Prey: Review

(X360; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Gore/Violence/Partial Nudity/Language; prey.com)

(three and a half stars)

“Prey” is all about Tommy, a simple grease monkey, who discounts his Cherokee heritage despite persistent pressure from his walking stereotype of a grandfather. But not Tommy, he wants to get himself and his hot girlfriend Jenny off the Reservation and start a new life together. But that Jenny, she likes to tend bar for racist White-men in what could be the most depressing bar in all of the Indian nations.

Fortunately for Tommy, Jenny and he manage to get off the Reservation. Unfortunately for both of them, it is due to an alien force that abducts them for enslavement and experimentation. In addition to being armed with alien weaponry, Tommy has to get in touch with his Cherokee side in order to use the mystical powers handed down from his ancestors to save Jenny from a very bloody fate.

Yep boys and girls, that’s the premise of “Prey.” And who says there’s no originality in gaming anymore?

As ludicrous as the story sounds, “Prey” does turn out to be a twisted, spooky, and semi-unique experience. Though the game is as linear as First-Person Shooters get, its use of physics-defying environments make for some very disorienting firefights. Players and enemies have the ability to walk up walls and ceilings. This means that the floor you are walking on in one room may actually end up being the ceiling for another room, which means you’ll have to look up to blast the enemies that, in actuality, are below you.

MC Escher would be proud.

This trip through Wonderland adds some unique platforming elements to gameplay as well. Tommy will have to use his spirit powers to leave his corporal self in order to reach areas inaccessible to solid bodies; and while Tommy’s Spirit is invulnerable to enemy attacks, his spirit-less body is wide open and vulnerable- see the challenge?

Were it not for the gravity-defying vertigo-fests, “Prey” would be a rather run-of-the-mill sci-fi shooter. However, the disorienting nature of the game, combined with some sincerely creepy moments (disembodied children’s cries, anyone?), and some great next-gen graphics make “Prey” worthy of a look, especially for those looking for a “Doom”-like experience.