Predator hunting ground is it a fail ?

Predator: Hunting Grounds has intrigued me since the announcement: I still get high from the original 1987 film. The new game, apparently, was supposed to follow the canon – the jungle, commandos, a shoulder gun and a branded thermal imager. But as a result of open beta testing (played on PC and PS4), I was incredibly disappointed.

What is the essence of the game?

Five people are participating in the match. Four become fighters of the Special Forces strike team and must complete a specific task, and the fifth enters the battle as the deadly Predator. In the main menu you can choose for whom exactly you want to play the next match. And the problems of Predator: Hunting Grounds began here.

There were few users in the game. So few that I searched for matches through a “quick search” (this is when you can’t choose a role) for 20-25 minutes, and then I waited another 15 to connect the remaining participants to the found lobby. And yes, in two full days of beta testing, I managed to play for the Predator only twice – I spent all the remaining matches for the people. On the second day, the developers even brought a line to the main menu with a warning that “they know about the problems with finding players and are looking for ways to solve them.”

I understand that this may be due to the beta test, but it was open and carried out on two platforms. For all my life I have not seen such a low interest in the game under such conditions.

The problem here is more than obvious – Predator: Hunting Grounds did not attract anyone, because the game is rather mediocre.

It’s simply impossible to play for people

Special forces gameplay is the worst of Predator: Hunting Grounds. It’s boring to shoot, the weapon is not felt, and the set of tasks is reduced to the sequence “go over there, find it there, then go down there and do it”, which is found in every second cooperative shooter. Along the way, you still have to fight with the mercenaries who work here like bullet sponges – they simply absorb the damage and after half the clip fall dead weight.

Special forces can win the match in two ways: either complete all the tasks and escape by helicopter, or kill the Predator, which is much more difficult.

The special forces have several classes with different sets of weapons (there was only one in the beta). You can pick up guns before the start of the mission, and also choose perks and three elements of equipment: grenades, bags with cartridges, first-aid kits and other little things. Plus, anyone can smear in the mud so as not to be highlighted on the Predator’s thermal imager – just like Dutch did in the movie!

In general, playing for people is rather boring, although during the match the feeling of danger and fear does not leave, especially when you hear the approach of the Predator. But this game does not stretch. The only thing that saves Predator: Hunting Grounds is the gameplay for the alien himself.

Playing Predator is fun, but not enough

A predator appears at the beginning of the match at the opposite end of the map. His goal is simple: to find a detachment and destroy it. If people have time to complete tasks and escape by helicopter (even if it will be only one of four people), then the Predator will lose.

The Predator has a fairly wide arsenal. In addition to sharp claws and a cult shoulder gun, it can be armed with a spear or throwing disc, as well as a device for launching nets. Well, branded camouflage with a thermal imager in place. Moreover, the authors should pay tribute to following the canons: each element of the Predator is drawn and voiced as in the original film.

Plus, the game has several classes. In beta, only the classic was available, but on the release it will be possible to play for a brisk scout or for a heavy berserker. Although I do not think that the differences will be big.

Filling the Predator is a difficult task. It absorbs damage perfectly and can alone kill two or even three squad members at a time. Therefore, fighters need to stick together so that the match does not end in the first five minutes, concentrate fire on the alien and constantly exchange information about his position – there is even a special mark that can highlight his silhouette for a few seconds.

However, one solution seemed very strange to me. Remember the Predator in the original film: it moved silently, was almost a shadow hiding above the crowns of trees. In the game, his every step makes a loud loud sound, as if some giant was jumping through the trees. I’m not joking – turn on the video below.