Predator: Concrete Jungle E3 2004 Preshow First Look

Vivendi Universal has announced plans to develop a new game based on the Predator, the self-destructing, Schwarzenegger-hating alien that starred in such films as Predator, Predator II, and the upcoming Aliens vs. Predator. The new game, Predator: Concrete Jungle is a third-person action adventure that carries an all-new storyline.

Concrete Jungle opens in small town during the organized crime-laden 1930s. It's the hottest summer in recent memory, and you, as a young Predator are on the hunt. Along the way you'll encounter a crime family, and take out several mobsters. Before too long, things on Earth go awry, and you're rescued by a predator spacecraft. Since the predators are into that Klingon-like "live with honor" sort of thing, having to be rescued is pretty high on the dishonor scale. As such, you're exiled to a hell planet, where few survive. After 100 years of solitude, you're given a second chance to return to that same spot on Earth, now around the year 2030. As a result of some of the things you did the last time you were in town, the crime family you messed with 100 years prior now runs things in the area. So it's up to you to get some skull-collecting revenge. Along the way, you'll even get to see some tie-ins to the Alien universe, such as the origins of the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

To get that revenge, you'll have a lot of the classic predator weaponry at your disposal. Weapons include wristblades, a net gun, the classic smart disk, a combistick, the plasmacaster, and a spear gun. You'll be able to equip three weapons at a time, meaning that you'll be able to quickly switch back and forth between your various weapons for the purpose of executing stylish combo strings. But you won't have to take on your enemies head-on all the time. There are also plans to include a sense of stealth-infused hunting in the game, allowing the player to "hunt with honor" or simply "kill at will." Stealth moves, such as hanging from ceilings, using a cloaking field, and crawling on walls, will presumably let you get the drop on your prey.

You'll also have four different vision modes to choose from. Thermal mode is a standard heat scan. Neuro scan mode lets you do a little mind-reading in order to detect threats, such as which human in a large crowd is the most aggressive, and so on. Prey scan lets you find weaknesses in your targets. Finally, the tech scan view will point out resources in the environments, such as usable items and other hint-type info.

Not much actual gameplay was shown at Vivendi Universal's preshow event, so how the game will actually look or function is still somewhat of a mystery. The game is being developed by Eurocom, specifically the same team that worked on EA's James Bond 007: NightFire.

Predator: Concrete Jungle is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. We'll have more details as they become available.