I don’t have to tell you guys the first-person shooter genre has been one of the most overused
in all of gaming in the past decade, and while there are a number of great franchises using
the basic model, hearing someone say “I just got this game, it’s a first-person
shooter” really doesn’t grab my attention immediately.
With so many of the same elements from game to game, if a new IP really wants to distinguish
itself, it needs to sometimes just go for jaw dropping moments right out of the gate.
With an interesting tone and awesome weapons, we have just that.
This is Prey for the Xbox 360.
Prey’s main character is a man named Tommy, a Cherokee Indian who is in love with a girl
who cares for him, but doesn’t want to leave the reservation that they live on.
So after a few minutes of talki-WHAT THE...!
Yeah, so he gets sucked up into a spaceship and watches his grandfather get turned into
a smoothie and then watches countless people get murdered by creatures he’s never seen
before.
Like I said, you have to do something extreme immediately to make it in this genre, and
Prey does it.
Having this somber, depressing tone quickly change to frantic fear really works well for
this game.
While the story and set-pieces of Prey are impressive, the gameplay is also incredible.
The first-person shooting is smooth and responsive, weapons are really unique, such as a gun that
can change its powers to kill targets in different ways, and enemies offer a nice challenge without
feeling unfair.
There’s also a nice variation in enemy types; just when you’re getting tired of seeing
one type of creature charge towards you, another will start appearing.
Now, the thing that Prey really does to innovate is what’s called the “spirit walk”.
This ability allows Tommy to detach from his body and use a bow to kill unsuspecting enemies,
find new areas, and even walk on platforms that don’t really exist.
It’s one of the coolest features of a shooter I’ve ever seen.
Prey also uses puzzle elements for a nice break in the action.
Portals, similar to the game of the same name, minus the s, are available to transport Tommy
to different areas.
Some areas will also be blocked off until you roll an explosive bulb thing over to the
blockage and shoot it.
In addition to these, some puzzles can only be solved by using the spirit walk, so it
pays off to switch between the two.
It’s incredible how well everything flows together, especially considering how ambitious
this game is.
As a 2006 release, Prey is also an extremely good looking game.
Enemies and most character models look stunning, and environments, while somewhat similar to
each other, are still incredibly detailed.
The game also uses some nice optical illusions to mess with your sight.
Now, the starting scene actually doesn’t look all that good for some reason, with jagged
edges on things and whatnot, but the stellar voice acting quickly draws your attention
away from this.
Oh, and then Don’t Fear the Reaper comes on and the game immediately is awarded the
coveted “awesome” trophy.
Prey has been out for quite some time at this point, but it still holds up extremely well.
While its style may not make the game the right choice for everyone, it’s still a
must-play for fans of the shooter genre who are looking for something to inject some life
into it.