Hunting Grounds ended up being, to my surprise, my second 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer game of the weekend. In a similar manner to Resident Evil’s Project Resistance, you are split into groups of five and then teams of four survivors while one lucky duck gets to be the Predator. Luckily, I was on the team of survivors, though we at least got better equipment for hunting through the jungle and raiding what seemed to be quasi-military bases.
Each mission seemed to be fairly short, and it ends either with the team completing their objectives or killing the Predator, or with the Predator killing all survivors. While we only played one mission, and yes we did kill the Predator, it seems like this set-up is a lot more conducive to telling a longer plotline, in terms of linking individual mission segments together. That said, it worked great as a standalone, even if you only know the bare basics about the movie franchise.
There’s freedom to choose your character and weapons, to an extent, but there’s less teamwork and coordination needed, and less needed to win. The balancing between Predator and prey was much more of an even keel for the rounds I played, even to the extent where you just feel like you’re more capable of winning and killing the Predator. Are there advantages to both sides? Yes, of course. The team at any time is trying to complete their separate objective while simultaneously fighting against rival soldiers. But the split focus worked well, and felt fresher than if you were constantly fighting Predators for the whole course. Enemy variety is key, after all.
Hunting Grounds had easy controls to get used to, and it felt like more of an action adventure game than a horror, despite the source material. As I mentioned, there’s definite potential for a cohesive, multiplayer plot, not to mention Alien-themed spin-offs, and I’d be interested to see what it does.
Predator: Hunting Grounds may not have been ground-breaking, but it was fun. It was definitely the 4v1 experience I enjoyed most from New York Comic Con, although it lacked the sophistication and depth of other entries. And I’m not just saying I enjoyed it because I got to shoot the Predator either, although that is a definite bonus.
Are you interested in Predator: Hunting Grounds? What other 4v1 games would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below!
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Courtney Ehrenholfer is an aspiring novelist and screenwriter, and current journalist who greatly enjoys video games, especially those of the point and… More about Courtney
