Predator: Concrete Jungle Updated Hands-On

At the Gen Con event in Indianapolis, we had the opportunity to try out Eurocom's upcoming action game, Predator: Concrete Jungle. We were able to sample a few different levels that involved both stealth and combat. The game takes place in a futuristic version of Chicago in which you, the predator alien, are public enemy number one. All the levels we played took place in the city--in some places, ruined parts of the city submerged in water, and in others, in the middle of a riot.

Among other things, the predator has the ability to jump to incredible heights, which it needs to do to complete an early level that requires jumping through the ruins of the city to avoid falling and drowning in the water below. Early on in the game, the predator acquires its infamous cloaking device, which can be activated by pressing down on the D pad. This causes the predator to become completely transparent and walk extremely slowly, and in this early version of the game, brushing up too close to passersby or enemies alerts them to your presence. One early-game mission requires you to sneak into a city area to spy on an enemy meeting, which you can locate using the minimap in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Other levels require you to fight through large crowds of enemies, including thugs, technologically enhanced soldiers, and crooked police officers. The left trigger button lets the predator lock onto a specific enemy, which then lets him strafe around its targeted enemies, as well as leap around them. The predator has two normal melee attacks, a punch attack (which the predator can supplement with its retractable claws) and a bludgeoning attack with the predator's spear; both count up hits on a combo meter. The predator can also finish off fallen enemies with either its claws or its spear. You can also press both attack buttons together to perform an additional attack. With the predator's claws out, this causes the predator to impale his enemy on his spear; with its claws retracted, this causes the predator to grab the targeted enemy to use as a human shield (it can later hurl its victim away). The predator also has a variety of ranged weapons that can be fired using the right trigger. It also has an enhanced vision mode that changes the predator's perspective to a first-person view.

From what we've seen, Eurocom seems to be off to a good start in re-creating the powers and abilities of the universe's most brutal trophy hunter. Predator: Concrete Jungle is scheduled for release early next year.