"Prey" (2017) Video Game Review
Pray for me
Blog exclusive!
I rented “Prey” for free yesterday thanks to a Redbox Play Pass coupon I received. This isn’t a review of the entire game since I only rented it for a single night ($3 game rentals are rip-offs!) Small sample size aside, I came away mightily impressed by Arkane Studios’ reboot of the original “Prey” (2006).
Set in 2035, Morgan Yu (the protagonist) awakens inside a posh San Francisco apartment. Life is good, he or she (you choose which gender to play as) is a surefire one-percenter, but something’s afoot. A glitch reveals that Morgan’s inside a partially simulated environment and has had a memory wipe. It’s the player’s job to break out. Once outside the confines of the fake apartment, you realize that you’re onboard the Talos 1 Space Station.
The crew aboard the space station had been studying a dangerous species of alien called the Typhon (derived from Greek Mythology, meaning a giant, deadly monstrosity) for years. The hope was that the collective genius of the crew, coupled with the Talos’ cutting-edge technology, could better humankind.
By extracting other-worldly abilities from the Typhon, and packaging them into injectors called Neuromods, the human body would be augmented in ways never thought possible. The abilities granted could increase strength or make users more proficient at computer hacking for instance. To use these mods in the game you have to stick yourself in the eye; no thanks! The crew’s plan backfired when the Typhon broke out and everything went to hell.
Different types of Typhon exist, but all share chameleon-like abilities to disguise themselves. The Mimic specimens are the most commonly encountered in the early stages of the game. The human bodies they leave behind are so emaciated even Mick Jagger looks handsome by comparison. Mimics also emerge when you least expect it. These frequent encounters send volume levels surging and indicate that the black blobs are ready to fight.
Intrigued yet? It takes dedication to progress through “Prey’s” single-player campaign, but you’ll get addicted. Even on normal, the second of four difficulty tiers, dying frequently is guaranteed. Potential players would be wise to adopt stealth tactics and turn off that “Call of Duty” mindset. Run and gun players (i.e. me) are shown no mercy. Oh, and you start off with only a wrench to fight the Typhon.
Gamers familiar with modern First Person Shooters will find a lot to like about “Prey”. It’s a better version of iD Software’s “Doom” (2016), also published by Bethesda Softworks. Talos 1 isn’t as drab as “Doom’s” hellish setting nor is it as repetitive in the early stages. Like “Doom” item crafting and skill points are a big part of your characters progression. But “Prey” doesn’t have an XP-based character leveling up system like its Martian counterpart.
Furthermore, “Prey” improves upon the FPS genre by doubling down on a commitment to solid gameplay mechanics, intelligent campaign progression (multiple ways to complete objectives) and great writing/voice-acting. Tension is built organically, through the use of visual and aural stimuli. Myriad sound effects and a sweeping musical score heighten your sense of exploration. Vast chambers, malfunctioning technology and unfriendly robots await your play through. In Virtual Reality this spooky game would soil your pants.
Now for the bad news: Load times are excruciatingly long on the original & slim versions of PS4 (and most likely on Xbox One as well). Having a supercharged PS4 Pro or PC with fast solid state storage may mitigate this problem (with patches etc.) Plus, the PS4 version's graphics are becoming stale; the textures are mush! An even bigger oversight is the lack of a 2 player co-op mode (whether local or online). Modes like ‘Capture the Flag’ or ‘Team Deathmatch’ don’t exist. Spending $60 on a single player game is sad; at least “Prey” has multiple endings…
Overall, I give this AAA title a B+. It’s creepy like the original “Alien” movie, has engaging cut-scenes and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when you build a new gun. I can’t wait to complete Morgan Yu’s escape from Talos 1. What about you?
You may not want to watch the “Prey” game footage below if you’re just getting ready for bed:
As always thanks for reading!
© 2017. Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
Blog exclusive!
I rented “Prey” for free yesterday thanks to a Redbox Play Pass coupon I received. This isn’t a review of the entire game since I only rented it for a single night ($3 game rentals are rip-offs!) Small sample size aside, I came away mightily impressed by Arkane Studios’ reboot of the original “Prey” (2006).
Set in 2035, Morgan Yu (the protagonist) awakens inside a posh San Francisco apartment. Life is good, he or she (you choose which gender to play as) is a surefire one-percenter, but something’s afoot. A glitch reveals that Morgan’s inside a partially simulated environment and has had a memory wipe. It’s the player’s job to break out. Once outside the confines of the fake apartment, you realize that you’re onboard the Talos 1 Space Station.
The crew aboard the space station had been studying a dangerous species of alien called the Typhon (derived from Greek Mythology, meaning a giant, deadly monstrosity) for years. The hope was that the collective genius of the crew, coupled with the Talos’ cutting-edge technology, could better humankind.
By extracting other-worldly abilities from the Typhon, and packaging them into injectors called Neuromods, the human body would be augmented in ways never thought possible. The abilities granted could increase strength or make users more proficient at computer hacking for instance. To use these mods in the game you have to stick yourself in the eye; no thanks! The crew’s plan backfired when the Typhon broke out and everything went to hell.
Different types of Typhon exist, but all share chameleon-like abilities to disguise themselves. The Mimic specimens are the most commonly encountered in the early stages of the game. The human bodies they leave behind are so emaciated even Mick Jagger looks handsome by comparison. Mimics also emerge when you least expect it. These frequent encounters send volume levels surging and indicate that the black blobs are ready to fight.
Intrigued yet? It takes dedication to progress through “Prey’s” single-player campaign, but you’ll get addicted. Even on normal, the second of four difficulty tiers, dying frequently is guaranteed. Potential players would be wise to adopt stealth tactics and turn off that “Call of Duty” mindset. Run and gun players (i.e. me) are shown no mercy. Oh, and you start off with only a wrench to fight the Typhon.
Gamers familiar with modern First Person Shooters will find a lot to like about “Prey”. It’s a better version of iD Software’s “Doom” (2016), also published by Bethesda Softworks. Talos 1 isn’t as drab as “Doom’s” hellish setting nor is it as repetitive in the early stages. Like “Doom” item crafting and skill points are a big part of your characters progression. But “Prey” doesn’t have an XP-based character leveling up system like its Martian counterpart.
Furthermore, “Prey” improves upon the FPS genre by doubling down on a commitment to solid gameplay mechanics, intelligent campaign progression (multiple ways to complete objectives) and great writing/voice-acting. Tension is built organically, through the use of visual and aural stimuli. Myriad sound effects and a sweeping musical score heighten your sense of exploration. Vast chambers, malfunctioning technology and unfriendly robots await your play through. In Virtual Reality this spooky game would soil your pants.
Now for the bad news: Load times are excruciatingly long on the original & slim versions of PS4 (and most likely on Xbox One as well). Having a supercharged PS4 Pro or PC with fast solid state storage may mitigate this problem (with patches etc.) Plus, the PS4 version's graphics are becoming stale; the textures are mush! An even bigger oversight is the lack of a 2 player co-op mode (whether local or online). Modes like ‘Capture the Flag’ or ‘Team Deathmatch’ don’t exist. Spending $60 on a single player game is sad; at least “Prey” has multiple endings…
Overall, I give this AAA title a B+. It’s creepy like the original “Alien” movie, has engaging cut-scenes and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when you build a new gun. I can’t wait to complete Morgan Yu’s escape from Talos 1. What about you?
You may not want to watch the “Prey” game footage below if you’re just getting ready for bed:
As always thanks for reading!
© 2017. Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
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