Comments
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 06:41 PM
Sounds great especially with the Mirror's Edge mechanics.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 06:44 PM
great so they took everything that made prey unique and got rid of it to make it like every other shooter on the market.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 07:25 PM
This sounds pretty good actually, but i'll see some gameplay videos from people first.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 07:30 PM
I do love me a good sci-fi RPG, and I don't mean like any other. Good games are always unique in some way. I'm seriously a sucker for RPGs though.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 07:40 PM
@2 Yeah totally thats exactly what they did. Its not like theyre going to do anything else unique in prey 2. I like how dumbshits like you make assumptions about games that are years away from release.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 07:49 PM
@5 Hey smarty pants, this game is not "years away from release". God I hate dumbshits like you, way to thumb up your own comment lololol.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 07:55 PM
Loved the first prey, as long as they get that creepy alien stuff going on again. ie humans being harvested for food etc... shame on the portals and that though, anyone remember the scene on the mini moon in a glass jar and a alien looking in at you and going through the portal and being on the moon aswell? Brilliant idea! Anyways game is sold because I'm sure the game will have a killer story lineWednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 08:38 PM
The whole mini moon thing was pretty unique, which was one of the only things Prey had going for it. Let's hope that they don't try to do too much with the "action parkour moves" and make simple things like getting into cover a nightmare.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 09:33 PM
@6 yes, I thumbed up my own comment 5 times. Do you get stupider the farther down the comments go?Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 09:58 PM
I saw the "Blade Runner-esque" and I immediately went to preorder. If they do this game right it will be fantasticWednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 10:22 PM
No Tommy = not interested :| I loved the story of the first game, why did they have to hijack the name for a completely different game? It sounds like an excuse to cash in on an existing franchise name, they'll pay about 2 minutes of lipservice to the original before forgetting it completely.Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 10:48 PM
@11..well what more could they do to Tommy? or better yet what more is there to him? His story came and went. This is a new character with a new story. Doesnt sound like a cash in just sounds like something new. A cash in would be if they made 5 sequels about Tommy and his shenanigans making things up as it goes lol. XDThursday, April 21, 2011 @ 12:31 AM
The publisher and developer are different then the first, why didn't they just make a new game?Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 01:17 AM
Wow, can't wait to have this in my lovely Xbox360. I'm ready for something new.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 01:45 AM
@#13 Human Head Studios did do the 1st Prey game, 3D Realms Produced, 2K Games Published and Venom Games did the 360 port. The only thing that changed was publishers. OT: This is a rather big departure from the 1st but I do not think it should be bashed just yet. Let's just wait and see. We haven't been shown the full picture yet. I on the other hand am quite excited for this. It is a sci-fi open world published by the company that gave us The Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3, and yes I know they are publishing not developing but still. I Think the game is in good hands.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 03:11 AM
Sounds like it's gonna be a great game. - i never played no.1 - but these screens and this article sure are convincing me to pick up the second ! :)Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 06:55 AM
Gutted there's no multiplayer, the portals and insane gravity maps made the first Prey multiplayer AWESOME, I fondly remember trying not to puke through motion sickness while running through portals and shooting acid bullets at my mates trying to burn their faces off... Good old harmless fun. :)Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 07:45 AM
@12 They could still continue the story with Tommy... If you can recall at the end of Prey, some alien looking woman asks him for his help, which he does go through the portal. The sequel could have been on that segment. Lastly, I can't understand why #5 is getting negative rep, his comment makes complete and total sense. All the things that made Prey standout is removed, which doesn't really make the sequel a Prey game anymore. When I first played Prey, I couldn't really compare it to anything else. Yet, with Prey 2, I see a little of Bioshock, a little of Mass Effect, a little of Mirror's Edge, etc.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 07:58 AM
My mistake, I meant #2...Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 08:56 AM
Prey 1 was a good game granted, but I think its awesome that they are trying new things instead of carbon copying the predecessor. sure, new story and a few new things could have made it a bit better, but it still would have been the same game with a 2 on the end. Kudos to the development team for trying a new approach. I think this sounds awesome to be honest and definitely a day 1 buy.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 09:02 AM
Going to miss the 360 degree crazy antigravity fighting. But this looks to be expanding on the universe in the story quite in an interesting and unexpected path. It actually has me drooling to play it. Very very curious. Prey was one of those games I grabbed brand new in a bargain bin for about $7, and was truly impressed with and happily surprised when I was expecting a general piece of crap. This may be a day one for me. Most curious to see the play control and how they incorporate all these new little tricks they're bringing in. Sounds very elaborate.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 10:29 AM
This sounds awesome in it's own right. Still I wish they took that dumb Prey2 trying to cash in on original, while having (almost) nothing in common to begin with...Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 11:24 AM
Looks like a first person Mass Effect. Not a bad thing.Thursday, April 21, 2011 @ 11:32 PM
Just because Bethesda has something to do with it I'll probably buy itFriday, April 22, 2011 @ 10:48 PM
Awesome. Sounds like nothing else thats out there. A healthy mix of elements from other games, mixed together to make something unique. An open world, free running, Sci fi, RPG about a bounty hunter? Count me in!Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 06:53 PM
Prey was and is one of my most loved games of all time. It wasn't perfect but it was so unique and actually told a decent story that as a Cherokee, I could relate to. Remove the character and Native American aspects, the anti-gravity fights, the Quake-like multiplayer and what do you have left of Prey? I don't need, or want, another Mass Effect. This could be a great game, but it won't be Prey.Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 08:22 PM
I agree it may sound interesting, But it is not a True Prey Sequel. Don't get me wrong, It could be a really good game. But by taking everything that made the game Prey away, that's not a sequel, in my opinion.Monday, April 25, 2011 @ 01:26 AM
well just saying if anyone hasn't yet played the first it like 2 dollars at gamestop/// very worth itMonday, April 25, 2011 @ 10:24 AM
The first game was great, i dont know why they would change what was a very unique/fast paced native-american/alien themed game. twas one of my favorites back in the early xbox days, was also my first 1000g ~!Tuesday, April 26, 2011 @ 01:46 PM
the first game was soo underrated... brilliant puzzles, awesome story. cant wait for the sequelWednesday, April 27, 2011 @ 05:55 AM
Cool
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Of all the games that Bethesda brought to its BFG showcase in Utah, Prey 2 was certainly the most intriguing. After all, Skyrim and Rage are entities that we’re vastly aware of on their own, while Hunted and Brink we’ve already seen on countless occasions. Prey 2 though, after hearing there’s no multiplayer, no gravity walks and no portal gameplay returning from the original, is now an almost completely unknown entity.
The first question is obviously, “If this has no portals et al, how is this Prey?” Well, I’m glad you asked… or should I say, I asked. In short, it’s set in the same universe, occurs alongside the events of the original and you get to meet Tommy. Okay, so maybe it’s a little deeper than that and it revolves around the same themes too, like alien abduction and the prey/predator relationship, although the main man this time, Killian Samuels, is more of a predator than prey… like Tommy.
While the original was a linear corridor shooter, Prey 2’s gameplay couldn’t be any further away if it tried. Actually, it did try… it’s now an open-world sandbox game with elements of parkour. Sure, it’s still a first-person shooter, but with an all-new cover system, freedom and plenty of “player choice,” this is very much a different game despite the name on the box.
The action in the sequel kicks off with the chief protagonist, Samuels, on a plane that gets abducted by the Watchers and events transpire that see Samuels take on the role of bounty hunter on the surface of the planet Exodus – taking out the alien trash. Aside from catching a glimpse of the opening moments where Killian crashes on the alien planet, the majority of Human Head Studios’ gameplay demo took place in an area called the Central City Bowery.
The Bowery, according to Human Head, is the cesspit of Exodus, attracting unwelcome busybodies with its red light districts and “seedy” bars, casino, strip joints and the like. In essence, it’s very much like Mass Effect’s Omega. Human Head are keen to label the art “alien noir,” but we’re keen to label that PR speak, after all, the Blade Runner and Mass Effect inspirations are abundantly clear – you can’t invent an art style if your world is derivative. True story.
Prey 2 says a big hello to an expanded skillset of moves, with Killian able to slide into cover; lean out of cover and shoot; and even jump large distances, catch ledges, shimmy and shoot and fire from ledges too – action parkour we’ll call it. As Killian jumps his way around the dank, neon-soaked world of Exodus, grabbing onto pipes and shimmying from platform to platform, the parkour elements come into their own.
If there was one thing that Human Head was keen to push with its new sandbox foundations, it’s that “player choice” will play a big role. Aside from the main linear story, what you do outside that is entirely up to you. Using the visor to scan for potential missions – blue targets are ambient bounties, yellow are people of interest, while red targets are about to kick your ass – players can choose to assist unfortunate aliens who are taking a beating on the streets, seek out informants for information, collect bounties or a whole host of other activities. Of course, players can choose to help or hinder things, or if they want, just kill everyone involved.
The first of the two proper side missions that we caught a glimpse of saw Killian move in to assist an alien who was the subject of some abuse in one of the Bowery’s nooks and crannies. Unfortunately for Killian, he was too late, but that doesn’t stop the bounty hunter avenging the alien’s death. An over reaction some may think, but seeing a pile of a dead alien bodies piled up told us these guys were trouble. Using the visor, Killian scans the DNA trail to see where the tracks lead him and in typical damn-it’s-a-bit-quiet-around-here fashion, the bounty hunter stumbles upon another similar situation. Using the anti-grav wave gadget, which places a cylindrical stasis field around his opponents that lifts them off the ground, it’s easy pickings for Killian as he blasts away at the pair, before talking to the victim of the two (now dead) thug’s angst to collect a princely sum of cash. You can just as easily kill him and loot him though… although that’d be rather pointless.
The second of the two missions saw Killian get his bounty hunter boots on and head after a target. This is after he chased – and killed – an ambient target that his visor picked up on the streets. The target: Dra’Gar, the Collective Leader. Whereabouts: unknown. Objective: capture alive. First things first then, find the whereabouts of the target. Killian’s first job is to see out Knux, an informant, and after locating him via parkour and dispatching his hired thugs, he’s more than happy to help – shock!
Killian’s target then, thanks to the information from Krux, is holed up in a club. After using the hover boots to get from high up to down low in a heartbeat, Killian descends upon the club. Using the visor to see through the wall, we spy Dra’Gar, surrounded by plenty of armed guards, but as soon as Killian enters the club, the Collective Leader bolts. What proceeds is a chase scene through the club and the surrounding streets, with Dra’Gar’s footmen stepping in along the way to slow you down. Unfortunately for Killian, Dra’Gar has the ability to teleport short distances and thus, attempting to hogtie him with Killian’s electrically charged wire ropes is futile. Along the way in a lengthy chase scene, Killian uses grenades, deployable shields, dodges mines and uses night vision, until he has Dra’Gar cornered. The cowardly target then proceeds to attempt to bribe Killian for his freedom, which the bounty hunter flat refuses before capturing him in a statis bubble and sending him back to his handler for payment. Unfortunately for Killian that decision triggers a series of events that sees a character called S’Dyi – a giant worm-like beast – come after the main man for vengeance, thus, ending the demo.
Based on the 30 minute demo, Prey 2 does seem to demonstrate a good pacing, with time to explore mixed in with pockets of intense action. Human Head told the onlooking press that they were targeting 15 hours of gameplay for the average player, but as with any sandbox title, that depends on how far you step off the beaten path. With over 20 gadgets, 40 upgrades, 20 weapons, 3 huge main outer maps, at least 6 alien races, an honour system similar to Red Dead Redemption's and the promise that there'll be answers to the questions regarding what Tommy has been up to since the original, there is plenty of thought and precision being sunk into the sequel that will keep fans of the original occupied. Whether they’ll be happy with the U-turn in the main gameplay pillars remains to be seen, however.
Although Human Head is keen to push Prey 2 as a direct sequel, we can’t help but think that it’s more of spiritual successor. That in a way is both good and bad. Bad, because we were huge fans of what Human Head brought to a potentially stale genre with the original, but happy because its newly directed impetus does boast a certain degree of potential. Picture a Blade Runner-esque sandbox with the free-running mechanics of Mirror’s Edge and more gadgets than James Bond’s Q could ever imagine; that right there my friends is Prey 2. Vastly different from its predecessor, but by no means any less intriguing.
Prey 2 is scheduled for a 2012 release.