Predator: Hunting Grounds

Predator: Hunting Grounds is a great addition to the multiplayer shooter genre, with plenty of fun to be had regardless of which side you choose to play.

When it wants to imitate the 1987 movie, Predator: Hunting Grounds is a lot of fun, but doesn't really have anything past that

Predator: Hunting Grounds is bolstered by its unique gameplay dynamics and beloved license, but falls flat thanks to unbalanced and repetitive matches as well as a general lack of polish. Some matches manage to capitalize on the thrill of hunting prey and surviving alien encounters, but the overly-simplistic Fireteam gameplay and the unnecessarily complicated Predator mechanics lead to matches that end far too quickly to feel satisfying for either side. With some post-launch balance refinements, additional polish and a proper Fireteam tutorial, the title could re-emerge as an imperfect but mor...

Predator: Hunting Grounds is a decent multiplayer romp with just enough content and ideas to make it worthwhile. It’s a huge improvement over Ifflonic’s last game, Dead Alliance, and one that’s definitely pumped up thanks to having a popular license to lean on.

Predator: Hunting Grounds doesn’t quite let you live out that power fantasy of being an extraterrestrial master hunter, nor does it provide top-tier co-op FPS gunplay. Brief moments playing on either side of the battlefield create genuinely exciting action scenes, but they’re all too infrequent and end far too abruptly when you find them because the Predator is too often outgunned and has few means of dividing and conquering his prey. There’s a consistently enjoyable experience buried somewhere in the janky jungle of Predator: Hunting Grounds, but it’s just not that easy to find yet.

Predator: Hunting Grounds isn’t a terrible game. Not at all. But it’s just not good enough. The core of the game is decent, but it needs more maps, more interesting objectives when playing as the Fireteam, and simply more polish. On top of that, while playing as the Predator can be fun, you’ve got to be prepared to spend nearly half your time waiting on matchmaking, and then you could just find yourself running around a jungle like a headless chicken if the opposing Fireteam has its collective head screwed on. With a little bit of work and some additional content, Predator: Hunting Grounds cou...

Despite delivering on nostalgia, Predator: Hunting Grounds lacks the punch to make it stand out.

It’s a shame too, because I could spend ages running around the jungle as everyone’s favourite Schwarzeneggar-botherer, leaping over temples and howling at the sky in unbridled agony each time this supposedly rock-hard alien has to give himself his little injection of health medicine. There’s a really excellent Predator in here, waiting to be set free.

Predator: Hunting Grounds feels like a rough and empty game that is held up by its adherence to the original film's tone and atmosphere. But the overall quality hits more like the forgettable sequels, unfortunately.

Predator: Hunting Grounds' lack of variety and shallow gameplay make it difficult to stick with beyond a handful of rounds.

Republished on Wednesday 1st September 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.

Playing as the Predator is a wonderful idea, it just deserves a better game around it. Bugs, mediocre first-person gameplay, repetitive missions, an ugly setting, and a reliance on playing with friends mean Predator Hunting Grounds is boring a lot more often than it is enjoyable.