Dear Reader,
The original “Prey” crept up on me. I just happened to try the demo, and absolutely fell in love with its cinematic presentation and surprisingly unique combat. I’ve viewed the sequel, “Prey 2,” with no small amount of suspicion, because it’s such a radical departure from its older brother. Those fears were put to rest today by Bethesda and Human Head Studios, who knocked their demo so far out of the park they must have hit an airplane with the ball. I’m stunned. Last year I told you “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” was the sleeper to watch. This year, it’s “Prey 2.”
On paper, “Prey 2” sounds like throwing crap against a wall: parkour-style free range movement, open world layout, bounty hunter mini-games, “Mass Effect” style morality choices, it all reads like a mess. And yet, it gels perfectly. You’re a bounty hunter on alien world inspired by “Blade Runner” and the original “Prey,” taking contracts on grotesque warlords and hunting them down throughout a massive metropolis. Human Head claims this is a true “open world,” and it certainly seems to be, but admittedly we can’t know for sure until release.
Hit the jump for more.
Movement is amazing in “Prey 2.” Your character can slide, climb, vaunt, grab cover, and even float through the air with hover boots. Everything strings together fluidly, and even though none of the individual moves feel that drastic, they combine together to make the world your oyster. There’s also a rich world of NPCs, who behave convincingly. “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” claimed that civilians would “react” to you drawing a weapon, but in reality all they did was stare at you while a canned piece of dialog played. In “Prey 2,” pulling a gun makes people freak out, and if you’re having a hard time getting information from someone, pointing a pistol at them will seriously change the equation.
Last but not least, is the bounty structure, which lets you pick which missions you want to do, and often how you want to complete them. Some hits have to be brought back alive, others you can make the call yourself. If you want to chance it, you can also “interrogate” captive prisoners for extra goodies, but you run the risk of killing them in the process, so go easy on the Jack Bauer stuff.
What you have with “Prey 2” is an open world FPS with a huge amount of freedom, both in terms of dynamic movement and overall game structure. It’s gorgeous, it runs like silk, and it lets you do everything you could possibly want from a futuristic shooter. “Rage” is being touted as Bethesda’s new IP, but this is their real heavyweight.
-AA
it’s your fantasy
2 Comments
Will have to keep an eye on this.
Prey was the first 360 game I ever played and I was blown away, from the creative weapons to just the sheer fucked-upness.
Hopefully this one’s a mindfuck too
I’m not sure if it will be quite as twisted and unusual as the original, but I think what they ARE going for is something even better.