I figured it was best to, after an unexpected two-week hiatus from the blog, lead into all the new information and gameplay videos from E3 2011 by devoting the first article to a game that completely and utterly blew my expectations away: Prey 2. For those who have not played the Prey series before (or just Prey, as the "series" consists of one title), the original game was about a Native American man, uninterested in the heritage of his ancestors and just trying to make his way in the world with his girlfriend Jen, is abducted by a race of aliens looking to harvest Earth's living organisms to power their starship, a large craft known as The Sphere. The story is not just a simple abduction story, however, with a heavy emphasis placed on Tommy's ability to walk in the spirit realm of his ancestors and the use of portals to solve puzzles and progress through the game (I would not be surprised if this game influenced the original Portal). During the course of the game, while in the Sphere, you see an airplane, recently teleported, crashing in the Sphere, many miles above the Earth. While not a large event from Tommy's perspective, as it functioned more as an "where the hell am I?" moment, that is where Prey 2 begins.
In Prey 2, you play as Killian Samuels, a US Air Marshall on board that same crashing plane that you witnessed as Tommy in the first game. While this is where the game starts, you do not spend much time on the plane itself - instead, the game fast-forwards to some time later, where you have been taken to the planet Exodus and have found work as a bounty hunter. Don't worry - I thought this sounded incredibly stupid at first, as well.
After watching the gameplay demos and hearing the game explained by its developers, I have completely changed my tune about it - this game looks incredible (and you will encounter Tommy in the game - you just won't play as him). It is a beautifully realized world, looking like a cross between the cityscape found in Blade Runner and that of Coruscant (from the Star Wars films). This is an absolutely incredible game, visually speaking - neon signs, metal walkways precipitated with moisture, and a very cool use of ambiance and lighting. But that pales in comparison to the gameplay - it is being touted as "alien noir meets Red Dead Redemption" (Kotaku.com). The game seems to take all of its best qualities from other games, with a parkour ability that seems to be an evolved (and much better) version of Brink's, an anti-gravity mine ability similar to one of Commander Shepard's abilities in Mass Effect, and a shield ability similar to Gears of War's self-proclaimed "meat shield". While it may seem like it is taking some very good ideas from other games, I do not think that is an issue here - if it isn't broken, why fix it? These are all very fun gameplay elements, and Prey 2 puts its own spin on them. Plus, to be fair, in Prey 2, you have a radar that outlines targets for you and hover boots.
Yes, hover boots. They look awesome.
As fascinating as all of that is, I'm sure all of you are saying "blah blah blah, show us the videos already!", so I will oblige you. Embedded below is the cinematic trailer for this game, as well as a lengthy demo from Gamespot's E3 2011 coverage. Keep visiting the blog for many more updates from E3, including the coverage of Nintendo's newest console, footage of Bioshock Infinite and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and information on all the big games of the next year. Have a great weekend!
Cinematic Trailer:
Gamespot's E3 2011 Gameplay Demonstration:
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