What is it?

Aliens have the uncanny habit of abducting folks, and the ones in Prey 2 are no exception. U.S. Marshall Killian Samuel is the lone survivor of the plane that crashed into the Sphere (as seen in the original Prey). After being knocked out and kidnapped by the aliens responsible, he is transported to a planet where he lives as a bounty hunter and the only human in the entire population. He suffers from a bit of amnesia, though, as he doesn’t seem to remember the seven years preceding his abduction. These aliens must use some pretty potent chloroform.

Why is it cool?

I know what you’re thinking: “Why aren’t you talking about Skyrim? What the hell is wrong with you?” Well, to be honest, Skyrim is fantastic. But you and I already were expecting that. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was Prey 2 to completely shatter not only my expectations, but whatever reputation of mediocrity that its predecessor may have created. The first thing Bitmob Co-Founder Dan “Shoe” Hsu said to me after we exited the game’s presentation was, “That actually looked pretty cool.” It most certainly did.

Prey 2 features a complete gameplay overhaul: cover-based first-person shooting, fast and smooth climbing mechanics, and the pleasure of doing what Dog does wrong: bounty hunting. Killian Samuel scans around public locals for his contracts; as the bulk of the population appears with green outlines within Samuel’s interface, a lone, red figure stands out. Once detected, the target flees (of course), which puts your quick and agile skills to the test. Will you deliver the bounty dead or alive? The choice is yours, and it will affect future contracts. The tables have finally been turned; now you’re the predator.

The moment I wanted to be abducted by aliens

Prey 2 is doing right what Brink did wrong: parkour. The climbing mechanics previously mentioned also translate into free-running, from jumping over objects to sliding under them. A large part of a bounty hunter’s career consists of chasing people, so it makes sense that a badass like Killian has such skills. Resistance is futile -- especially if speed is involved.

I didn’t see much, but what I did see showed a lot of promise. I can’t wait to get my hands on a playable demo so I can experience the controls for myself. I highly recommend that everyone keep an eye on Prey 2; Boba Fett would be proud.

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