Arkane PREY - Arkane's immersive coffee cup transformation sim - now with Mooncrash roguelike mode DLC

[vortex]

Will Human Head studios release Prey 2 under some new title and change what it needs to change?

 

[Siel]

Finished it in 30 hours on Hard.
Great game but fuck technopaths in zero g.

 

[sullynathan]

And that response from the dev about not having a PC demo because of how Steam works is just a fart into people's faces. Douchebags like that don't deserve having a job.

Why should they even release a demo to begin with? Who else is releasing demos for AAA games these days?

Pretty much every AAA dev releases some type of demo or beta

Yeah? Are you now comparing limited multiplayer betas to free singleplayer demos? Or where are those demos for Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, Halo, etc.?

does it matter?

 

[ciox]

Finished it in 30 hours on Hard.
Great game but fuck technopaths in zero g.

Yea, out of the ink beastiary I don't think the giant non-descript lumps with oversized HP will end up being very popular.

Speaking of lumps of ink the Poltergeist hasn't been able to do shit to me so far despite playing on Hard, he just plays his special soundtrack and fucks around with the light switches, killed 2-3 of them without a scratch.

I also managed to kill a Nightmare who was being a bitch, showed up after I installed JUST TWO alien powers and blocked my path completely, I used my only Typhon Lure to get him out of the way, but later he just blindly followed me into someone's room and blocked the exit, but somehow I was able to kill him with 2 recycler charges and about 6 shotgun shells (3 damage upgrades, no Standard skill) it was kinda challenging but maybe still a tiny bit easy, I'll have a look at Nightmare difficulty later, hopefully they get that Nightmare difficulty should mean less items and more monsters not HP inflation.

 

[Morgoth]

There's a side mission where you can install some transmitter on a satellite in Talos I exterior that allows you to either attract or repel the Nightmare for 4x whenever it shows up. Pretty useful when you are in a rush.

The Telepath and Technopath are motherfuckers, but the worst are those exploding balls whizzing around in GUTS. When I was looking for this Dalton guy I simply rage quitted the game. Then I resumed 5 min later.

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

This game would have benefited immensely from more interesting creatures. Something more akin to this..

or this

Instead they chose black crayon smudges.

 

[Ash]

Well, despite a promising beginning the game is not as good as SS2 however it's probably its best approximation. Which means that it's better than a lot of stuff out there ... *cough* ... new Deux Ex, Dishonored, Bioshock or Dead Space.

If those are not up to your standards but Prey comes close, well maybe I'll get Prey sooner rather than later after all.

 

[Morgoth]

The aliens are straight out plagiarized from Edge of Tomorrow.

 

[ciox]

There's a side mission where you can install some transmitter on a satellite in Talos I exterior that allows you to either attract or repel the Nightmare for 4x whenever it shows up. Pretty useful when you are in a rush.

The Telepath and Technopath are motherfuckers, but the worst are those exploding balls whizzing around in GUTS. When I was looking for this Dalton guy I simply rage quitted the game. Then I resumed 5 min later.

I'm definitely not far enough for that satellite thing, as for the Cystoids, I heard the devs say in a stream somewhere that they don't react if you go past at a slow speed (Thrust of about 1~1.4), so I used that tactic a lot, it was nice when they put radiation in some areas to make that tactic less useful, but I still managed to use it anyway, and at any rate the there's easy Antirad meds around which is fairly kid gloves.

 

[Latelistener]

This game would have benefited immensely from more interesting creatures.

There are enough games with that kind of shit already. We even have the official Thing game. Let Prey be Prey.

 

[Ash]

Let Prey be Prey.

Love the unintended irony in that statement.

Spoiler

 

[toro]

Will Human Head studios release Prey 2 under some new title and change what it needs to change?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06...-heads-prey-2?abthid=51af79d92aabedda5500000c

Following Prey 2’s impressive showing at E3 2011, Bethesda, pleased with the team’s work, promised Human Head a development extension of six months to one year – all the time it needed to populate the mostly complete game world with missions, polish what rough edges remained, and ship Prey 2 in 2012 as planned. “That’s when Bethesda decided to play hardball and buy the studio,” said one source familiar with the situation. Another person close to Bethesda and Human Head shared a similar story.

In the following months, a source claimed, "Bethesda denied further funding of the project, and started failing milestones,” asking for changes and fixes without following through on its previous promise to give the team more time. The promise, however, was not inked on the contract, so Bethesda had no legal obligation to fulfill it. In addition, a source said, Bethesda was likely concerned with the "dated planning, tools, and techniques" Human Head was using. Meanwhile, the contract didn’t give the creative team any leverage: Prey 2 was the only game Human Head was legally allowed to develop on its own until the agreement expired -- to fill time and keep the lights on, the studio supported the development BioShock Infinite and Defiance. If it were to ever release, the team needed more cash and time to meet the rising demands to adjust Prey 2, which "needed a lot of work" and was "lackluster" from the publisher's perspective.

Conflict erupted – Human Head asked Bethesda to provide additional time and money, while Bethesda asked Human Head to meet the criteria agreed upon by their existing agreement. At this point, Bethesda "thought they could bully [Human Head] into a corner,” a source said, and the publisher made a move to buy Human Head. “It was one of few studios that could work with and improve id Technology. They wanted to buy us at a sweet price,” but the developer denied the buyout[/b]. Human Head didn't want to permanently marry itself to a publisher that was "bleeding Human Head dry." This would limit the studio's ability to work on its own creative endeavors down the line, potentially with other publishers.

In November 2011, in a play to keep Bethesda from purchasing Human Head, and as a result of the contract dispute, development stopped. One source called it a strike. In the following months, Bethesda and Human Head communicated sporadically, “but the conversation was very one sided. The studio made reasonable offers, but nothing came to fruition. Nothing moved in 2012.”

Bethesda appeared to wait out Human Head. The contractual agreement between the two eventually came to term, Bethesda got its game back without spending any more money, and Human Head went on its way – the team is currently working with a new publisher on another open-world game.

Short version: Bethesda tried to buy Human Head. They failed. Prey 2 made by Human Head Studio will never be released because the IP belongs to Bethesda. Human Head is not dead yet but it's developing games for mobile devices.

 

[Mynon]

Prove me wrong, motherfucker.

Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. Yours are extraordinary claims, whereas his position is reasonable and logical. Burden of proof is not on him, nor on me, nor on anyone else who agrees with him.

 

[Latelistener]

Let Prey be Prey.

Love the unintended irony in that statement.

Spoiler

Would have make more sense if you posted something from the original Prey, since Prey 2 has nothing to do with it either, aside from being kidnapped by aliens.

Short version: Bethesda tried to buy Human Head. They failed. Prey 2 made by Human Head Studio will never be released because the IP belongs to Bethesda. Human Head is not dead yet but it's developing games for mobile devices.

I have a feeling that Bethesda eventually wanted to publish Prey 2, but

Unfortunately, since they didn't have the source code, or rights to use any of the internal tech Human Head owned (mega-textures, global-based lighting, etc), it was doomed from the start.

After that Human Head co-developed Arkham Origins (that open world title), Minimum and Dungeon Defenders II.
Well, props to them for showing the middle finger to Bethesda, but I'm pretty sure many would actually want them to be cucked by Bethesda just to see Prey 2.

 

[Infinitron]

Reviews: http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/118890-prey-reviews.html

Game Informer - 8.25/10:

Prey’s impressive narrative execution makes its shortcomings easier to bear, but it doesn’t erase them. While the combat did improve substantially once I was able to use Typhon powers and gain cool weaponry (like a grenade that creates a small Black Hole), I never escaped the feeling that I was chipping off squares off a health meter when I went up against foes. There’s also a lot of backtracking, especially if you do side missions, and while those occasions aren’t too annoying in themselves, they do hammer home that the space station isn’t as visually diverse as it could be.

In spite of being rough around the edges, Prey still managed to consistently impress and even occasionally hit me with a sense of wonder. Sections that had me floating around the exterior of the Talos-1 in zero-G were tense, as I explored massive hull breaches for supplies like a treasure hunter, and I loved experimenting with the Gloo Gun, using it not only to immobilize enemies but also to plug up holes spewing fire and to build bridges across chasms.

In Morgan Yu, Prey invites us to create a fascinating and complicated protagonist navigating a dangerous world filled with characters worth knowing. Arkane’s fusion of player-driven storytelling and flexible gameplay remains strong throughout its first sci-fi outing, and makes Prey a stellar horror adventure in spite of a handful of flaws.

We Got This Covered - 3.5/5:

Prey burrows beneath your skin and never quite leaves your waking thoughts, but it's also buggy and imbalanced, marrying a first-rate setting to uneven gameplay. Comparisons with Bioshock are inevitable, but with its peaks and troughs, Prey reminds me more of Alien: Isolation.

AusGamers - 9.5/10:

Two days after finishing it, I'm still having Prey dreams. I'm still thinking about the ending, still wondering about the places I went to, the things I did. I'm itching to talk about the things that occurred within it and similarly knowing I can't because nobody I know has yet finished it. It took me 24 and a half hours. I loved every minute of it. I woke up early to play it and went to bed late because I didn't want to stop. Play it now so we can talk about it.

Heavy.com - 8/10:

Arkane Studios had a lot to prove since the cancellation of Prey 2, and they have more than demonstrated that they were up to the task. While Prey is flawed, most of my complaints boil down to wishing that the game was even more brilliant overall than it already is. Though not as groundbreaking as it’s inspirations, Prey’s immersive and clever environments and gameplay grows on you like an alien virus.

MSPoweruser - 10/10:

Overall, Prey is a mind-blowing game. One of the main questions gamers ask nowadays is how a particular title advances the genre. How do you contribute to first-person shooters which mostly push out generic campaigns but stellar multiplayer experiences? Prey is a perfect example of what’s possible when developers incorporate role-playing mechanics into the stale category. While Prey is heavily inspired by games like BioShock and System Shock, it manages to rise above them due to the sheer vastness of the playground it offers. If you own an Xbox One, you owe it to yourself to pick up Prey.

Attack of the Fanboy - 4.5/5:

As far as first person action games go, Arkane Studios is probably the best in the business. Proving that the studio has no shortage of interesting ideas, Prey is the perfect blend of thrilling action and thought provoking story. Who needs a new Bioshock or Half Life game when we’re getting experiences like these?

Stevivor - 8.5/10

Prey also suffers from the failings of another sci-fi epic, Mass Effect, in that a host of choices boil down to considerably less. Talos 1 is bustling with life (or is that corpses?) – while you can go out of your way to track down all 250+ survivors, ultimately deciding their fate at that time, those lives ultimately mean nothing at the end. Prey’s conclusion does live up to the claim of Arkane’s Raphael Colantonio: despite multiple endings, most of them will work as canon should a sequel end up on store shelves.

Despite those rough patches, Prey is wholly engrossing, begging the player to solve Talos 1’s many mysteries. It works well as a shooter, a stealth game and carries an 70s sci-fi vibe that is nothing short of a delight to experience.

The Guardian - 3/5:

Prey might have the wrench in common with BioShock, but it doesn’t have a Big Daddy of its own. Although Prey possesses an exciting arsenal of weaponry and abilities, and an attention-grabbing enemy in the Mimics, nothing ever becomes awe-inspiring or genuinely memorable in its borrowed offerings. What could have been a breakneck race around Talos 1 is hampered by constant plot detours, and an overly harsh kickback for investing in the best abilities in the game. The Arkane studios have an interesting approach to player empowerment: Dishonored provided an array of violent powers, but then asked us not to use them, while Prey dares the player to break the rules, but then punishes them for doing so.

In the latter game, as enjoyable as it is, this counter-intuitive approach has proved less successful.

Gadgets360 - 9/10:

None of Prey’s elements stand out on their own, but they work well in cohesion. Progressing through the story was a treat. Without spoiling much, there are a fair number of plot twists that keep you engaged. This is backed up with slick controls, responsive gunplay, cool neuromods, and stellar level design.

Clocking in at around 20 hours, Prey is well worth checking out even if you’re not a fan of horror or sci-fi. It might not be wholly original, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

The Slanted - 9/10:

While the game itself may take you a week or so to finish, depending on your play-style, I found it to be a great thriller. Crafting a unique sci-fi thriller with aliens isn’t easy, and the story itself should keep even the most die-hard sci-fi fans interested throughout the entire game.

 

[Mynon]

Interesting, player never becoming overpowered a la late game SS2 and Bioshock seems to be a common complaint among those reviewers that gave it somewhat lower score. That appears to be one of those things where people will complain no matter what, as exact opposite complaint was made against SS2.

 

[Saark]

Prove me wrong, motherfucker.

Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. Yours are extraordinary claims, whereas his position is reasonable and logical. Burden of proof is not on him, nor on me, nor on anyone else who agrees with him.

Anyone who has barely payed attention to Zenimax and Bethesdas dealings in the last 15 years knows that they are one of the most despicable publishers in the entire industry. I can see why one would get triggered by somone telling everyone to "buy this at full price, they deserve it".

Game itself does seem like a decent game, but then I realized that people still think paying 60Euros for a 25hour non-multiplayer game is fine.

 

[Zarniwoop]

In any game that has character progression, you HAVE to be "overpowered" at the end. If everything scales to your level it completely defeats the purpose of having character progression in the first place.

 

[Mynon]

Game itself does seem like a decent game, but then I realized that people still think paying 60Euros for a 25hour non-multiplayer game is fine.

Pay full price for what you think deserves it, but then don't whine because certain types of games aren't being made anymore. Why would anyone invest in a game like this, when people would rather pay for a co op or multiplayer focused shooter...

 

[Darth Roxor]

Game itself does seem like a decent game, but then I realized that people still think paying 60Euros for a 25hour non-multiplayer game is fine.

Pay full price for what you think deserves it, but then don't whine because certain types of games aren't being made anymore. Why would anyone invest in a game like this, when people would rather pay for a co op or multiplayer focused shooter...

plant

 

[Saark]

Game itself does seem like a decent game, but then I realized that people still think paying 60Euros for a 25hour non-multiplayer game is fine.

Pay full price for what you think deserves it, but then don't whine because certain types of games aren't being made anymore. Why would anyone invest in a game like this, when people would rather pay for a co op or multiplayer focused shooter...

Because this isn't the year 2000 anymore. There's few genres that don't have an audience big enough to warrant investment into a AAA game in that particular genre. We're not talking about publishers losing money on investing into any type of game, it's the amount of profit that limits their choices, not resources or manpower. When a publisher then decides to massively fuck over and play with the livelihoods of their talented developers and the only motivation behind it is profit-hunger your argument simply doesn't stick. It's not like Bethesda wouldn't have made enough of a profit off of NV, Prey 2 or Echelon without fucking the developers of those games in the ass, no lubricant. And they sure as fuck would make more than enough profit off of this game even if the price-tag was 40€. The only reason they decide to go a step further is to stuff their own pockets some more, not to "help make games that don't get made anymore".

It's been like this for almost a decade now and everytime I hear this blank argument of "be thankful for publisher XYZ because you get to play a game like this" I have to vomit. Publishers are the only reason I DON'T get to play a game like this more often. Having this argument in a thread about Prey, out of all the possible games out there, is fucking hilarious.

 

[Siel]

 

[SumDrunkGuy]

This game would have benefited immensely from more interesting creatures.

There are enough games with that kind of shit already. We even have the official Thing game. Let Prey be Prey.

Ya know what, you're absolutely right. I didn't even think of it that way like wtf is wrong with me? Since other games have imaginative and awesome monster designs then there's no reason for Arkane to bother. Why should they even try right, let other developers worry about that stuff.

You're a total fucking retard.

*edit* It just occurred to me that you were maybe possibly being sarcastic. If that's the case then fuck you, don't mess with me like that.

 

[Latelistener]

Since other games have imaginative and awesome monster designs

Let's hear it.

 

[agentorange]

This is why Arkane, a studio BURSTING with ideas, innovation and potential, is stuck developing shit title after shit title for Bethesda/Zenimax.

2002 Arx Fatalis
2006 Dark Messiah
....
....
....
2012 Dishonored
2016 Dishonored 2
2017 Prey


Yes they were positively BURSTING with ideas. Now that little studio that was turning out innovative game after innovative game is stuck making...more of the same kind of games that they were always making.