‘Predator: Hunting Grounds’ review: a big red splotch on Sony’s otherwise flawless sheet

Because Predator: Hunting Grounds was named after my favourite movie monster, naturally I had to select it for my first match. The wait queue said two minutes, so I joined the queue. But while waiting in queue, I watched the 10-minute Travis Scott Fortnite concert, then made myself a chai and even actually got some work done before I realised I had to hit a tiny ‘Ready’ text button nestled at the bottom-right corner of the screen. I thought I was now really queued up for the game, but had to wait 35 minutes before I finally decided to quit the game. This loading screen in the online asymmetrical multi-player shooter is what you will be paying all of ₹2499 on any platform for.

Predator: Hunting Grounds aims to recreate one of the best action horror movies of the glorious 80s, where you can play either as a part of an elite squad, like that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s, or you could play as the Predator, an alien capable of jumping between trees, going invisible, all while bristling to the gills, with firepower.

As the soldier, you get the chance to shoot a whole bunch of guns at the Predator.

An unusual battlefield

Ultimately, the concept sees one player as Predator and four as a fireteam.

When I finally got to play the game, I was in the fireteam and it was fun for all of five minutes. You complete dull filler objectives and kill a bunch of AI grunts until you spot the Predator.

The waiting time loading screen   | Photo Credit: IllFonic

At that point, the game throws more grunts and objectives at you, while the Predator was unleashing havoc. I survived, though, only to be killed by the user interface. A ‘hold to pick up’ objective in the middle of a firefight gave the fireteam an unfair advantage. This was a bit of fun, but at the end of a 20-minute queue time, all I got was about five minutes of actual gameplay before I started my long, 30-minute wait to play as the Predator.

‘Predkour’ (parkour meets Predator), which gives immediate camping advantage, was like driving a Ferrari after slumming it on a cycle with a loud bell. With an immensely powerful shoulder cannon and wicked blades, it is fun killing puny humans. My Predator time was over way too quickly, because my ‘human opponents’ died, even though I did all I could to kill AI enemies to save them for my own slaying... which meant back to the queue for me.

The largest of the Predators, Berserkers have highest health, stronger melee attacks and significant energy reserves.   | Photo Credit: PlayStation

Worse: for a paid game, everything is behind an unlock wall, making your starting loadout pathetic, especially on the fireteam’s side. Even the character classes are locked behind some insane numbers. Just to play as a Berserker Predator, you have to reach Level 44. With paltry XP gains per match, you’re looking at a progression tree and double-digit minute actual wait times.

Knowing Sony’s lofty standards for games, Hunting Grounds is a big red splotch on an otherwise flawless sheet. If you are interested or a fan of the Predator franchise, wait and watch for a free-to-play weekend to experience those long wait queues for yourself. With everyone already waiting in queues to get into the supermarkets, life is too short to spend ages in virtual queues for a game that is barely worth that time.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel