[Originally posted on 03/06/17.]
Recently, Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios hosted a series of worldwide events to preview their upcoming game Prey. Since the project was first announced at E3 2016, fans have been excited to see how the mad-genius developers at Arkane would reimagine the Prey universe. Fans of the Dishonored series of games will be particularly well versed on Arkane’s attention to excellent storytelling and interactivity along with their ability to integrate RPG elements into a strong first-person combat experience.
The Radeon team was lucky enough to be asked to participate in these events. Not only did all of the demonstration systems run on AMD Radeon graphics, but two select AMD employees were also given the opportunity to preview the game at both the West Coast and East Coast legs of the Prey preview tour. Check out our thoughts below.
Jason Megit, NYC event:
Multiple snowstorms and the resulting flight delays could not stop me from making my way to Manhattan to get a special sneak preview of Prey. I was not only intrigued by Arkane Studios’ take on Prey, but I am also a fan of a lot of their previous work!
I entered the venue and was instantly greeted by a team of Bethesda employees. There were 15 identically configured AMD Radeon-equipped rigs set up throughout the room, all sitting on the title screen for Prey. Pleasantries were exchanged, but it did not take me long to take a seat and give Prey a try!
The playable demonstration showcased the first hour of the game and I was immediately enthralled by the experience. I have tested many early-builds of games over the years, and it is quite rare to witness a game so well optimized and polished months out from its release.
After spending just under an hour with the game, I can tell you that I am most excited for the following:
- The story: this game is story-driven and there are clearly going to be some twists and turns to the plot. If you are the type of gamer (like me) who likes to read every document and comb through every computer terminal to learn more about the game’s universe, you will likewise be thrilled.
- Combat: There are some really interesting guns in this game. I won’t give any more away – but the games developers clearly had a lot of fun coming up with some truly unique and creative gun choices.
- Graphics: You start the game in a training facility. All things appear normal, until it suddenly becomes clear that what you thought was real is instead more like a holodeck-type experience. And once you realize you’re aboard Talos I, you’re treated to a unique vision of a futuristic space station. It’s awe-inspiring to see the work put into creating a futuristic San Francisco skyline too!
- Performance: As I said earlier, the game is already really well optimized. Framerates were smooth and consistent. The gameplay experience was likely assisted by Bethesda’s use of AMD FreeSync displays to ensure that there was zero frame tearing and consistently smooth framerates!
Liam Gallagher, San Francisco and L.A. events:
Since Prey’s reveal trailer released at E3 2016, I’ve been ever-enthralled by its groundhog-day like concept and unique game dynamics. Zero gravity, aliens that turn into environmental objects and a glue gun to fight them with – what else could I ask for on a futuristic space station!
Having the opportunity to fly down to S.F and L.A as an AMD rep at the first Prey influencer showcasing brought back the giddy feeling of playing my first-ever game as a kid, Pokemon Gold on Game Boy Color. Oh, what pure excitement that gave me! And if that wasn’t enough already, I had the humbling opportunity of meeting Raphael Colantonio, Creative Director of Prey, and Ricardo Bare, Lead Designer of Prey. Quite a unique opportunity this became – one I’ll be sure to remember for the rest of my life!
Now for those of you who are serious fanboys/fangirls of Arkane Studios’ previous games, I know you can attest to the fact that they’re ridiculously immersive. Prey surpassed my expectations. It lets you decide how you would like to play the game: Are you a run-n-gun player? A stealthy character who hides in the shadows? Or, are you going to take advantage of the futuristic weapons and devise some entirely new strategy? The beauty of Prey is that ALL of these character types work – there’s no wrong way to play the game! This so intrigued me that I had to get myself back on one of the AMD PC’s to play through a second and, of course… a third time. Each experience was different; I found new rooms, new weapons and new side-stories that I missed in an earlier play-through.
As you’re reading this on Radeon.com, I’m sure you’ve come here for more than our opinion and take on the game! How was the performance? Will my rig be enough? How many sweet, sweet frames can I pump out of my shiny new Radeon graphics card? Well, you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer for that news – but be sure to come back, as we will have more details for you in the near future.
My inside take as an AMD rep playing on the same hardware as the press/media influencers was twofold: 1) The game ran unbelievably smooth on the AMD FreeSync display and 2) For an early build of the game, I experienced no FPS spikes!
But hey, don’t take only my word for it, check out what some of the media has been saying:
Prey puts the fun back into fighting for your life on a space station overrun by aliens
Hands-on with Prey: System Shock’s spirit lives in this ambitious reboot
See the official trailer below:
Jason Megit is Technical Marketing Manager for the Radeon Technologies Group at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies, or opinions. Links to third party sites and references to third party trademarks are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.
Liam Gallagher is Software Marketing Coordinator for the Radeon Technologies Group at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies, or opinions. Links to third party sites and references to third party trademarks are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.
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