Prototype Review

"They call me a murderer. A terrorist. A monster. I am all of these things." - Alex Mercer

Okay so recently I've finished the sci fi action video game Prototype. Did I like it? Yes. Would you? Well let's find out. Prototype is a free roaming, third person action adventure that includes a gritty and complex story, intriguing gameplay mechanics, some very well detailed graphics, and new and amazing ways to blow stuff up. Now if that doesn't interest you then so be it. If it does then keep reading.

I love high octane and frenzied gameplay when it comes to video games. If it involves action and a lot of movement that any epileptic would shake to, plus a story I can at least care about, then that's all I really need.

STORY:
This is a rather basic sci fi action plot. A deadly virus is released in the heart of Manhatten. The government has sealed off the whole island and will kill anyone who tries to leave. In a lab two scientists are shocked to find a man believed to be dead turns up alive and heavily mutated. He is Alex Mercer, apparently a former government scientist. He now has amnesia and is hunted by the military. He has a mission now: find out who he really is, how to stop the virus and the government, and kill anyone who gets in his way. And so there you have it.

BASICS:
A lot of games include very complex gameplay patterns that annoy some, but here you get the hang of things pretty quick. Your character has a high variety of moves and skills that can take down most any enemy. Prototype's gameplay is very reminiscent to the gameplay of Spiderman 2 for PS2 or consoles like PS2, except the environment is a bit better detailed and far more destructive. Most anything can be destroyed so, as with games such as Grand Theft Auto, innocents are very fragile and killing them may be nearly inevitable. With a movement system classified as parkour, you can run up, jump off, slide along, hurl yourself into or keep a pace on just about anything.

TOOLS:
Your character can be simply called superpowered. He has superhuman strength, speed, agility, etc. He also has the power of shapeshifting, but you can only morph into one person at a time. Also, a person must be consumed, this gets you their identity, their health and more importantly their memories. Your character is stricken with amnesia, and in certain cases when consuming a person, you may absorb helpful memories. I would recommend you shapeshift a lot because your character looks like a douche (a hoody under leather jacket, tight light blue jeans). Oh yeah, your shapeshifting ability also gains access to a variety of weapons that are apart of your body. These weapons include clawed hands, a deadly whiplash, massive and destructive fists, and a large jagged claw which replaces an arm. Head to toe Spawn-like body armor will show up later, which is pretty cool. You also have a glide ability that comes in handy when a distance is too large to jump across. The city is full of military personnel, so you can take a variety of weapons off of those you kill. This includes assualt rifles, bazookas, tanks, helicopters. Your character also has a wide range of fighting abilities that can take down almost any obstacle in the game. Combination moves work well in hand to hand, melee, or armed combat.

ENEMIES:
There are plenty of enemies, and they are mostly weak compared to you, but enough of them can kill you easily. The city is mutating on an increasing level. Humans are slowly turning into zombie like characters who attack the helpless, but like all zombies they are pretty easy to take out. More modified mutants are around and will be very hard to take down in groups. Military will be your first problem. They are everywhere and always watching. The first sign of abilities and sometimes even your face will alert them and they will attack with all they've got. Killing them may help but usually there's so many it'd probably just be best to run away and morph into someone else. I wouldn't recommend trying to leave the island either, if you do an air strike will rain down on your head. You will face the occasional boss every now and then and they can be very difficult. There might be a specific tough mutant or G-man that must be faced. One mutant in particular is Elizabeth Green, a powerful creature very reminiscent to your own character. The last boss I can't really reveal as it is something of a surprise.

GRAPHICS:
The game looks very good. Graphics could always be better but I like this. Almost every inch is of the city is done with care. NPCs are given a few models and then just copied to make crowds but most games are like that. I can't find any real problems with it.

OVERALL:
I think Prototype is a very enjoyable game. If it had just been a simple story mode game then over I probably wouldn't be as enthusiastic. But a free roam game you are allowed to go about the city and get into trouble even after the game ends. Gameplay is frenetic and fun. If a game involves fighting the fight should be exciting. Graphics are good and I am pleased with it. Prototype may not give you exactly what you want in story but it makes up for that with every other aspect. If it is not the game you prefer then so be it. If it is then buy it definetly.

This has been a detailed game review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.