Run up the side of a skyscraper while a helicopter chases you, get to the top and jump… then glide through the air like a flying squirrel around another skyscraper where you transform into a business man and blend in with patrons on the street. This game will be make you say, “Grand Theft Who Cares?”.
I nearly wrote this game off as a CrackDown/Infamous/Grand Theft Auto clone, but I’m glad I didn’t. While it does share some things with those games (super powers, wide open city, repetitive missions, gore, swearing) it has enough originality to stand out.
WHAT YOU’LL LIKE:
Infection Powers
Unlike Grand Theft Auto, in Prototype most of the damage you will be dealing out is from your infection powers and most of it takes place point blank. The main character, Alex, is infected with a parasite that gives him powers such as many different hand transformations, which range from rock hands, to whip hands, to blades for hands. Alex can also “consume” other characters to take on their looks, skills, and memories (for example, you want to fly a helicopter so you consume a helicopter pilot). Alex also has your “normal” group of super powers, such as super jumps, super fast running, being able to run up/across walls, and the ability to glide through the air. Nothing is more exciting than running up a sky scraper, jumping off the top, and gliding to safety from a helicopter that is in pursuit.
One of the crazier attacks in the game
Web of Intrigue Story Telling
The games story is played out in three different forms. The first is your CG cut scenes, which are graphically pleasing, the second is your in-game cut scenes and the third is the Web of Intrigue. Alex wakes up in a morgue at the beginning of the game, remembering nothing, and he gains most of his knowledge of the past and the story from the Web of Intrigue. The Web of Intrigue is like a giant web chart, linking memories of the people that Alex “consumes” together piece by piece, with stylized cut scenes mixed with still photos and narration. Instead of the game just serving the story on a silver platter, it slowly gives you little glimpses at what is taking place when you consume someone on the Web of Intrigue. It is definitely a different way of storytelling, and very enjoyable, plus it seems like the information comes in a specific order, so no worries about spoilers too early in the game.
Original Missions
Prototype knows it has originality, and that’s why a majority of its missions focus on its most original features. While you do have the story missions that can be a little bit of everything, there are lots of other mission types available to you. On your mini-map you will see many different icons showing you where/what other missions are. These “side missions” vary greatly. Some have you consume specific targets, some have you jump off a building and try to glide as close as you can to a giant targets center and others have you race across rooftops to check points. There are also some missions that highlight the vehicles in the game that you can control, of which there are only three; a helicopter, a tank, and a Humvee type vehicle.
Tank > Copter
Upgrade System
When you complete missions in Prototype, you are awarded what is essentially experience points, which in turn can be traded in towards upgrades. The upgrades range from more health to higher jumps to several different moves you can learn. Finally gaining enough experience points to get that one bad ass move you have been drooling over feels very rewarding, especially when the move can kill 50 civilians at once. (Achievement Unlocked!)
Blood, Gore, Mayhem
Spikes send cars & enemies airborne
Need I say more!?
WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE:
Spiderman: Web of Shadows… er… I mean Prototype
While Prototype does feel very original, I couldn’t help but think of SpiderMan: Web of Shadows frequently while playing it. Like Spiderman, this game is also published by Activision, though made by a different developer. The game shares far too many similarities to that game, such as running up walls, similar city scape, similar moves, and most of the action takes place hand to hand. Also the ability to pick up and throw cars with excellent aim when locked on, though nice, is also nearly the exact same as SpiderMan: Web of Shadows. Some of the powers that Alex has in Prototype also are very close to SpiderMan’s Dark/Venom suit abilities. I enjoyed both of these games, but at times Prototype feels like a re-skinned SpiderMan: Web of Shadows, only with a better storyline, and a whole hell of a lot more gore and swearing.
Too Many Moves
Even though the game does have some moves you will love and use quite frequently, a majority of the moves end up rarely being used. Later in the game you will unlock a plethora of moves that you do with your bare hands, at which point you are very accustomed to using your transformations which are more powerful to begin with. I like that there are a variety of attacks that you can use and unlock, but you will most likely never use them all, mostly falling back on your transformations and their strengths.
The best part of waking up, is eating monsters next to explosions?
RECOMMENDATION:
Although the game does share many similarities to the other games in its genre, it has a compelling and original story and enough bad assery (read: Explosions, Gore, and Insane Powers) to keep you coming back for more. Even if you, like me, don’t enjoy games like Grand Theft Auto, I still can recommend this game for you, as it has enough to set it apart from the Grand Theft Auto series. If you like beat’em ups, anti-heroes, and/or mayhem, you’ll like this game. Prototype is one of the better multi-platform games I’ve played this year, and has kept me coming back for more, long after the story is complete.
Prototype
System: Xbox 360
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Find: Amazon, Gamefly, Goozex
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted.
Want to know more about the game? Just ask! We love to hear ourselves type, and might even say something vaguely resembling an answer to your question(s)…
June 11th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I’ve been playing this all day and I’m surprised about how repetitive it ISN’T. I’ve had a blast upgrading Alex and although the Hunter’s get really annoying, disposing of them with all kinds of weapons is awesome. I’m edging into the story too, which is something I didn’t expect.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
If anything, Radical could be criticized for taking too many cues from the Venom character, since the infection is so similar to the symbiote in terms of power-set. That said, Prototype has been in development for a lot longer than Web of Shadows, to the idea that they ripped-off that game in particular is pretty silly.
June 15th, 2009 at 3:38 am
I remember when this game was still called “Hulk: Ultimate Destruction”.