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[Vitor711]

This game. Has a fucking.

Spoiler

Nerf

gun. Seriously what are they talking about?

Gameplay wise it's an extremely polished version of modern Deus Ex, with a Bioshock-esque world to explore. The Goo and Nerf guns are great additions but the latter is barely used.

It does really lack a unique soul though - the areas evoke the black and gold of Deus Ex and are well made but uninspired and the characters utterly forgettable. There's two I cared even remotely about in a cast of dozens. The aesthetic isn't strong enough to make an impression visually and the story doesn't drive you like in Bioshock. There's something to be said about solid gameplay being the main hook but that's not quite enough in an immersive sim that clearly wants to be so much more.

6/10 is a little harsh but the game has some flaws that become pretty evident after 10 hours in.

 

[Rexatality]

Gameplay wise it's an extremely polished version of modern Deus Ex, with a Bioshock-esque world to explore. The Goo and Nerf guns are great additions but the latter is barely used.

It does really lack a unique soul though - the areas evoke the black and gold of Deus Ex and are well made but uninspired and the characters utterly forgettable. There's two I cared even remotely about in a cast of dozens. The aesthetic isn't strong enough to make an impression visually and the story doesn't drive you like in Bioshock. There's something to be said about solid gameplay being the main hook but that's not quite enough in an immersive sim that clearly wants to be so much more.

6/10 is a little harsh but the game has some flaws that become pretty evident after 10 hours in.

Black and gold like Deus Ex? Please, it's more of a mix of art deco and retrofuturism

Hell, not all areas in Talos I are a mix of art deco and retrofuturism (Psychotronics, anyone?)

As for characters, I found the DnD side story genuinely interesting as well finding Morgan's last.

 

[Trickster]

Breaking my heart to see some of these terrible reviews for what is an incredibly good game.

 

[Savantcore]

Just tried the demo and while the world and premise seem really interesting, I couldn't really get past the melee combat. Swinging wildly while mimics sapped my health wasn't fun, and the little gunplay there was didn't exactly inspire me.

 

[Human Trashcan]

Gameplay wise it's an extremely polished version of modern Deus Ex, with a Bioshock-esque world to explore. The Goo and Nerf guns are great additions but the latter is barely used.

It does really lack a unique soul though - the areas evoke the black and gold of Deus Ex and are well made but uninspired and the characters utterly forgettable. There's two I cared even remotely about in a cast of dozens. The aesthetic isn't strong enough to make an impression visually and the story doesn't drive you like in Bioshock. There's something to be said about solid gameplay being the main hook but that's not quite enough in an immersive sim that clearly wants to be so much more.

6/10 is a little harsh but the game has some flaws that become pretty evident after 10 hours in.

I thought the story was weak until I finished the game. Then I absolutely fell in love with what the game was doing. It definitely could have done a better job with characterization though.

I do agree the aesthetic is very one-note, and some of the enemies are just annoying. But overall this game is a solid 9/10 for me.

 

[GHG]

Just tried the demo and while the world and premise seem really interesting, I couldn't really get past the melee combat. Swinging wildly while mimics sapped my health wasn't fun, and the little gunplay there was didn't exactly inspire me.

The demo barely scratches the surface of what's on offer in terms of the options available at your disposal when it comes to handling encounters to be honest. You can legitamely beat the game without ever firing a single bullet from a gun and have a ton of fun doing it.

But if you want to just go through the game hitting stuff with the wrench and shooting basic weapons then yeh... You might find it boring.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Are you for real?

Surely it's not impossible? Esecially when you look at the reception it receives from gamers, with many calling it the best immersive sim since System Shock 2.

I find it a bit weird, that's all. This should have gotten the reception that the far inferior Bioshock Infinite got instead of the other way round.

 

[Savantcore]

The demo barely scratches the surface of what's on offer in terms of the options available at your disposal when it comes to handling encounters to be honest. You can legitamely beat the game without ever firing a single bullet from a gun and have a ton of fun doing it.

But if you want to just go through the game hitting stuff with the wrench and shooting basic weapons then yeh... You might find it boring.

Yeah the brief glimpse there was into Neuromods seemed interesting. I'll come back to it in a couple of months maybe.

 

[Vitor711]

Black and gold like Deus Ex? Please, it's more of a mix of art deco and retrofuturism

Hell, not all areas in Talos I are a mix of art deco and retrofuturism (Psychotronics, anyone?)

As for characters, I found the DnD side story genuinely interesting as well finding Morgan's last.

The problem is that every area (the garden, the bar/cinemas) all have their counterparts in Bioshock. And Irrational did them better aesthetically (that game's entire visual make up was art deco retrofuturism). The issue isn't the levels themselves, they're wonderfully designed as play and exploration spaces. It's the fact that the characters in Bioshock were the levels.

Fort Frolic is nothing without Sander Cohen. The Medical Pavilion is nothing without Dr. Steinman etc.

The areas in Prey are more sprawling and open than those but they don't have as much of an impact or drive me forward. I only cared about Crew Quarters because the main story forced me to listen to 5+ audio logs of a specific character. When it did this, I cared. The DnD stuff was great but it's mostly flavour, it's not integral to the area you're exploring.

 

[Shari]

Reviews are once again disappointing. Some appreciate the genre and rate it for what it is and others just say it lacks "originality", a surprising amount of them.

Well reviews for AAA games from big publishers never get their scores down because lack of originality. I guess Uncharted 4/Halo 5/MarioKar8 (taken randomly) did evolve and lift the formula way beyond our wildest hopes.

So tired of the press. Thankfully I can look away and continue enjoying the game but truth is this counts towards (not) having a sequel, so sad.

Guess it's onwards with the yearly call of dutys and the 9s and 10s reserved for only first party games.

 

[peakish]

Surely it's not impossible? Esecially when you look at the reception it receives from gamers, with many calling it the best immersive sim since System Shock 2.

I find it a bit weird, that's all. This should have gotten the reception that the far inferior Bioshock Infinite got instead of the other way round.

There's a lot of bias in which gamers are playing this game right now. I would wager that it's more likely that fans of "immersive sims" are playing it compared to the general population which skews results. Of course there is also bias in how reviewers are selected but in general I do not think that the two populations are perfectly comparable.

That's a reason for why review aggregates don't mean very much to me.

 

[PARANO1A]

Reviews are once again disappointing. Some appreciate the genre and rate it for what it is and others just say it lacks "originality", a surprising amount of them.

Well reviews for AAA games from big publishers never get their scores down because lack of originality. I guess Uncharted 4/Halo 5/MarioKar8 (taken randomly) did evolve and lift the formula way beyond our wildest hopes.

So tired of the press. Thankfully I can look away and continue enjoying the game but truth is this counts towards (not) having a sequel, so sad.

Guess it's onwards with the yearly call of dutys and the 9s and 10s reserved for only first party games.

Agree wholeheartedly

I would say that rushing a playthrough to be one of the early reviews would miss the soul of this game.

It's wonderful that this game exists today.. really is a true throwback to SS2 and Deus Ex.

 

[seph1roth]

After 14 hours with tje game, its quality is dangerously proximating to System Shock 2 and of course is much...MUCH better game than Bioshock.

Is an incredible immersive sim, if this game would have launched on 1999, probably it would be one of the contenders to the GOTY.

2017 has a different audience with other tastes, Arkane is a developer out of its time.

 

[Justinian]

After 14 hours with tje game, its quality is dangerously proximating to System Shock 2 and of course is much...MUCH better game than Bioshock.

Is an incredible immersive sim, if this game would have launched on 1999, probably it would be one of the contenders to the GOTY.

2017 has a different audience with other tastes, Arkane is a developer out of its time.

Completely agree. It's a sad state of affairs when games like this are under appreciated by reviewers and large chunks of gamers.

 

[vesirott]

Guys, the gameplay is solid. It feels like system shock/bioshock TNG. If you love RPG/FPS hybrids, then get this game. Rly.

 

[JonnyKong]

Reviews are once again disappointing. Some appreciate the genre and rate it for what it is and others just say it lacks "originality", a surprising amount of them.

Well reviews for AAA games from big publishers never get their scores down because lack of originality. I guess Uncharted 4/Halo 5/MarioKar8 (taken randomly) did evolve and lift the formula way beyond our wildest hopes.

So tired of the press. Thankfully I can look away and continue enjoying the game but truth is this counts towards (not) having a sequel, so sad.

Guess it's onwards with the yearly call of dutys and the 9s and 10s reserved for only first party games.

I can't help but laugh at these tin foil hat reasonings for why a critic likes a game or not.

 

[Shari]

I can't help but laugh at these tin foil hat reasonings for why a critic likes a game or not.

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.

Oh you.

 

[JonnyKong]

Oh you.

😂😂

If I can't laugh at myself then what else can I do.

 

[Savantcore]

I can't help but laugh at these tin foil hat reasonings for why a critic likes a game or not.

Happens in every thread. So many people in the Yooka-Laylee OT claiming to swear off reviews forever because it didn't have the 100 Metacritic score it clearly deserved.

 

[Tecnniqe]

😂😂

If I can't laugh at myself then what else can I do.

 

[Rexatality]

TrustedReviews

 

[mishakoz]

Surely it's not impossible? Esecially when you look at the reception it receives from gamers, with many calling it the best immersive sim since System Shock 2.

I find it a bit weird, that's all. This should have gotten the reception that the far inferior Bioshock Infinite got instead of the other way round.

It's just so fun foil hat. Nobody is saying "here's your 6/10 Bethesda, take that!"

It's just so silly.

Sometimes people like some games more than others. Id almost put Bioshock infinite on the same level as Prey but Infinite does a lot of things better.

 

[Justinian]

It's just so fun foil hat. Nobody is saying "here's your 6/10 Bethesda, take that!"

It's just so silly.

Sometimes people like some games more than others. Id almost put Bioshock infinite on the same level as Prey but Infinite does a lot of things better.

Prey also does a lot of things better than Infinite. Overall I'd say it's the better game, but Infinite may have a better story.

 

[SunBroDave]

Prey also does a lot of things better than Infinite. Overall I'd say it's the better game, but Infinite may have a better story.

Infinite has better... voice acting maybe? Troy and Courtnee were both great. The story completely falls apart after Shanty Town though. I haven't finished Prey yet so I can't comment on its story, but any praise for Infinite's story seems... misguided.

From a gameplay perspective, Prey straight up embarrasses ALL of the Bioshock games.

 

[Ocarina_117]

Ignoring the majority of reviews and picking this up as soon as I build a new PC.

Looked fantastic from reveal and the sound track is phenomenal.

 

[Mr. PlayStation]

Was the lag and heavy controls issue addressed at launch for the PS4??

 

[SunBroDave]

Was the lag and heavy controls issue addressed at launch for the PS4??

From what I understand, it's still not great unfortunately. I think they've tried to address it by reducing the deadzone on the analog sticks, but I hear there are still some issues with responsiveness.

 

[Shari]

Infinite has better... voice acting maybe? Troy and Courtnee were both great. The story completely falls apart after Shanty Town though. I haven't finished Prey yet so I can't comment on its story, but any praise for Infinite's story seems... misguided.

From a gameplay perspective, Prey straight up embarrasses ALL of the Bioshock games.

I agree with this general sentiment although I find the story in Infinite to be very good and lead you very well into that finale. I loved it.

That said the beginning of Prey manages to make me 1000 times more involved/engaged with the world and what's going on on Talos I.

As someone said before, this a game from and for another time, a more civilized age.

 

[mishakoz]

Infinite has better... voice acting maybe? Troy and Courtnee were both great. The story completely falls apart after Shanty Town though. I haven't finished Prey yet so I can't comment on its story, but any praise for Infinite's story seems... misguided.

From a gameplay perspective, Prey straight up embarrasses ALL of the Bioshock games.

Infinite is better crafted I would say. From voice acting to story moments, and while the story can be non-sensical at times I still think it can be intriguing.

Prey is a straighter shot. Talos 1 is probably a better area tho less visually impressive than Columbia, and it feels more real. Prey's powers are better and combat encounters are maybe a bit tighter... You have more options at least not locked to two weapons.

I think prey dwarfs in comparison to Bioshock 1 but I really love Bioshock so I'm biased.

 

[Justinian]

Infinite is better crafted I would say. From voice acting to story moments, and while the story can be non-sensical at times I still think it can be intriguing.

Prey is a straighter shot. Talos 1 is probably a better area tho less visually impressive than Columbia, and it feels more real. Prey's powers are better and combat encounters are maybe a bit tighter... You have more options at least not locked to two weapons.

I think prey dwarfs in comparison to Bioshock 1 but I really love Bioshock so I'm biased.

Bioshock Infinite is a linear shooter. Prey is an open world immersive sim.

 

[benzopil]

Paste Magazine -- 6/10

The people and aliens who fill its space—and the reasons Morgan has for spending so much time picking through its confines—are retreads of ideas and conventions visited many other times before. As much as its opening objective prompt promises, Prey doesn't represent change. It's just more of what what's been done before.

VideoGamer -- 8/10

+ GLOO Cannon's multi-purpose use
+ Ability to approach situations in different ways
+ Sense of dread never subsides
- Cookie cutter main story

 

[benzopil]

Time -- 3.5/5

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.

Wired

Prey doesn't understand itself, and it obliviously gets in its own way. It's ultimately too broad and too undefined to achieve its own grand ambitions. Instead of proudly stating its own identity, Prey feels adrift, the way I was during that one sublime moment in space. Unmoored of itself, it asks questions that are worth pondering but doesn't have any answers. Absent of those rejoinders, it loses its own shape, getting stuck in patterns it can't break out of, drifting further and further away from land until the credits roll.

Goddamnit, I thought I pressed edit

 

[Rexatality]

Why do I get the impression you post average-low score reviews because you didn't like the game?

 

[benzopil]

Why do I get the impression you post average-low score reviews because you didn't like the game?

Since when 8 is a low score? I google "prey review" and look at what was posted for the last hour. If I missed something, I apologize.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Why do I get the impression you post average-low score reviews because you didn't like the game?

A 8/10 is low?

 

[More_Badass]

Why do I get the impression you post average-low score reviews because you didn't like the game?

There's nothing odd about those reviews. They're all commonly-posted sites for reviews and the reviews are well in line with the critical response

 

[Rexatality]

A 8/10 is low?

Not that. Some of the recent reviews that all can be summarized as "It feel too derivative, so I didn't like it as much as I wanted"

They're entitled to their opinions in the end, so whatever *shrugs*

Since when 8 is a low score? I google "prey review" and look at what was posted for the last hour. If I missed something, I apologize.

Okay, maybe I'm a bit biased on my part.

Guess I acted rash. My apologies

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Why do I get the impression you post average-low score reviews because you didn't like the game?

Why do I get the impression you question the presence of average-low score reviews because you do like the game?

A lot of us are still trying to figure out if the game is worth our time and money in what has been a pretty busy run of games. If I'd picked up Prey at full price and found that it was a 3/5 when I'm backlogging potential 9/10s, I'd be pissed at people like you trying to forcefully create nothing but a rosy picture.

Absolutely share your positive opinion of the game, lend it to the chorus, but don't be trying to undermine those that don't align with yours.

For the record, I'm still undecided, even with these "average-low" scores showing up. The game is doing a lot for me before I've had a chance to play it, and I'm starting to get an inkling that I'm more on the side that's going to appreciate it... But I don't need a gamut of only 8+ review scores to back me up on that.

 

[Mooreberg]

I wonder if some critics score it lower due to Bethesda's review policy.

Are you for real?

I don't think anybody is lowering their score for punitive reasons. If word of that ever got it, they'd be really screwed when it came time to draw traffic from coverage of Fallout or Elder Scrolls game. It might be fair to ask if some people are blasting through a 20+ hour game to get reviews out. But that is the dice roll Bethesda takes not sending copies out earlier, knowing how a lot of online outlets operate.

At this point, I'm not so sure that a review average and the game's retail performance (or lack thereof) are intertwined. DXMD and Dishonored 2 are also in the 80 - 89 category, and both seemed to fall short of sales expectations. Games like Destiny and Ghost Recon have sold fine with noticeably worse review scores. I think it comes down being a game that wasn't going to resonate with people without better and more readily apparent marketing.

 

[Yogg]

I think it comes down being a game that wasn't going to resonate with people without better and more readily apparent marketing.

I agree. From what I'm reading/seeing so far, Prey seems to have a pretty generic space setup, a disappointing gunplay, a generally disappointing story, a great adventure aspect, and meaningful gameplay choices. It doesn't really resonate with me. I don't feel much personality from the game. And since no marketing hype had me wanting to pick the game on release,I'm still in a wait-and-see state.

I'll be glad if I'm proven wrong once I get to play it, but many other games take precedence in my backlog right now.

 

[benzopil]

Polygon -- 8.5 on PC, 8 on consoles

Arkane has the confidence to let Prey end on its own terms, even if it occasionally leans too heavily on its least interesting aspects. When it looks most like a shooter, Prey is merely competent. But as a mystery, a deep space haunted house with dozens of stories of tragedy and humanity to tell, Prey is a remarkably successful archaeological expedition — and it manages to compellingly ruminate on what it means to be.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

4.0 from IGN.

If the PC version of Prey hadn't become completely unplayable from crashes and save-game corruption just as it was hitting its stride, I'd have called it a very good or perhaps even great game. Its strange alternate-history universe, sidequests, hidden threats, and detailed environmental storytelling make Talos I a joy to explore, one that's well worth slogging through combat that doesn't feel fresh enough to sustain it throughout a long game. But there's little so frustrating in a game in which you've invested dozens of hours as having your progress wiped out or blocked before the end, and my time with Prey concluded so poorly that I can't in good conscience recommend you risk hitting the same game-breaking bug I did.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

4.0 from IGN.

Wow. Is this a common bug?

 

[benzopil]

Don't really know what the reviewer should do in a situation like this, but if

Bethesda says they’re hoping for a fix by the end of the week

then why publish this if these problems will became irrelevant in a couple days.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

4.0 from IGN.

Dan Stapleton pulls no punches

 

[Human Trashcan]

Why even publish a review with a number instead of saying "hey technical issues are preventing us from playing it so we're holding off until it's patched"

Like what is even the point. If it's so broken as to be unplayable why isn't it a 1? Game reviewer logic makes no sense.

"Game was so broken I could barely play it. 4.0"

 

[Comrade Crunch]

I don't understand why they would even score the review, people are going to get the wrong idea from that, especially when the problem is likely to be fixed in a couple days.

 

[GHG]

4.0 from IGN.

Steam reviews meet professional journalism.

This review was not helpful.

 

[Karspankey]

I don't understand why they would even score the review, people are going to get the wrong idea from that, especially when the problem is likely to be fixed in a couple days.

The problem is fixed if you opt into the beta branch of the game. In fact, it even fixes your corrupted saves http://steamcommunity.com/games/480490/announcements/detail/1296319532120777013

 

[More_Badass]

I don't understand why they would even score the review, people are going to get the wrong idea from that.

Especially when he says this in the same paragraph

I'd have called it a very good or perhaps even great game. Its strange alternate-history universe, sidequests, hidden threats, and detailed environmental storytelling make Talos I a joy to explore, one that's well worth slogging through combat that doesn't feel fresh enough to sustain it throughout a long game.

I'm not going to fault someone if such bugs marred their experience that much, but I think it's pretty messed up to damn a game you admit is compelling and very good/even great based on technical issues on the verge of being fixed according to the devs