X360 Review: Prototype
There are many things to enjoy in Prototype; maneuvering about the city and driving over a 100 civilians running for their lives, while in a tank, really kept me entertained. On the other hand though – the occasional moments of frustration while playing through the title, really put a damper on my smiling face and opened my eyes to the many flaws Prototype has. If you’re a “nit-picky” gamer, you’ll have tons of ammunition to fire at the defending “fan boys”. Although, Prototype lacks polish and will have you squeezing the life out of your 360 controller (out of frustration), it still gives you a fun game to toss 20 hours into.
Developer – Radical Entertainment
Publisher – Activision
Genre – 3rd Person Action-sandbox
Price – $59.99
Alex Mercer awakes on a morgue slab, seconds before being gutted without a clue to life. He doesn’t know who, what, where, and why – but plans to find out no matter who stands in his way. With an arsenal of incredible “powers”, the player leads the way to help Alex figure out what happened and why he’s now a “super-hero”. I really didn’t love the story here, but didn’t hate it either. The story element I was more interested in was the Web of Intrigue flashbacks; gained by consuming the civilians and enemies that have some kind of tie-in to your history. Far from awful but never awfully amazing, the story never blew my mind; much like a lot of Prototype.
Graphics, over-used textures & character models, physics issues, and un-imaginative mission design really prove the lack of polish here. I’m not complaining about it – to me – they’re minor gripes. That’s not to say there won’t be dozens of others who are already complaining about it. The good news is once you get over those bumps, everything else is a smooth ride – kinda.
Prototype plays like Devil May Cry meets Hulk: Ultimate Destruction with XP and upgradeable abilities. With the number of upgrades the player could choose from, I can’t find a reason to complain, except that many of them will be overlooked by your personal “favorite” and become useless. Attack powers like the blade and fling-arm combined with the devastator attacks (attacks that decimate enemies in your radius), make combat a blast and are really a key to what makes Prototype fun. What, also, blew my mind was how much fun I have running through Proto’s New York City. I had no problem racing up 100 story buildings, only to jump off and maneuver across the roof-tops below. The controls are definitely a bit clunky and will have its moments of frustration but never felt “game-breaking”.
Ah, yes; Game-breaking – the definition for the “slow-motion” mechanic that kicks you where it hurts, every time your backs against the wall in Prototype. By the last hour of Prototype, the “slow-mo” will ultimately force you to punch babies. I wasn’t sure it was even a design mechanic – I swear it was used to “hide” frame rate issues that appear in later boss battles. Whatever it is, it sucks. Be warned!
10 hours will get you through the main plot-line of Prototype, but will have you leaving tons of challenges, Web of Intrigue nodes, hint orbs, and location orbs behind. With no Multiplayer to boot, you’ve better really enjoy the city you have to free-roam about – which shouldn’t be a hard accomplishment.
Controlling Alex Mercer, killing everyone and destroying everything in your path (in the name of vengeance) is a really fun time, especially if you’re a fan of less righteous “super-heroes”. The ability to cut crowds of enemies down in seconds, using the powers you choose, never seemed “old” to me. And, while moments in the story, that unfolds, become forgotten and frustration sets in during the later stages of the game, I still felt the need to push forward and “skyjack” some helicopters or elbow drop some tanks.
Those who jump into Prototype looking to pin-point its flaws will most likely find a lot to complain about and hate the title. Sadly, they will be missing out on a good time. Many of our favorite IPs lacked the level of polish their sequels had, and that has never stopped us from enjoying those titles. Prototype’s combat is prominently a blast and 360 owners looking to make a bloody-mess of Manhattan, have a fun game to spin in their consoles. (B)
- Jeffrey d
I agree prototype is a blast!
For the 3 to 4 hours i spent playing prototype, i had alot of fun playing it. I just had to take it back to th rental place before i could do any real damage. Getting the three red rings of death on my 360 before i could play anymore of it did not help things either, lol.