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How Bethesda plans to pull players back to 'Prey'
Last year's Prey was a creepy shooter and role-playing game set on a spaceship riddled with black, shimmering aliens. The so-called 'immersive sim' was praised for its science fiction story, which let you shape the main character and the fate of the hostile research station. The gameplay, though, was seen by many as a retread of BioShock, System Shock and other genre classics. Despite its wild Neuromod abilities, which let you become an expert hacker, fighter or shape-shifting alien, the rebooted Prey failed to catch the public's attention.
Bethesda announces new DLC for 'Prey'
Bethesda and developer Arkane Studios aren't done with Prey. Not by a long-shot. The pair just announced an intriguing set of downloadable content for the single-player 2017 sci-fi game, including a multiplayer mode and roguelike pack. The latter, Mooncrash, is out today and enemy encounters change every time you play. So is a free update that adds two new difficulty modes (one for folks who want to explore, and another for those who feel the game wasn't hard enough already). Mooncrash tasks you to take repeat runs through a lunar base, unlocking new characters, building on the original game's narrative.
'Dishonored' studio co-founder steps down after 18 years
Today the founder of Arkane Studios, Raf Colantonio, announced that after 18 years with the company, he is now stepping down. In a statement Colantonio said, "It is time for me to step out to spend some time with my son and reflect on what is important to me and my future."
How the studio behind 'Prey' reimagined space history
Talos I is a beautiful nightmare. The privately-owned research facility, suspended in space above the Earth, offers a captivating blend of science and art-deco design. Its offices are filled with tall, geometric art prints, red leather sofas and mahogany desks laced with gold. The station's lobby, large and extravagant, features two winged-lion statues carved from bronze and a huge set of windows overlooking the Moon. It's gorgeous, but there's a problem — the vessel is overrun with black, wispy aliens that can hide in everyday objects and kill you in a couple of seconds. Welcome to Prey, the latest video game from Arkane Studios.
Speedrunners have already torn 'Prey' apart
Bethesda's Prey reboot has been out for less than a week and already players are posting some truly insane speedruns. Arguably the best is a 19:34 dash posted by "DraQu" on YouTube. It's a mesmerizing playthrough that uses the GLOO Cannon -- an early weapon that can slow down enemies and create small platforming blocks -- to access areas that would normally take hours to unlock. There's some trickery involved, carefully placing foam boulders to clip through the environment and scale parts of the spaceship developer Arkane Studios never intended people to see. Still, it's all within the confines of the game -- technically DraQu isn't cheating.
Bethesda's chilling 'Prey' reboot arrives on May 5th
Bethesda's creepy Prey reboot has a release date: May 5th, 2017. It's a divisive game, throwing out the work that Human Head Studios did on the now cancelled Prey 2. In its place, Arkane Studios has developed a chilling sci-fi horror game set on a 60s-inspired spaceship. You play as Morgan Yu, a human researcher living on board the Talos 1. Of course, everything turns sour, and you're soon left fighting for your life against an alien race called the Typhon. Thankfully, some strange experiments have left Yu with his own collection of devastating and constantly evolving powers. Game on.
'Prey' reboot arrives in 2017
Yes, the Prey franchise is still alive -- but you'll want to forget that ill-fated sequel from years ago. Bethesda used its E3 event to unveil a series reboot, simply called Prey, that shares little (if anything) in common with either the 2006 original or the since-discarded follow-up. Arkane's shooter puts you in the shoes of Morgan Yu, an experimental subject plunked aboard a space station and tracked down by invading aliens. You'll have to use weapons, tools, and "mind-bending abilities" to win. Bethesda is only committing to a 2017 release window, but the new Prey will ship for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
'Dishonored 2' doesn't hit this year, but a remake of the first game does
We've barely begun E3 2015 and the award for "worst kept secret of the show" might go to Dishonored 2. Regardless, Bethesda and developer Arkane Studios made it internet official tonight at their media briefing and announced that there are two playable characters (including Corvo from the first game) and a few other bits. A release date wasn't announced, but a fancied-up version of the first Dishonored hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this August. You now, so you can get caught up on the story so far. For a peek at Dishonored 2, check out the trailer below.
Dark Messiah rises on Marketplace
A new Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Elements video is risen on Xbox Live Marketplace. The video is short and to the point, making sure to emphasize the violent first person combat of the title. There's plenty of slicing, dicing, whacking, and thwacking to be had, and just so you remember that there is both might and magic, a few spells are thrown in for good measure. We imagine most players will get a kick out of telekinetically launching opponents off cliffs. One new tidbit revealed in the trailer: the 360 version of Dark Messiah will have a new multiplayer mode designed by the Splinter Cell team (how will that work? Spies versus orcs?). Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Elements ships September 7.
360 to get both Mighty and Magical
Yet more Ubisoft news today, as Eurogamer discovers that Arkane Studios' Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is headed to the Xbox 360. Powered by Valve's Source engine, the game will be a port of the original PC title, with the additional subtitle, Elements (does every game have to have a subtitle these days?). For those unfamiliar with the game, it is a first-person RPG that's heavy on fantasy action. It's worth noting that the game received decent reviews on the PC, though many complained of lots of bugs. Here's hoping everything is ironed out for the 360 release. See a trailer for the PC version after the break.
Dark Messiah blesses Xbox 360, forsakes PS3 and Wii
At the ongoing Ubidays event in Paris, Ubisoft has announced a console port of the first-person fantasy title, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. The singular use of "console" should be emphasized, as the Xbox 360 will be the sole recipient of Arkane Studios' Source-powered adventure. Eurogamer reports that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements will be the same as last year's PC version, with the exception of a clumsy subtitle and new content. Presumably, said content includes technical stability and a framerate that can be taken seriously. A release date has not yet been announced.
The Crossing coming to Xbox 360; innovative FPS going cross-platform
Alright, wrap your head around this one. Arkane Studios latest FPS, previewed in the latest Games for Windows Magazine, isn't your average first person shooter ... in fact, they're calling it a "crossplayer" FPS. In short, the single- and multi-player elements of the game are merged, so those heretofore mindless enemies -- yup, they're your fellow carbon-based mammals. It's all a little confusing (watch the videos embedded after the break to get a better idea) but the good news is it'll be confusing on both the Windows and Xbox 360 platforms!According to a job offer on Arkane's site, the Lyon, France-based developer is looking for a programmer to "handle porting, maintaining, and optimizing the codebase for the Xbox 360 version of [The Crossing]." "Crossplayer" game called The Crossing (with knights from the Crusades) going cross-platform ... if ever there was a game that needed some Xbox Live Anywhere integration. Get on it, Arkane![Thanks, Justin]
The Crossing confirmed for Xbox 360
Arkane Studios, developer of the upcoming PC game, The Crossing put out a notice on its site for a new job offer for a "Xbox 360 programmer". The job description explicitly states they'll be bringing The Crossing over to the 360 and need someone to help optimize it for the console. Given the way that this FPS blurs the line between single player and multiplayer, where enemy AI in the campaign can be replaced with human player, Xbox Live seems like a perfect fit. Moreover, if they can pull a Shadowrun and make it cross-platform compatible with Xbox 360 and PC it could be very promising. Have you been watching this title for PC, and do the possibilities with Xbox Live intrigue you?[Via QJ.net, Thanks, gaetge]
