Prey
Added August 11th, 2006 by Barnolde
Introduction:Prey was originally announced in 1995, and has had a long time coming since then. As the years progressed, the game fell deeper and deeper in development hell. The game’s fate seemed to be unknown until 10 years later when it was announced again for the PC, as well as Xbox 360. 3D Realms was no longer developing the game, but instead producing it and Human Head Studios took over the development process. For the 360 version, Venom Games was given the task of porting it over.
Prey puts you in control of Tommy, a Cherokee who doesn’t like the reservation that he lives on and as the game’s motto says; “Earth’s savior doesn’t want the job.” The game starts innocently enough, but not too long after, the aliens make their presence known the only way they know how; by abducting you and your loved ones, among other things. Now you’ve got to save Earth, whether you like it not.
Gameplay:
As Tommy on an alien ship, everything “feels” alien as it should. You, the player, know as much as Tommy about what is happening, which is exactly zilch. Being alone, confused and lost is purveyed incredibly well in Prey. Early on in the game, your surroundings will not be familiar to you and this is one of Prey’s strongest points, which is unfortunate that this sense is shattered in a relatively short period of time.
One of the more unique features of Prey consists of being able to enter a spirit mode, which allows you to pass through certain obstacles as well as use a bow and arrow for combat. Spirit mode also comes into play when you die, because you really can’t die in Prey. If you lose all your health, you go to the spirit realm, where you shoot flying spirits to regain health. Advance warning – you’ll be dying a lot.
Two of the game’s main draws are defying gravity while walking on anti-gravity paths and portals. Being able to walk on the ceiling and walls is fun and surprisingly made me feel a little motion sick, which is a first for me in a game. The portals start off being a great feature, as you’re able to transport anywhere through a mere hole, however as the game progresses, they just become more gimmicky, as they only really serve to have enemies randomly pop-in.
Running on a modified Doom 3 engine, Prey should feel similar to those who have played Doom 3 and Quake 4, especially the latter as the shooting is pretty much identical to Quake 4. With the shooting being very similar to Quake 4’s, it also has the same boring feel thanks to the lack of recoil and any real sense of immersion or power from your main gun. Your main gun (an alien rifle) is also the first gun you acquire and you’ll be able to use it throughout most of the game due to the strong secondary fire, which makes it a perfect sniper weapon. All of the weapons have secondary features, allowing for different types of combat depending on the situation. One weapon is a machine gun, but the secondary fire shoots a grenade. While Prey does do a good job of making things seem “alien” (as they should), the guns are all pretty similar to every other FPS; they are basically your standard machine gun, grenades, rocket launcher, and so on.
The single player game is short, clocking in at around six hours, and repetitive as the puzzles are constantly rehashed. Going into spirit mode to push a button or cross a platform gets old fairly quick and there’s really only one standout puzzle in the game. So, after you’ve completed the single player, there’s the multiplayer aspect of the game to tackle. Anyone expecting a deep, involved online experience is sorely mistaken, as deathmatch and team deathmatch are the only two modes available. So, in addition to being light on the modes, the multiplayer is simply put, a mess. Prey on 360 moves at only 30fps, while the PC version is at 60fps and in multiplayer the game will chug at times. What’s worse than the bad framerate is the terrible netcode, which makes the game choppier than a Friday the 13th movie. Combine one part bad framerate with one part bad netcode and Prey is one of the least fun multiplayer games on 360, not to mention the lack of splitscreen. Online matches are pretty much unplayable with more than four people, although the “limit” is eight and the matches boil down to spray and pray (no pun intended) as you valiantly try and hit your enemies as they jump across the screen due to the awful online play.
Graphics:
Running on the Doom 3 engine means that Prey is a good looking game, albeit a dark, repetitive one. Small, cramped corridors are what you’ll be seeing for the majority of your playtime, although there are some unique environments. The lighting effects are great and instead of a flashlight, as in Doom 3, you’ve got a lighter than you can easily toggle on and off at any time. The graphics are sharp and crisp with a lot of crazy effects in the alien ship. Prey also boasts some very large environments, showing that the Doom 3 engine is capable of more than just dark hallways. Bump mapping is used well and done to an extreme. While there are some rough edges, as a whole, Prey is a very good looking game, despite not running at 60 frames per second.
The single player game is short, clocking in at around six hours, and repetitive as the puzzles are constantly rehashed. Going into spirit mode to push a button or cross a platform gets old fairly quick and there’s really only one standout puzzle in the game. So, after you’ve completed the single player, there’s the multiplayer aspect of the game to tackle. Anyone expecting a deep, involved online experience is sorely mistaken, as deathmatch and team deathmatch are the only two modes available. So, in addition to being light on the modes, the multiplayer is simply put, a mess. Prey on 360 moves at only 30fps, while the PC version is at 60fps and in multiplayer the game will chug at times. What’s worse than the bad framerate is the terrible netcode, which makes the game choppier than a Friday the 13th movie. Combine one part bad framerate with one part bad netcode and Prey is one of the least fun multiplayer games on 360, not to mention the lack of splitscreen. Online matches are pretty much unplayable with more than four people, although the “limit” is eight and the matches boil down to spray and pray (no pun intended) as you valiantly try and hit your enemies as they jump across the screen due to the awful online play.
Graphics:
Running on the Doom 3 engine means that Prey is a good looking game, albeit a dark, repetitive one. Small, cramped corridors are what you’ll be seeing for the majority of your playtime, although there are some unique environments. The lighting effects are great and instead of a flashlight, as in Doom 3, you’ve got a lighter than you can easily toggle on and off at any time. The graphics are sharp and crisp with a lot of crazy effects in the alien ship. Prey also boasts some very large environments, showing that the Doom 3 engine is capable of more than just dark hallways. Bump mapping is used well and done to an extreme. While there are some rough edges, as a whole, Prey is a very good looking game, despite not running at 60 frames per second.
Audio:
Most of the audio is also great with some great voice acting from the main characters. The popular announcer Art Bell was also hired and can be heard throughout the game hosting a radio show. There are great sound effects used for all of the odd parts of the alien ship, helping contribute to the strange aura that the ship gives off. Licensed music has been used for the game’s in-game jukebox, which as odd as it may seem, is not used enough in my opinion. Bands like Judas Priest and Blue Öyster Cult are in the game early on, but aside from a couple more places, that’s really all you hear of them. Some of the weapon sounds do get a bit old, like the main rifle, but for the most part, the audio is well done.
Controls:
Prey controls like your typical FPS, where RT fires and LT is the secondary fire. The left and right bumpers are reserved for switching weapons and clicking the right thumbstick with ignite your lighter and illuminate the environment around you. There is an alien craft that is available for Tommy to fly and it’s easy to maneuver in, but an on-screen notice that reminds you of the controls pops up constantly and for some reason LT is assigned to grapple as well as exit you from the craft.
Replay:
After beating the relatively short and mediocre single player adventure, you can either replay it on Cherokee difficulty or hop on Xbox Live for a laggy game session. There are some nice mini-games, such as a Pac-Man imitation called Rune-Man and video poker, video blackjack and video slots, which can be accessed at the start of the game. Prey just doesn’t have all that much content, the single player wasn’t much fun the first time through and subsequent playthroughs are even less fun than that. The multiplayer is an unpleasant mess and with the constant connection error and timed out notices, it’s probably something you won’t go back to.
Most of the audio is also great with some great voice acting from the main characters. The popular announcer Art Bell was also hired and can be heard throughout the game hosting a radio show. There are great sound effects used for all of the odd parts of the alien ship, helping contribute to the strange aura that the ship gives off. Licensed music has been used for the game’s in-game jukebox, which as odd as it may seem, is not used enough in my opinion. Bands like Judas Priest and Blue Öyster Cult are in the game early on, but aside from a couple more places, that’s really all you hear of them. Some of the weapon sounds do get a bit old, like the main rifle, but for the most part, the audio is well done.
Controls:
Prey controls like your typical FPS, where RT fires and LT is the secondary fire. The left and right bumpers are reserved for switching weapons and clicking the right thumbstick with ignite your lighter and illuminate the environment around you. There is an alien craft that is available for Tommy to fly and it’s easy to maneuver in, but an on-screen notice that reminds you of the controls pops up constantly and for some reason LT is assigned to grapple as well as exit you from the craft.
Replay:
After beating the relatively short and mediocre single player adventure, you can either replay it on Cherokee difficulty or hop on Xbox Live for a laggy game session. There are some nice mini-games, such as a Pac-Man imitation called Rune-Man and video poker, video blackjack and video slots, which can be accessed at the start of the game. Prey just doesn’t have all that much content, the single player wasn’t much fun the first time through and subsequent playthroughs are even less fun than that. The multiplayer is an unpleasant mess and with the constant connection error and timed out notices, it’s probably something you won’t go back to.
Summary:
Prey is an alright game and that’s really it. The big draws of the game aren’t really all that exciting and the gimmicky nature of the portals has already been surpassed by Valve’s upcoming Portals game. While I feel that Prey is a better game than Quake 4 and Doom 3, Prey is a next-gen game, which is held to higher standards and it’s a letdown in a few categories, namely the pathetic multiplayer. There is some fun to be had in the multiplayer, but you’ll have to go through so much work to find a game, let alone a lag-free one, that it really isn’t worth it. If you really want to check out Prey and have a capable PC, the online play and framerate are both much better there. In the end however, Prey is a good concept with some mediocre execution, it falls somewhere between ‘okay’ and ‘alright,’ and really is just another FPS.
Prey is an alright game and that’s really it. The big draws of the game aren’t really all that exciting and the gimmicky nature of the portals has already been surpassed by Valve’s upcoming Portals game. While I feel that Prey is a better game than Quake 4 and Doom 3, Prey is a next-gen game, which is held to higher standards and it’s a letdown in a few categories, namely the pathetic multiplayer. There is some fun to be had in the multiplayer, but you’ll have to go through so much work to find a game, let alone a lag-free one, that it really isn’t worth it. If you really want to check out Prey and have a capable PC, the online play and framerate are both much better there. In the end however, Prey is a good concept with some mediocre execution, it falls somewhere between ‘okay’ and ‘alright,’ and really is just another FPS.
