If you’ve been yearning for a game that follows in the massive footsteps of Team ICO’s PlayStation 2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus, then Prey for the Gods is the game for you.
On Prey for the Gods’ Kickstarter page, developer No Matter Studios describes the indie game “as an action survival game” set on a wintry island, where players must “destroy the very gods you believe in” in order to survive the unforgiving climate, and solve a world-threatening mystery. The page lists titles like Deus Ex, DayZ, Bloodborne, and the aforementioned Shadow of the Colossus as inspiration for the open-ended and action-heavy gameplay.
The early footage of the game shown in the pitch video gives us glimpses of the game’s female protagonist scaling towering “bosses,” clinging to their fur and scales to find and attack weak spots on their bodies, which evoke the scale and majesty of Shadow of the Colossus’ colossi bosses.
Outside of combat, the unnamed main character is shown trudging through deep snow within dark forests. According to the Kickstarter page, players will have to survive the harsh, freezing weather by scouring the environment for items to keep them alive, and equipment to use in their battles against the massive gods that roam the landscape. There is, of course, a trade-off between exploration and survivability; the more you explore, the better your equipment will be, but the greater your risk of getting caught in a sudden blizzard and perishing.
Now, if you’re the type to raise a skeptical eye at the phrase “Kickstarter project,” that’s understandable; some Kickstarters often fail to get off the ground, and others end up delivering sub-par products (we’re looking at you Mighty No. 9). However, No Matter Studios is going out of its way to instill faith in Prey for the Gods’ development.
The development team is made up by a small core of industry veterans with a combined 30 years of experience in such games as Titan Quest and Dawn of War. No Matter Studios claims that the game is already around 25-percent complete. That seems reasonable, especially considering the quality of the gameplay footage shown so far.
Similarly, the game’s scope seems appropriate. Even if all the stretch goals are met, the game will only include 5-8 bosses, with most of their Kickstater budget dedicated to polish. Other stretch goals include console versions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4; a live orchestral score; and additional art and animations, as well as more weapons and environments.
The current estimated delivery date is December 2017. At the time of this writing, the campaign has already raised nearly $135,900 of its $300,000 goal in just two days, so it seems pretty likely that Prey for the Gods will meet its funding goals. Frankly, we’re shocked we haven’t seen more games — whether indie or AAA — trying to build upon the formula that Shadow of the Colossus so elegantly executed over 11 years ago, but we’re glad to finally see someone take a crack at it.
You can get the full scoop on Prey for the Gods’ gameplay, art, and development team on its Kickstater page.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.