-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Prey (2017) is the game of the year no one played
- Thread starter UnluckyKate
- Start date
jonscrambler
Member
good game but not that good
JimmyRustler
Gold Member
One of the greatest games ever made and the true System Shock 2 sequel.
Such a shame that there is no market for these games any more. Well... I'm glad we got something like this again. Now to wait another 10 years before anyone attempts it.
Such a shame that there is no market for these games any more. Well... I'm glad we got something like this again. Now to wait another 10 years before anyone attempts it.
psychotron
Member
Because a demo clearly has every weapon and enemy type in the game available. Everyone that gave up seriously missed out.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
The thing about the combat in immersive sims like Dishonored 2 and Prey is that people go in expecting FPS action levels of precision and movement. Its gimped to start with until you pump some points into the right upgrades (especially the movement related stuff)
By the halfway point when you have a dozen weapons and abilities unlocked it becomes a joy to play, mixing and combining different tools to demolish enemies who gave you such a hard time early on.
When you stary Prey it won't feel as smooth as a Call of Duty but Id argue by the end it feels better when you can outrun teleporting aliens and jump 20 feet in the air, it feels liberating and satisfying.
By the halfway point when you have a dozen weapons and abilities unlocked it becomes a joy to play, mixing and combining different tools to demolish enemies who gave you such a hard time early on.
When you stary Prey it won't feel as smooth as a Call of Duty but Id argue by the end it feels better when you can outrun teleporting aliens and jump 20 feet in the air, it feels liberating and satisfying.
Mr_Kuschels
Member
Did they fix the FOV bug on Ps4, shown in the Digital Foundry video?
UnluckyKate
Member
Read this thread.
Yes. Some people here didn't like it.
Some other elevate this game as one of the best of the generation.
psychotron
Member
Yes, and the frame pacing.
Ryo Hazuki
Member
I'll definitely agree and say those expecting FPS style combat might be disappointed. The enemies in this game are more like a puzzle to solve and you have to figure out the best way to solve them with all of the weapons and tools you have. I personally enjoyed this aspect and never got frustrated with the combat. I got annoyed at some enemies sometimes but never enough to get frustrated at the game as a whole.
I never felt like I was being shit on and the parts where I didn't have enough ammo of a certain weapon type made me switch up my play style and I liked that challenge. I had an amazing time trying to figure out the best weapon combos and how to best combat enemies.
Mr_Kuschels
Member
Awesome, I guess I'll bite. It's 15 bucks on Gamefly.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Another theme and concept which I really enjoyed *MINOR SPOILERS BELOW*
Even though your mission initially is to destroy Talos 1, you can choose to go out of your way to save surviving humans aboard the space station.
January even comments on M. Yu's actions, observing how even though everyone is most likely doomed to death you still gave them hope for a bit longer, perhaps out of guilt of your past actions and trying to right Morgan's wrongs.
*MINOR SPOILERS ABOVE*
Even though your mission initially is to destroy Talos 1, you can choose to go out of your way to save surviving humans aboard the space station.
January even comments on M. Yu's actions, observing how even though everyone is most likely doomed to death you still gave them hope for a bit longer, perhaps out of guilt of your past actions and trying to right Morgan's wrongs.
*MINOR SPOILERS ABOVE*
UnluckyKate
Member
I'm really the only one that mistook it for this the whole time?
Prey came, then Bethesda wanted to do a sequel, Prey 2, (E3 gameplay demo on the net, a game where you play a space bounty hunter in cyberpunk alien city) but it got canned.
Then Prey 2017 happened
eXistor
Member
It'll probably end up in my top 5 this year, which is a feat-and-a-half with titles as Zelda and Mario also competing. It really is a special game, a bit rough around the edges, but then again, when aren't these types of games? It's one of my favorite types of game too: exploration based. Not "walk towards the objective marker"(which I turned off obviously, these shoudn't even be included in games like this), but "actually search your environments"-type exploration. I loved it and honestly I wasn't sure the game was even gonna be like this. I'm glad I took a chance with it though, it's the surprise of the year and genuine contender for GOTY.
First person games are about immersion, a believable world is a big part of that. Prey gets it.
It's why I feel so many third-person only games are so lifeless. They don't have that intimacy. I observe and interact with the game world in FP games much differently than I do TP games. I notice all sorts of little details like what characters are eating or have storage, amd I take my time going through these games to pick up on them.
Sure does sound mundane re-reading that, but it's a critical element for me.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
And as unfortunate as the falling out between Human Head Studios and Bethesda was, I don't think Arkane Studios should bear the brunt of the blame. They made the most out of a situation out of their control and we got a fantastic game out of it.
I absolutely loved my time with Prey, but Bethesda messed up naming it "Prey". It seemed to put a sour taste in many people's mouths and turn them off all together on the game. I played the first Prey when it was announced and while it was a generic shooter that didn't do anything new or exciting, having a Native American lead could have opened the door for some unique and interesting experiences in a true sequel.
I played it on PC and had zero issues like the consoles had/have (did they ever fully fix the controller input lag after the initial unsuccessful patch?). On my first playthrough, I went full human powers and at the end of the game, I felt like a super hero. Movement speed and upgraded shotty is so much fun. The replay with alien powers felt like an entirely different game.
Great atmosphere, fun gun play, powers and a satisfying ending. Not sure if it's my GotY, but it's in the top 3 so far.
I played it on PC and had zero issues like the consoles had/have (did they ever fully fix the controller input lag after the initial unsuccessful patch?). On my first playthrough, I went full human powers and at the end of the game, I felt like a super hero. Movement speed and upgraded shotty is so much fun. The replay with alien powers felt like an entirely different game.
Great atmosphere, fun gun play, powers and a satisfying ending. Not sure if it's my GotY, but it's in the top 3 so far.
CrichtonKicks
Member
I understand your frustrations with what Bethesda did to Prey 2 and Human Head but you do know that this game didn't kill that one right? It wasn't an either or scenario. That game was dead and buried before Arkane was told to attach the Prey name to the System Shock inspired game they were pitching.
Human Head's Prey 2 wasn't going to happen even if Arkane's Prey was never made.
I should have loved this game but I didn't. I will say it gets close to capturing that Deus Ex aura and wonder when you use mimic for the first time and your mind starts racing with all the endless possibilities where it could be used, but it doesn't reach those heights very often.
I'd like to give it another go with psi powers and see if it differs from focusing on guns.
I'd like to give it another go with psi powers and see if it differs from focusing on guns.
Big bioshock fan and bought in on PC but have had some trouble getting into it
Game feels like a technical mess, can't max it at 4K on a 1080 and with no resolution scaling option I'm stuck with 1440p, which actually looks surprisingly bad on my monitor for some reason. Even then at max graphics the game is really not a looker, and the sound modeling/design is atrocious. All of this is super surprising since it's built on Cryengine.
Was really hoping the PS4 Pro version might offer a more consistent experience, but I've only heard bad things about that version too
Game feels like a technical mess, can't max it at 4K on a 1080 and with no resolution scaling option I'm stuck with 1440p, which actually looks surprisingly bad on my monitor for some reason. Even then at max graphics the game is really not a looker, and the sound modeling/design is atrocious. All of this is super surprising since it's built on Cryengine.
Was really hoping the PS4 Pro version might offer a more consistent experience, but I've only heard bad things about that version too
apieceofstrange
Member
Definitely a strong GOTY contender and one of the more memorable games of this generation for me. Made me feel like I was experiencing Bioshock all over again for the first time. Sad that many didn't give it a chance.
What exactly happens with gameplay in the last act? I didn't get that far.
maximum360
Member
I had it preordered but disliked the demo.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Cannon Goose
Member
Hands down one of the best games of the year.
If you're a "collect everything" type then you'd have had no trouble getting enough mods. By the last third of the game I was just churning out Neuromods and dumping them into whatever because I already had everything I wanted. The game easily allows you to be overpowered if you collect enough junk.
While I haven't tried the console version myself, I have seen a lot of complaints about the combat and I can only assume these complaints come from using a controller. I found the combat to be precise, satisfying, and fun with a keyboard and mouse.
If you're a "collect everything" type then you'd have had no trouble getting enough mods. By the last third of the game I was just churning out Neuromods and dumping them into whatever because I already had everything I wanted. The game easily allows you to be overpowered if you collect enough junk.
While I haven't tried the console version myself, I have seen a lot of complaints about the combat and I can only assume these complaints come from using a controller. I found the combat to be precise, satisfying, and fun with a keyboard and mouse.
NavyPharaoh
Member
Still gotta play through this. Bought it and the PS4 pro version was messed up. Sold it and haven't rebought it yet cause at this point I'll get it on Black Friday for cheap
I played the first hour demo on PS4 yesterday, and was quite underwhelmed. First, the sound design was outright bad. The music would suddenly swell up, indicating an enemy was nearby, but multiple times I could not hear or see where the enemy was. That was partly to blame on the incredibly narrow field of view. That, together with the horrible input lag and bad framerate made the combat almost unplayable for me. I'm also not a big fan of Arkane's face designs. Faces look like they're melting and frankly look like last-gen models.
I thought the story was quite intriguing, and I really liked the world design. So I might give it another shot on PC if performance there is better and I can change the field of view.
I thought the story was quite intriguing, and I really liked the world design. So I might give it another shot on PC if performance there is better and I can change the field of view.
semiconscious
Member
apieceofstrange
Member
I used a controller on PC myself and had no issues with the combat.
Even with the poor combat, I found myself very much enjoying the game, mostly due to the great sense of exploration and art design.
However, it all comes crashing down in the last act of the game where the entire station is flooded with enemies. The respawning enemies was annoying enough, but having to deal with phantoms every two feet in every section of the ship ruined the experience for me.
However, it all comes crashing down in the last act of the game where the entire station is flooded with enemies. The respawning enemies was annoying enough, but having to deal with phantoms every two feet in every section of the ship ruined the experience for me.
I enjoyed the game but thought it took a nose-dive around 1/2-2/3 through.
It gradually moves away from its strengths like atmosphere, tension and exploration and focuses more on things it doesn't do well like combat (which is control dependent and the game doesn't play that great), way too much backtracking and the sheer reality of running out of meaningful places to explore. Story also wasn't that great and the constant anti-gravity sections sucked the fun out of the final stretch.
It gradually moves away from its strengths like atmosphere, tension and exploration and focuses more on things it doesn't do well like combat (which is control dependent and the game doesn't play that great), way too much backtracking and the sheer reality of running out of meaningful places to explore. Story also wasn't that great and the constant anti-gravity sections sucked the fun out of the final stretch.
If you fight EVERY enemy that appears on your screen in an immersive sim where ammo and resource conservation are a factor (even when you know they're respawning) then I don't know what else to say other than you're playing the game wrong. Prey gives you so many non-combat options and enemy control abilities that you are just foregoing game features to force the matter.
It's hard to believe that any world is as dull and mechanical as the mini-stories that appear in these games.
I thought it was pretty exceptional. Excellent level design, writing, and atmosphere, and I was appreciative of how hard it went for immersive sim and RPG gameplay. The ending was a bit too abrupt, but otherwise I loved it.
Unfortunately I know people were turned off by the demo that largely had you running around with a wrench fighting 1-2 enemy types. It's particularly tough because your character starts off very limited, so aspects of movement and combat develop over time. The game gives you tons of options on how to approach combat, or avoid combat.
Unfortunately I know people were turned off by the demo that largely had you running around with a wrench fighting 1-2 enemy types. It's particularly tough because your character starts off very limited, so aspects of movement and combat develop over time. The game gives you tons of options on how to approach combat, or avoid combat.
GinoFelino
Member
Thanks for drawing attention to this wonderful game, OP
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Yup and many times avoiding combat to stealth by is the preferred approach. Most people just arent used to that. We've been conditioned to kill anything that moves on sight in games. Some games even subvert this expectation to try to prove a point (Nier Automata, Spec Ops The Line, No Russian in CoD, etc)
I just find it odd how statements like those could be used to completely dismiss it.
Like...that sounds awesome?