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| Prey: The Prey-View PC and Xbox 360 | // article |
| There is something ultimately satisfying about hanging upside down on a gravity wall stalking your prey... way, way back in May 1995, before the Xbox 360, hell even before the N64 there was a game called Prey. Back then Doom, Duke Nukem and Quake ruled the PC roost, however times have changed and so has the technology used in today's games. Numerous titles have sprawled all over the first person shooter genre in recent times and we wonder if Prey has evolved to survive against its modern day predators. "Has Prey evolved to survive against its modern day predators?" Many people had left Prey for dead, however 3D Realms, Human Head Studios and 2K Games amazed the games community with the announcement of the ongoing development Prey in April 2005, a title which was first announced in 1995 after Rise of the Triad had defined a retro legacy in the minds of gamers on the PC. Moving forward to the 21st of April 2005 and 3D Realms confirmed the game had actually been in development since late 2001 with project leader Chris Rhinehart at the helm. Then a few weeks later Human Head Studios and 2K Games announced to the international press that they would be hosting an exclusive showcase of the game in the ATI booth at E3 2005. On the 26th of January 2006 we were invited to the European leg of the 3D Realms press tour over at 2K Games' plush offices in London. We were greeted by the 2K Games PR team and introduced to Timothy Gerritsen, CEO and Chairman of Human Head Studios, who was our guide through the forthcoming hour long presentation. Tim began by covering the history of Prey and how his studio is working with 3D Realms on one of the most long-awaited and anticipated titles for the PC and Xbox 360. Prey is looking likely to be released sometime during 2006 and if you're interested in learning more about the early concepts of Prey alongside its fascinating development timeline over the past decade, head over to ApogeeGames.com for a detailed synopsis. "Earth's saviour doesn't want the job!" The first thing that struck us was when you get your hands on Prey's single player and multiprey is that they are both pretty amazing! You must experience Prey in full to really appreciate and get a real understanding of the sophisticated game play mechanics that are put to use. You're introduced to the main character Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic who's stuck on an Indian reservation going nowhere fast. As you begin your journey through the totally interactive world you are introduced to a number of characters that will guide you through the story of Prey as you interact with numerous objects and exchange dialogue with your Grandfather. You can use a jukebox to select one of the seven licensed tracks to listen to some music or change the channel on the TV sitting in the corner of your girlfriend's bar to watch what's happening on the box. However, one night people start to go missing and you eventually get abducted by a 'Dysonsphere' - in other words a massive mother-ship, which harnesses the power from the Sun to power the orbiting menace that's casting a shadow over the earth's atmosphere... You will have an arsenal of weapons at your disposal as you begin the hunt to rescue your girlfriend from the invading alien forces. The weapons are in a world of their own and you'll be able to make use of all kinds of alien based weaponry including the Bio Acid Gun that shoots out single fire bursts or charge the weapon to release an explosive acid volley onto the aggressive alien prey. You'll have the standard Rifle which comes complete with a guided laser sight which is ideal for sniping. On top of these weapons you'll also have access to a wrench for sneaking up behind the enemy and knocking the living daylights out of them, plus you won't have the use of a torch in the darker levels of Prey, instead you have to make use of a zippo lighter which will eventually heat up and run out of fuel. Other weapons include finger biting 'Crawlers' which are pretty cool as you have to break their legs off and throw them at the enemy, similar to grenades but way cooler. You'll also have the option of turning the broken Crawler legs into sticky bombs that can be planted at strategic points within the level so they explode when enemies come too close. The developers have engineered a number of unique elements within Prey that opens up a whole new dimension of immersive game play experiences while exploring the living world around you. As you explore the alien ship you'll often come across hair like follicles: if you brush past them the living ship's defence mechanisms are activated and a host of vicious antibodies are released to take care of your offending presence as you progress deeper in the game. One of the really neat aspects of Prey is the ability to 'Spirit Walk' - in other words having an out of body experience. Spirit Walking will help you unlock force fields which will allow your physical body to walk through. Whilst strolling around in Spirit Walk you're armed with a simple bow and arrow. You must keep an eye on your physical body, because if it's spotted by any of the aliens they will start to attack you and you will die. If the unfortunate does happen, then you will enter the Spirit World and be forced to reclaim your spirit using your trusty bow by shooting arrows at white and red spirits to rejuvenated your health or top up your spirit level. Once you've reclaimed enough health or spirit energy you'll leave the Spirit World and re-enter Prey where you previously died. Prey's Multiprey introduces you to dynamic and well thought-out multiplayer experience encapsulating multiplayer fun as gamers around the world will really experience what it's like to hang from ceilings stalking your opponents as they run around anxiously on the ground below you. Often you'll defy gravity by hitting switches located around the levels and watch the level turn upside down with objects dropping onto the ground around you. This adds a whole new dimension to the game as you will be able to change the environment around you and defy gravity at will. You'll come across interesting challenges, an engaging storyline and you'll also be part of space battles. During the presentation we played a number of gravity defying levels and we noticed in Prey's Multiprey it will be near-enough impossible to camp, great news for gamers anxious to really engage in Multiplayer battles online. "when its done" To give you an idea of what you'll be facing in Prey in the months to come let us make the following example: What do you get if you blend a highly modified Doom 3 Engine, with the remarkable Unreal Engine 2? Something pretty close to Prey... The wait is going to be well worth it, of course when it's done... | |
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