Prey Review (Xbox 360)

You Can Never Die ... So Why Bother Playing?

Another innovation gone awry is the fact that when you die you don’t actually die. You go to a spirit plane and have to shoot flying creatures with your bow to recharge your energy. At first this seems cool because you won’t ever see a “Game Over” screen, but in reality it sucks every bit of challenge from the game. You just pop right back into the exact same spot when you die which means you can die a dozen times fighting a boss but you’ll keep coming back until the job is done. Boring. I have to admit I really don’t like games that are overly challenging, but this is just too easy. I will also say that since you never die it also sort of hurts the overall story. You never feel a connection to the main character since his life isn’t really depending on you. You just feel like you're along for the ride rather than an active participant and that is a problem.

It is unfortunate that the supposed innovations in place are actually the weak points of the experience. The raw shooting action is actually pretty fun and satisfying. Don’t misunderstand me, Prey is a solid game and there isn’t really anything wrong with it, but it is also nothing all that special. Worth a rental.

Multiplayer

The single player game will keep you busy for about 8 hours but there is very little replay value since the level design is so straightforward. You have literally seen everything the game has to offer already. What do you do now? Hop onto Xbox Live for some multiplayer, of course. If you have Halo 2, Call of Duty 2, GRAW, or any one of the other “good” Xbox/360 multiplayer shooters Prey won’t exactly thrill you, however. You can play in deathmatch and team deathmatch and as of now that is it. More modes are promised as downloadable content eventually, but for now the pickings are pretty slim. The gameplay in multiplayer is fairly standard and if you have played Quake 4 on the 360 you know pretty much what to expect here. Just with, you know, more portals and gravity switching. It has to be noted that there are some performance issues online that seriously hinder the experience. Crippling lag was a main theme in many of the games I tried to play online. I’m sure it will be fixed soon, but since the multiplayer is so bland to begin with does it really matter?

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, Prey is a very nice looking game. It (very obviously) uses the Doom 3 engine to produce some great looking visuals so you really can’t complain here. As you progress through the game you’ll see some bigger and better and more visually stunning stuff which keeps you playing just to find out what you’ll see next. Some areas are absolutely huge and even in the shuttle it takes a minute or two to fly across them. Very cool.

The sound is also well done. Sound effects for all of the weapons are appropriate and pack the kind of punch you would expect. The voice acting is also pretty good overall and the music, while not really memorable, fits the mood just fine. One thing of note is that right at the beginning of the game in the bar there is a jukebox filled with licensed rock music. One of the best moments in the game happens right at the start when (and I don’t consider this a spoiler since it is in the Prey demo) the jukebox switches to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” just seconds before the aliens take you. That has to be one of the coolest moments in not just this game, but any game I’ve played.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, Prey is a well put together game that is mechanically sound, but there isn’t really anything that makes it stand out, either. Sure, there are some new gameplay features such as the portals, gravity controls, and spirit walking that are new and innovative, but they aren’t really used to their full potential here. The game is just too simple, too linear, and too easy and even though it plays just fine it doesn’t really offer anything we haven’t already seen before. The first hour or so of gameplay is easily the best because the portals and stuff will still impress you, which means you can just play the demo and see the best bits of the game for free. Prey isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t great which makes it pretty hard to recommend for a purchase. You can beat it in about 8 hours and rack up a few hundred achievement points pretty easily, though, so I would still say it is worth a rental.