The problem with developing a video game is: Sometimes you need to stop. Even when you’re not totally happy with your final act. This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, we discuss all that and more.
Prey: Mooncrash released last month, adding a rogue-like twist to the 2017 game’s mix of action and exploration. The DLC arrived during E3 and was easy to sleep on—I ignored it in favor of big releases like Octopath Traveler. That was a mistake. Mooncrash might be even better than the main game.
Bethesda Softworks is named after the city in Maryland. Tim Rogers has been to that city, so it only makes sense that we sent him to the Bethesda booth at E3 2018. There was demons, carnival games, and a lot of VR.
You’re probably not at E3 but fret not. Tim checked out everything that Bethesda was rocking on the show…
After a lot of teasing, Bethesda finally revealed Prey’s next DLC at their E3 press conference tonight, along with a bunch of new Prey stuff. Called Mooncrash, it’s available now.
Often, video games are about making decisions, and you won’t always make the right one. Sometimes, there is no right answer. Sometimes, you’ve got to live with what you did.
Over at Rock Paper Shotgun, there’s an interesting interview about the design of Prey’s Typhon with lead visual designer Emmanuel Petit and lead visual effects artist Jason Timmons. Among the cool tidbits: they used a shader meant for foliage to give the Typhon their creepy look.
Tumbleseed was a difficult, tricky game. Outlast 2 was an uphill march through dangerous enemies. Recently, both have gotten easier thanks to patches and tweaks. Many games have had their difficulty reduced after release. While this makes them accessible to more players, it also raises questions.
The world record for beating Prey is now 6:59 without load times, making Arkane Studios’ sci-fi thriller one of the shortest games of the year.
Prey is filled with mysteries. What’s going on aboard Talos-1? Who is Morgan Yu, and how did she get into this mess? And most importantly, should I hold on to this tracking bracelet I’ve been carrying around for the past six hours?
When Prey first came out, players were confused to find that, despite coming in a box that claimed the game was “PS4 Pro Enhanced,” it did not look or play measurably better on PS4 Pro. Same resolution, same framerate, same options. Now, however, Bethesda’s finally added some bells and whistles.
If you are playing Prey, the new immersive sim from Arkane Studios, here is a recommendation: quit once you’ve reached Alex’s office for the first time. Just stop playing. It gets way, way worse.
Three years ago, a handful of leaked design documents revealed an early version of Arkane Austin’s vision for Prey, which was then code-named Project Danielle. It’s fascinating to see how much has changed since then.
Early on in Prey, I accidentally killed a main character. The game let me keep playing until I lost my nerve and reloaded. Later, I jerry-rigged my way off the space station of Talos I well before I was supposed to. Prey let me get there. It figured I knew what I was doing.
Prey players have apparently discovered a save-corrupting bug in the PC version that renders the new sci-fi game unplayable. Those of us at Kotaku who are playing Prey haven’t run into this one, but you should be aware nonetheless.
The other day, my colleagues Kirk and Riley were having a discussion about how miraculously well Prey runs on their gaming PCs. “Good optimization?” I thought. “In a big-budget game with console versions? Obviously, I have to put this to the test.”
Prey, the newest game from Arkane Studios, is most enjoyable when you take your time exploring its corners and crevices. It’s a quiet, unsettling game, one that can turn into a real drag if you try to rush. So why did Bethesda force reviewers to blaze through the game as quickly as possible? And what kind of lasting…
Prey is a tense, moody game that makes you distrust everyday objects because they might secretly be monsters. Whether you’re just launching the game or well into your exploration of Talos I, here are some tips for making it through.
