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PC | Action | Prey

Boxart for Prey
Prey 80 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.75
  • SOUND: 5.00
  • CONTROL: 4.75
  • FUN FACTOR 4.75
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.2
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.9
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Feature: The 6 Ways Prey Will Change Gaming (page 2 of 2)

Feature by Sid Shuman | 07/11/2006 | 00:13:28 AM PST

Meet Tommy, the coolest FPS protagonist since The Duke himself

Meet Tommy, the coolest FPS protagonist since The Duke himself

Character is As Character Does

Ten years after the ground-breaking Duke Nukem 3D, most video game characters are still notoriously lifeless automatons, spouting off robotic dialogue whenever it's mandated by the script. But Tommy is an exception: a young blue-collar Cherokee desperate to escape the monotony of the tribal reservation, Tommy is fiercely protective of his girlfriend. He poo-poos his grandfather's traditions, and is consumed only with making a better life for himself. Everything changes, of course, when his family is abducted by the vicious alien harvesters.

When it comes to characterizations, sometimes it's the little things that count. During some riveting action scenes, Tommy shrieks out vile obscenities while blasting his alien aggressors. It's a refreshingly cathartic turn from the mute, coldhearted killers who count as "protagonists" in other games.

The Game Is Not Your Enemy
This bird is one of the best game mechanics to come in a long, long time

This bird is one of the best game mechanics to come in a long, long time

For one reason or another, game developers often feel the need to punish the player for failing. Again, Prey shatters these conventions with the goal of making the experience less frustrating for everyone. Ammo, for example, is doled out on an as-needed basis through convenient supply pods. If your marksmanship with the Acid Gun is poor, Prey will kindly keep that ammo stocked up more than usual. Smart, huh?

Another example is Talon, your spirit guide. This ghostly bird serves as a kind of dynamic checkpoint, flitting around to objects of interest, showing the way through dark corridors, and generally keeping you moving on the right track. It's a simple technique, but a damned smart one -- Prey is one of the least frustrating, most intuitive shooters yet.

More Meat, Less Fat
SPLAT! Game developers have much to learn from Prey

SPLAT! Game developers have much to learn from Prey

Lean and mean -- that's Prey's design philosophy in a nutshell. The single-player experience is short by many standards, coming in just under 10 hours. But it's a surprisingly satisfying ride with very little repetition, so you won't feel cheated when the credits finally roll. Same goes for the multiplayer mode, which features a conservative number of highly replayable levels.

Even the arsenal is efficient. Each of Prey's seven weapons serves an extremely important purpose; there is no repetition, no waste. Developers and publishers should take a hint from Prey's quality-over-quantity approach -- it could be the antidote to soaring development costs.


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