Prey 2017 Retrospective: A Real Shock To The System

Hello friends and fellow travelers of the stars. Today we are blasting into space to explore and take a deep dive into a nearly perfect game. An immersive sim made by Arkane Studios, published by Bethesda softworks and titled after a Human Head Studios game that was released in 2006.
Prey 2017 is both a truly original masterpiece and a love letter to the immersive sim games that came before it like System Shock and Bioshock. At its core it’s a first person action game with RPG elements but it is surrounded by so many other interesting systems and so much reactivity that it really feels like a game that lets you play your way and where your choices matter.
As well as having a killer plot with some great characters the game is crammed full of environmental and emergent storytelling that means each trip through the Talos one space station to battle the invasive Typhon aliens will have something unique about it. So join me as we dive deep into what makes this game so damn great.
#prey2017 #immersivesim #gaming #sciencefiction #fpsgames #arkanestudios
------------------------ Links------------------------------------
DarthZombie Channel
www.youtube.com/@DarthZombie5...
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Prey 2017
• Prey (2017) Review | G...
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Arx Fatalis Video
• Arx Fatalis Review | A...
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------------------------ Chapters------------------------------------
00:00 start
05:28 Setup
15:19 Space Horror
25:18 Talos 1
38:31 Simulating Immersion
52:26 End Game (spoiler section)
59:59 Conclusion
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Instagram (I sort of use this sometimes)
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Commissions at artstation
www.artstation.com/the_rotton...

[@mgiebus1869]

"I thought this was the future of gaming" I thought the same thing... What a sad and hopeless statement in contrast with what we're getting now

[@arkham666]

I know but there is always hope. Retro space is looking very promising and Shadows Of Doubt is in early access now.

[@christiangottsacker6932]

The industry outside of the indie sphere is 100% against the customer. The way I've seen gaming handled since the 90s at first appears as publishers slowly becoming completely inept. But given all the propagandists utilized during development,unfinished games being released every time, microtransactions at just the same rate, the amount of companies ruined, and the amount of ideas and ips that are completely never utilized shows the industry just has pure contempt for the pastime and the people who participate. It's an absolute disgrace.

[@Bloom0029]

You can clear Dahl's operators out of areas by moving an object in front of the spawners. The operator dispensers won't function as there is not enough space for the operator to exit. Its a bit unintuitave, and the only clue you have to tell you that this would work is if a typhon knocked an object in front of one while you were fighting it earlier in the game, because trying to use the dispenser with the object still in front of it would result in a voice line telling you to clear the aperture or something. Still my favorite game of all time, and great video!

[@wyldeman7]

Glue gun works too. I don't think this was meant yo be common knowledge, but just going that extra mile in game design.

[@awesomepork101]

My favourite immersive sim

[@arkham666]

One of the most immersive.

[@wyldeman7]

Deus ex is the goat, but this is EASILY number two. Sad the studio got shut down. It's sad that games with 0 intelligent game design sell tens of millions and like 15 people bought this.

[@SHMidlerPlays]

@@arkham666that I definitely agree with, I really love how open ended solving problems in this game is as well as how open the game environments are

[@SHMidlerPlays]

@@wyldeman7and I agree with you on that, it is sad that Arkane Austin was shut down after giving us games like this and Deathloop and so on.

[@SHMidlerPlays]

This is honestly my favorite game of all time and I love just about everything about it, I was honestly very sad that Bethesda didn’t give the game a performance patch for the next gen consoles. But still, this game is amazing and I love it to pieces. Also great video on the game as well

[@Pakanahymni]

Imsims don't sell massively at launch but they have long tails. I wish for one imsim studio to survive long enough to reap those benefits.

[@arkham666]

There's quite a few promising indies in development recently. It's a pretty exciting time for immsim fans.

[@Xanderoos]

One of my favorite games of all time!

[@arkham666]

You have great taste.

[@Robocop_1987]

You've done a really good job on this man , watched through the entire video and put a like .

[@arkham666]

Thank you sir. And thank you for all your hard work protecting Delta City.

[@Quinten-M]

This video deserves to go big. You give strong Monty Zander vibes, which is the highest compliment I can give.

[@arkham666]

Thank you I very much appreciate the compliment. The uptick on my recent videos has been much better than last year so who knows maybe the stars will align on this one. Either way it was a lot of fun to make.

[@thesummerofmark]

Your absolute best video so far. Such a great watch!

[@arkham666]

It's easy to write beautiful things when the subject matter is such a knockout.

[@beebomcgroober9316]

Glad you put a link for Darthzombie's channel in the description, because searching for it just turns up a bunch of Star wars videos. I wonder if he knows.

[@DarthZombie510]

Thanks for letting me know. It did not cross my mind to search my own name with a break between the two names haha! I'll brainstorm something, since on one hand that's my gamer handle, and as you can see my creativity is abundantly dry 😅

[@countdrak3247]

Thank you for the great vid! Спасибо

[@arkham666]

You're very welcome.

[@thesummerofmark]

8:25 i thought I had accidentally rewinded the video. Genius

[@arkham666]

Glad you approve lol.

[@Deadforge]

Dude it tripped me up as well 😅

[@Deadforge]

I missed this dropping but damn man you rewlly did thebgane justice, Thank you! I don't think many games do what Prey 2017 doea as prefectly as it does. The level of detail, World building, atmosphere, and sound etc. The cosmic Lovecraftian horror is pretty subtle but elevages as you progews through the atory which in itself is quote subtle and miniscule. I think Prey is a game you must explore and not rush through because the world itself is the story not the narrative itself. Prey in my personal opinion truly perfects the immersive sim design philosophy. The amount of creativity and systemic gameplay is unmatched by any ithe rgame I've ever played and I've played a fuck ton of games. Prey 2017 is genuinely one of my all time favorite games, The way it gives you many things to think about and really is a thought experiment about morality only matched by that of Disco Elysium and Weird West. I'm a big fan of audio logs in games but the stories told through them in this game is truly amazing. Great video man and keep creating gold🤘.

[@arkham666]

Eh it's easy to do justice to something so deserving of justice lol. It really is a deep and exciting journey.

[@lightningmonky7674]

This game was so damn fun and hella underrated, thanks for the video! Gonna have to throw you a sub for this and for discussing remedy games

[@arkham666]

Thank you.

[@BatkoNashBandera774]

Before you start: I see what you did there. +1

[@seanfager8063]

Prey holds a permanent place near the top of my 'best games ever' list. A big part of that is the plot, which is wonderful for a medley of reasons. The bit that won my heart (SPOILERS!) is how the MC's older brother is trope cast as a villain, but you can see basically from minute one that he's rational, competent, and at least somewhat compassionate, so given your amnesia and his familial relationship to you it makes sense to trust him. AND THAT'S THE CORRECT PLAY! In a lesser game he'd be a foil for the player, the human villain of the piece, a Diago or a Fontaine. Here he's the hero, the lynchpin that 'uplifts' two entire species, a complete subversion of 'powerful man must be evil because of how these kinds of stories always play out.' The game rewards you for rejecting how fiction works and applying basic interpersonal skills to the situation. That handshake at the end.... That and the handshake with Leshy in Inscryption are probably my two favorite moments in gaming.

[@seanfager8063]

(I was so sold on "actually, Alex might be THE good guy" that when Apex shows up I saved him before the 'quest' to do so could even show on the HUD)

[@thesummerofmark]

Lesgoooooo

[@arkham666]

Get in the car. We're going to Talos 1.

[@arcdecibel9986]

Dude, you use the GLOO gun to plug the Operator Dispensers when Dahl shows up. No problem. Still, great game and video!

[@arkham666]

There's always a way XD I've loved reading these comments and learning about how other people got around various issues. So much fun.

[@seanfager8063]

I went human-only on my first run (didn't want to PO the turrets and caught a whiff of He Who Fights Monsters in the plot, so I avoided alien upgrades). That favors smashing things in melee and chucking heavy stuff around, so I stumbled into the 'block the dispenser' issue/ tactic early. The drops from the enemy operators are pretty decent, and the 'throw a heavy thing as soon as they leave the dispenser' strategy is Nash, so that whole section, while having time pressure, was basically a money making machine for my run through. It's great to hear it play out differently for others though! Part of what made Prey great is how various strategies are viable but have different pacing and difficulties.

[@maximmonov8249]

The redfall mention at the end just hurts

[@arkham666]

It does now yeah. I'm so disappointed about it.

[@AntiCaesarReal]

Even moreso now

[@arkham666]

@@AntiCaesarReal make it make sense.

[@hommedegout]

Ctrl Alt Ego is awesome, I hope you play it soon, it needs more media coverage, I don't understand why every game magazine sleeps on it

[@arkham666]

I'm a good way through it now. Overall I've really enjoyed myself. Some of the late game levels are a touch frustrating but nothing that makes me wanna rage quit or not talk about it.

[@toakovika]

4:33 - A little late to the party, but there’s a mod called Voidwalker or Gifts of the Outsider that provides all of Corvo’s powers in Skyrim. While I don’t think Bend Time can fully stop time in the mod, the power set still does feel *very* fun to use!

[@arkham666]

@@toakovika I think I've heard of it. I'll install it next time

[@toakovika]

@@arkham666Holy heck! Didn’t think you’d even see this, let alone so quickly! Loved your vid! 😊 Your Skyrim Corvo skin isn’t available for download anywhere by the way, is it? 😅

[@thesummerofmark]

Yoooooooo thanks for the shout!!!!!

[@arkham666]

Lol no worries mate. If you've got the end now I realized I missed a big opportunity in my script. Where is a said "you've been playing a video game" I should have said "you've been immersed in a simulation." Only came to me when I was watching the fully rendered video.

[@rphntw1n]

Got my sub. This channel should have more.

[@arkham666]

Thank you. They've been jumping up fast recently though, which I'm very happy about.

[@rphntw1n]

@@arkham666 I’ll be diving in on some long drives I have this week. Control is next! Thanks!

[@theotherperson9928]

Mate, I love your vids, it's really nice too see how your video format evolved since I subbed back in 2021 after watching your DX IW vid. Really glad to see you cover Prey. I remember being on a verge of tears first time I finished this game. And well, I replayed it pretty soon after my first playthrough. Definitely one of my all time favorites.

[@arkham666]

It's such a great game. So much depth.

[@jondoe6608]

Just found your channel, the first few videos I watched where the Deus Ex ones, now watching your other stuff, I like what I am seeing, keep up the good work, hope your channel grows more.

[@arkham666]

Thank you I appreciate it. I've had to slow down production a little but I still really enjoy making videos so I'll be continuing no problem.

[@xLaxCroixBoix]

Oh shit. If you release the prisoner you get the code to the armory? I always just morph into something and slide into the armory and then he goes “I see you already went into the armory.” And I’m like “nice observation my guy.”

[@hovermotion]

Superb production.

[@stevenguitink5947]

I liked the reference to China Mieville. It's nice to hear someone else who knows of his work. :)

[@arkham666]

He's a great writer. I'm a big fan of Perdido street station.

[@stevenguitink5947]

@@arkham666 Incidentally, I just finished this video. Can't imagine Redfall ended up being the game you hoped it was eh? :(

[@arkham666]

@@stevenguitink5947 no it wasn't. Flashback 2 was also a big disappointment too. Thankfully I never pre order games and I only buy them once reviews are out.

[@BetoPerez999]

As late as I am, there are at least three uses for it: Opening doors by pressing buttons Opening doors by pressing screens and most importantly: It distracts the cystoids (and other enemies, but that's whatever.) Fun fact: Cystoids are attracted to fast movement. the crossbows will lure them away from you, and if you go slow enough, then they will ignore you. :)

[@arkham666]

I love this game so much.

[@BetoPerez999]

@@arkham666 Yeah! I learned the cystoid thing entirely on accident. I discovered the gloo gun just instantly kills them, so I started using that instead of the pistol, then thought of the huntress bowcaster because they both do zero damage, missed, then they followed it. absolute gamechanger believe it or not.

[@ignatiuralea3529]

excellent video

[@kentglass3894]

Amazing game. love itttt

[@MasterCrumble]

My dude, I dunno why you have such few views/subs. I love your content and your choice of games, plus the way you present the game talks. I watched this because I missed having Prey float around in my brainspace. Maybe it's due for a replay.

[@arkham666]

That's just the way it be on yt mate. I don't pay much mind to things beyond my control. And I'd say it's always time for a prey replay.

[@Bantallas]

13:25 these are floating gaming consoles

[@shoti1111]

Dahl's operators dont spawn infinite. Easy way to stop their spawn is not kill them just damage them to 95% of their HP. They lay in ground helpless and ask for repair but since they are technically alive no new ones are spawned in replicators.

[@arkham666]

Immersive Sims are great like that.

[@charaznable8072]

It's hard to call it a masterpiece it just feels like it's missing something that would make it so (a better ending imo), but boy does it come extremely close to a perfect score. Also first time watching your content, you making some good stuff here.

[@arkham666]

Thanks mate. I guess every game has those areas that could have been just a little better but the overall experience here is something really special.

[@ghostlyglool]

Btw there is a way to scan the apex itself if you got the far scan chip but you get nothing from the data and also lose all your psi and be left with 1hp not many people probable knew this

[@arkham666]

Fucking cool!

[@alexisgoncalves1011]

Are you review a other Arkane's Games (Dishonored series, Ark Fatalis, Dark Messiah) and the Shock series (Bioshock, System Shock). They are CRPG game included "Immersive Sim" element like Fallout ( the isometric one), Arcanum ( The first game of Troka when develop VMP Bloodline) , Underrail (?) and Space Wreck ( It's very inspired by Fallout and Arcanum).

[@arkham666]

I haven't really thought that far ahead. I'll definitely cover dishonored one day. Thesummerofmark who I linked in the description has done most of Arkane's back catalog and bioshock. I love immsims though so I'll probably get around to all of them eventually.

[@rust_and_ruin]

"who are you?" "Yu" "no, not me. you. who are *you*?" "I have told you. Yu" "are you deaf?" "no, Yu is blind" "I'm not blind. you're blind!"

[@arkham666]

Morgan You!

[@anthonyhiggins9799]

Rush Hour 3 if I'm not mistaken?

[@rust_and_ruin]

@@anthonyhiggins9799 yes

[@pelgervampireduck]

The name killed it, it should have been called something shock or even "system shock 3".

[@arkham666]

Space Shock the system 3

[@eivisch]

we need prey remaster and all it remasters is getting rid of loading screens

[@BatkoNashBandera774]

1:47 What we deserved. But instead due to greed and ineptitude we don't receive anything anymore as gamers from AAA studios because they are no longer or never were the creative juggernaut of times previous, oh and the fact THEY ONLY WANT MONEY and have less than zero passion for the projects or for gaming.

[@arkham666]

Arkane Austin forever baby.

[@ysiadpir1423]

Probably going to buy this game on GOG. The Trash DEI infected games of Today are a poor excuse for entertainment and a waste of time and money.