Prey - M

Gory alien shooter gets blood pumping. Adults.

Publisher: Take Two Category/Genre: Video Games - First Person Shooter Platform: Xbox 360 Price: $36.99 Online Enabled: Yes Graphics: High. Keeps getting better as you go along. Playability: Easy. Should be simple for avid gamers. Reading Level: Medium Release Date: 08/26/2006 ESRB Rating: M for violence, nudity, language

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this is a bloody first-person shooter (although most of the blood belongs to the aliens). There's also lots of bad language, and a female character is shown partially nude. Also, players can play the game online.

Families can talk about violence in first-person shooters. Does it make a difference that most of the shooting is aimed at aliens as opposed to people? Does the addition of challenging puzzles and authentic Cherokee mythology help compensate for the objectionable aspects?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Bobbi Dempsey

PREY is a sci-fi first-person shooter that takes place on a huge ship orbiting the Earth. Players take on the role of Tommy, an American Cherokee living on a reservation. He's bouncing off the walls with boredom and wants to leave with his girlfriend, Jen, another Cherokee.

When the game opens, Tommy is at Jen's bar. He meets up with his grandfather, Enisi, who has a cryptic message, but Tommy doesn't believe in Cherokee folklore and ignores him. Moments later, weird lights appear and players -- and the whole bar -- are abducted into the mothership.

Unfortunately, from here the story pretty much fades into the basic "save the world from aliens" plot. Tommy's grandfather is killed, and Jen is captured, so revenge is the name of the game.

Before passing, Gramps reveals amazing Cherokee powers to Tommy. The power to Spirit Walk out of the body is used mostly to activate monitors throughout the game. But the second power is what makes this game different: Players can't actually die. If they run out of health, they shoot ghost birds for a few seconds, then pop back to life. This is a creative twist, but it makes gameplay a bit of a pain when players are alive but out of ammo.

The levels range from long to short, and players pick up a few different guns along the way, mostly sci-fi blasters they take from the aliens. Players soon splatter the ship's walls with alien gore with ease.

Prey also contains a multi-player mode either online or using Xbox Live. It contains all the guns from the story mode, but the story boils down to a race for the rocket launcher. Players should know that there is no offline multi-player with this game, which is disappointing.

All in all, Prey is an exciting shooter with some fun puzzles. The game is relatively short and quite easy for the avid gamer. Tommy's journey to appreciate his Cherokee heritage -- and his ability to use the special powers he receives -- are a creative addition, but, overall, the story isn't anything ground-breaking. It is, of course, left open ended for a possible sequel.

Families looking for a more teen-friendly alien game should check out Destroy All Humans.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content A female character is shown partially naked.
Violence Players use sci-fi blasters to cover the walls in alien gore.
Language Tommy swears in almost every level. Lots of four-letter words.
Message
	Social Behavior Character learns the value of appreciating his heritage.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Some beer drinking
	Educational Value Lots of puzzles and creative thinking.