If you're the type of person who enjoys the 'entertainment' value in your games, do NOT believe the Gamespot review.

User Rating: 8.7 | Prey (2006) PC
Prey is a short thrilling FPS that puts you in the shoes of a young, smart-allecky think you know-it-all Native American just arriving at the (stereotype?) bar that his girlfriend works at. A couple of good 'ol boys down at the end of the bar start harassing your woman with ethnic and sexist terms whereupon your grandfather (who meanwhile is sitting at the bar trying to talk to you about your heritage - which you rudely dismiss as tomfoolery) instructs you to go stick up for her. Another cryptic message from your grandfathers about the 'elders' when all hell starts to break loose. In a thrilling sequence brilliantly set to Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper' UFOs start abducting humans from Earth and wouldn't you know the bar your at is on their list?

Gunplay issues aside (I'll get to that in a moment) what follows is a thrilling hero vs. aliens ride that will take place in it's entirety aboard the alien ship. Don't worry if you're thinking your environments will be constrained somehow because of this, this ship is gigantic. And by gigantic I mean HUGE. Just to give you an idea without giving away any spoilers there is a sequence later in the game where you hear the radio chatter of a panicked airline pilot asking where he is and what's going on. Moments later a 747 comes thundering overhead to a resounding crash. Like I said, entertaining moments like these just don't come along very often with the high slick production values that Prey has. And boy, is it slick..

If i could find any weaknesses with this game it would have to be it's length (finished in about 6 1/2 hours) and it's overall gunplay. The 'organic' alien guns you acquire throughout the game look cool but lack a distinct toughness to them. The sounds lack a distinct pop to them as well. But as odd as it sounds, the fact that this game is so well produced more than makes up for it. Puzzles abound and with the added gimmicks of room flipping, wall walking, portal hopping goodness. Some will have you entering the 'spirit' realm whereupon you can existentially leave your body to reach previously unattainable places. They are not too easy as you will find yourself skipping along yet they are not so hard as to frustrate you, Human Head Studios did a great job implanting this feature and I hope to see much more of it in future games.

The story and talent they got to voice the characters is excellent. Of special note is your character. The actor who voiced him captures the emotions of the moment perfectly as you race against time to save your captured girlfriend. Whether it's anger or hopelessness or resolve Prey does a great job of sucking you in as you fight ever onward across literally miles of this ship.

Though there are admittedly too few varieties of baddies in this game, they can be challenging. You won't find superior AI with them flanking you but instead will find them popping out of portals and flanking you.

Don't believe the Gamespot review, sometimes I think reviewers get too critical (Roger Ebert syndrome) and forget what 'entertaining' means - instead comparing things like gunplay to a F.E.A.R. and dropping a score. Give Prey a chance and you will see what I mean.