4) Prey
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: Mid 2017
We’re getting to the business end of this list and things are heating up. There are few games – if any – I’m more keen to play than Prey, a re-imagining of the 2006 franchise whose fetid corpse has been resuscitated by the geniuses at Arkane Studios. Yes, the minds behind Dishonored 1 and 2 are at the reins and tackling a futuristic space station where a mysterious alien presence is baying for your blood.
From the extended gameplay demo I’ve watched, there’s a real whiff of Bioshock in the air (and plenty of System Shock, too). It’s decidedly creepy stuff, suffused with a paranormal eeriness and some wildly inventive gameplay touches. The aliens are dubbed Typhon. Some can mimic real-world objects like the ghastly menace from The Thing while others lurch at you like shifting shadows in the dark. Better yet, you can harness their powers, upgrading your gear using “neurmods.” Soon you’re teleporting like a shadow, or mimicking objects in the world, giving you the ability to shape shift and scuttle through the base unseen.
Arkane has a real appreciation for what makes games sing and you can expect an engrossing campaign here that puts the onus on player freedom. The story will take place in the base, with walled-off areas blocking immediate progression. Expect to head out into the inkly blackness of space, too, while you slowly grow your powers and discover what on earth is going on. The atmosphere and gameplay freedom alone have me giddy to play this one.