Snap Judgement: Prey

Snap Judgment articles are meant to be just a really quick snap shot of a game after playing for several hours.  As a parent I don't get a ton of time to game but still want to get my impressions of newer and older titles out there.  Take a look and let me know of any games you'd like to see in the future on these

Prey

If I had to sum up Prey very simply put I would say 'tense'.  From the beginning of the game the atmosphere and the tone of the game makes itself very apparent.  Not since the first Bioshock has a environment and setting for a game presented itself in a way that it feels very integral to the game itself.  Prey actually makes me feel trapped on the station and it helps ratchet up the tension of the game.  Add in limited ammo, supplies, and enemies that can literally jump out at you from anywhere and you have got a game that get your heart racing in all the best ways.

Arkane studio does what it does best with this game and that is player freedom.  Just like there Dishonored games before it, Prey gives you a fantastic set of tools to add to your tool belt and lets you go out and attack the game from any angle.  Need to sneak into a office but cant unlock the door.  Use a power and turn your self into a coffee cup to roll through the open window.  That doesn't sound good?  Try getting out your crossbow that shoots plastic nerf arrows and shoot it through that same open window to hit the control panel to unlock the door.  Large crate blocking your way into a room?  Use the un-lockable skills to make yourself into a superhuman who can lift it out of the way.  Or use a grenade that sucks in anything not nailed down and turns stuff into itty bitty cubes for you to use in crafting.  The possibilities it presents are astounding.

Only being about 5-6 hours into the game the story has only started to take shape but it feels very much in the spirit of System Shock or Bioshock.  And the aliens were trying to stop are pretty creepy in there own right.  The Mimics can do just that, mimic anything around.  So if you see 2 coffee cups on a table you might start smashing things with your trusty wrench just to make sure you are not going to get jumped from behind.  The Phantoms are quick and can take you out very quickly if your not careful.  They are also smart.  If you have a turret setup to try and help take them out they will knock that over first before trying to go after you.

Overall I am enjoying the game and looking forward to sitting down and really sinking some time into it.  If it sounds like something you might enjoy there is a free Demo of the first hour of the game up on PS4 and Xbox One to check out.  Well worth your time.

Score:  4 mimics out of 5

Ernest's E3 Predictions

Its almost upon us.  E3 will begin this Sunday when EA will kick everything off with the first press conference this year.  I love making E3 predictions almost as much as I like watching the show.  So with that in mind here are a few of my E3 predictions this year.

This game looked good on last gen.  Imagine how this will look on the new systems

1.  Bethesda announces Skyrim Remastered

This one is almost written on the walls.  Bethesda began its Fallout 4 development by porting Skyrim to next gen consoles to learn the systems.  So having a game that people still love almost ready to go seemed to scream money.  My hope is that they release a upgraded version with all the DLC and maybe even Mod support for the Xbox One and PS4 and the cherry on the cake.  Its available in the next month.  Its a great way for people to play some Elder Scrolls while we wait for the next installment.

Yacht Club knows old School

2.  Battletoads!

I think this is the year we will get a new Battletoads game.  With the release of the Rare Replay last year people got to play the classic games, now lets hit them with something new.  However I think this will be produced by Rare but the guys at Yacht Club Games will be the be the ones who are making it.  The brains behind the amazing 8 bit adventure Shovel Knight have already proven they love old school game design and even had the Battletoads in the Xbox version of the game.  This one could be a huge summer digital title.

Just more of this please Rockstar

3.  Red Dead Redemption 2

I know this is pretty much one of the worst kept secrets in gaming right now and all signs point to something soon but a part of me hopes that Rockstar shows up at a press conference and just says 'Lets show you what were working on' drops a trailer with a October release date and leaves it just like that.  Leave us salivating wanting more and then do your own thing after the show.  Red Dead Redemption was one of the best games of the last generation and a sequel has some big shoes to fill but we all know the guys at RockStar can pull it off.

4.  Ubisoft announces a new Splinter Cell game

Its been almost 3 years since the last time we saw Sam Fisher.  It seems like this would be a good time to announce a new Splinter Cell.  Whatever they say about the game they better put Mercs vs Spy's back in the game.  That type of online multiplayer just does not exist anymore.  It could be the announcement at the end of the Ubisoft show as there 'One last thing' that they have become known for.  

5. EA blows the doors off Mass Effect Andromeda

I think EA learned from Bethesda and Fallout 4 last year.  People loved the info blowout and deep dive into that game and then that hype pretty much carried them to release day.  I'm not sure EA will dump that much info but I'm thinking we will see more than we are anticipating and then we will have radio silence from them until after the holidays.  Give us as much gameplay and mechanics now and then focus heavy on the story later this year.

So there you have it.  Some of these are wishful thinking and some of them have some evidence out there supporting it.  What do you guys think?  What are some of your predictions or things you think we will see.  Let us know in the comments section.