Prototype

There are very few games that drop you straight into such high octane beginnings the way that Activision’s Prototype does. You begin this free roaming action game in the middle of a Manhattan ravaged by a mutating virus, surrounded by infected citizens, mutant creatures and the military all of whom are fighting for survival against each other on the now quarantined island. The action of the first few moments of the game only begins to give some idea of what lies ahead as you take on the role of Alex Mercer, a man who wakes up in the morgue of GENTEK, a mysterious genetics laboratory, with no memory of how he arrived there nor his life before he did so. Mercer quickly makes his escape and begins to discover that something has happened to him, which has manifested itself in the form of incredible shape shifting super powers which include amazing strength, speed and the ability to consume living beings which then allow him to morph into their appearance and even experience their memories. Alex sets out to discover what he has become and swears vengeance upon those responsible.

The powers Mercer now possesses are certainly one of the most appealing aspects within Prototype, which can be built upon through the accumulation of experience points and then spent easily and often through the upgrade option menu. Through the use of the consume ability you are not only able to regenerate health but can also change your appearance into the individual that you have absorbed, which will allow you to lose following military strike teams on your tail. At certain points during game play you will consume individuals whose memories will offer insight into what has transpired, moving the storyline forward shown in short cut scenes.

Mercer also possesses great speed and agility allowing him to not only to jump from building to building but also to run up their sides. One of the many excellent upgrades you will be able to purchase early on in the game is Glide, letting you float across the island with great ease and is a skill which can be enjoyed for hours at a time simply by itself. No self-respecting action game is complete without some amazing weaponry and Prototype definitely does not disappoint. With the inclusion of more conventional weapons, such as assault rifles, missile launchers and later in the game when you are able to seize military vehicles including tanks and helicopter gunships, however these items quickly become almost second rate as you begin in upgrade your powers.

Offensive powers are at times simply incredible, with so much damage able to be inflicted on an enemy at a time you can become to feel overpowered, although when this does happen it is likely the game is about to up its difficulty level very soon. Some of the melee skills include shape shifting Mercer’s hands in rapid attacking razor-sharp claws, these are later able to be upgraded allowing you to thrust them into the floor making massive spikes erupt under your enemies, impaling them in the most gory of manners, or if you prefer, morphing one hand into a large deadly blade, as well as many, many others.

Before these upgrades are able to be purchased with your hard won experience points, the combat style is very simple, using one or two buttons at a time, with the inclusion of a lock target button that becomes very useful during boss fights, but as you upgrade to more and more new powers things can become tricky. In fact, the shear number of powers available for upgrade can create problems in itself, with some becoming almost impossible to execute due to the sometimes clumsy button combinations required. One being the Cannonball skill, which requires you to press the X and B buttons simultaneously, not the most user friendly move to perform when engaged in a large combat situation.

It’s not just the increasingly complex melee attack button combinations that hamper the game. Prototype lacks the awe inspiring visuals of many other titles in this genre, leaving the gamer with a world filled with buildings that are blocky and blandly rendered. Draw distance is also a problematic issue especially when it comes to the collection of discovery orbs which are virtually impossible to see at any moderate distance, leaving this part of the game as a meaningless addition. With the exception of one or two land marks the player never really feels that the game is set in Manhattan, not only is this because of the lack of recognisable urban features it is also due to the missing sense of the bustle of city life. Other disappointing graphics can be seen when buildings explode on a number of occasions, rather than a grand destructive moment unfolding before your eyes, you merely have what feels like a number of block falling apart.

The animation of Alex Mercer is excellent however. The characters movement even at high speeds is a pleasure to behold, although this is once again tainted at street level when moving through crowds of people, when the slightest bumps makes Alex wildly jab out with his arm, having the bystander react like they have just been struck in the face.

The story running through the game is not the most original and the cut scenes, although not of a poor quality, never really move the tale forward. Nor does the narrative ever really make the player able to connect or empathise with the characters, leaving you with an almost nonchalant attitude towards their fate and for that matter the fate of the citizens of Manhattan. In my opinion this is Prototypes biggest failing, it has the feel of a game that doesn’t really know which direction it should go in, torn between the fun arcade action style of Crackdown, the horror atmosphere of Silent Hill or Resident Evil or the open sandbox worlds of the Grand Theft Auto series. What could have been a fine addition to the genre falls short through a lack of polishing and by taking itself too seriously.

Lost Gamer Verdict: 7/10