PREY
2K Games, Xbox 360/PC, $49.99-$59.99
Many years in the making, the development process of Prey was as twisted as the game, an innovative first-person shooter that uses the horsepower of the Xbox 360 to create a convoluted world of special effects and anti-gravity. As Tommy, a Native American abducted by aliens into an enormous spaceship, you find yourself navigating levels by walking on the walls and ceilings, jumping through beautifully rendered portals, and accomplishing goals through the literally out-of-body experience of “spirit walking.” The innards of this world are a weird combination of beamed-up artifacts from earth and the living mechanisms of the spacecraft. Super-creepy scenes–being attacked by an abducted school bus full of reanimated school children, in-game radio broadcasts from famed UFO-ologist Art Bell–add another dimension to the action and gore. Speaking of action, Prey is paced well, with plenty of breaks for puzzle-solving and exploring; and, if your character should die, you’ll be revived after battling the spirits of the afterlife. Odd and enjoyable, this is a truly unique addition to the shooter genre. Andrew Smith
www.prey.com

Love: Turns the first-person shooter on its head, literally
Hate: Story line is paper-thin
Final Word: Bizarre meets blood ‘n’ guts