Just for Fun Game Reviews: Prey

Prey

Developers: Human Head Studios/ 3D Relms

Publisher: 2K Games

Distributer: Take-Two Interactive

Engine: id tech 4

Genre: FPS

Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows, Xbox360, Sybian, Zeebo

Release: July 11 2006

Mode: Single-player, Multi-player

Stores: Physical Copies

Disclaimer

Hardware

Story:

Cherokee garage mechanic that wants to leave the reservation with his girlfriend. Doesn't care about his ancestry. Aliens arrive and kidnapped his family. Forced to embrace his heritage in order to survive.
Story about his growth as a person who wants to leave everything someone who becomes a hero.
Dialogue reflects his growth from someone who wants to run away to a warrior who will face his destiny. Enemies will also change how they refer him through the game.
Main story is interesting enough to keep you hooked, but it isn't as deep as a novel.
Side-story with Art bell helps you understand the background of the story and the aliens purpose.
Voice acting is great with Tommy's Voice actor occasionally slipping into different tones.

Graphics:

Pro's:

Great lighting and shadows thanks to the doom 3 engine. Metallic structures look great.
The organic textures of the environments give the world a horror vibe.
Textures in the last fourth of the game are more interesting and give the feel of being in an alien station.
Environmental textures are high res through the enemy armor of the troopers is low res.
Lots of little details like acid drying out, steam coming out of pipes shot, burns cooling off.
Flexible in resolutions and graphical settings. Can be edited further through the config files.
No motion blur or depth of field. Two post process effects that then to be abused.

Con's:

Not very colorful in the beginning after the bar. Last fourth of the game has more color to the environment.
A lot of the same textures everywhere throughout the game especially in the beginning.
Organic structures look like plastic through. The shadows help hide it.
Character tend to look like plastic models. Noticeable in the beginning with Tommy and grandpa.

Audio:

Pro's:

Epic orchestral music. From the opening theme, to the first level of the alien station.
The juke box has some licensed 80's rock music.

Con's:

Music doesn't play often some most of the time, gunshots and footsteps are what you hear.
Tone and impact of gun sounds is rather weak. Will hear the same sounds over and over.
Tribal chant when going into spirit mode gets repetitive very easily.
Needs more music

Gameplay:

AI:

Will move around to avoid getting hit by you, dodge grenades, and even try to ambush you if you sit still. Due to linear levels, you may not notice it much.
AI is mostly dumb if not in combat with you. Have little animations or tasks. Some enemies can get stuck or freeze up if never interacted with. Happens rarely though.

Levels:

Pro's:

Mostly linear in the first half of the game. They do progressively open up a lot by the end of the game.
The first 6 levels are interesting and introduce you to the game mechanics and world. After that, it takes until the third part of the game to become interesting again.
Puzzles are not complicated, but not too simple ether. Tend to be clever and make you think about what you are doing.
Difficulty of puzzles never get as hard as Portal 1's challenge puzzles.
The more interesting puzzles happen in the last half of the game
Puzzles take advantage of gravity changing, spirit walk, and even an exoskeleton to solve them.
Game design challenges you to adjust your perspective when you change gravity. Leads to an equal amount of vertical and horizontal shooting.
Beginning full of interactivity. Can turn on facilitates, play casino games spin chairs, etc.

Cons:

Might get dizzy or disorientated when switching gravity.
Second fourth of the game is not impressive and becomes repetitive.
No secrets to discover or alternative paths.
Portal mechanic doesn't get taken advantage of much. Primarily act as warp points through a level.
Can become repetitive after awhile until the third part of the game.
Interactivity disappears after the first level besides the few casino game found throughout the game

Mechanics:

Typical first person shooter controls and combat
Spirit walk takes you outside your body and allows you to navigate through blocked area's and interact with panels. Acts like a second character.
Spirit walk can be used for sneak attacks.
Blaster recharges so you never run out of ammo.
Blaster remains useful through entire game both as a powerful sniper rifle and as a weak gun
Leach gun allows you to select and chose different types of ammo to use that have different uses.
Each weapon has an alternate attack that functions differently.
When killed, sent to the afterlife where you have to shoot ghosts in order to gain back health and spirit power. Useful in final part of game and on Cherokee difficulty. Keeps the pace of the game going.
Game has an adaptive difficulty setting that changes depending on how you do. Really hard to notice unless you are really bad at the game. This affects what enemies spawn, ammo and health given.
Cherokee difficulty sets maximum spawns of enemies, lessens item drops, less healing spots and places, and take more damage. Much harder then normal.
Exoskeleton suit is fun. Get to fly through giant area's and make you feel like you're in a huge world.
Health will recharge it's self to 25%. though it doesn't change the flow or difficulty of the game.

Cons:

The three common guns you will primary use are the blaster, the auto gun, and the leach gun. Every other weapons useful in varying degree's
Acid shotgun and freeze ammo are the worst. Too slow and do little damage.
Wrench's rarely useful. Blaster recharge removes it's use.
movement speed to slow for intense combat or for dodging rockets.
Adaptive difficulty always seams to reset it's self after closing the game.

Thoughts:

I enjoyed the game. Though I did start to feel tired of it around the second and third parts, the final part of the game re-energized me.
Intro is slow, but rest of game can be easily speed runned.
Good story and music. It kept me invested through the game.
Underrated fps game.

Just for Fun Game Reviews