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Prey review thread

TrutaS

Member
I absolutely hate this lack of proper PS4 reviews. I'll remove this game from my headspace for the time being and just focus on finishing Persona 5 and starting Nier. There's enough of a backlog, I guess until I can think about this one.
 
I've never even touched the first System Shock and barely played an hour of System Shock 2 because the gameplay is just dated today (especially the first game) and I was simply not having fun, the gameplay was outdated even 15 years ago. Which is why I'm waiting for the remake instead.


What are you refering to when you're using neogaf's favourite term when its out of its depth on a game ? How is a game richer and more complex than everything in the last ten years which uses the standard basic controls of today, dated ?
 

nynt9

Member
You would be surprised how many reviewers don't game on PC or played the classics.

Actually, I can probably think of the reviewers who have done so and could probably count them with a single hand, and most of them would be at RPS and eurogamer. Sad state of affairs, really.
 

Mattenth

Member
OpenCritic down to 83/100 :-\

Still a great score but I'm a little skeptical of how reviews are going to come in this week. 4 of the 8 reviews posted today are at 7/10 or below. The few contributors also have reviews that aren't nearly as jazzed, which is unusual (contributors generally skew higher).
 

benzopil

Member
OpenCritic down to 83/100 :-\

Still a great score but I'm a little skeptical of how reviews are going to come in this week. 4 of the 8 reviews posted today are at 7/10 or below. The few contributors also have reviews that aren't nearly as jazzed, which is unusual (contributors generally skew higher).

GameSpot's reviewer was bored after playing it for 10 hours and will probably give it 6-7.

I agree with these "low" scores tbh. I'm a huge BioShock fan and at the beginning this looked like BioShock 4 but soon became mediocre.
 
OpenCritic down to 83/100 :-

Still a great score but I'm a little skeptical of how reviews are going to come in this week. 4 of the 8 reviews posted today are at 7/10 or below. The few contributors also have reviews that aren't nearly as jazzed, which is unusual (contributors generally skew higher).

Seems it's doing far better with gamers than mainstream critics. A much more shallow game like Bioshock Infinite got rave reviews, while a modern day System Shock is getting sixes. Pah.
 
OpenCritic down to 83/100 :-

Still a great score but I'm a little skeptical of how reviews are going to come in this week. 4 of the 8 reviews posted today are at 7/10 or below. The few contributors also have reviews that aren't nearly as jazzed, which is unusual (contributors generally skew higher).

If they expected it to be simply Bioshock in Space, they set themselves up for disappointment.
 

benzopil

Member
Twinfinite -- 3/5
Despite its noticeable technical shortcomings, Prey still has some significant redeeming qualities. Its environment is one of the most enjoyable to explore and the way it weaves its overarching story into side quests only helps to accentuate the freedom you’re given as a player. If you can overlook its unsatisfying combat and floaty controls, Prey’s freedom and multiple endings provide a game that’s worth experiencing.
 

JonnyKong

Member
I find it quite interesting that the reviews coming out today aren't as glowing as the earlier ones. I wonder if there's a reasoning behind it, as in the early ones rush out their praising reviews to get more clicks?

But then I wonder if I'm surely over thinking this coincidence.
 
I find it quite interesting that the reviews coming out today aren't as glowing as the earlier ones. I wonder if there's a reasoning behind it, as in the early ones rush out their praising reviews to get more clicks?

But then I wonder if I'm surely over thinking this coincidence.

Read the text in the reviews not just the numbers. I don't agree with the what they're describing.
 
http://www.playstationtrophies.org/game/prey-2017/review/

4699-final.png
 

benzopil

Member
GameRevolution -- 4/5
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.
 

Sotha_Sil

Member
From the Guardian:

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.

I disagreed strongly with this critique for Dishonored, and it seems like more of the same here. I think it's excellent game design to have a well-realized world like the ones Arkane provides feature some logical push-back for unleashing your full potential. It made sense that high kill-counts would lead to more weepers and rat plagues in Dishonored. It makes sense that a station with defense mechanisms in place to stop the Typhon would react against the player the more Typhon powers are used.
 

Frostman

Member
Shame about some of the recent scores coming in. I'm in love with this game, the atmosphere and audio are truly great.
 
You’d think that a game would want you to enjoy creating geysers of fire or mimicking chairs and turrets, but every character in the story warns you against these powers and that puts you on edge...you may be hesitant to spec in this direction.
Kind of sad to see consequences in games viewed as a negative. Yes, unlocking more alien powers makes turrets hostile and other reactions, but the game also gives you the means to counter those effects and you're forced to adapt your playstyle to effectively play in that way. Criticisms like that seem to be imply that a game should let you do whatever (why give me the powers but have negative effects) without risk/reward

In the OT, one person is doing a powers-focused build with little to no guns. Another focused on wrench and stealth. Another, upgrading his movement and agility to "Doom-like" speed. I'm doing a mix of guns and a few abilities so I can still use turrets
 

ryseing

Member
From the Guardian:



I disagreed strongly with this critique for Dishonored, and it seems like more of the same here. I think it's excellent game design to have a well-realized world like the ones Arkane provides feature some logical push-back for unleashing your full potential. It made sense that high kill-counts would lead to more weepers and rat plagues in Dishonored. It makes sense that a station with defense mechanisms in place to stop the Typhon would react against the player the more Typhon powers are used.

Problem with the first Dishonored was that it failed to provide compelling nonlethal options, and then punished the player with a bad ending for taking the most fun route. From what I've seen of Prey that doesn't seem to be the case as the nonalien abilities seem alright.
 
Kind of sad to see consequences in games viewed as a negative. Yes, unlocking more alien powers makes turrets hostile and other reactions, but the game also gives you the means to counter those effects and you're forced to adapt your playstyle to effectively play in that way. Criticisms like that seem to be imply that a game should let you do whatever (why give me the powers but have negative effects) without risk/reward

In the OT, one person is doing a powers-focused build with little to no guns. Another focused on wrench and stealth. Another, upgrading his movement and agility to "Doom-like" speed. I'm doing a mix of guns and a few abilities so I can still use turrets

That's awesome. :O
 

Anno

Member
I always hoped that the "bad ending" nonsense regarding Dishonored was some weird GAFism. To see it come up in reviews for another Arkane game is pretty sad. Everyone wants choices, no one wants consequences.
 
I always hoped that the "bad ending" nonsense regarding Dishonored was some weird GAFism. To see it come up in reviews for another Arkane game is pretty sad. Everyone wants choices, no one wants consequences.

Yeah. It's a damn shame.

Like why the hell would you not expect consequences if you acquire alien powers?
 
I thought that was fixed in the release?

I didn't play the demo, so I don't know how it compares.

As far as I can tell, the PS4 version has some slight input lag, but attempts to balance it out by having a tiny dead zone. Even the faintest touch on the analog stick will cause the protagonist to move.
 
Yeah. It's a damn shame.

Like why the hell would you not expect consequences if you acquire alien powers?
Most games wouldn't have consequences. Like the Bioshock games, or Dishonored, or HR/MD to an extent. Most games wouldnt lock you out from things or make certain playstyles less viable due to your build. Look at how easily you can switch between combat and stealth in Deus Ex and Dishonored
 

mishakoz

Member
Here's my review. This is my first ever trying to do some video game critque on the side and its a soft-launch of my channel. I'd appreciate the view/feedback. (its not monetized so I hope it doesnt count as self-promotion)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Tta9HLOLM

Highlights:
*Talos 1 is incredible, loved how real it feels
*Story is intriguing
*Constant sense of progression with better weapons and abilities
*Good music and graphical presentation
*Felt like playing an old PC shooter, but nuanced
*Going into a new section of the station was always a thrill, and there are a few areas that are apparently complete skippable.

Lowlights:
*Combat in the early game is awful
*Some bugs, doesnt play well in general on PS4 at times.
*Some strange NPC interaction
*Story can sometimes veer in predictable and annoying directions.
*The last act is just bad

8/10
 
Kind of sad to see consequences in games viewed as a negative. Yes, unlocking more alien powers makes turrets hostile and other reactions, but the game also gives you the means to counter those effects and you're forced to adapt your playstyle to effectively play in that way. Criticisms like that seem to be imply that a game should let you do whatever (why give me the powers but have negative effects) without risk/reward

In the OT, one person is doing a powers-focused build with little to no guns. Another focused on wrench and stealth. Another, upgrading his movement and agility to "Doom-like" speed. I'm doing a mix of guns and a few abilities so I can still use turrets

This is something I've seen a lot in the last years. People understand 'sandbox' or 'open world' games as 'just do everything you want, have fun!". Even some of the modern immersive sims get it wrong, and the are designed with the philosophy of "Every possible path determined by the player should be valid!" "If they want to kill everything, it should be possible!" "If they want to stealth the entire game it should be possible!"

True immersive sims allow for a good range of possibilities and tools for the player to play with, but that doesn't mean all of them should be possible during all the parts of the game, nor all should have the same difficulty.
 

ISee

Member
This game is a fantastic AAA dungeon crawler.
You navigate a labyrinth like environment, battle various monsters, solve puzzles, do quests, level up your skills and loot any treasure you can find.
The station is interconnected and every section has its own twist, the skill system is deep enough to give you variety and options in solving situations, you have to carefully manage your resources, the atmosphere is great and there are some cool game play twists.
This is Ultima Underworld meets System Shock, a very rare gem. A game that puts game play before linear, cinematic experiences. I wish modern day RPGs would do the same when it comes to dungeon design and exploration, because I'm way more interested in exploring this twisted space station than those huge Mass Effect Andromeda Planets.
 
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