconnected place, not just a series of separate levels. Super impressive.
Awesome. In a thread about how noone played the game but perhaps should it's nice of you to share one of its best moments.
 

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
Backtracking was annoying, there were some game breaking bugs I encountered at launch, and by the end I felt severely OP, but the game was a solid 8/10 and made a great rental.
 
I played the demo or something and just HATED the jump scares, like they were constant in the first hour of the game. Cancelled my pre order and just watched people play the entire game on twitch. Ironically a few weeks ago bought an AMD code on eBay that redeems for copies of Prey and Wolfenstein 2 on PC, so I could play now but doubt I will anytime soon.

It does really suck that many single player only games in 2016/2017 bombed hard - Hitman, Dishonored 2, Deus Ex MD, etc. They all had issues though and then again games like BOTW, Horizon Zero Dawn, RE7, Uncharted 4 / LL, Crash Bandicoot did well.

I think budgets just have to be adjusted, but sadly I think publishers will just rather chase Games as a service games which seem to do much better due to the nature of the product (if you play, friends will play too) whereas mid-tier SP games seem to have a diminished market.
 

Sotha_Sil

Member
Best game of the generation in my book. No other game has as well-realized of a world as Prey. Just exceptional, from the environmental design and layout to the notes and emails to naming each NPC.

I played on PC, so I didnt have any combat complaints... It actually played quite well, imo. Proper difficulty curve. Choice and consequence. Great music. A well-told story with twists and turns. Arkane's unrivaled level design.

The endgame was a little weak, but if you applied the game's mechanics, it was not nearly the gauntlet people make it out to be.
 

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
I finished Prey last week at almost 30 hours. Its a fantastic game with an unrivalled sense of mystery and exploration.

The plot twists are abundant and really well done. The less you know about this game going into it, the better off you are. The writing is really well done and although the combat isnt too hot to begin with, it really picks up when you pump some neuromods into upgrades.

Arkane is one of my top studios and Prey will definitely be appearing in my GotY list later this year. I hope Prey gets some kind of expansion ala Dishonored Death of the Outsider before Arkane moves onto their online stuff next.


I keep having this... dream. I'm just staring into the black between the stars. There's something there. I know there is. I just can't see it... but it sees me. I can feel it... hate us. I know you know what I'm talking about. Or you will soon.
 

rtcn63

Member
Best game of the generation in my book. No other game has as well-realized of a world as Prey. Just exceptional, from the environmental design and layout to the notes and emails to naming each NPC.

I don't get the love of reading about mundane people being mundane. (Other than the nostalgia aspect) Yes they're human, which helps actualize a lived-in world. But they're rarely ever interesting. I'd rather have better shooting mechanics.
 

Erudite

Member
Making my way through what feels like that last act
I'm looking for Dahl now, who just landed on Talos I

It'd be a shame if it doesn't do well in the long run, as I would love to see Arkane build upon what they've got here, and perhaps have other studios take note of it.
 

KDC720

Member
It's number 1 in my top 10 so far, although with Mario and Wolfenstein around the corner thats likely to change.

Loved the game though, Arkane is such a gem of a developer.
 
It's so weird. I played the demo and couldn't even make it through to the end of it. The combat was godawful, the controls felt horrendous, nothing about the story seemed very original or interesting. I got fed up trying to swat mimics with a wrench or use the glu gun effectively in the 30m I gave it that I assumed the worst.

And yet its largely considered one of the best games of 2017 by many. One day I'll give it a look, but are the PS4 performance issues ironed out?

It has some hicups still but nothing unplayable.
 

Drewfonse

Member
I loved the atmosphere, world building, and premise so much, which is what made stopping it such a bummer. I just didn't enjoy the actual act of playing it at all.


Me too. I quit around 3/4 of the way through. I kept feeling like it should have been more appealing to me than it was. I didn't find it particularly fun, and the combat really wasn't very good. Interesting and clever? Sure. Fun? Not to me.
 
Making my way through what feels like that last act
I'm looking for Dahl now, who just landed on Talos I

It'd be a shame if it doesn't do well in the long run, as I would love to see Arkane build upon what they've got here, and perhaps have other studios take note of it.

Almost there, a couple of hours more !

I finished Prey last week at almost 30 hours. Its a fantastic game with an unrivalled sense of mystery and exploration.

The plot twists are abundant and really well done. The less you know about this game going into it, the better off you are. The writing is really well done and although the combat isnt too hot to begin with, it really picks up when you pump some neuromods into upgrades.
.

You go to beat the mind GAME even the credit song fucks your head
 
It's an amazing game and is my possible GOTY next to Horizon. I loved everything about it and very few games create the feeling this did. The world building is incredible and you can go anywhere and do things in a lot of different and creative ways.

Everyone has a story and they can be found in the world along with their bedrooms and random belongings. The freedom, multiple paths and discovery element is fantastic. There's also a lot of nuanced decision making choices that influence things you probably won't even know about unless you do multiple playthroughs.

Definitely worth playing by everyone.
 

Grief.exe

Member
It's gotta be incredible if you like boring games. Can't stand actually playing it but it's nice to look at.

The game doesn't conform to the modern Skinner box format with constant stimulation goading the player forward.

It's unfortunate that this is clearly a pervasive opinion amongst the gaming community. No room in AAA gaming for slower paced, atmospheric games.
 
I think the game is/looks awesome but I often despite Bethesda games, they tend to bore me with the exception of DOOM so I always scheduled this game for Black Friday with a bunch of other games. Sorry folks.
 

Nere

Member
Amazing game, the only bad aspect of it was the low enemy variety, they all kinda looked the same. Hope it gets some DLC. Hadn't they discussed something about a survival mode? Where is that?
 

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Im getting goosebumps sitting here reminiscing about my playthrough and experiences with the game.

BTW the PS4 version is fixed and runs great on a Pro, only downside is long load times switching between areas which I used to browse my phone or take a break to get a drink or use the washroom.

Unrivalled sense of discovery and level design, highly engaging story and a fantastic soundtrack all come together to create a fantastic package.
 

Azzanadra

Member
I'm going to disagree, this game went from a 9/10 in the beginning to a 6/10 by the end. I stanned for Prey pretty hard early on, but like the last third of the game is such a damn grind- the side missions get tedious and boring, and it was just aggravating how quickly your character would die because of bullshit enemies like that cocoon-like structure that turns into little fireballs. Especially in zero-gravity, that shit sucks. That PSI disabling ability was godsend, but one would generally get it late (based on the enemy-scan requirements and neuromods) to make it a truly potent force.

Also the powers seem very tacked on, you get them pretty late into the game for what should be a core feature and you don't nearly get enough neuromods (unless you grind) to actually build your character in any meaningful way. Also, actually scanning enemies to unlock abilities? Whose brilliant idea was this? Not only does it lock some of the most useful abilities in the game (by the end, I tried to scan literally everything and still did not unlock all the abilities) but its so fucking hard to get these enemies to sit still while remaining undetected.

The last 2-3 hours of the game are up there with the worst in gaming, at that point I gave no fucks and ran past everything, the combat became too much. I mean it was always mediocre, but it was manageable- when they throw literal hordes of enemies at you by the end, I was ready to check out.
 

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
Prey had an incredible first half but a middling second half. The combat wasn't great and once the game starting relying on it to carry the adventure (as opposed to the exploration that dominates the first half) it started to unravel.

Good game, not great.
 

HiResDes

Member
I avoided it on accident because every time someone recommended it to me I thought they were referring to some sort reboot of that that old FPS that was on the 360
 
I'm going to disagree, this game went from a 9/10 in the beginning to a 6/10 by the end. I stanned for Prey pretty hard early on, but like the last third of the game is such a damn grind- the side missions get tedious and boring, and it was just aggravating how quickly your character would die because of bullshit enemies like that cocoon-like structure that turns into little fireballs. Especially in zero-gravity, that shit sucks.

Also the powers seem very tacked on, you get them pretty late into the game for what should be a core feature and you don't nearly get enough neuromods (unless you grind) to actually build your character in any meaningful way.

The last 2-3 hours of the game are up there with the worst in gaming, at that point I gave no fucks and ran past everything, the combat became too much. I mean it was always mediocre, but it was manageable- when they throw literal hordes of enemies at you by the end, I was ready to check out.

I am really confused by those first two paragraphs. That was not my experience at all.

Cocoon enemies? You mean the Cystoids and Cystoid nests? You could hit those with a single gloo gun shot or pistol and it would destroy the nest and most of the cystoids. I was also pretty fully built out as a highly mobile attacker with hacking abilities by the end. Did you not find the blueprints to craft Neuromods or remove the limiter?
 

AwRy108

Member
Just a heads up: this excellent game is currently $14.99, shipped, via GameFly. Their used games come with cases and all the inserts, and are pretty much always in mint condition.

PS4 version: https://www.gamefly.com/#!/game/Prey/5011474

XBone version: https://www.gamefly.com/#!/game/Prey/5011475

...just create a free account and order away!

As a PS4Pro owner with a 1080p TV (Panny plasma FTW!), I can confirm that the updated version of this game runs flawlessly.
 

haveheart

Banned
By far my favorite game experience since a long time. Spiritual System Shock successor, imo better than SS2
(pls don't hate on me for this)
.

Arkane is one the best, most creative studios right now. I wonder what's next for them.
 

Grief.exe

Member
By far my favorite game experience since a long time. Spiritual System Shock successor, imo better than SS2
(pls don't hate on me for this)
.

Arkane is one the best, most creative studios right now. I wonder what's next for them.

I played SS2 for the first time a few years ago and it easily slots into one of the best of all time. That's a bold statement there.
 
I don't share your opinion. It was an alright game, a good timepass. It won't be in my top 10 list.

I urge you to check Errant Signal or Extra Credits videos about it.

Maybe you just missed a lot of the underlying brillance the game offers.

i want to play this game so badly but it looks scary and i cant do scary games at ALL

Combat is brutal yes, so it can get tense. But scary ? It has 2 jump scares : one nasty but it's optional. The other one mandatory but so telegraphed that it's not that scary. I'm the worst wuss so take my word. I don't do scary movies or scary games.
 

Surfside

Banned
Yeah it's in the running for my Game of the Year.

It has my favorite space station in a game.
It's just so uniquely designed.

Just that the terminals had to be accessed while staying, i found a little bit odd.

It also told the storys through it's environment so well.

Just thinking about it makes me want to replay it lol.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
i wish they had made enemies more satisfying than generic black blobs that were either hard to hit or just blandly designed. The feedback just isnt there
 

Azzanadra

Member
I am really confused by those first two paragraphs. That was not my experience at all.

Cocoon enemies? You mean the Cystoids and Cystoid nests? You could hit those with a single gloo gun shot or pistol and it would destroy the nest and most of the cystoids. I was also pretty fully built out as a highly mobile attacker with hacking abilities by the end. Did you not find the blueprints to craft Neuromods or remove the limiter?

In my experience the nest would be destroyed but the balls would still come rolling at you, which was especially annoying in zero-gravity because I found them hard to hit. I actually found the PSI disbaling ability (I think it was that?) to be the best, but it came too late.

I did a fair bit of side content (except for the last bit when I was just ready to rush) and I did unlock the neuromod crafting ability, but with 6 skill trees I still didn't feel like I had enough mods to get far into two, let alone 3 trees. Keep in mind in RPGs/Immersive sims I am a compulsive OCD "collect everything" sort of guy.
 

GRIP

Member
Not sure what the issue is but this game runs like shit on my PC (horrible stuttering and fairly regular frame rate drops). Every time I try to get into it I spend more time messing around with the settings than I do actually playing it. I've pretty much given up on it as a result.
 

Erheller

Member
The first half of the game is sublime. The second half is weaker, but that doesn't take away from the sheer brilliance that is the first half.

I found it terribly boring. People yelling at me over loudspeakers telling me to go fetch things and find dead bodies. Doors and corridors arbitrarily blocked off because I didn't have enough upgrade points yet. Boring, floaty combat. It had a neat atmosphere for sure, but that wasn't enough to make up for all its failings.

You can get past almost every single door in the game without the in-your-face skill (like hacking 3 or strength 2).

Like you can get rid of those big crates blocking doors by throwing a recycling grenade at them.

In my experience the nest would be destroyed but the balls would still come rolling at you, which was especially annoying in zero-gravity because I found them hard to hit. I actually found the PSI disbaling ability (I think it was that?) to be the best, but it came too late.

I did a fair bit of side content (except for the last bit when I was just ready to rush) and I did unlock the neuromod crafting ability, but with 6 skill trees I still didn't feel like I had enough mods to get far into two, let alone 3 trees. Keep in mind in RPGs/Immersive sims I am a compulsive OCD "collect everything" sort of guy.

If you scan those enemies
you learn that they're attracted to sound. Your nerf gun makes sound.
 

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
OP are you me? I finished Prey a few days back and moved onto Nier Automata too lol
 
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