Great imagery/mood and interesting ideas set this one apart.
User Rating: 8 | Prey (Collector's Edition) X360
I love first person shooters and was more than willing to give this one a shot when I found it cheap. I didn't know much about this game when I bought it and just bought it blindly only having read the description on the back of the package. You play as a native american whose girlfriend is captured during an alien invasion so you give chase. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by this game. There's no doubt that many who have played Prey would liken it to Quake and rightfully so. The whole organic/mechanical melding aspect is very prevalent in Prey. I would argue that Prey is more engaging, sets a better atmosphere, and is more creative than its contemporary Quake 4. The mechanics of the game are fine. The controls are standard fare, responsive, and easy to learn. The graphics are good looking considering this was an early release title. I didn't experience any major pop in or glitches though the framerate slowed here and there, no big deal though. Prey really excells in its use of atmosphere. The enviroments(alien ships and worlds) create a gloomy dark feel and everything feels dirty and foreign to "the norm." There is an ominous sense in the air that makes you never feel quite comfortable. The enemies are varied rather nicely and look appropriately disgusting, being a mix of mech and mutilated flesh. The weapons are all interesting some of which have their own bio-elements which make them feel somewhat unique. The use of gravity and antigravity mixes things up nicely and helps to create some puzzles along the way. You can also enter spirit walk, a kind of out of body experience that is used for puzzle solving and surprising enemies. The story keeps things moving along fairly well and you feel compelled to try to save your character's girlfriend as you progress. The load times are a little excessive. There isn't much of a death penalty(you die and go to the spirit world and collect spirits to return) either which tends to make things a little easier than they should be.
Final Call: An engaging first person shooter with some interesting ideas and atmosphere. Definately worth a look.
