Prey combines wonderful story elements with intense shooting action into a package shooter fans shouldn't miss.
There are alot of clever puzzles in Prey, and most of them need to be solved by spirit walking. Spirit walking is initiated when you press Y, and it causes you to actually leave your body and walk through obstacles your human form couldn't normally reach. While it could have been expanded on much more, it certainly adds alot of depth to the gameplay. Of course, most of the game you'll be in your human form, shooting aliens with a wide assortment of strange alien weapons. Most of them are your standard FPS fare (this has got to be the first FPS without pistols); you've got your rifle, your minigun, your bazooka, your shotgun, and so on. But there are some weapons that have different functions than you might expect. One is a gun that uses different types of ammo depending on what color station you charge it up at (this also happens to be my favorite weapon), another is a multi-purpose gun, which comes complete with a bazooka and a bullet-proof forcefield.
All of the weapons, however, look like nothing you've ever seen. The look that they were going for is organic materials mixed with machinery. They absolutely nailed it. As you walk around, you'll see eyeballs starting to come out of your weapon, tentacles moving, and more creepy things like that that really make the weapons stand out. The environments look just as creepy, with human limbs being spit out of openings in the cround, slits in the wall that spew out creatures, eggs hatching and attacking you, and alot of other gross things that fit in with the whole theme of the game. The game's graphics are outstanding from an artistic standpoint as well as a technical one. The lighting in this game is second to none, all of the textures are highly detailed, alien blood flies on walls in real time, there are alot of elements that come together to make Prey look fantastic.
The sound is great too, though weapons sound a little on the quiet side. But the music and voice acting are both top notch. I loved Tommy's little comments throughout the game, most of them involving cursing, but it helps keep the game feeling cinematic, which brings me to the story. It's not really the actual story that blew me away, but it was more how it was presented. There is not a single cutscene in the game (except the very end), and that opening sequence in the restaraunt is not one I will soon forget. Very impressive, indeed.
Prey is a pretty long game single-player wise, with about 10 hours of length, but then you've got online multiplayer which is extremely fun. It won't be replacing Halo 2 anytime soon, but the unique levels help it stay fresh. There is alot of fast-paced fun to be had in multiplayer.
Prey is a very impressive game overall, and its appeal is undeniable. This would certainly make a fine addition to any FPS fan's library, and I can easily recommend it.