SDF121 on 11/5/2017 at 10:25

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Finally finished Prey just shy of 30 hours according to the in game clock (which I doubt includes all my deaths and failed attempts). I played the game on nightmare since immersive sims are usually not that bad or punishing but I was wrong this time with regard to Prey at least in the beginning of the game. For example in System Shock 2 I can pretty much handle anything on the highest difficulty with a pistol whereas in Prey most if not all of your weapons seem useless and ammo is incredibly scarce. I'm thankful for it though because it forced me to stealth my way through many sections and to run and hide all while utilizing the environment and setting up kill zones with my turrets. I don't know if its the same on the other difficulties but there were already multiple phantoms throughout the lobby right from the start and the enemies only got tougher from there on. It was almost like I was the typhon's Prey.

I mostly avoided fighting phantoms in the beginning and used my wrench to conserve ammo. Then there was the gloo gun, which seemed goofy to me in previews, but turned out to be pretty neat and useful in dealing with environmental hazards and obstacles while also providing me with a means to essentially rock climb up walls and structures to sneak around. I also played without using any of the typhon based neuromods so I was able to unlock nearly every skill for the scientist, engineer, and security class. I decided to forego the typhon powers since I relied on turrets to protect certain areas of the level and conserve my ammunition in addition to helping me dispense of any Nightmares.

Towards the final stages of the game I became more aggressive with my play style since I had essentially stockpiled an arsenal of medkits, repair kits, grenades, and ammo thanks to a heavy usage of my wrench, stealth, and turrets earlier in the game. Even then, it was still insane how much the game really ramps up the intensity with the escalation of enemy types and their frequency being thrown at you. It was never anything unfair though and seemed to scale accordingly to my gear and powers. Furthermore, I liked how it really added to the sense that everything was going to hell in the game. I also really liked how the side quests were handled and how they added to the game even if the writing was at times poor. Although the game took me nearly thirty hours to complete I was surprised by how it didn't feel like it was unnecessarily long or needlessly padded. I know a large portion of my time can be attributed to completing side quests and taking my time in the beginning. There were several points where I thought I was nearing the end only for some new plot point to come up which extended the length but none of it seemed to detract from the game and even then Prey felt like it was still respectful of my time.

I know some games can become a chore as the game starts throwing tiring and uninspired fetch quests or obstacles that feel like the developers are just trying to pad the game but I didn't really get that sense with Prey. Even with regard to tasks that had the potential to annoy me were completely optional and generally consisted of simple objectives that only took minutes to complete. Although the ending is kind of underwhelming, and I'd argue the same for System Shock 2, I wasn't as bothered by it. I'm generally more forgiving with immersive sims as I'm more interested in the overall gameplay and the moment to moment interactions within the game space. I feel like it is in this regard that Prey really shines. There were bits of story sprinkled here and there but then the plot steps aside to let you do as you please without getting in the way.

I think my only gripe with the story was that I was hoping that there would have been more in the game with regard to your interactions with December as I thought that it would have been interesting if the conflict between December and January's account of your memories and what you supposedly programmed them to do persisted throughout the entire game leading you down different paths. Instead the plotline with December seems to abruptly come to an end before it really ever took off and I felt like that was a wasted opportunity because keeping December in the game could have helped to really muddy the waters as you try and figure out what is really going on and could have made for some nice plot twists as you're not sure who to trust or believe.

All in all though I'd have to say that I'm quite pleased with Prey. I was really excited for Prey when the design documents leaked years ago and talked about being a spiritual successor to System Shock. It's also been interesting now that I've played the game to to see just how much of what was in that original document made it into the final game in one form or another.

Prey Design Document
(https://www.scribd.com/document/227321234/Prey-2-Document-1?ad_group=&campaign=Skimbit%2C+Ltd.&content=10079&irgwc=1&keyword=ft750noi&medium=affiliate&source=impactradius)

While the initial previews and trailers sort of tempered my expectations and led me to think that perhaps this would not be the spiritual successor to System Shock that I was looking for those concerns were soon alleviated once I actually started playing the game. Although I enjoyed Dishonored I've always been more into the sci fi setting and although there are the new Deus Ex games I feel like those are somewhat of a compromise between immersive sims and modern gaming mechanics with the automatic take downs and third person cover system to name a few features that I feel sometimes detract from the overall experience or sense of immersion.

I'm glad to see that Prey adheres to the pillars or tenants of previous games in its lineage and that you can lean and that so much attention was given to the level design and making Talos 1 feel like a real and lived in space. Someone else commented on the games visual design being less cluttered and I wholeheartedly agree. That was another thing that drove me nuts with Dishonored 2 and Mankind Divided is just how busy the environments were. I felt like it was not only displeasing to the eyes especially with all the useless objects and junk that would glow (I'm looking at you Deus Ex with your throwable boxes and items) but that it was distracting and got in the way of my enjoyment of the environments. I really appreciated how clean and muted the environments are in Prey where I feel like they found and struck the proper balance.

I'm also glad how they went about implementing the rpg elements as it didn't force you to play in any one particular way or another in order to maximize points like Deux Ex or randomly scatter the upgrades throughout the level like in Dishonored where you just follow the heart to a random point on the map with no other goal or reward. I feel like Prey simply gives you all these toys and tools and lets you then play the game how you want to play it and then rewards you by using whatever means you choose to employ in completing objectives. It was also fun to venture into other sections of Talos 1 that you weren't necessarily supposed to go to just yet and start exploring and see if you could scrape by with all of the stronger enemies. I also thoroughly enjoyed how the recycler and fabricator were used in this game because it made sense within the game world and provided an actual purpose and justificaiton for what would otherwise be one mindlessly collecting and acquiring random objects.

I know some will complain that Arkane hasn't done anything particularly inventive or new that hasn't been done before with this game and I can understand that sentiment but just how often is it that we get a AAA immersive sim in the vein of System Shock? I can only hope that Prey is a success so that it helps influence other developers and show that there is a market for this kind of game and that more will follow suit. Besides, we already have Spector working on System Shock 3 with other Looking Glass folks so I'm looking to them to be the ones to try something new. In the meantime I'm just glad to have something familiar but new and with a fresh coat of paint and polish. Although part of me still feels like Arkane has created something special by just how well they've interwoven everything into this game. Whereas I eventually got a little burned out playing Dishonored 2 and Mankind Divided I didn't really seem to have that issue with Prey. Looking back, there really weren't any sections of the game that felt like a chore either. Again, I feel like the setting of Talos 1 is the star here and I was more than happy and willing to return to its different sections and levels and discover what new secrets remained to be discovered.

Anyways, on to some random thoughts and experiences from the game... Has anyone else found any particular uses for the nerf gun? I found that you could actually use it to operate computers and door switches from afar. It's also pretty useful in dealing with the cystoids which I would have never expected. I'm curious as to what other uses the bow has that remain undiscovered. I've also found that getting an enemy to chase you into zero g will put them into stasis which I learned when I ran from a Voltaic Phantom in the Cargo Bay by jumping into the zero gravity shaft leading back into G.U.T.S. which was a welcome surprise. I then proceeded to bash him with my wrench without fear of being struck down. It makes me curious as to what other little details they considered and paid attention to and put into the game. For example, I was hiding on some metallic stairs at one point when a Voltaic Phantom was walking down the hall attached to the stairs and the stairs actually conducted the electrical discharges from the phantom and instantly killed me. I know that it would happen with any pools or puddles of water in the game but I was genuinely surprised to see that they took enough time to make sure that metal stairs would do the same. I also appreciated some of the lighter humor found in how the company and other things are portrayed in the game.

Those are just some of my initial thoughts and musings on the game after having just completed it. I'm eager to see what impressions everyone else has had with the game.

Jason Moyer on 11/5/2017 at 21:36

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FFS SDF, how about some spoilers. Jesus H.

On an unrelated note, reviews of this game are hilarious as apparently almost no one who works professionally as a games reviewer has played System Shock 2, meaning they have no frame of reference for this game whatsoever.

HipBreaker on 12/5/2017 at 02:30

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I was the level designer for Hardware Labs and G.U.T.S. I was also responsible for various side quests in the game. Working with Purah is an absolute blast, as is working with the other designers whose work includes Deus Ex and the Bioshock series.

Renault on 12/5/2017 at 15:17

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Also wanted to mention - just my personal take, but I think the music in the game is obnoxious, and I turned it off. I can see what they're going for, but I couldn't take it anymore. Every time a mimic showed up, it turned my TV room into some 4AM rave party. No thanks.

Judith on 12/5/2017 at 17:21

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Music in Prey is great, and Mick Gordon has just scored a hat-trick with this one. First Wolf: New Order, then Doom, now Prey. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing anything he writes next.