From the studio Illfonic, creators of theFriday the 13thgame, comesPredator: Hunting Grounds,scheduled to be released next month. The game will follow a similar format in many ways to the first game that really put these developers on the map. In other ways, it will be entirely different. Many things still remain unknown about this venture but with a trailer and some hints dropped in conventions and interviews, we have a rough idea of what to expect.
RELATED:Friday The 13th: Every Playable Version Of Jason, Ranked
Some aspects of the game sound wildly promising — but some things make us a little wary of gettingtoohyped about this release.
10Excited: Friday The 13th Was Fun
For all its faults and complaints,Friday the 13thwas a fun game. It saw counselors generated on a map and one player chosen to be Jason. The counselors' goal was to escape the map; Jason’s goal was to kill them before they could do so. Although the graphics weren’t exactly revolutionary and the concept had been done before, the game was undoubtedly fun, with many people playing until beyond their level was maxed out. The game actually garnered such a loyal player base that when it was announced no more DLC or updates would be created, there was some outrage and disappointment in the gamer community.
Still, it’s proof that Illfonic know how to create a fun game.
9Not Excited: F13 Has A Lot Of Glitches
But fun as the game was, it was not without its glitches.
Every game can expect to have some bugs reported on release, but there were many withF13and they kept coming thick and fast months and even years after the release. It seemed that when a patch was released to fix one bug, another popped up in its place. Players would find glitched locations on the map where Jason couldn’t find them, or try and execute an action only to have the whole game freeze. IfP:HGfollows the same path, we can expect it to be at least a year after release before the game is relatively bug-free.
8Excited: They Might Learn From Those Mistakes
But maybe it won’t take them a year. Sure, the track record isn’t amazing, but who’s to say Illfonic haven’t specifically learned from those mistakes? They might know the expectations set upon them, and know the type of bugs likely to pop up in this game. They might have tested it more thoroughly. Their track record of games, after all, isn’t long, and everyone has to start somewhere. Everyone deserves a second chance without preconceived notions of just how many times the devs will have messed up before the game becomes playable.
7Not Excited: Multiplayer Shooter Games Are Not Original
The thing that madeF13a little more unique was the different elements and the survival multiplayer style, a combination rarely done.P:HG,however, will be an asymmetrical shooter which is somewhat less unique. Multiplayer shooters are doneallthe time, frombattle royale style gamesto much smaller arenas, and there’s a chance that this is just another version of something that’s been done time and time again.
6Excited: Seems More Tense & Immersive Than F13
A fan complaint aboutF13was that although it’s based on a famous horror franchise and was marketed as the same genre, it’s not particularly scary. The bugs make the game not particularly immersive, and the graphics and style means it’s hard to build any tension. It’s actually far more tense to play as Jason when the player has the sole pressure of doing well or being laughed at by troll counselors.
RELATED:6 Reasons Dead By Daylight Is Better Than Friday The 13th (& 3 Friday Is Better)
The trailer forP:HGmakes the game seem a lot more intense, which should please horror fans.
5Not Excited: Will Predator Be OP?
It can be extremely hard to get the balance right for asymmetrical games, because the lone player needs to be powerful enough to conceivably take on multiple other players, but notsopowerful that every match ends the same way.F13was adjusted a number of times for this very reason, with patches being introduced to give Jason more powers and then the counselors, desperately trying to balance the game to a reasonable extent. CanP:HGget this right on the first try?
4Excited: Hunter vs. Hunted
The devs have emphasized the “hunting” aspect, where the roles can switch very quickly which should make the game more exciting and mean that the skill of the players will play a much bigger part than luck. This switch should make the game extremely dynamic, since nothing is guaranteed about your role.
3Not Excited: The Teamwork & The Getting There
Random pairings can always be intimidating in a game like this. Some people don’t take the game as seriously as you; some take it too seriously. If you’re playing alone, you’re relying on random match ups, since it doesn’t sound like this game will be single player friendly.
And how will it be handled?F13eventually (wisely) introduced dedicated servers but before that, if the host of the lobby quit, the game was ended and utterly ruined for everyone else in the match. Illfonic need to have something stable in place to prevent things like this from happening.
2Excited: Predator Is Not A Horror Franchise Explored In Gaming
Predatoris something new. Many horror movies have had games based around them, but this is a new horror franchise being explored. For horror fans who love to see their favorite movies incorporated into the gaming world, giving them an immersive experience where they have some control, this is truly exciting forPredatorfans.
1Not Excited: It Can’t Compete With Other Awesome Games & Their Hype
But sometimes it’s difficult to get excitement up for a game like this. There are so many amazing games coming (The Last of Us 2,Cyberpunk 2077) that it’s hard to get hyped about something that doesn’t have the same build up or back story. That’s not to say no one will buy this game — only that it’s hard to get excited about it when there’s so much excitement in the industry right now. Still, it tentatively looks like a promisingly fun play for those who love horror, multiplayers, and/or shooters.
NEXT:10 Games Releasing In 2020 More People Should Be Talking About
