Five Games That Need To Go Back In Time Like 'Prey'

Predator, as a franchise, elicited the noncommittal shrug of the shoulders from its following. Three films and two crossovers later, something borrowed soon became something boring. Yet, Prey revitalised Predator with a twist on the formula. Rather than experienced soldiers and mercenaries tracking the alien before it tracks them, this story is about a Comanche hunter who is fighting against two types of invaders in the 18th century. Using her tomahawk and her knowledge of the environment, the hunter ultimately triumphs over the Predator, but not before you’ve shredded your fingernails to stubs due to the tension. 

So, I’m wondering if certain video game series would benefit similarly from doing the time warp. 

Actually, while you’re here, check out our compilation of the best games we’ve played this year. 

Ubisoft

Far Cry

Obviously, there’s Far Cry Primal, and that concept and setting was received with praise from reviewers. However, the choice of the prehistoric era did mean that we lost a lot of the potential humour that is present in the more recent Far Cry games, as well as the technology to go ham on a group of unsuspecting NPCs. 

I’m suggesting a Far Cry set at the time of the American Revolution, so you can use muskets, bayonets and rifles, and you can claim territory from the enemies, as per usual Far Cry fare. Just think of how the Boston Tea Party would play out as a Far Cry mission and tell me it wouldn’t be funny.

Konami

Silent Hill

The core of this series is that slow, chilling, skin-prickling sensation that the world is recognisable, but devoid of humanity that gives it the heartbeat that makes it feel like home. It’s one of the inspirations for the Upside Down in Stranger Things. So when we spin the hourglass here, we want it to be something that capitalises on that feeling of unreality and reflects the emotions of those affected by the Otherworld. 

Imagine a family of settlers who have come to America and are isolated in the cold, unpleasant, oppressive forest (I’m essentially describing Robert Eggers’ The Witch). Why did they come here? What did they sacrifice? Are there things they’re not telling each other? And God and stuff. That was big back then. 

Ubisoft

Watch Dogs

Oh, that doesn't make sense because Watch Dogs is all about technology. Wrong, you silly, silly silly person. What I'm saying is rather than being contemporaneous, I'm saying go back to the ‘90s. Have a Watch Dogs where the whole plot is you stopping a Y2K conspiracy. Centering the gameplay mechanics around older technology that we don't use anymore like chunky mobile phones, dial up, floppy disks, AIM, ThinkPads — hell, why don’t we stick some wheels on a Furby and that can be our drone. 

Capcom

Resident Evil 

The entire reason that the Umbrella Corporation exists is thanks to Miranda who happened to help out a lost Oswell Spencer when he was hiking in Eastern Europe. Not only is she committed to a glamorous smokey eye, she transformed those in her village with the mold to subdue them for further experimentation. 

Set a Resident Evil game at that time point where you are one of the surviving villagers attempting to evade Miranda and rescue your family. You’re not a soldier, but your weapon is a bow and arrow that you’ve taken from your father’s room, and that’s literally all you have. Not only would it be a gruelling game, you would learn a lot more about Miranda, and it’s what she deserves. 

Sony

Uncharted

Of course, Nathan is the central character of the series, but he's hung up his hat and the baton has been passed to Chloe and Nadine, as well as the possibility of Cassie Drake stepping up to the plate. Naughty Dog, this is what you do. Take a team of your developers off and announce them under a new name. And you’re going to ask them to pitch you a shooter set in the 1960s, where the central character is a historian who has been caught up in a group of opportunistic mercenaries posing as humanitarians to use ancient sites as shortcuts to ambush people. 

Stay with me. We manage to get out of that situation, we’ve taught lessons in both history and pain, and we discover immense, invaluable treasure. Rather than document what she’s seen, she takes one thing, and then returns home. Then, the player finds out that the protagonist has been going under a pseudonym for her safety and her colleague, Cassandra Morgan, begs her to tell the real story of what happened. Ta da, you’ve been playing as Evelyn.

These are all only suggestions, of course, yet those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps, with the newest generation of hardware pushing the envelope of what is possible, the most exciting thing these games could do is take a trip down memory lane.