Prototype 2 takes cues from a host of other games.
Basically, there was a viral outbreak that infected a whole city. Most people
that get infected generally become zombie-like in nature, although some exhibit
super-human abilities.
The virus has been developed by Gentek, in conjunction with
the paramilitary group Blackwatch. In the story leading up to Prototype 2, Alex
Mercer has been blamed for the release of the virus. In the second game, you
play as Sergeant James Heller, a soldier who blames Mercer for the loss of his
wife and daughter to the virus. In the opening sequences, you confront Mercer
only to be infected yourself and develop some rudimentary powers.
Throughout gameplay, you gather new powers from enemies by “consuming”
them. You also get the chance to upgrade your existing powers the same way.
Upon completion of certain objectives you can gain new mutations, which help
you to travel, hunt down enemies, or make some encounters easier.
This game is very reminiscent of Spiderman 2 in its
gameplay. Being able to jump very high (extremely high later on), being able to
run along and up walls, and being able to glide for a while make the free
roaming sections feel almost the exact same as Spiderman 2 with better graphics
and in a different setting. Traveling the city is actually fun in and of
itself, and can be rewarding with collectibles that will upgrade your powers.
Missions throughout the game get a tad bit repetitive, but
since you are having fun you don’t notice so much. Missions basically fall into
a few categories: sneak into a facility to kill someone, hunt someone down,
clear out an instance, or gather boxes dropped from helicopters before they can
be recovered by Gentek or Blackwatch.
Along the way, it becomes unclear who the “bad guys” are.
There are several twists in the story that keep you guessing as to who is
really trying to save the city, who is trying to pull a political maneuver, who
is trying to create an “evolved” army, or if everyone is just self serving.
Because of a betrayal, you are constantly on your guard from anyone who tries
to aid you in the game.
The game deals pretty well graphically. You aren’t blown
away by amazing scenery as you spend all your time in a war-torn,
zombie-infected city. But the attention to detail is there and you’ll notice is
subconsciously. There are a host of different character models for all the
different infected humans roaming around, and at times I estimated that there
were at least 50 on my screen at once.
The enemies that you actually fight do get a bit repetitive
as well, but again you are having fun so you don’t notice it too much. The
killing animations are pretty varied, so even though you are fighting the same
enemies time and again, each fight has its own feel to it.
The sound in the game is decent. Nothing stands out, but
then again nothing feels out of place. The voice acting is pretty good, and I
didn’t notice any lip-syncing being off. But then again, most of the time
someone is talking they have a helmet on. But even in the times when they didn’t
have something covering their face, it was spot on.
The controls are natural feeling. It is easy to get the
hang of running up a building, jumping as high as you can, and then gliding.
You even get the knack of when to “air dash” to renew your glide time, and you
can’t simply fly forever. Combat flows naturally, and is often a hectic time as
you are fighting infected and Blackwatch at the same time. It is not uncommon
to have a dozen or so Blackwatch shooting at you, while having a helicopter or
two overhead, and still fighting a half a dozen infected. Even with all this,
it still flows naturally. I really have to tip my hat to the designers on that
one.
The game overall is a blast to play. I found myself playing
for hours on end and not even realizing how long I’d been playing. I am now longing
for a third release, and am contemplating going back and playing the first.
- Woody
