• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

LTTP: Prey uhhh?

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
It's a damn good game. Definitely in my top 5 of last gen, maybe in the top three. Great story. Great characters. Great enemies. Great combat. Great setting. Truly great, great GREAT level design. It delivered on every level, it's a real masterpiece.
 

01011001

Banned
I mean I’ve seen people mention this game here and there and saying it’s pretty good. I was a little pissed off they cancelled the original Prey 2 back in the day so I never gave it a shot. But I figure hey it’s free on gamepass might as well give it a shot and... WHAT??? This is legitimately one of the best games I’ve ever played. Ever. I’m actually kinda mind blown this isn’t higher ranked by people or put on all time lists. It’s almost like when I played half life for the first time. I’m absolutely shocked at how good this game is.

I don’t tend to give props to corporations but damn Microsoft buying Zenimax was a bigger power move than I thought. Like I love the elder scrolls stuff and fallout but this and Doom Eternal have been two of the best games I’ve played in ages if they can keep this type of quality holy shit.

I think the branding really hurt the game more than it helped. using the Prey brand was most likely done to raise some eyebrows, but it only turned people off because it wasn't really a new Prey game.
on the other hand it might have helped the game gather some publicity... so who knows...

also the really bad performance on most consoles hurt it as well... the only System that ran it decently well was the One X, people who are interested should either get it on PC (best option by far due to Mouse controls really helping in games where you constantly click on small objects + FOV slider) or Series X (due to FPS Boost)

but yeah it is easily one of the absolute best 8th gen games. a brilliant Immersive Sim.
 
Last edited:
also the really bad performance on most consoles hurt it as well... the only System that ran it decently well was the One X, people who are interested should either get it on PC (best option by far due to Mouse controls really helping in games where you constantly click on small objects + FOV slider) or Series X (due to FPS Boost)
It ran pretty well on base PS4, locked/stable 30 fps at 1080p.

Only issue was a bit of input lag not present on Xbox and PC versions.


Stock Xbox One I know ran at 900p, but don't know how stable. That said, I doubt it was one of the worst Xbox One offenders, I dunno.
 

01011001

Banned
It ran pretty well on base PS4, locked/stable 30 fps at 1080p.

Only issue was a bit of input lag not present on Xbox and PC versions.


Stock Xbox One I know ran at 900p, but don't know how stable. That said, I doubt it was one of the worst Xbox One offenders, I dunno.

the input lag was absolutely horrible, extensive lag is way worse than framedrops. framedrops make a game look bad, constant input lag make a game play bad. and that is especially true in a game like Prey where you are constantly looking at and picking up small objects. I only played the demo on PS4 but I can't even imaging playing that game with input lag, it was bad enough in the duration of the demo (which I didn't even play for that long)

so yeah, the only good option for (now) last gen systems is the One X. PC is still by far the best way to go due to mouse controls, stable performance on highest settings (it runs at a perfect 60fps on my GTX1070 at 1440p at basically max settings) and FOV slider (the FOV on console is a little low, not terrible but a little low)

PC > Series X > One X > only play on the following systems if you absolutely have no other choice One/One S > PS4 Pro > PS4

Prey is one of the very few Cryengine games that doesn't run like complete ass, but it is still suboptimal. I actually started it on One X and it was enjoyable enough on it but ultimately (half way through) I decided to just get the PC version for 10 bucks and start over (totally worth it)
Actually plays really well with a DualSense controller with Gyro Aim enabled through DS4Windows (I have it set up so every time I touch the touchpad gyro aim goes on), that's how I play it on the TV from time to time. on the PC desk I just use Mouse and Keyboard of course
 
Last edited:
the input lag was absolutely horrible, extensive lag is way worse than framedrops. framedrops make a game look bad, constant input lag make a game play bad. and that is especially true in a game like Prey where you are constantly looking at and picking up small objects. I only played the demo on PS4 but I can't even imaging playing that game with input lag, it was bad enough in the duration of the demo (which I didn't even play for that long)
The PS4 demo somehow has it even worse and was never patched.

The final game somehow improved it a bit, but still shipped with a 217 ms latency (they probably reduced the dead zone of the joysticks and other textbook tweaks that make laggy games more responsive - but that can introduce drifting on wobbly joysticks). Further updates kept improving it (or mentioning improvements in the release notes) , until 1.04 made it really responsive on PS4 but introduced stuttering, uneven framepacing and problems on all console releases. Patch 1.05 and some further patches on PS4 were in the 133ms latency ballpark with good framepacing. With update 10.10 in mid 2018 they were still name dropping latency updates.

Anyway, I played it two years ago and while I think there was indeed a bit of latency, but it wasn't too much. I played it on a Panasonic Plasma, which adds 16,7ms input lag to the equation. I'm tempted to go back and test it, but 133ms (150ms with the TV lag) is pretty normal for a 30 fps game that isn't a first person shooter. I reckon it usually becomes really evident only after the 166 ms threshold. But if you are used to 60 fps on PC your mileage "going back" may vary, first person will definitely make it more noticeable.

On Xbox One latency was never bad, and it is considered a good port, only caveat is that it runs at 900p and has low texture filtering/some pop-up (probably same as base PS4). I saw no mention of framedrops or anything being broken.
 
Last edited:

Hestar69

Member
I tried this game when it was on the game pass before and something felt off,the game movement made me sick.Only a few games have ever done this(bioshock 1 pc,dying light ps4) maybe it was motion blur or something? I want to try it again but worry about getting sick again :(
 

RGB'D

Member
Just wanted to resurrect this thread and express how this game is an absolute masterpiece. It got buried among a bunch of releases when it came out and although i bought it, it was lost to the backlog. Installed on PC Gamepass with the downtime in new games and am blown away with how incredible this game is. Playing on a SSD makes it so much easier. If you are looking for a game to play and haven't played this game, jump in. It's up there with one of the best games I've ever played. Please make a Prey (Arkane) sequel as well as release/update Prey 2 (Roundhouse).
 

AJUMP23

Member
I finished Prey last night and thought it was a great experience. Interesting story, and a cool location. I really enjoyed being able to go do things outside the station and using the space walk. The GLOO gun was a cool tool to use. Getting my stats up in Hacking and repair seemed like 2 of the most useful skills . I am glad you guys recommended the game another Gamepass win.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Bethesda did this game no favors by using it as a spite placeholder to bogart a license they didn't even want just to keep Human Head from releasing their game.

Truly one of the pettiest moves of all time. And the ironic thing is, they could have created a new IP that they'd own outright, but they didn't care about that, just hurting their former development partner.
 
Last edited:

Nautilus

Banned
Its a game that starts great, but ends mediocre.

It has an excellent hook, but everything falls apart midway through the game.I figured out 95% of the story 30% into the game, which made the lore and all those tidbits kind of pointless after wards.The combat was great, but midway the game became too easy to the point that any upgrade i got became pointless.

I would love to see a sequel, because the franchise has great potential, and the game deserves to be played, but they dropped the ball with it.
 

Flabagast

Member
Arkane is in the top 5 best studios in the world (and the best MS owned studio by a huuuuge margin), and nearly the only one left now carrying the immersive sim philosophy. Can't wait to see what they do next.
 

Pilgrimzero

Member
Ended up quitting near the end. Next to no ammo and health items combined with the military droids being damage soaks just ruined it for me. Maybe I just built my character wrong, which if possible is a horrible game design flaw.

It was pretty fun more or less. Needed more monster designs though. Spider blob, man blob, and floating box aren't amazing designs to have be so repetitive.
 

down 2 orth

Member
Ended up quitting near the end. Next to no ammo and health items combined with the military droids being damage soaks just ruined it for me. Maybe I just built my character wrong, which if possible is a horrible game design flaw.

It was pretty fun more or less. Needed more monster designs though. Spider blob, man blob, and floating box aren't amazing designs to have be so repetitive.
Just get the power up that makes the droids fight on your side. It's very OP.

I'd give the game an 8/10 myself. Finished it recently, and it was worth the time and money. I can't help but think that the lackluster art in the intro held it back some.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
Its a 9.5/10 for me. Its just that the ending is weak. For the rest, I have no issue with it. Not even the respawning enemies and dying since its so quick to reload on Series. The respawning enemies means more loot and resources, which also helped me out. So I didn't mind it here.

With the reduced load times the level design shines even more since traveling to different areas is not a pain. At the end game, with maxed mobility, I blazed through the entire station making leaps of faith and hovering and it felt great. Its brilliant how this whole thing connects. Absolutely fucking flawless. Prey is one of the best games ever made.

Ended up quitting near the end. Next to no ammo and health items combined with the military droids being damage soaks just ruined it for me. Maybe I just built my character wrong, which if possible is a horrible game design flaw.

It was pretty fun more or less. Needed more monster designs though. Spider blob, man blob, and floating box aren't amazing designs to have be so repetitive.

You can make it incredibly easy, depending on path you chose.

Those military droids, you can one shot them with stun gun, even unupgraded with base sneak attack bonus probably. But as the other poster said, you can get them to fight on your side as well. An electric typhon build kills them as well.
 

tommib

Member
I'm so old I thought you were talking about this:

6272_front.jpg
I have to say I found this much more entertaining than the “sophisticated” reboot. But I’m a gay redneck.
 

down 2 orth

Member
When you're flying around the city in the helicopter the game looks like crap, and worse than the rest of the game. I'm guessing a lot of people noped out fairly early with the poor initial presentation without knowing that the game only gets better.
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
Ended up quitting near the end. Next to no ammo and health items combined with the military droids being damage soaks just ruined it for me. Maybe I just built my character wrong, which if possible is a horrible game design flaw.
There are so many ways to deal with those without pumping ammo into them, as others have pointed out. My favorite is to just throw shit at them. The giant cargo crates work best.
 

Mexen

Member
Don't know what we get out of a sequel. It's like Bloodborne. How do you top that? Where do you go from there?

Prey is a fantastic game and the ending was satisfactory enough for me. I recommend playing it. But another entry... Gee I don't know
 

SkylineRKR

Member
I never finished the 2006 game. Bought it on sale in 2006 but dropped it at some point. It was kinda fun though and liked the MC's banter. I think its playable on Series consoles, might pick it up someday.

Don't know what we get out of a sequel. It's like Bloodborne. How do you top that? Where do you go from there?

Prey is a fantastic game and the ending was satisfactory enough for me. I recommend playing it. But another entry... Gee I don't know

I guess we just have to wait for System Shock 3. Or the remake. Or whatever actually comes through.
 
Last edited:
the input lag was absolutely horrible, extensive lag is way worse than framedrops. framedrops make a game look bad, constant input lag make a game play bad. and that is especially true in a game like Prey where you are constantly looking at and picking up small objects. I only played the demo on PS4 but I can't even imaging playing that game with input lag, it was bad enough in the duration of the demo (which I didn't even play for that long)

so yeah, the only good option for (now) last gen systems is the One X. PC is still by far the best way to go due to mouse controls, stable performance on highest settings (it runs at a perfect 60fps on my GTX1070 at 1440p at basically max settings) and FOV slider (the FOV on console is a little low, not terrible but a little low)

PC > Series X > One X > only play on the following systems if you absolutely have no other choice One/One S > PS4 Pro > PS4

Prey is one of the very few Cryengine games that doesn't run like complete ass, but it is still suboptimal. I actually started it on One X and it was enjoyable enough on it but ultimately (half way through) I decided to just get the PC version for 10 bucks and start over (totally worth it)
Actually plays really well with a DualSense controller with Gyro Aim enabled through DS4Windows (I have it set up so every time I touch the touchpad gyro aim goes on), that's how I play it on the TV from time to time. on the PC desk I just use Mouse and Keyboard of course
I played dishonored 2 recently without 60FPS - ruins it frankly so I can see how that happened
 
When you're flying around the city in the helicopter the game looks like crap, and worse than the rest of the game. I'm guessing a lot of people noped out fairly early with the poor initial presentation without knowing that the game only gets better.
Really? I thought that was pretty awesome honestly - like the whole opening half how it unfolded. I had no idea what the game was though
 

01011001

Banned
I played dishonored 2 recently without 60FPS - ruins it frankly so I can see how that happened

yeah another game that runs and plays like complete ass on last gen systems. 30fps is not really the issue. it's often a bad vsync implementation that also adds a shitload of input latency on top of that.

I can deal with 30fps but not with excessive latency
 
yeah another game that runs and plays like complete ass on last gen systems. 30fps is not really the issue. it's often a bad vsync implementation that also adds a shitload of input latency on top of that.

I can deal with 30fps but not with excessive latency
Yeah i can do 30fps fine but whatever they’re doing with the aim acceleration or latency - I can’t. Going from dishonored 1 to 2 - horrible
 

01011001

Banned
Yeah i can do 30fps fine but whatever they’re doing with the aim acceleration or latency - I can’t. Going from dishonored 1 to 2 - horrible

yeah another issue that sadly is still a thing... developers that are too stupid to do good analog aiming. some devs are still stuck in the PS2 era of thinking and will use excessive acceleration, a big dead zone or a really fucked up sensitivity curve... sometimes all of these combined.

I am of the opinion that every game that is first person and has shooting mechanics needs to have the customization available in games like Titanfall 2 or Apex Legends... meaning giving the player full control over deadzones, sensitivity curves and acceleration.

and even without that, having decent analog aiming controls is not hard... like, just map the turning speed directly to the right stick without any smoothing or acceleration... done... you have good controller aiming, but no they just have to fuck it up so many times still, it's ridiculous.
the most recent example being Quake of course, where somehow the fan made homebrew og Xbox ports have better controls than the new official release, because those homebrew ports did exactly what I said, they mapped the raw turning speed to the right stick and didn't meddle with it whatsoever.


edit: Ubisoft launched Hyper Scape with a single sensitivity curve that I imagine would have looked something like this (artist rendition)
4LiwThw.png

it was crazy to play on controller
 
Last edited:

Rambotito

Member
Excellent game. First playthrough was around 60 hours. Playing it again after all this time and will probably do everything differently. I never explored the typhon powers so I might give that a go. It plays very similarly to System Shock and Deus Ex where you can access places through a variety of ways. You can imagine my disappointment when I learned that Arkane was developing Deathloop and Left for Undead. If Prey 2 is released as an Xbox exclusive then I will bite the bullet and grab an Xbox. The game is that good.
 
I mean I’ve seen people mention this game here and there and saying it’s pretty good. I was a little pissed off they cancelled the original Prey 2 back in the day so I never gave it a shot. But I figure hey it’s free on gamepass might as well give it a shot and... WHAT??? This is legitimately one of the best games I’ve ever played. Ever. I’m actually kinda mind blown this isn’t higher ranked by people or put on all time lists. It’s almost like when I played half life for the first time. I’m absolutely shocked at how good this game is.

I don’t tend to give props to corporations but damn Microsoft buying Zenimax was a bigger power move than I thought. Like I love the elder scrolls stuff and fallout but this and Doom Eternal have been two of the best games I’ve played in ages if they can keep this type of quality holy shit.
The half assed enemy design and variety combined with the cheap jump scares ruined it for me.
 

CuNi

Member
I'm so old I thought you were talking about this:

6272_front.jpg

I was too. That was such a good game, I really hope this will get a remaster or remake eventually or a proper sequel!
I didn't like the original idea for Prey 2 tho. I liked that grotesque horror of the first and hope they'll return to that one day...

*cries in wishful thinking*
 

DrCheese

Member
Agree this is one of the best games of the last gen - It took me a while to get into it tho, as I played it like bioshock with running/gunning & on medium the enemies just felt like bullet sponges, along with forever respawning (Which makes sense in the story but ugh) So I quit for a bit and replayed it on easy - Much better.
 

kikkis

Member
Bump. Didn't want start a new thread since I am not far in the game. Things I liked was the setting and environment, but having to pick up items constantly and healing system wasnt to my liking. I just run out of ammo at some point and there wasn't much I could do apart from stealth which I detest.
 

CZY

Member
Prey is a brilliant game, sadly overlooked at the time, hopefully Gamepass will get it some of the recognition it deserves.
I barely follow gaming and I heard about it plenty; doesn’t strike me as overlooked at all. People just didn’t like it that much.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Despite being a big Arkane fan, this one never clicked with me. But I also only played about two hours. I keep meaning to go back to it, but then I got Dishonored and I am playing that instead.
 
I mean I’ve seen people mention this game here and there and saying it’s pretty good. I was a little pissed off they cancelled the original Prey 2 back in the day so I never gave it a shot. But I figure hey it’s free on gamepass might as well give it a shot and... WHAT??? This is legitimately one of the best games I’ve ever played. Ever. I’m actually kinda mind blown this isn’t higher ranked by people or put on all time lists. It’s almost like when I played half life for the first time. I’m absolutely shocked at how good this game is.

I don’t tend to give props to corporations but damn Microsoft buying Zenimax was a bigger power move than I thought. Like I love the elder scrolls stuff and fallout but this and Doom Eternal have been two of the best games I’ve played in ages if they can keep this type of quality holy shit.
Notwithstanding the awfully designed and repetitive enemies, which ultimately drove me away from the game, the atmosphere and story are top notch.
 
Top Bottom