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| | Title:
Prey
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
First Person Shooter
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Publisher:
2k Games
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Developer:
Human Head
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Release:
07/11/2006
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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Prey is one of those rare video games which is in development so long, people begin to wonder if it will ever come out. Unlike other lesser-known franchises, Prey has stood the test of time and now is less than a week away from finally being launched. So far it looks like the wait will be worth it. Utilizing the power of the Doom 3 engine as well as the Xbox 360's strengths, Prey is shaping up to be quite an experience. Xbox Core recently got a chance to tackle the delayed Prey Demo (ironic isn't it?). So dial up readers--this one is for you.
The story of Prey, on the surface, looks to be very simple. Gamers play as Tommy, a Cherokee Indian with a past of serving in the army who desperately wants to get off the reserve. However, both his grandfather and his girlfriend Jen (who runs a local bar) don't want to him leave. This sets up the emotional attachment for the characters early in the demo. After a quick bar fight to get gamers used to the combat system, all hell breaks loose when the alien invaders literally suck up Tommy, his girlfriend, his grandfather and the whole bar into their ship. From here, Tommy and crew are taken on a wild ride where Tommy ultimately escapes, and begins his quest to save his girlfriend and, ultimately, Earth. One can tell that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than what the demo leads us to believe. Being that this was the opening hour of the game, there were numerous hints of stuff to come. The most interesting was the wicked disembodied female voice who became surprised when Tommy was "aware" of her. She quickly put out an order for her entire ship to find Tommy. Odds are this voice was the leader of the aliens and will play a much more prominent role as the game progresses.
Graphically, Prey is a plethora of eye candy. Whether it is the huge glass tubes carrying blood, or the ambient lighting of Earth that disappears as Tommy ventures further into the bowels of the ship, there is one thing that is clear; Prey looks great. The only disappointing aspect about Prey is it only runs at 30 frames per second while the PC version of Prey runs at a steady 60 frames. Why the team behind the 360 version couldn't double the frame rate is beyond me. This is next-gen right? The other factor that hurts Prey is the fact that it is powered by the Doom 3 engine. Yes, the Doom 3 engine is amazing but it comes with a very distinct look and style. Those who have played Doom 3 and Quake 4 will easily see the comparison. As a result, it is hard for Prey to look totally unique when it is powered by such a recognizable engine. Couple this with the sub-par physics engine (when compared to the Source engine) and the Doom 3 engine's inability to have truly realistic human models, and it is obvious there are some areas of Prey which could have used some more work. With the final product days away from launch, one hopes the whole package will minimize these shortcomings.
Having said that, the level design of Prey is still stunning. Since Tommy is trapped on an alien ship, there are quite a few things about the environment that are,well, alien. The best example would be the use of gravity. This is the single most enjoyable part about trekking through Prey's demo. The experience of walking up walls and changing gravity on a whim never gets old. It makes the combat and adventure feel more unique than anything Quake 4 ever dished out. Gravity manipulation in the demo came in two forms: gravity walkways and gravity changing panels. When activated, the gravity walkways allowed Tommy to walk up walls and even upside down. The first time experiencing this was very disorientating, but the effect quickly wore off after a few minutes.
These walkways weren't just for getting from one area to the next, however. In addition to combat--which made the dead enemies fall "upwards"--there was also one simple puzzle in the demo which required manipulation of the gravity walkways. The gravity changers also performed in a similar way. By shooting any of the gravity changers--represented by three glowing blue icons in a triangular orientation--the gravity would switch to which wall the changer was attached too. Again, the puzzles were limited but gave a good idea of how Prey is going to utilize this later in the game. The only real puzzle available was when Tommy fell into a huge room and had to switch gravity several times until he fell through a portal and into the next room. Which brings me to the next unique aspect about Prey's level design: the portals.
Like the gravity, these portals imbue the alien ship with a hefty dose of cool weirdness. They are either built into a wall or randomly appear in the level, allowing Tommy to quickly move to another section of the ship. Stepping from one locale to one which was completely different--including the gravity--was disorienting, but ultimately made the demo that much more fun. One can only imagine how Prey's later levels will incorporate the gravity manipulation along with portals.
But just because the level design is cool doesn't mean it is not littered with enemies to fight. Taking a page from the "cool disgusting enemies that don't scare you" book, the enemies in Prey are some of the more original designs seen in a FPS game. With a genre full of Dooms, Halos, Quakes, and Half Lifes that is saying something. The first aliens encountered were the typical "small buggy type thing to get the player used to combat," which expectedly didn't prove to me much of a threat. The later enemies included energy rifle wielding soldiers, alien dogs with gaping jaws full of sharp teeth, converted humans, and evil spirits; all proved to be a hefty challenge. The A.I. seemed to be in top form, especially when injured enemies actually ran and used health packs meant for Tommy. Gamers won't be expecting that. Overall, there is only one lingering problem with the enemies: they don't react to when they get hit. Shooting them just doesn't come off as satisfying as it should. In defense of Prey, no Doom 3 engine powered game has had enemies which react to damage until they ultimately die.
And boy, does Tommy have a set of unique boom-sticks to lay the smack down against the alien invaders! Four weapons (plus the Spirit Walk) were available in the demo. The weapons featured are Tommy's wrench, an alien energy rifle (which had a secondary mode as a sniper rifle), little green bugs which acted as acid grenades, the Leech Gun which would fire red energy blasts or frost blasts, and Tommy's Spirit Bow. There is no reloading when it comes to the alien weapons. While there is plenty of ammo scattered throughout the levels, not once will a gamer have to change a clip. Some of the ammo collection is even unique--especially the Leech Gun which requires the gamer to find specific energy nodes and then "leech" off them.
Despite these guns, the most potent weapon Tommy has in his arsenal is his ability to Spirit Walk and wield the Spirit Bow. Given to Tommy halfway through the demo, Spirit Walking allows Tommy to leave his body and travel through the levels unseen. Being in Spirit Walk gives some very obvious advantages and disadvantages. For example, while in Spirit Walk mode Tommy can't be seen but can still take out enemies with his Spirit Bow. The Bow is a powerful weapon which usually kills any alien in one shot, if not two. Since the aliens can't fight back, it is a very useful way to clear a room of enemies. However, when in Spirit Walk mode Tommy's body is still vulnerable to attack. If Tommy's body comes under attack while in Spirit Walk, the gamer is ripped out of Spirit Walk and sent back into Tommy's body. Also, while in Spirit Walk none of the gravity walkways can be utilized.
Overall, Prey is shaping up to be a great Xbox 360 game. Since summer releases are usually far apart (and of questionable quality), Prey might just be what gets Xbox 360 owners through the summer until the wonderful Fall lineup arrives. While there are some shortcomings to Prey so far, they are insignificant to the overall experience Prey is looking to offer. If you are a fan of FPS's, then definitely pick this game up.
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L3e
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