Predator: Hunting Grounds Review

They say “patience is a virtue”, and how you will need it. I can say that after my first night of experiencing long queues and waiting times, I was somewhat impressed. While my initial thoughts were unfavourable of the title, waiting a few days after its release was the best chance it had in reassuring a clearer perception of what was on display. However, this does not change the fact that Predator: Hunting Grounds, is nowhere near the quality we have come to expect from developers in our current climate, but it does present some factors that make it engaging. The 4v1 fireteam approach changes the scope of the traditional arena shooter, and provides more than a contingent effort to surprise the player and their cohorts in a battle. If you do the comparison then sure, this rings similar tones to Friday the 13th, in the fact that you’re ultimately playing an online game of tag, with Predator presenting it in a systemised technique.

Beginning with two teams landing on opposite sides of the level, your will explore the jungle which replicates scenery from the original 1987 Schwarzenegger classic, Predator. Completely objective based, the opposing teams will be given a list of tasks to fulfill. Once completing the objective, all surviving members must flee to extraction and there’s only one way you could possibly do this… “Get to the Chopper!”. Objectives may range in case of all scenario’s set forth, such as data retrieval, obtaining stolen artefacts, compromising a drug smuggling ring, etc. While given range, most objectives will land the same result and become obvious that it presumably bottlenecks your progression. There’s no pay-off to completing each objective, rather it plays in part of making each party the Predator’s prey.

While the focus of the title places the titular character at the forefront, there’s a genuine feeling that the entire development process had decided to put its efforts into making the Predator character polished, while thoughtlessly creating each human/militant character to be as stiff as a cardboard cutout. Zero emotion, duplicate models, and bland texture mapping are entirely evident and can be a major distraction. Human AI seems non-existent, and your missions will feel less like a task, but instead a chore. In the grand scheme of the title’s turmoil, it’s obvious that each party is present to generate chaos, and garner the attention of the camouflaged creature. With Predator invisible to the naked eye, the player controlling the alien is easily able to scale trees and huts, to hunt down any human player they deem as an easy casualty. This puts an emphasis on the entire experience as neither you are just another victim, and that it’s all about skill and survival.

I wish I could state that the core gameplay loop delivers the same qualities we have accustom ourselves to in other online arena shooters, but it would be ignorant to state this, wholeheartedly. At times the title felt like a broken and buggy mess, with AI freezing and floating in randomly, there was one notable circumstance where the game soft-locked and the mission was left incomplete. I had one chance to experience Predator’s gameplay loop, and I must say that it most certainly felt like a completely different game. If anything, it felt polished on the Predator’s end. Playing as the antagonist of the title was a treat in itself, and to be given the experience of viewing the character in third-person was an immersive experience. Engaging in-action as Predator was an improvement over the vanilla first-person shooter portion. However, controlling the dark demon, I did find some difficulties in learning his actions. You will be given a quick tutorial on how to control each character, but it can become a little bizarre acclimating yourself to one control scheme that moves differently to the other.

I loved using Predator’s infrared/heatseeking vision. It allowed me to gain a steadfast advantage over the entire troopline that was attempting to overtake each portion of the South American Jungle. Scanning through each section of the map, you’re able to find each threat and quickly scale through the jungle, climbing trees and hurdling tall huts. The only drawback is that you cannot clearly identify who is human, or AI. It truly felt like an espionage mission using Predator, trying to gauge the entire outcome of the session. Once engaging in battle with humans, you will find yourself in love with the titular character’s arsenal. The satisfying, yet cringeworthy cracks of a humans spine ripping through flesh made it evermore enticing to continue playing in hopes of scoring another session as the charcoal shaded creature.