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OXCGN’s Non-Comparative Prototype Review
No need to compare to InFamous or Crackdown all the time…
by GrathiusXR:
©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos
Alex Mercer is a man out for revenge and answers, and, like many anti-heroes of our time, nothing stands in his way of completing his objective. Waking up from the dead on the surgery table, almost being cut under the knife, Alex is unleashed on New York city with a plethora of powers at his disposal and questions needing answering.
Too many 360 owners upon first glance see the game in a sense as the R18+ version of Crackdown, except with a lot more powers at your disposal and more freedom. Whilst the main story-line missions are very linear in terms of progression you are free to scour the city and do as you please.
• Prototype Trailer – You just have to love it.
Devour civilians/military/infected/Blackwatch troops (secret government forces that have moved in to contain the virus), slice and dice anyone of your choosing, run across building rooftops and more; Prototype has a sense of freedom and power that is non existent in many other games.
There is no consequence or civilian morale system in the game which gives the gamer the feeling of enjoyment, and what compliments this enjoyment is that during progression of the game more powers and abilities are unlocked.
This in a way gives more incentive for the gamer to continue playing and earn Evolution Points (EP) which is the currency in the game that allow powers to be bought and upgraded. If before attempting a mission you don’t have a certain power that is required then you are prompted to buy this power before being able to attempt the mission.
This I feel is a way of allowing the player to enjoy the wide range of powers available but ultimately the powers it forces you to buy often seem not that helpful.
Deadly hammers, a blade, claws,
That’s not to say powers don’t come in handy once in a while.
Each encounter with military or infected can vary and you need to make use of the powers at hand. Some may work better than others so this strategic option is great and means the game is more than just a bash ‘em up style game.
With powers that allow you to consume and take the identity of any single civilians or military personnel, transform your arms into deadly hammers, a blade, claws, defensive armor there are plenty of powers to suit any gamer’s needs.
With powers being one of the definitive reasons this game excels, there is also another feature that really pushes this game above the rest.
The fragmented storyline does wonders in keeping you intrigued and guessing until the very end. Why? Well because the story sort of starts from the end but not in a way that you know exactly how it ends from the beginning.
Why are you the way you are? Is it because Gentek (the major scientific company in the game) made you this way? Did you magically become who you are? Are Gentek trying to help you?
These questions are answered in hinted form through the ‘Web of Intrigue’ which is of course incomplete at the start of the game.
Civilians and certain military/science personnel throughout New York are highlighted on the map on the Head’s Up Display (HUD), and it is entirely up to you if you wish to consume them to gain their fragmented memory.
Prototype is a gem of a game
Whilst there is no penalty for not consuming these characters, you do rob yourself of uncovering the conspiracy.
Prototype is a gem of a game because if you take advantage of the Web, much of what you think you know of the story may have to be re-thought when you unlock a new memory by consuming a new character.
Not many games achieve this style of story telling successfully and for Prototype to do it well and at the same time feature some of the most fluid animations I have seen with every move that Alex makes, the game itself more than compensates for its sub-standard graphics.
Many would argue that because the game doesn’t feature a caliber of graphics on par with GTA IV or inFamous or most other 3rd person games then it wouldn’t be worth a purchase and in today’s gaming world that is a major issue.
Prototype excels in a way that many games lack
Many at times overlook a game’s great features and judge on graphical quality alone, so the game is hurled back on the shelf. Mistake!
Prototype excels in a way that many games lack and that’s what makes it stand out from the pack.
Its graphics may sit in the middle standard and the storyline is somewhat cliched, but great combat and fluid movement makes up for any slight visual disappointments and story deficiencies.
With all this good there really isn’t much that is wrong with the game. Apart from the sub standard storyline, voice acting is cheesy yet solid, there’s rarely any drop in framerate even when the heavily populated New York civilians/military are being a nuisance and you gotta take out the trash.
Like many open world games, the missions can be very average and sometimes repetitive which does become a drag after awhile. Also the game is too short: only 31 missions and heaps of mini games that get frustrating upon reaching the Medium stages of them.
You’re looking at around 10 hours minimum if you do main missions with some side-meta game missions and some free roaming carnage. Heck I was at 25 missions completed and only put in 4.5 hours of game time.
There’s enough content in the game though for you to enjoy it till the end, including sub-meta games which involve such activities as consuming certain NPC’s within New York, blowing up buildings, killing as many infected within a time limit and more.
If after all this you can’t be bothered with completing story line missions or uncovering the conspiracy, start a fight with the military. Always good to test out new powers that you just bought and spruce up your fighting skills.
Run amuck in New York however you wish; it’s fun and a good distraction and you may never know what you can find within the city or how much time you might waste having fun doing so.
Radical Entertainment have really redeemed themselves in my eyes coming from their earlier work *cough cough* Scarface, which I thought was abysmal. Prototype is a major improvement and one giant glide/leap towards making great fun games.
”8.5/10
©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos
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Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, OXCGN Affiliates, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: Activision, R18+, Crackdown, New York City, "Prototype review", "Xbox 360 Prototype reviews", Prototype reviews, Prototyype, Radical Entertainment, Alex Mercer, Blackwatch troops, Evolution Points (EP), Gentek, Head's Up Display, "Web of Intrigue", inFamous, NPC's, Scarface
game looks pretty epic, definately must steal this one from my friends
errrumm don’t you mean cough – borrow- cough heheheh, witha no-return-date option attached
I’m really enjoying Prototype, but it’s definitely one of those games that requires you to make your own fun. I like just going into infected zones and ripping the hell out of anything in sight.
The powers are awesome, and really make you feel badass.
The only real complaint I have is the world.
For open world games, the design of the world (usually a city) needs to be filled with variety and tuned to the gameplay. Players will get bored without a city much more varied than real-life ones (see the success of GTA compared to True Crime which was modelled off real LA last gen).
I don’t think it was the right choice to use a satellite-mapped New York, because there’s really not much variety. It’s either tall buildings in a grid, or Central Park which is just the same orange tree copied and pasted. You won’t remember te layout of the city or important spots because it’s all very much the same. This was a big letdown for me, as most buildings are just big boxes with a brick and window texture stuck on the side. I would have preferred a unique city designed specifically for the game to shove a more varied landscape in.
The best way to go into Prototype is thinking of it as Ninja Gaiden 2 but with a completely open map. Combat works in a similar way, there’s tons of enemies just like it, but you can also go anywhere.
This is a must have for me, I’m not fussed about the graphics all that much, yes, it would be nice to have stunning visuals AND heaps of interactive NPC’s . .but hey, you can only do so much sometimes. The next iteration will be an improvement I’m sure.
I’m surprised it actually got past our censorship board here in Australia, as there’s some solid decapitation, body severing and the like throughout the game. Something they usually frown upon when done to other humans.
I’m not sure what drives the OLFC here, as there seems to be no rule of thumb at times. But hey, it got passed, and that’s all we need to worry about.