While mostly linear in value and minimum in challenge, PREY is certainly one of the better shooters to come out in years
User Rating: 9.5 | Prey (2006) PC
Many First-Person shooters in the last 10 years seem to deliver the same experience time and time again: Run. Shoot. Watch end credits. Because of this typical concept that everyone expects from a game like Prey, it's very hard to make a shooter stand out. But there are a few select shooters that have truly stood out from the general chunk of otherwise "uninnovative" games. Many of these classics include Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, and a few others. Now, a new title is about to enter that rare mix, and that folks, is Prey. Prey puts you in the role of Tommy, a Native American man who is living on a reservation with his Grandfather and his Girlfriend, Jen. The three are chilling out in the bar in which Jen works one night, and all of a sudden they hear loud noises outside the bar. Then, the roof of the bar tears off the building, and the three get abducted into what seems to be an alien ship. Tommy gets separated from his Grandfather and Jen, and has to go on a mission to find both of them. Meanwhile, his Grandfather is communicating with Tommy telepathically, and gives Tommy an ability used by his ancestors: Spirit Walk. with this ability, Tommy can exit his body as a spirit for a time, and return at will. This ability will help him get through the ship's security system, and help him with combating the ship's guard, with the help of a Cherokee bow that Tommy has while in spirit form. While Tommy is back in his physical body, he can use the various weapons he finds around the ship. Many of these weapons work and somewhat look like organic versions of everyday weapons, like machine guns, shotguns and grenades. Another great thing about Prey that makes it so innovative, is the fact that Gravity can easily change at any point in the game, For example, there are these special pathways that go along walls and ceilings that you can walk on, and there are small planetoids that float in the middle of rooms, and when you get close enough to them, you can walk around them. While I really like this game alot, there are some things wrong with it, because it sure aint perfect. One thing is that the game lacks challenge. When you get killed by one of the aliens on the ship, The game takes you to this "Spirit World" where you have to use the Cherokee bow to battle evil spirits. Once you've battled enough of them, you can return to the point you were at when you died. While this seems like some kind of horrible gimmick, it actually works very well and makes the game more fun, dispite it making the game very easy. Another thing bad about the game is the way the weapons feel. The sound effects they each make kinda sound awkward, but at the same time, they make for unique and GOOD awkward weapons, 'cause remember, these ARE alien weapons we're talking about... The graphics in Prey are nothing short of spectacular. The game uses a modified Doom 3 engine, which gives it cool bump-map tetures, perfectly designed lights and shadows, neat scripted effects, smart enemy AI, and a decent physics engine. On the Xbox360 version of the game, the framerate can drop signifigantly during certain parts of the game, meanwhile, if you have a medium-spec PC or better, the game runs absolutely flawless. Prey is definately a classic in FPS history, because it's unique plot, gameplay, graphics, and just overall best quality. 
