Prey - The New Half Life?

I owned the original Prey. I played through the majority of it. That alone doesn't mean anything. There are plenty of great games out there that I've never finished. But I quit playing the original Prey, because it was decidedly bad. Like, really bad. The instant and no-penalty resurrection mechanic was pointless. The story was, I dunno, a massive jumble? The powers and weapons didn't really mean anything, because damn, you couldn't lose the game. So I had no idea why everyone cheered when it debuted at this year's E3. I couldn't understand what was so exciting about it. Did I miss something? Was there an artistic meaning behind the game that I missed? My questions were 100% answered today at QuakeCon.


But at what cost?

The new Prey looks absolutely amazing. From here on out, when I just refer to "Prey," I mean the new one. That's because the original doesn't exist anymore. The biggest reason why I was so impressed with what I saw at QuakeCon was the memories it brought up. You see, Prey feels like Half-Life. And I'm not just saying that because it basically has headcrabs.


And they both have cities.

The invading aliens in the game are these shadow-style enemies that vary in size, shape, and power. One of the most impressive species is known as Mimics. These little crawlers remind me entirely of headcrabs. That's because they look almost exactly like them. However, that's pretty much right where the similarities end. Their deadliness is in their name. Mimics can make themselves look like any object. Trash can? Mimic. Empty soda? Mimic. Loaded gun on the ground? Mimic! It brings paranoia to a whole new level.


This may or may not be paranoia.

It doesn't feel exactly like Half-Life. Instead of a crowbar, it's a monkey wrench. Weapons are actually rare. But the difference is more complex than that. It feels more raw and brutal. More serious. The enemy invasion is more menacing. Their powers are more devastating. The protagonist can eventually gain these powers too. These include starting an inferno and making a kind of telekinetic blast. But there's more. Remember those mimics? Players will also eventually be able to do the same thing. Soda can? Mimic! I think it's safe to say that I intend on going the entire game as a discarded tissue box. There's really no other way. As I saw at QuakeCon, the protagonist's powers add depth to the gameplay. If the full games lives up to the promise of its gameplay trailer, then it is't just the next Half-Life. It's better than that. It's the Half-Life we deserve.