Prey

This is one of the cleverest games we’ve ever played. It constantly wows with many multiple solutions to almost every problem. If you have a talent for thinking outside the box, chances are Arkane is three steps ahead and ready to accommodate your lunacy. [July 2017, p66]

After my love affair with nearly every game that inspired Prey, it seems tailor-made to satisfy me. It is indeed a Corey-Ass Game. Although it does have a few rough spots, Prey is phenomenal, and I immediately dived back in to play more as soon as the credits rolled — a rarity for me. Arkane Studios has been on a hot streak with its past three titles, and I’m looking forward to whatever they try to hypnotize me with next. Or maybe the hypnosis is so ingrained at this point they’ve simply conditioned me to enjoy everything they produce? Hypnotists, indeed.

Prey combines the sheer inventive spirit of the Bioshock and System Shock saga with the ruthlessly difficult pace of a hardcore shooter. The more experienced players will distinguish the well written old school core from the light sci-fi veneer which isn't all that bad. A true gem for all the lovers of rich lonely experiences.

Arkane studios don’t just quote System Shock but show in all areas how pleaeantly challenging modern games can be. There are technical shortcomings (mainly on consoles), but in the long run (especially the most intense last third) you will be more surprised than in almost any other game in recent years.

Prey's systems collide delightfully as the player moves through its magnificently designed interiors, and the stories within are also something extraordinary. Hunt it down with haste.

Despite a few missteps, Prey does a lot of smart, rewarding innovation with its gameplay. Your abilities are balanced with those of the enemy, and the progression system ensures that you’ll never become a one-man death machine. That palpable tension of a shadow lurking just out of sight remains taut for the entire campaign, and each encounter layers on more reasons to be fearful while poking around Talos I.

Despite the influence of mythical figures such as System Shock and BioShock, Prey is a fresh and unique take on the first person adventure genre. Arkane Studios managed to design a game with an engaging plot and a great blend of several game mechanics which provide an incredibly deep experience whatever play style you prefer.

Prey is a highly sophisticated game with respect to its gameplay, level design and narrative. Although its graphical and artificial intelligence problems are easy to notice, we've had a great sci-fi experience.

Prey is an amazing sci-fi game, driven by great gameplay and a wonderful story.

Some minor bugs aside, this is a horror fan’s dream come true. Prey may appear to be a first-person shooter on the surface, but there’s an RPG hidden just underneath its shiny graphics. You have the freedom to approach Prey in any way you desire, and it’s unlikely any two players will have the same experience. With an intriguing story, impressive ambiance, and challenging gameplay, Prey is a must-own game that has found a unique take on psychological horror in game form.

Prey is an action exploration game that sends a love letter to games such as System Shock 2 and Bioshock. It takes the best from them and combines it with some of its own fresh ideas and innovative gameplay, to create an amazing journey. Set on the Talos I space station that has been compromised by an alien race, you assume the role of Morgan, a scientist who will have to explore, survive and discover the world of Prey.

If you're looking for a good science-fiction survival game with a ton of fresh ideas, deep and satisfying mechanics with a lot of replayability and, of course, a great setting... Well, look elsewhere, because Prey is not good: it's amazing.

Prey establishes an interesting atmosphere early on and maintains that, with only a few disagreements along the way. Lengthy load times are likely going to get reduced with patches and combat is sometimes more annoying and pace-breaking than I would like, but overall, Prey gives more than enough back in return to offer a compelling experience.

BioShock, System Shock, Dead Space, Dishonored and others: you will find many influences in Prey, but it definitely shines on its own mainly thanks to great level design and gameplay.

Prey honors all the great games that served as inspiration, but it also manages to be its own thing. It's not perfect, but science fiction and space horror fans will surely love it. Once it clicks, it will take full control of your mind.

In the end Prey ends up being much more than a mosaic: thanks to its narrative and to the mobility of a gameplay that constantly evolves over over twenty hours of the main adventure, the game leaves a trace that ends up being unique.

Prey is great game, with good ideas that are well-executed, and although it reminds us of other games, it has its own identity. If you like sci-fi games and value the freedom to play the way you want, don't miss it.

Prey gives you a luxurious sci-fi playground and a great set of tools to use within it. Combat may be underwhelming, and the main story equally so, but the level of immersion on display is still absolutely stellar.

Prey is genre-bending in a way I haven’t really seen before. You can compare it to a half dozen games, but it still manages to feel unique from almost all of them. It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great single player experience you can get lost in for a week or two easily. Prey has come out of relative nowhere to be a truly great campaign experience that succeeds despite some of the game’s more muddled aspects. I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Overall, Prey is a polished game that does a lot of good storytelling, despite not having a particularly original plot. Prepare for a lot of notes and emails, and a lot of cups attacking you. It also doesn’t try to be anything it's not, but its beautiful music and audio creates an amazing atmosphere.

Prey's pacing may turn off players unwilling to let the story unfold in due time, but Arkane has crafted a special, authentic world that's worth combing over for every last detail.

Prey seems like an ode to Bioshock more than it feels like a retelling of Prey 2006, but it unfolds as a layered and thought through sci-fi game that invites gamers to play tactically. Talos-1 is amazing when it comes to level-design and detail.

The new Prey isn't the old Prey. It's something completely new aimed at fans of "atmospherical exploration" in the vein of BioShock and System Shock. It's not perfect - its biggest strengths and weakness are the things this game borrows from other titles. Still, Arcane Studios has created an ambitious, difficult, engrossing game full of choices. A really great game.

To be sure, much of what players encounter will be familiar, and usually pleasantly so. But there’s also a satisfying dribbling of concepts and ideas here that you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re a fan of any of the games I’ve referenced over the course of this little essay and you’ve enjoyed Arkane’s past work, then Prey is a pretty safe bet.

PREY is a great game that blends many influences such as System Shock, BioShock, Half-Life, Deus Ex and Dishonored, and it's only let down by the technical aspects. Maybe for PREY 2?

Prey often feels like mash-up of some of the best sci-fi survival horror games of yesteryear and Arkane’s previous work. And it is. But it also a title with some wildly unique ideas, an incredibly thick and unnerving atmosphere, and an exemplary soundtrack.

Arkane Studios pleasantly surprises us with a Prey that, although relatively stealthily, is one of the best games in recent months. The French studio shows that having a great plot is as important as being able to tell the story. Better pacing and controls could have made the game even better.

We definitely want a second run with Prey to delve into its possibilities. Although it covers too much and neglects some of them, the great design of the Talos 1 keeps you in motion, developing your skills and accomplishing side missions with great interest. And although their wanting to offer so much occasionally plays against itself, it is certainly a solid and commendable experience.

The story is not the best and its difficulty is very high, but Prey gets the job done. Despite its shortcomings, it's an interesting game that appeals to a very specific audience and delivers an experience that should be played.

Prey has become a great reboot. A breathtaking setting, well-thought plot twists and intriguing lore take sci-fi to a higher level. While borrowing a myriad of elements from other franchises, Prey also shows its own face. However it still has quite a few bugs.

Prey starts off with a bang and does not stop as the Talos I aims consume you into its engrossing atmosphere and narrative.

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.

The story is gripping, the combat is exhilarating, the horror elements are genuinely horrifying and the fear that comes with furtively entering a room and checking inanimate objects for signs of life is a sensation that’s hard to replicate and even harder to maintain throughout a game’s length. Do yourself a favour and take a chance on Prey if mind bending FPS horror is your bag… Lord knows it needs the support and I for one would love to see the franchise move from strength to strength with a follow up installment.

While not the masterpiece it could have been, this imaginative, immersive sim provides an impressive, dense sandbox with plenty of exciting toys to play with. [July 2016, p.93]

Where Prey succeeds is with its backstory and the fear you feel trying to decide if that coffee cup in front of you is really a coffee cup. If you’re looking for a shooter with a beautiful environment, decent story and open-world-style gameplay, pick up Prey.

Prey may borrow heavily from its predecessors but also blends them in a way and tackles a subject that comes across as refreshing and new even if the mechanics underneath are functionally derivative. The systems in place are familiar and recognizable but the machine built from these components is new and worthwhile. In this way, Prey follows up on its own primary theme in the most straightforward way: it takes common ideas and designs but out of these ingredients, still manages to form its own unique identity.

Prey gets a lot of things right, but it has a few technical hiccups and some balance issues that keep it from being a truly stellar experience. Let's hope we see some improvements in the next Prey.

Awkward gunplay and less-than-stellar graphics aside, Prey lets you run around an intriguing setting, wielding unique powers against a relentless alien force as you go. You won't regret spending your time with this one.

Combat isn't really what I found myself wanting from Prey. Neither is conflict. Solving issues and making things right works in the power fantasy of a video game, but it doesn't really suit what Arkane excelled at with this effort. Prey is about discovering a place that people lived and worked in. It's especially interesting in the context of all the sci-fi plot devices that power everything, but it's also the human angle that's undeniably fascinating in its weird posthumous voyeurism. Danielle Sho seemed like a hell of a scientist, but I found myself caring more about her love life and musical talents.

Despite these niggles, I was left feeling satisfied after the post-credits scene. I’m already planning on diving back in and fixing the mistakes of my first run. Prey makes you feel clever, excites, intrigues and, at least once, can be absolutely terrifying. But, hey, at least you can turn into a toilet roll now. If you’re looking for one of the most interesting triple-A video games this year, it’s over here disguised as a sci-fi shooter.

While it may be easy to say that much of Prey has been done before, whether it’s the space station setting or emergent gameplay, there is more than enough subtlety and nuance to set it apart. Consequential upgrades, smart resource management, engaging difficulty, and a mysterious story make Prey a game worth fighting for.

Prey’s curious alternate-history universe, intriguing sidequests, hidden threats, and detailed environmental storytelling make Talos I a joy to explore. The unsettling sense of paranoia that comes from knowing any object could turn out to be a hidden enemy gives even the quiet moments a palpable tension. All of that picks up the slack for combat and stealth that doesn’t feel fresh enough to sustain it throughout what can be a long game.

Prey is a game that meshes together a variety of ideas into a game that rewards exploration and experimentation and provides players with a fun toolbox with which to do so.

Prey is mildly limited in scope and replay value, but everything that is there will hook players almost immediately. In terms of quality over quantity, Prey made the right trade off.

Prey gives you all the tools you need, but allows you to decide how to get to your goal. The fear is constant, as is the joy from getting to safety. Despite a largely forgettable main story, I'll remember my own experience in Talos-1 for some time.

Writing over our memories of the Prey that preceded it, Arkane Studios’ game is something new and yet strikingly familiar. There’s a great deal of kinship to the likes of Bioshock, Half-Life and other classic games, but it’s also broader and more expansive in what it tries to do. Regardless of its flaws and similarities, Prey manages to be an enthralling science fiction adventure.

Arkane has delivered some outstanding gameplay here, but the story is inconsistent. If you read emails and books littered across Talos 1, there's something of intrigue here, but the actual narrative told directly to the player will leave you wanting significantly more...I thoroughly recommend Prey, particularly to those who even remotely enjoyed Dishonored or BioShock – there's plenty here that will attract attention. It's a great game.

While not flawless, this title offers an incredible sci-fi story about paranoia and the self, while sprinkling Arkane’s always excellent gameplay on top. While things like the psychic powers fail to justify being in the game mechanically, the creative weapons and multiple gameplay approaches help to make the exploration of Talos-I really shine. Between the rewards for searching through the environments, and the fact that the game is a visual treat, a venture through this deteriorating Cold War-era space station is definitely worth your time.

What Prey lacks in originality it makes up for with meaningful follow-through. It’s drawn so many comparisons to System Shock, Bioshock, Alien: Isolation, and the list goes on and on and on. But, rather than simply aping the superficial elements of its influences, Prey gets down to the core of what made them great and adds its own imaginative flare for good measure. While I may not remember its convoluted and potentially meaningless story, and can’t forget soon enough its incredibly long load times on the PS4, I will always remember Prey’s intricate level design, layered combat and the joy I got from exploring Talos I. Hopefully the day comes when I can say the same about Talos II.

Taken together, Prey is a brilliant but flawed descent into a world of science gone wrong, driven by a well told, cerebrally satisfying story which makes up for the mechanical inconsistencies of the experience. Comparing Prey to Bioshock only reveals the relative cracks which explains why the former doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the latter, so it’s instead best to enjoy Prey as its own thing, forgiving its flaws to marvel at the results of Arkane’s intelligent approach to game design.

Harsh difficulty mars an otherwise engrossing sci-fi journey in a fascinating setting. [July 2017, p.76]

Prey is not a good shooter and the story does not really live up to our expectations. However, Talos I is an amazing place, thanks to the huge feeling of freedom you get in solving every problem totally your way.

Prey is a fine experience that while engaging and fun, has its fair share of downsides and faults. The story could be more complex and deeper than the shallow story that was presented to us and the PS4 load times can be really frustrating at times. But the gameplay is fun, and the story, while shallow, is still engaging.

Although Prey’s combat and narrative fail to fill the shoes of the games they’re so obviously taking inspiration from, the visit to its Talos I space station is a marvel in interconnected level design and presentation. This is environmental storytelling and mechanical tension done to a tee, even if Prey is working hard to try and yank you out of its immersion far too often.

Prey is another win for Arkane Studios and Bethesda. It may not have much to do with the original or the promising cancelled sequel, but it is a fine attempt at keeping the name alive. Sadly, the difficulty can be a barrier to enjoyment and often places you in situations where you are ill equipped to survive. Some may adore the challenge, others may find themselves too frustrated to continue. Otherwise Prey is a worthy followup, even if it isn’t what could have been.

Prey is a fun game with its highlights rooted in beautiful yet creepy levels that contain a lot to explore, but its lack of originality sadly holds it back quite a bit. It’s a classic case of “jack of all trades, master of none,” except with a couple of flaws in some of its trades as well.

If you're in the mood for a corridor crawl modeled after the Dishonored series' "one problem, multiple solutions" approach, Prey has plenty to offer. Its pedigree is clear, an homage to design DNA you can trace back to Looking Glass Studios 1990s "Thief" and "Shock" games. There's no shame in iteration, and Prey does nothing worse than its precursors. The only question, given how familiar most of its ideas feel in 2017, is whether homage is enough.

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.

Prey’s sound design and soundtrack are some of the best to come from a game this year. Unfortunately, a lot of the aspects surrounding that hamper the potential set up from the game’s impressive opening hour. The combat is a source of frustration, and the load times neuter exploration. But if you’re able to look past that, Prey can provide some thrills.

Prey is a mixed bag. Its setting is derivative but pretty, with its emergent storytelling often making for an eerie and atmospheric good time. But shallow enemies punish the player for their curiosity early on and only become annoying bullet sponges later. That, combined with an ultimate failure of the narrative to follow through on the psychological promises of the excellent opening, make for an experience that is, above everything else, conflicted.

Prey is a game of uneven pacing and uninteresting characters. It opens with a poignant, thought-provoking premise, but fails to follow through until the end, when it claims a revelation it doesn't quite earn. Its gameplay falters out of the gate, eventually maturing into something worthwhile, if a bit familiar. As an homage to System Shock it's competent and at times even enjoyable. However, Prey fails to distinguish itself, and next to immersive sim contemporaries such as Dishonored, it feels stagnant.

If you can overlook its unsatisfying combat and floaty controls, Prey’s freedom and multiple endings provide a game that’s worth experiencing.

A wasted opportunity to create a modern take on System Shock, with the dull storytelling and action overshadowing the otherwise effective puzzle elements.

Nearly everything good about Prey is pulled from a game released in the decade before it. Well, four other games to be exact...The new Prey takes the highlights of these games, but merely allows them to coexist in a single habitat, never doing anything new with the foundational building blocks it has borrowed.

Ultimately, I doubt I’ll remember Prey much after I stop playing it. There’s too much else going on in games in 2017, and Prey does not stand out amongst its peers. Its fiction is self-serious, despite being so derivative, and its systems are frustrating and constantly in conflict with each other. It feels like dozens of other games I’ve played already, but enjoyed more. Even when something interesting does happen, I still feel like my time hasn’t been respected and my brain hasn’t been stimulated as promised.

That’s Prey all over. It works, it’s well made, and polished, and all those things we expect “AAA” games to be. What it is not is exciting. At all...It’s an also-ran that I was quite frankly happy to see the back of once I was blessedly finished.