Game: Prototype
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Release: June 9, 2009
Type: Action
Rating: Mature()
Players: 1
Prototype is a third-person action game that puts you in control of Alex Mercer. A man with no memory and no past. He's out for revenge and he has the means to get what he wants. As the back of the box states: "Become Anything....Change Everything."
The beginning of the game introduces you exactly what Alex Mercer is, and exactly what's going on within the game. You see, there's an infection. And this infection lives inside of you and it's what gives you the ability to shape-shift your body into a vast array of weapons and also perform feats of superhuman strength. However, the citizens of Manhattan aren't so lucky as the infection is turning them into mutated creatures who are hunting and killing the rest of population and more primarily, you.
After the introductory phase of the game, all the powers that you had are stripped away and the game rewinds itself back in time to 3 weeks prior. Mercer awakens in a morgue surrounded by men in biosuits ready to cut him open and start experimenting. Obviously, you escaped and Mercer becomes re-aware of the abilites that he possesses. As you control The Prototype, Mercer will talk to himself, in complete disbelief of what he is doing, like his body is on autopilot.
One of the first things you learn to do is how to Consume another living person. Alex will actually absorb the person into his own body, taking with them their life force, memories and abilities. Key persons throughout the game can be consumed that will give Alex more insight into what's going on around the city as well as what happened to him. It's also a neat feature to note that if you want to hijack a tank or a helicopter, you will need to consume a solider that knows how to pilot that vehicle so you can absorb his training. Think of it like the Matrix. What took that solider 8 months to learn, can instantly be injected into your brain through consumption. Earning other abilites throught the game is easy too, and there are alot. As you kill enemies and complete missions, the game rewards you with EP (Enhancement Points). These can be used to upgrade Mercer's abilites throughout the game. Everything from increasing your overall health, to adding a new type of shape-shifting weapon to your arsenal. And core abilities that you've purchased can even be upgraded, like your running speed or your jump height.
Now, once you get Mercer upgraded a little bit, it becomes easier and easier to move about the city, which is vast. You can go from the ground to the top of any building with no effort at all. Running through the streets is also no problem as Alex will automatically jump on and over cars and push people out of the way. Almost nothing will stop him once he gets moving. Just moving about the city and smashing and destroying things is what most people will want to do, and it's a lot of fun. The explosions are huge, the draw distance is vast and the amount of action going on at once on screen is just amazing. This game just runs smoothly and looks beautiful even with so much chaos going on.
Aside from just running around and blowing stuff up, the game also has some hidden orbs for you to search for. Some are hidden near landmarks or points of interest like the Empire State Building, and others just offer helpful gameplay tips. Prototype also offers you the chance to (sort of) take a side as you can destroy army bases for extra EP or upgrades or destroying infected hives for the same type of rewards. As time goes on, these hives will pop up in more places and more military bases will as well to try to contain them. And as the hives spread, the city becomes more infected and the situation gets more and more out of control.
In closing, Prototype is a great game if you're into the free-roaming action games like Spider-Man 2 or the Incredible Hulk games. This one, however, is definitely not for the kiddies. There's copious amounts of blood and sometimes disturbing amounts of gore and lots of cussing. The game looks great and the city literally transforms as the populous becomes more infected. Alex will start out weak at first, but don't worry, you'll be upgrading so fast you'll be handling your enemies with ease and running at super speeds in no time. Even when your're not doing the missions, Prototype offers a world where the player always has something to do: whether it's just running around and beating up tanks or just seeing how many of the challenges you can complete.
I would also just like to say that this game has been compared to Infamous a lot and after playing both of them, you can't really make that comparison. Yes, they're both sandbox action titles with a main character with special powers, but that's where the similarities end. Any fan of this genre of games needs to do themselves a favor and play both games. Both titles are great in their own right and I can honestly say that one isn't better than the other.
Rating: 4/5
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