After a ridicules orgy of quality first-person shooters last year, 2006 has gotten off to a slow start in the genre. Prey has the ability to be the cream of this year’s shooter crop and it has the advantage of being the first one released this year.

Prey tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation going nowhere. His life changes when an otherworldly crisis forces him to awaken spiritual powers from his long-forgotten birthright. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and eventually his planet.

Prey is serious, dark story, based on authentic Cherokee mythology. Themes of sacrifice, love and responsibility are explored and the story dives into emotional territory not yet explored by similar games.

An extraterrestrial invasion forces Tommy to awaken spiritual forces within himself from his long-forgotten birthright. Earth then becomes prey to the galaxy’s largest predator a Texas-sized alien looking to slake his hunger for organic goodness that most populates Earth…humans.

Tommy must now make a choice on whether to save the woman he loves or to accept the responsibility his now deceased grandfather has told him he must bear. It is a struggle between love and responsibility and according to the game’s tagline, Earth’s only savior doesn’t want the task.

Prey is set in an organic world that can itself attack players. Many new features have been addded to this shooter title such as Spirit Walking (Tommy’s spirit can exit his body to pass throuugh portals and complete other objectives), Wall Walking (pretty self explanitory), and Deathwalk (a time limited boost where you kill anything you get close to and can’t be harmed.)

One can imagine how crazy the multiplayer will be with players running up and down walls and across ceilings and spirits popping out of their bodies right in front of you to avoid being killed. This title is shaping up to be a nice twist on the shooter genre and adds a new dimension with Wall Walking.

Prey is set to be released this summer. The screenshot below is linked to IGN’s Web site for more screenshots of this game.