Prey the Stars

Gary asks... why?

Ironically, there's a lot to be said for the expression 'lost in translation'. It was well known long before Scarlet Johansson and Bill Murray appeared in Sophia Coppola's film of the same name a couple of years ago. In the gaming world it is especially prevalent. The fact is either you're into what, over here, is a niche market, or you're not. And it's not really about the quality of the game either. Prey the Stars Gabu Gabu Planet isn't a bad game, it's just steeped in Far Eastern cutesy that detracts from the experience.

This follows through to the narrative, which is as weird as it is pointless. You play one of four dog type alien things who've crash landed on Earth and have made it their goal to eat as much as possible. Not great, but then again, not important - might have been better not to include a story at all, like Tetris, that was good.

You pick one of four 'dogs' and you make it your aim to eat as much as you can, be it radios, drink cans, or, you've guessed it, eggs. As you get bigger you can eat larger items thus growing yourself. Your competitors are doing the same thing and mini argy-bargy breaks out as littler aliens get bumped out of the way. And so it goes, eat, get bigger, eat bigger things. Seemingly basic but you can chomp item in rows and gain power ups like bombs which can be hurled at opponents a la Bomberman and Mario Kart to slow them down, generally hinder their progress, leaving you to clean up.

Further tactical skill is needed when items appear that cannot be eaten, but licked. These usually go by the way water or fire (what licking fire might achieve remains beyond me but you know). Despite the oddity of such a thing, it does provide a tactical change to the gameplay as the 'licking' takes longer and some elements contain additional points so are worth the risk somewhat.

The game is played with the buttons, and only the menus are navigated with the touch screen. Where so many games are improved due to Nintendo DS functionality, it's a shame that the controls for Prey the Stars are so traditional. But then there's not much revolution to the game as whole. Its simple affective gaming that, once you've muted the bombardment of -pop, becomes addictive.

The multiplayer is especially worthwhile as the unpredictable nature of your opponent adds additional difficulties and depth. When you're looking for a quick multiplayer bout, without the time to get deeply engrossed, Prey the Stars is excellent.

The graphics, which are typically Japanese, lend themselves well to the DS. It's colourful and fun, and will be especially well received by the younger audience. The main problem, besides the contrived over-the-top-ness, is that there isn't much to bring you back to Prey the Stars if you're over a certain age. It's a typical DS game, made with young people in mind. You'll get a few kicks out of it, and for the first couple of hours you might assume you're mildly addicted, but, as I found out, it is difficult to find the motivation to pick it up again.

The fact is there's nothing really here. The gameplay is too repetitive, the slow variation in what's asked of you is as minimal as it is uninteresting - you're asked to mix up the order of certain buttons are pressed in order to further progress your character's ability and score, but it simply begs the question...why? When I could be playing anything else, why would I bother with Prey the Stars?

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By Gary Flavell