Prey

Prey definitely has one of the strongest stories in modern games. Prologue alone is an incredibly strong experience. It wouldn't, however, be that impressive by itself if only the gameplay didn't work so well to make you pay attention. See, on the most basic level, Prey is a game about exploration. Looking around for secret passages, reading through notes and emails, searching for hidden things and ways to get to places. That's what the game pushes you to do with dangling carrots of sweet loot and is mostly a fun experience, however the game uses it as a tool to familiarize you with the world around you. Those audiologs aren't just in-universe way to give you a password, nor are they a simple lore dump. Without ever knowing it, you become incredibly familiar with Talos I, with people inhabiting it. You start to care for them, for the world around you. And, most importantly, the story that you get is, in the end, worth it. Prey asks interesting philosophical questions that stick with you. It shows you interesting personalities and tells a powerful story. But its greatest achievement is that you don't need to care for the story initially to appreciate it in the end.

As the title says, this has almost the exact gameplay mechanics as SS2, starting with the inventory up to the hacking, collecting stuff, using weapon upgrades, upgrading abilities, multiple solutions/ways to solve problems and so on and so on. Bioshock was, at least for me, always a dissapointment. The mechanics were dumbed down, I think to make the controls on consoles a little easier. Prey is not. So if you are interested in waking up on a space station, overrun with monsters, and sinister things happening all around you, this is it! The only thing missing is Shodan!

To put it in the simplest and most concise terms I can come up with: This is one of the single best games ever made and I fully believe it should be held up as a timeless classic alongside the likes of System Shock, Half-Life, Deus Ex and Bioshock. If you like immersive sims, first person shooters, experimental and open ended gameplay or just well made games in general, this is a must play. Every little detail in this game is curated to perfection and I really have a hard time coming up with bad things to say about it aside from minor nitpicks. As for the what the game itself is like, it's basically a spiritual successor to System Shock 2 (and I mean that in the best way possible). You'll have to make your way through theTranStar space station, which became infested by a dangerous alien species after an experiment gone wrong. During your journey, you'll uncover the truth behind the events that unfolded and discover that not everything is truly the way it seems... including yourself! The way you'll go about exploring the ship, using your resources, solving the puzzles and interacting with the survivors that are left on the ship is entirely up to you. The game does not hold your hand, there is no set solution to any given situation, if you think that something should work within the game world's logic, it will work! This game is truly an immersive sim at it's finest. As for the PC port, it has some quirks (which can be fixed with fanmade patches), but it's overall pretty solid and doesn't have any major issues. In short, this game is an absolute gem and a must play! NOTE: As of November 22nd 2023, the GOG release of the Mooncrash DLC does not include the VR experiences and the multiplayer mode found in the Steam version of the DLC, but you will not be missing out on much as the VR content is just a few short escape rooms themed after the game and the multiplayer was a simple tacked on affair and is now completely dead.

I don't really play FPS's anymore. There was no reason for me to get Prey and I didn't. My friend gifted it to me on Steam. I was originally hesitant, but he asked me to get through the beginning. I did and I could not stop until I was done after that. It was that good. Your expectations are continously subverted and even ending was not what I thought it would be. Think Bioshock level mindpfq. It is a good ride just because of that. The game can be annoying as some mob projectiles are nearly impossible to dodge. On hard I spent most of my time hiding away. I was able to glitch kill one major mob. And once you find a specific upgrade, mimics won't be as much of a hindrance. Still, 5 stars because despite minor issues and time passed, the memories are still with me. At $10 it is a steal. PS. DLC sucks. Don't get it.

Glad to finally get this game on GOG, which of course has no Denuvo Anti-tamper unlike the Steam version! The gameplay and story is fantastic, so I can't wait to complete it again!