Prototype 2 in Review

   I picked up Prototype 2 on the recommendation of a friend, having never played Prototype 1 before. One of my main concerns with picking up a sequel without having first played the original is coming into a story without knowing the background of what is going on. Fortunately, in Prototype 2, there is a video that will give a synopsis of the first game, and it brought me up to speed.

   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