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[Winthorpe]

Played the demo a couple of times now. I get the impression that the game will get better as you unlock more abilities. The vanilla combat is poor. Neither the glue gun or pistol are satisfying and the mimics, initially cool, get annoying. There are too many. I feel like you should only see one every ten minutes or so, to build up tension. That said, there are things I really like. The general atmosphere is great (I especially like the 1960s Space Museum area, with obligatory JFK picture). I also like recycling materials and having a little base to experiment and develop tools.

Will wait for reviews but cautiously optimistic.

PS Change the music!

 

[Messofanego]

hi

Yeah, uh... I posted some video too.

If you've played Dead Island, this basically just has Dead Island's combat system. When you're fighting four evil headcrabs at once, you run out of stamina in like... seven swings? They take 3-4 successful hits to kill. It's not fun. You can use the GLOO gun to slow 'em down, but when fighting four at once, because they're fast, can shapeshift, and take a decent amount of damage to kill... just... ugh. I've been a bit concerned about the aliens from the start, because their designs are so bad, but I was hoping the game would be fun, and... it's not. I was expecting to like this more than Dishonored, because I prefer System Shock 2 to Thief.

This is a really bad System Shock successor based on what I played. I confided to a friend something I thought I'd never say, which was "they canceled Prey 2 for this?" I'm not even one of those super salty folks, but... this... is just really shoddy. It's Dead Island style combat. I don't understand how the creators of Dark Messiah and Dishonored could create such a garbage combat system.

That said, I love the music, I love the maps so far (there are SO MANY DOORS that I need to unlock). I'm glad the tutorial is short and the game gets to the good stuff right away, but narratively it's pretty dull.

I was expecting to love the hell out of this, so I'm kind of numb.



I don't think a single Bethesda game has had good sound mixing or voice acting, tbqh. They often have great SOUNDS, but the mixes are always off, regardless of who's involved.

Yeah, the melee combat hasn't looked exciting so far. That video doesn't look fun.

That stamina thing makes it look even more frustrating.

Downloading the demo, though, to see what I make of it.

 

[nOoblet16]

1) Game controls quite poorly, this style of controls (everything is cursor based) are tricky to do with controllers and can make or break the game. Dishonored does it well, this game not so much. The deadlines make the issue worse. This makes 30FPS feel worse than it actually is.

2) This is a Cry Engine game....so why does it look so mediocre ? It's like they aren't even using PBR, even basic stuff like flashlight shadows aren't present. Cry Engine games have this very fluid and smooth look with soft lighting and nice shadowing here all I see is harsh lighting and messy shadows.

3) The aliens are hard to see because they are fast, can teleport and have that fuzzy effect thing going on. That fuzzy effect is the thing I have issue with because the game also blurs out and messes up your vision whenever it wants to disorient you with explosions and what not. The small ones are hard to track with the shitty controls.


I'll probably play this game on PC.

 

[robotrock]

Yeah, the melee combat hasn't looked exciting so far. That video doesn't look fun.

That stamina thing makes it look even more frustrating.

Downloading the demo, though, to see what I make of it.

The guy playing in the gif isn't even good, he just needs to get good

 

[TannerDemoz]

The guy playing in the gif isn't even good, he just needs to get good

*the game needs to get good

 

[nOoblet16]

The guy playing in the gif isn't even good, he just needs to get good

It's the game that needs to be better with its controls and design choices (for instance you don't make an enemy that is hard to track/see and can also take several hits both), not always the player's fault.

 

[PhantomThief]

I had 0 issues killing those enemies in a few swings on ps4. That gif looks like some Polygon DOOM shit haha

 

[Rexatality]

*the game needs to get good

Jumping to conclusions. Are we already declaring it a bad game?

 

[Arklite]

- the pacing seems like it'll follow the awful bio 1 style of "oh here I'm about to tell you an important story beat - oh wait something broke, go here and fix it" ad nauseam.

Never had an interest in Bioshock to play it but this part stood out a to me when it happens late in the Prey demo, and now it worries me hearing that Bio 1 abused it.

Coming off Andromeda the last thing I want is a checklist of blatant errands to drip feed the narrative.

 

[Rexatality]

Man, I used to be a HUGE Arkane supporter.
From Arx Fatalis till the first Dishonored.

After Dishonored 2 and this demo, well, not so much anymore.

Seriously? Dishonored 2 was one of the most well designed games of last year.

 

[robotrock]

Jumping to conclusions. Are we already declaring it a bad game?

I don't think the first hour of the game is good and it should hopefully get good by hour 2.

It's definitely not bad, though some departments of it are severely lacking like the controls, input, and combat (not a fan of killing mimics so far). In the first hour of play at least. I still love the atmosphere and set up though and am excited to see where the game goes.

2) This is a Cry Engine game....so why does it look so mediocre ? It's like they aren't even using PBR, even basic stuff like flashlight shadows aren't present. Cry Engine games have this very fluid and smooth look with soft lighting and nice shadowing here all I see is harsh lighting and messy shadows.

cryengine game below

 

[nOoblet16]

This is basically a Bioshock/System Shock game. I knew that it was going to be sort of like that beforehand but I was hoping that they'd have something different cause it's a different series (kind of like how Dishonored can trace it's root to those games but it's a very different game in terms of structure and design). Now it's only a demo but from what I've seen it will follow the same structure of those games, and the same 'person on phone you never/rarely ever meet' asks you to go from one location to another, with plasmids and what not.


I guess I would not have been disappointed if I had never seen what Prey 2 was like. Cause after looking at that it feels like Arkane was given the series and they just decided that their go to formula would be to just Bio/systemshock-ify everything as it's a good one (and it is very good mind you, but you can't just put it everywhere). Speaking of Prey 2, that game looked better than this visually...somehow.

 

[pa22word]

I think releasing a demo of this was a bad idea. These type of games have always been about structured rig building underlying the base gameplay, which means you always start feeling like a bit of a flaccid sock for the first hour or two before you build a character to your own specs that will do interesting things.

The only game like this that I've ever seen have a decent demo was Human Revolution, and that was a third of the game and a leaked build. The added time gave people space to see how the mechanics started to unfold and their characters start to flower into expressions of the player's agency on the game world. Now, imagine that hr demo just being the opening mission...yeah I imagine a lot of people would have been not too looking forward to hr.


Bethesda knows this too, which makes the whole demo just reek of desperation because they're concerned with the game bombing after MD and Dishonored 2 both had mediocre sales despite much bigger ips behind them. Some part of me thinks this will probably be the last big budget looking glass type game we get for a good long while. Maybe bioshock 4 from 2k Marin, if it even exists anymore, will light another boost for the genre, but it just seems like these games are on the wayside.

 

[robotrock]

i hate it when I'm walking and a super loud and obnoxious audio cue happens because of some alien sneak attacking me from behind so i have to slowly swing the camera around like damn now I'm responsible for killing this alien

 

[Liamario]

I played it for about half an hour and I just got bored. Controls were sluggish to say the least. Fighting the enemies was a chore too.

 

[nOoblet16]

cryengine game below

Is not a AAA title with big budget, nor a current gen game.

Still that's an exception rather than the norm, I think it's generally agreed upon that if the game is using CryEngine then chances are it'll be among the best looking games. Even fascinatingly mediocre AA games like Sniper Ghost Warrior have atleast always managed to look pretty because of it.

 

[alexanderftw]

Sadly haven't quite got around to Dishonored 2 yet. Just commenting on your argument. You speak in some vague terms with "better level design, better gameplay", eventually leading to "literally everything is better", but what exactly about the level design or gameplay makes it better? I don't think you have a great case when you don't make an effort to actually explain why Dishonored 2 is better than Dishonored 1, and it gets worse when you say it's a fact.

Neither did the person who mentioned they were dissapointed in Arkane regarding Dishonored 2, not to mention Prey for which I remind you they most likely did not finish. I will elaborate if they will as well.

 

[TannerDemoz]

Jumping to conclusions. Are we already declaring it a bad game?

Nah, I think once it kicks off they'll nail the setting and level design, but this demo has fallen wayyyyy below my expectations.

Played terribly imo and felt very slow and clunky and I think releasing the demo was a big mistake as looking at reactions so far, it's gonna dent sales.

 

[Arklite]

The melee is ok, it's just tracking enemies on PS4 is sluggish and I'm not sure if some weight is the intent or not. With the cumbersome movement I had to be careful with my shots, watch their animation and strike when they land, or retreat quickly. It works for tension but feels really clunky.

The way a random chair can get in a really cheap slap on you is annoying, though. Nothing you can do.

 

[robotrock]

Neither did the person who mentioned they were dissapointed in Arkane regarding Dishonored 2, not to mention Prey for which I remind you they most likely did not finish. I will elaborate if they will as well.

The only difference between your posts is that you tried to present your opinion as a fact. That's really it.

 

[SomTervo]

I think releasing a demo of this was a bad idea. These type of games have always been about structured rig building underlying the base gameplay, which means you always start feeling like a bit of a flaccid sock for the first hour or two before you build a character to your own specs that will do interesting things.

The only game like this that I've ever seen have a decent demo was Human Revolution, and that was a third of the game and a leaked build. The added time gave people space to see how the mechanics started to unfold and their characters start to flower into expressions of the player's agency on the game world. Now, imagine that hr demo just being the opening mission...yeah I imagine a lot of people would have been not too looking forward to hr.


Bethesda knows this too, which makes the whole demo just reek of desperation because they're concerned with the game bombing after MD and Dishonored 2 both had mediocre sales despite much bigger ips behind them. Some part of me thinks this will probably be the last big budget looking glass type game we get for a good long while. Maybe bioshock 4 from 2k Marin, if it even exists anymore, will light another boost for the genre, but it just seems like these games are on the wayside.

Well said. Like Dishonored, it will probably get better hour on hour.

 

[nOoblet16]

I think i found fallout 4 example of it:

That's just because the volumetric lighting is using a low resolution buffer. Most games do this but they also use a filter to smooth it out.

Fallout 4 actually fixed it in the pro patch by simply increasing the resolution of volumetric lights. I don't believe this game used any volumetric lights, though I could be wrong as I haven't played the demo fully.

Another thing that games use a low resolution buffer for are alpha effects, so stuff like mist/fog/particles are rendered at lower resolution but again games can hide this by using a good filter to smooth things out. It might be that the misty effect the mimics leave are not filtered properly leading to that sort of pixelation.

 

[jem0208]

I'm playing on hard and again, zero issues with the combat. The mimics are more scary than actually difficult. Hitting them really isn't hard at all, even with the wrench.

Played more of the demo. Still really dig the exploration and atmosphere, creative ways to find places. But every time combat starts my enjoyment comes to a screeching halt. Enemies feel like bullet sponges while you feel made of paper. If I dont have a turret with me I dont even feel confident taking on a single humanoid enemy. Walked into IT saw 2 of them and waled right out. :/ Probably gonna wait for this to be $30 or less, hopefully by then a patch will fix the aiming issues I have with the game.



There is no "getting good" around the piss poor aiming in this game. Someone else in the thread mentioned the acceleration feels weird, so I know it isnt just me.

Really? I don't think I've actually been damaged by a phantom... I've encountered like 3 or 4 of them and every time they die easily. Just whip out the shotgun and blast them to death.

The melee is ok, it's just tracking enemies on PS4 is sluggish and I'm not sure if some weight is the intent or not. With the cumbersome movement I had to be careful with my shots, watch their animation and strike when they land, or retreat quickly. It works for tension but feels really clunky.

The way a random chair can get in a really cheap slap on you is annoying, though. Nothing you can do.

There definitely is something you can do, be aware of props that look out of place. I found what's basically a nerf gun in one room and I've used that to probe and out of place objects in a room. Haven't been caught off guard whilst being careful.

hi

Yeah, uh... I posted some video too.

If you've played Dead Island, this basically just has Dead Island's combat system. When you're fighting four evil headcrabs at once, you run out of stamina in like... seven swings? They take 3-4 successful hits to kill. It's not fun. You can use the GLOO gun to slow 'em down, but when fighting four at once, because they're fast, can shapeshift, and take a decent amount of damage to kill... just... ugh. I've been a bit concerned about the aliens from the start, because their designs are so bad, but I was hoping the game would be fun, and... it's not. I was expecting to like this more than Dishonored, because I prefer System Shock 2 to Thief.

This is a really bad System Shock successor based on what I played. I confided to a friend something I thought I'd never say, which was "they canceled Prey 2 for this?" I'm not even one of those super salty folks, but... this... is just really shoddy. It's Dead Island style combat. I don't understand how the creators of Dark Messiah and Dishonored could create such a garbage combat system.

That said, I love the music, I love the maps so far (there are SO MANY DOORS that I need to unlock). I'm glad the tutorial is short and the game gets to the good stuff right away, but narratively it's pretty dull.

I was expecting to love the hell out of this, so I'm kind of numb.



I don't think a single Bethesda game has had good sound mixing or voice acting, tbqh. They often have great SOUNDS, but the mixes are always off, regardless of who's involved.

Use the Gloo gun or find a way to isolate the mimics, boom, problem solved.

 

[ISee]

Is not a AAA title with big budget, nor a current gen game.

Still that's an exception rather than the norm, I think it's generally agreed upon that if the game is using CryEngine then chances are it'll be among the best looking games. Even fascinatingly mediocre AA games like Sniper Ghost Warrior have atleast always managed to look pretty because of it.

Homefront 2 is a recent Cry Engine game with rather poor visuals and performance. So, the lack of a Prey-PC demo doesn't help in building trust toward Arkane Studios ability to release a good cry engine game on PC, especially after Dishonored 2.

That said: I like the demo and the setting, mostly because I like Bioshock and System Shock. It just doesn’t feel very polished and more clunky then most 30fps games, even on my Pro. I’m still interested in picking it up, but I will wait for PC performance reports and benchmarks.

 

[jem0208]

Yeah, the melee combat hasn't looked exciting so far. That video doesn't look fun.

That stamina thing makes it look even more frustrating.

Downloading the demo, though, to see what I make of it.

That person is literally just swinging wildly at thin air, no wonder the melee combat doesn't look exciting.

 

[Rains]

I have a xbox and pc where is my pc demo something smells

 

[nOoblet16]

That person is literally just swinging wildly at thin air, no wonder the melee combat doesn't look exciting.

It's the input lag, you press it when you think the enemy is near and you'll hit it but due to the lag it's delayed and the enemy has already moved away by that time. This affect the tracking as well.

The hit registration is also sub par, you don't get much reaction outside of the health bar becoming shorter.

 

[Arklite]

I'm playing on hard and again, zero issues with the combat. The mimics are more scary than actually difficult. Hitting them really isn't hard at all, even with the wrench.



Really? I don't think I've actually been damaged by a phantom... I've encountered like 3 or 4 of them and every time they die easily. Just whip out the shotgun and blast them to death.



There definitely is something you can do, be aware of props that look out of place. I found what's basically a nerf gun in one room and I've used that to probe and out of place objects in a room. Haven't been caught off guard whilst being careful.

Use the Gloo gun or find a way to isolate the mimics, boom, problem solved.

All that stuff is easy to deduce but it doesn't stop it from feeling like a clunkfest. Personally I didn't find the nerf gun till after I cleared everything and missed its use, and given the emergency circumstance there's a lot of stuff out of place to reliably spot a mimic. Whatever though, that's part of the game, my issue is the sluggish controls muck up encounters.

 

[DarknessTear]

My biggest issues is how slow and unresponsive it feels to control and the audio. At this point I'm playing a game that is randomly too loud and then too quiet. Which is a nuisance for the people around me as well. So for that reason I cancelled my preorder.

 

[nOoblet16]

Homefront 2 is a recent Cry Engine game with rather poor visuals and performance. So, the lack of a Prey-PC demo doesn't help in building trust toward Arkane Studios ability to release a good cry engine game on PC, especially after Dishonored 2.

That said: I like the demo and the setting, mostly because I like Bioshock and System Shock. It just doesn’t feel very polished and more clunky then most 30fps games, even on my Pro. I’m still interested in picking it up, but I will wait for PC performance reports and benchmarks.

Homefront 2 actually looks great, the artstyle notwithstanding, so I don't see the poor visuals you are talking about. Also the performance is good now on consoles, on PC it was always decent.

 

[the_batman]

this feels just like Bioshock but with less interesting, as of now, enemies

 

[jem0208]

It's the input lag, you press it when you think the enemy is near and you'll hit it but due to the lag it's delayed and the enemy has already moved away by that time. This affect the tracking as well.

The hit registration is also sub par, you don't get much reaction outside of the health bar becoming shorter.

All that stuff is easy to deduce but it doesn't stop it from feeling like a clunkfest. Personally I didn't find the nerf gun till after I cleared everything and missed its use, and given the emergency circumstance there's a lot of stuff out of place to reliably spot a mimic. Whatever though, that's part of the game, my issue is the sluggish controls muck up encounters.

You guys need to find a way to try it on the Xbox, feels fine.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Homefront 2 actually looks great, the artstyle notwithstanding, so I don't see the poor visuals you are talking about. Also the performance is good now on consoles, on PC it was always decent.

I thought the character models in Homefront 2 were excellent, but everything else was pretty average. Based on the PS4 trial, at least.

EDIT - on topic, I haven't played the Prey demo yet. Downloaded it last night, but didn't get a chance to play it yet.

 

[the_batman]

My biggest issues is how slow and unresponsive it feels to control and the audio. At this point I'm playing a game that is randomly too loud and then too quiet. Which is a nuisance for the people around me as well. So for that reason I cancelled my preorder.

are you using game mode on your TV

and can't you just adjust the music and sound effects levels in the audio menu?

 

[glaurung]

Played through most of the demo yesterday and was not hugely impressed. Here are my main complaints:

1. The music is bad and super distracting. It does not even sound like it was written for this game, rather a random beat soundtrack thrown in. Its presence is detrimental to the experience.
2. Combat is poorly done. It is very hard to figure out where you are getting hit from due to the field of view and damage effects. Enemy health bars are positioned awkwardly and do not help you. Hit registration in both melee and gun combat is awful. I realize that the mimic movement is something out of the movie Edge of Tomorrow, but then you need a way to combat it. Right now, it's just eww.
3. The game favors utter paranoia all the time. You need to sneak, you need to hit every object on the screen just in case it's a mimic, battling bigger creatures is a nightmare.
4. The graphics are serviceable at best.
5. The huge computer displays are a mess to navigate.
6. The goo gun is a great platforming tool, but a horrendous way to battle mimics (even though it can do it).
7. Art direction is all over the place. The mimics are a style of their own, Talos is a style of its own, some of the environmental items are retro, some aren't. Like I said, it's a mess.
8. Sound design is fucked.
9. The guns are not pleasant to shoot and hit detection seems off.
10. The PS4 demo (played on Pro) featured several cases of stuttering, ugly-ass texture and model pop-in and poor frame rates overall.

 

[ISee]

Homefront 2 actually looks great, the artstyle notwithstanding, so I don't see the poor visuals you are talking about. Also the performance is good now on consoles, on PC it was always decent.

Art style and visuals are of course a matter of opinions, so I’m not going to argue about that. I don’t like it and I don’t think it is very impressive or outstanding. Performance on the other side is measurable.

https://youtu.be/Aqli3ezlQ_o?t=1m42s

 

[nOoblet16]

You guys need to find a way to try it on the Xbox, feels fine.

Yea I'm downloading it on Xbox right now.

 

[nOoblet16]

Art style and visuals are of course a matter of opinions, so I’m not going to argue about that. I don’t like it and I don’t think it is very impressive or outstanding. Performance on the other side is measurable.

https://youtu.be/Aqli3ezlQ_o?t=1m42s

You are linking me a video from around launch, the game is fixed now in terms of performance as I said in my post before. Now while it was bad at launch and had tons of bugs, it misses the point that I'm trying to make which is that it's a game that atleast looks technically impressive, unlike Prey, and as of now it runs decent too. So it cannot really be used as an example of bad looking CE3 game.

 

[comshoplesce]

Can someone post all the codes?

 

[Rexatality]

Can someone post all the codes?

I'll give it a try:

Spoiler

5150 - First Safe in Simulation Labs.
1150 - Holding Room in the Lobby's Security Station
0526 - Safe in the Lobby's Security Station
0451 - Morgan's Office

And keep in mind you're not supposed to find the code for the first safe until you get to see the video your office.

 

[valeu]

i'm curious if this is the same demo that journalists were raving about in previews

 

[Rexatality]

i'm curious if this is the same demo that journalists were raving about in previews

There were two different demos they played. One in the opening hour and one is Psychotronics (Where you get the Psychoscope and learn Alien powers).

Keep in mind that they played the previews on a PC with a controller.

 

[Hispanic! At the Disco]

That person is literally just swinging wildly at thin air, no wonder the melee combat doesn't look exciting.

Im on xbox.

Thats me every time I encounter a mimic. They surprise me and then it becomes an exhaustive fight against the controls. I end up just wildly swinging because I cannot rely on the controls to be good enough for a quick and accurate response.

This is not an issue I have with almost any other game.

 

[Tovarisc]

Bethesda PR got in touch with Forbes to address why there isn't a PC demo.
"Hope all is well and thanks for reaching out. We appreciate the enthusiasm in the PC community for Prey, and the interest in a PC demo. The team at Arkane has been fully focused on optimizing and finalizing the PC version of the game. We aim to deliver the best PC experience to our fans – and are hard at work to do just that."

PC version is so fucked, isn't it?

 

[Revolutionary]

Really enjoyed the setting and story but man, that combat is dire on a controller. I imagine it's a better experience on PC.

Glad they put out the demo though, because I had absolutely no interest in the game prior. Now it's on my 'wait for a sale' list.

 

[Rexatality]

PC version is so fucked, isn't it?

I think you're taking it a bit out of context.

 

[Tovarisc]

I think you're taking it a bit out of context.

"The team at Arkane has been fully focused on optimizing and finalizing the PC version of the game. We aim to deliver the best PC experience to our fans – and are hard at work to do just that." is statement given basically week to few weeks before games full release. After shitshow that was Dishonored 2 on PC statement like that from Arkane doesn't breath confidence about state of PC port.

 

[nOoblet16]

Playing this then playing Destiny and then playing this again really makes you realise how much effect the input latency and acceleration has on even usual mundane actions that we take for granted.

More so because Destiny is one of the best games in terms of input latency as despite being a 30FPS title it's input latency is closer to a 60FPS game like COD. (Destiny's input lag is around 80-95ms while COD is around 65-70)


Btw I'm not a fan of how interacting with computer works in this game, it's great for mouse but not so much for controller. Cause if you want to use that interface smoothly you have to go closer at which point only part of the monitor is visible on your screen and you have to move your character around to see the rest. Basically it should have been done like Deus Ex, fast snappy and works well on both controllers and mouse.

Also getting out of the inventory gives you this black screen before you get back to gameplay, that black screen persists for just a tiny bit longer than I would want. I'd have been ok if it wasn't a complete black screen I guess . It's just some minor nitpicks.

 

[Bl@de]

Keep in mind that they played the previews on a PC with a controller.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I love the game, already spent more than 3 hours with the demo.

The only thing that's really bothering me is the combat music. It's annoying (calmer tunes are awesome though like the one from the helipad) and it doesn't gove away quickly after you end the fight.

By the way, how can I access rooms blocked with metal beams? I've tried using a shotgun, but it's not enough. Haven't tried methods like moving explosive canisters there yet.