Whenever we get the chance to talk to developers about their various creations, one question always creeps up eventually (usually once we’re suitably merry and corner them for a more honest chat in the hotel bar). It’s a rather obvious, but also a slightly telling one: now that the game’s finished, is there anything the developer had to sacrifice in order to get the game out the door? Usually, the answer’s an inevitable yes – some idea that wasn’t fully realised, a level or weapon that sounded like an awesome concept but turned out to require a shedload of development time, or something equally unique that we’d find interesting but probably wouldn’t make it into the pages of the mag (because… well, it IS a very obvious question). The result of pressure from publishers looking to get games on the shelves and recoup some of that oh-so-sweet cashola? Most likely. But then, when it comes to Prey, the chances of that being the case are slim to none… right?

You’d certainly think so, at least. You see, in terms of the game development process, Prey is a veritable old man of wizened proportions; while some games spend two or even three years being worked on before their release, 3D Realms has been toiling on the concept of Prey for ten years. Ten YEARS. That’s a hell of a long time, even by our standards. Think about it… what were you doing ten years ago? Buying your first PlayStation or Saturn perhaps? Leaving high school or, in our case, just starting university? Being born? A lot can happen in ten years and in Prey’s case, the game’s come far – from running on the lowest end Pentium PCs with boxy graphics and a lead American Indian protagonist that looked more than a little stereotypical (he had a headband with a feather stuck in it, for pity’s sake!), to looking mighty fine on the 360 and high-end PC, it’s certainly been a long journey.

But, back to the point. With ten years of development under its belt, the fact remains that Prey must represent 3D Realms’ ultimate refining of their initial concept – a perfectly formed specimen that is so flawless, it gleams. Yes? Well, yes… but it’s not. Although that in itself sounds like a massive downer, so we should make it clear right now that despite all its shortcomings, Prey is good fun. Great fun, in fact, for what there is of it. But then, that’s the key point. Not surprisingly for a game that has its roots firmly buried up the backside of Doom 3 (because it’s made with id Software’s Doom 3 engine, don’t you know), the emphasis is firmly on the multiplayer and the online stuff – which we’ll be reviewing in depth next issue in our extensive Community review – is really rather good. Almost amazingly good, in fact, thanks to the unique concepts that help spice up what would otherwise be just another 360 FPS game (and Lord knows there are enough of them around already). When it comes to the single-player mode, however, well, that’s where the shortcomings start to become obvious.

The thing is, though, they’re not the kind of shortcomings you think they are, at least not when you first start playing anyway. As we booted up Prey and wandered round the interior of a bar, playing the various arcade machines and messing around with the jukebox (which has a surprisingly good range of licensed music on it), the first thing that went through our minds was a thought of mild disappointment. The slightly jagged edges on the scenery, the rather plain textures on the walls and floor, the almost awkward way that the two drunken patrons come at you when you tell them to leave your girlfriend Jen alone… isn’t this a basic PC port, rather than the 360-defining FPS we were told it would be? It certainly looks like it, which is more than enough to turn those smiles upside-down after all the visual promises that the game made originally. But then it all kicks off – the lights go out, the ground shakes and suddenly, you’re doing your best to run around and avoid the green spotlights flashing in through the holes in the bar’s now non-existent roof. Ten seconds later and up into the ether go Jen and your grandfather, swiftly followed by you… and that’s when you realise it’s not a boring PC port after all.

Why Human Head decided to have such a bland opening precede the real meat of the game is beyond us, because it fails to do justice to what Prey is really doing. Bottom line? Prey looks gorgeous… really, really lovely. Especially through high-definition. The intricate interior of the alien spaceship that has abducted you, resplendent as it is with pulsating organic matter woven together with shiny metal, is a sight to behold simply because it gives so much more than the empty corridors and flat scenery of Doom 3 or Quake 4. Yes, so it’s certainly very familiar in terms of both those games, but then you can only expect that considering they’re all made using the same game technology. However, Prey’s attention to detail, misleading though it might be – given that the scenery Is no more interactive than either of id’s titles – brings the levels alive far better than its predecessors ever did. And that’s a good thing, believe us – after all, if you’re going to be exploring linear corridors for the entire length of a game, the last thing you want is to be bored by the background.

So, it’s not the visuals that let Prey down, despite initial impressions… maybe it’s the gameplay? Well, no, not exactly. Certainly, it could have turned out to be a very bog-standard shoot- ’em-up had 3D Realms and Human Head not had the sense to add some very unique touches to it. There’s virtually no scope for exploration or secret discoveries, and you’re almost forced down a singular route as you give chase through the bowels of the alien ship, which is slightly disappointing and yet completely expected (again, it’s the Doom 3/Quake 4 syndrome). Thankfully though, it’s more than the continual blasting of enemies – some of whom are particularly large and more than a little capable of squashing you into Native American pulp – that keeps your brain active, mainly through the use of Spirit Walking (lead character Tommy’s ability to leave his body and walk around as an independent spirit) and gravity manipulation. Sadly though, while they certainly go towards keeping things interesting between slaughtering endless guards and other mutated beasties, these elements are underused simply because it’s so damn obvious when you have to make use of them. Perhaps the game shouldn’t make it so damn obvious by having engravings on the wall or floor every time you need to go Spirit Walking (which does pretty much take the fun out of deducing it for yourself) and if you ever hit a dead end, the linear nature of the game and lack of alternate paths means you know there’s a gravity panel located either above or next to you that’ll allow you to progress. It’s a shame, because these innovations are genuinely interesting (and actually give a massive boost to the multiplayer action) but by being relatively unutilised, they’ve remained little more than mere gimmicks instead of being the game’s saving grace.

That’s not to say that the game doesn’t benefit from these concepts though, because it does. Combined with the mind-bending portal transportation system, which sees you regularly leaping through holes in space to access new areas and can sometimes lead to a little bit of head-scratching, wall walking using magnetic rails (again, something that really adds to the multiplayer action) and even the chance to pilot miniature shuttle pods through expansive star-lit open spaces that bemuse as much as amaze, Prey certainly tries hard to offer something over and above the usual FPS fare. And it very nearly succeeds. Almost. Playing Prey is one of those weird experiences where it manages to deliver smile-inducing enjoyment and mild disappointment in equal measure – you know you should love it, but somehow you don’t quite get there. Like eating a McDonalds or sitting through an episode of American Dad.

So what exactly is wrong with it then? Well, you could level a few complaints at the story for starters, if only because it’s both incredibly straightforward and unnecessarily complicated. Basically, you – as reluctant Native American hero Tommy – are out to rescue your girlfriend Jen from the evil aliens that appear to have abducted you… and that’s it. True, there’s a continually running sub-plot of Tommy discovering his Native American roots (which is only really there as a means to granting your additional abilities as the game progresses) but essentially, it’s all about rescuing Jen with no other distractions. The thing is, we could accept that as a plot if it wasn’t for the game then trying to shoehorn other things in that make absolutely no sense… why bother introducing a secret race of exhuman resistance stowing aboard the ship if they’re not going to actually do anything? Why have spirit-like beings attack you every once in a while if you’re never going to explain what they are or why they’re fighting you, instead choosing to have them just disappear halfway through the game? And what’s with the ridiculous ending? You’ve had ten years to finish the game and it’s worse than the end of Halo 2. We’re all for cliffhangers, but the words ‘Prey will continue’ just made us sigh heavily, especially considering how short the single-player adventure is.

Perhaps our biggest bugbear with the game is that Prey is just too damn short for our liking. And too damn easy. We don’t consider ourselves to be the best at games (well, Ryan does… but that’s a whole other story) and so when the credits are rolling on a game we’ve just cracked into in little over five hours… well, you know there’s a problem. Yes, it’s the linearity of it all that contributes here, but there’s also the fact that Prey makes use of an idea that we last shook our heads in disdain at during LEGO Star Wars – you simply cannot die. At all. Ever. You can certainly have your health drained to zero and effectively be ‘killed’ but when that happens, everything changes; instead of having to reload from a previous save or even start the level all over again (not that that would matter, seeing how short most of the levels actually are), you’re sent to the Spirit World where you not only get half your energy back immediately but you also have the chance to gain more by shooting flying red spirits with your bow. A few seconds later and you’re thrown back into the ‘real’ world at the exact moment where you died to continue the fight… repeat ad nauseum until you reach the end of the game. As such, it really doesn’t matter if you’re actually pretty rubbish at Prey because if you’ve got the persistence, you can still see the end of the game without even trying particularly hard. Dammit.

Of course, looking back over this review, it makes us wonder whether we were being too soft on Prey while we actually played it; gimmicks aside, it’s a very short and linear adventure that you’ll probably only play through once unless you’re an Achievements whore. But then… we had such fun playing it. And isn’t that what games are about? Maybe, if you’re not paying for them like us – but then, it’s £50 of hard-earned cash for you guys. We’d certainly suggest that the online multiplayer more than makes up for the single-player’s shortcomings, so that’s something (and will no doubt contribute to a much higher online review score) but if you’re not lucky enough to have Xbox Live, it’s a big fat 6 for you. Sorry.