Xbox 360: Prey

No number of screenshots or explanations can convey what it is like to play Prey. As several a reviewer before me, an M.C. Escher reference is obligatory. If H.R. Giger and M.C. Escher were to combine forces and design a FPS game, then you would have nothing other than Prey.

Many of the levels leave you feeling that you're viewing a Giger piece of art through an Escher perspective. Gross biologically wasted environments house a portal-jumping nightmare. Although the game is fairly straight-forward, there is always some situation to keep you looking around and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Prey never felt repetitive, leaving me continually plugging away at the game.

However, Prey falls short on the replay value side. All of the achievements could be obtained in a dedicated weekend, and the multiplayer can't compete with the likes of Halo 2. That isn't necessarily a negative point; these types of games make for perfect rentals.

Stuff that makes you go "F*@%, yeah!"

• Sniping on gravity walls or making an enemy "fall up" is totally sweet


• You've never seen these weapons before


• Watching yourself about to go through a door that you're about to go through...


• Tommy says what you're thinking in the game (i.e. "That was f*@%ed up!")

Stuff that makes you go "What the F*@%?"

• Looking down shows that you do not exist


• Never dying seems to take some of the challenge away


• Typical non-optimized matchmaking (aka NOT HALO 2's matchmaking)


• No CO-OP