Review of PROTOTYPE
PROTOTYPE
By: ACTIVISION Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 203
More Information
A very fun game, but it's not as new as you think...
On: 2010-08-15+ PROS:
+ Easy control layout.
+ A seamless combination of stealth, sandbox, and action gameplay.
+ Several upgradeable powers and abilities.
+ High replay value with 41 earnable trophies.
- CONS:
- Assigning powers is awkward.
- Some side missions are very difficult.
- Storyline gets a little convoluted.
- The game feels like a facelift of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
PLOT:
We play as Alex Mercer, a man with no memory of his past. The setting is New York City at the heart of a viral outbreak, where Alexs fellow New Yorkers have mutated into hideous monsters.
Before long, Alex learns the military is after him because he has developed some terrifying abilities. He can run up the side of a building and leap into the air, come down and dent the pavement without any injury. He can absorb the memories and abilities of other people, turn parts of his body into vicious weapons, and even shapeshift to disguise himself as another person.
In order to save New York, Alex has to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out exactly what happened to him.
GAMEPLAY:
Similar to games like Infamous or Spider-Man 3, we can either follow the main storyline or participate in side missions. Alex can learn more about the conspiracy (known as the Web of Intrigue), and earn Evolution Points to upgrade his abilities.
There are 4 types of side missions:
(1) Movement Events: Alex must complete point-to-point races with a time limit.
(2) Glide Events: Here, we try to hit a bullseye using Alexs flight powers.
(3) Kill: Alex must kill a certain number of enemies within a time limit.
(4) War: Alex has to side with the military/infected and defeat his opponents.
There are also collectible hints and landmark icons are scattered throughout the city - picking these up also earns Evolution Points.
Certain people have knowledge of the events that caused New Yorks viral outbreak. When they appear on the map, if Alex reaches these people and absorbs them, he can unlock their memories and they appear on his "Web of Intrigue" map.
Sometimes Alex needs to be covert and sneak into a military base. As long as no one is watching, Alex can quietly absorb a military commander without raising an alarm and waltz into secured areas without a raised eyebrow from the other soldiers.
Prototype offers us a little from each category in one game: stealth, action, and the freedom of a sandbox environment.
COMBAT:
In the beginning, Alex doesnt have a lot of powers to choose from. As the game progresses, Alex can unlock powers to smash the ground and defeat multiple foes, use claws to rip his opponents in half, or whip a snakelike tendril and bisect people at the waist. His powers can be "hot-keyed" so a simple flick of the D-Pad will cover Alex in protective armor, turn his hand into a bladed weapon, or change his vision to detect infected enemies.
One of my favorite moments is when Alex absorbs a person with operational knowledge of tanks. After this, Alex can go into any tank and drive it himself. Later in the game, he can absorb the power to fly helicopters as well. This means that if Alex is having trouble with a particular enemy, he can jump into a tank and fire some well-targeted shells to weaken it. The combat requires the player to pay attention to what hurts an enemy and what doesnt...for example, a bladed weapon might hurt an underling but not a boss.
TROPHIES:
There are plenty to earn here, ranging in difficulty. Playing the game from start to finish will usually net you about 8 trophies, but there are 33 more for you to earn. The most frustrating trophies involve getting high scores on all the side missions, or trying to finish the game from beginning to end without dying once.
CONS:
Some of the powers require several button presses. For example, to do a stealthy consume of a military officer, you have to (1) hold down the L2 button to target the officer, (2) hold the R1 button to bring up the stealth menu, and (3) press the circle button to consume him. This is awkward, but over time with repeated play it does get easier.
Because the Web of Intrigue memories are absorbed randomly, the storyline can get very confusing. Its only after playing through the game a few times that we can make sense of the conspiracy as a whole. Some side missions are very hard to get a perfect score on, and this can frustrate many players from coming back to earn their Platinum Trophy.
As I played Prototype, I kept thinking I had played something similar. Most of the reviews mentioned inFamous, but I knew that wasnt the one. Finally, after checking my game library, I found my copy of Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction from 2005.
Both games were made by the same developer, Radical Entertainment. They have the same type of gameplay - a main storyline with side missions, earnable points to unlock more superpowers, and collectible landmark icons. Both games have a main character that uses parkour to climb and vault over buildings. The similarities even go down to the keypad assignments: the Hulks air dash and Alex Mercers air dash are both executed with the R2 button. This realization made me feel like I wasnt playing a new game as much as I was playing an old game that got a shapeshifting facelift.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Even with some infuriating side missions and the carbon-copy feel to the 2005s Hulk gameplay, I really enjoyed Prototype. There are several games which allow you to drive military vehicles or patsy innocent soldiers into getting shot or absorb abilities or fight hand-to-hand with hideous monsters, but Prototype allows you to do all those things and then some.
Gamer Played, Gamer4Life1979 recommended.
ESRB Rating of "M" for Blood & Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language.
Great game but comes with flaws....
On: 2010-07-23If you have watched trailer for this game, we can all agree this game looks awesome. Since I like open world games, I decided to give this one a shot. After finishing the game on normal difficulty and finishing about 90% of the total missions (~20-25 hrs) below is what I thought about the game.
PROS.
POWERS ARE AWESOME: Just as you may remember from the trailers, you get access to a variety of weapons. These include but are not limited to claws, hammer hands, a whip lass, sweet a$$ blade etc. Along with weapons you also get access to defensive powers such as shields and cocoons and special powers such as thermal and infection visions and morphing capability. Best part here is most of these powers are upgradable giving this game an RPG type characteristics and promoting the player to complete more missions and get more points
ACCESS TO WEAPONS AND VEHICLES: Other than powers described above, you also have access to military weapons such as rifles and rocket launchers and vehicles such as armored tank and fighter chopper. Like your powers, you can also upgrade your skills to use these weapons and vehicles effectively.
CUTSCENES ARE SPECTACULAR: I cant say much without spoiling here, but cutscenes are nicely designed and are fun to watch.
DECENT VARIETY IN MISSIONS: Different missions will require you to use different powers and skills differently making them interesting. Majority (~60%) of the story missions are well designed and will keep you engaged.
GREAT FREE ROAMING EXPERIENCE: I love how you can roam around the town and massacre enemies with different powers. For such experience, I cant think of any other game.
CONS.
STORY IS RATHER WEAK: You get to see most of the story by completing main missions and remainder of the story by absorbing targeted individuals. While it has some shocking suspense, the story is portrayed rather abruptly and if you dont absorb some people at the right time, you can be really confused what the hell is going on.
ABSORBING ENEMIES IS PAIN IN THE A$$: At first it feels cool, but after 2 hours, it becomes horribly redundant. The major way you can replenish your energy is by absorbing enemies and by the time you finish the game, you will hate absorbing the enemies over and over and over again. Also for some reason, every time you die, it only replenish half of your health, the rest you have to gain by absorbing a single enemy at a time.
ENEMIES LACK VARIETY: Your enemies are military personals and vehicles; infected humans and superhumans. While it is initially fun massacring them, after about 4-6 hours, it becomes terribly boring face them over and over and over again.
BOSSES ARE HORRIBLE: This is my biggest complain. They give you so many awesome powers; however, other than one particular boss, I found rest of the boss fights really dull. A lot of these bosses will have you fight the same enemies over and over again. JUST TERRIBLE.
SOME MISSIONS ARE JUST HORRIBLE: Later on in the game, there are few missions that will make this experience very miserable. A good example is you have to destroy certain machines in later on mission. These machines are in an area covered with deadly gas and under strict military surveillance. It took me a long while just to distinguish these machines from other structures in the area and afterwards it took me a while to destroy them thanks to aiming system in this game. There are other missions similar to this that will get you confused.
THE LOCK ON SYSTEM IN POORLY DESIGNED: Using different military vehicles is great; however, it is difficult to lock on certain targets with these vehicles thanks to poor lock on system in this game. Right analogue stick is used for both changing targets and changing camera view making lock on very difficult. A good example is the mission I described in the above con.
THE GAME HAS GLITCHES: It truly breaks my heart to say this, but I encountered terrible glitches. You are capable of using one offensive and one defensive power at the same time. I am fighting the final boss and what happens?? I cant first use any of them. I die. Afterwards I can only use one power (either offensive or defensive) at a time. And when I use defensive power, I cant use the offensive one. I tried turning on/off system, restarting from previous check point, nothing fixed the glitch. While I was still able to finish the game with this glitch, it made things terribly difficult. JUST TERRIBLE.
All and all for what this game allows you to do (powers and vehicles), it is a great game; however, its flaws prevents it from being enjoyable at times. I think they had great concept in mind, but failed to execute it properly. However, if you are bored and feel like just free roaming in an open world and massacring enemies, THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU.
As for Prototype vs Infamous, INFAMOUS ALL THE WAY. Why? Check out my Infamous review on Amazon.
Win
On: 2010-07-18So this game allows you to do crazy fun stuff to people using upgrades and powers that get massive creativity points... Get it, A must buy game under $35
Prototype
On: 2010-07-08This is definately one of my all time favorite games. There are hours and hours of gameplay and it is never boring. Must try!
Great game but comes with flaws....
On: 2010-07-06This is for PS3 version of the Prototype. If you have watched trailer for this game, we can all agree this game looks awesome. Since I like open world games, I decided to give this one a shot. After finishing the game on normal difficulty and finishing about 90% of the total missions (~20-25 hrs) below is what I thought about the game.
PROS.
POWERS ARE AWESOME: Just as you may remember from the trailers, you get access to a variety of weapons. These include but are not limited to claws, hammer hands, a whip lass, sweet a$$ blade etc. Along with weapons you also get access to defensive powers such as shields and cocoons and special powers such as thermal and infection visions and morphing capability. Best part here is most of these powers are upgradable giving this game an RPG type characteristics and promoting the player to complete more missions and get more points
ACCESS TO WEAPONS AND VEHICLES: Other than powers described above, you also have access to military weapons such as rifles and rocket launchers and vehicles such as armored tank and fighter chopper. Like your powers, you can also upgrade your skills to use these weapons and vehicles effectively.
CUTSCENES ARE SPECTACULAR: I cant say much without spoiling here, but cutscenes are nicely designed and are fun to watch.
DECENT VARIETY IN MISSIONS: Different missions will require you to use different powers and skills differently making them interesting. Majority (~60%) of the story missions are well designed and will keep you engaged.
GREAT FREE ROAMING EXPERIENCE: I love how you can roam around the town and massacre enemies with different powers. For such experience, I cant think of any other game.
CONS.
STORY IS RATHER WEAK: You get to see most of the story by completing main missions and remainder of the story by absorbing targeted individuals. While it has some shocking suspense, the story is portrayed rather abruptly and if you dont absorb some people at the right time, you can be really confused what the hell is going on.
ABSORBING ENEMIES IS PAIN IN THE A$$: At first it feels cool, but after 2 hours, it becomes horribly redundant. The major way you can replenish your energy is by absorbing enemies and by the time you finish the game, you will hate absorbing the enemies over and over and over again. Also for some reason, every time you die, it only replenish half of your health, the rest you have to gain by absorbing a single enemy at a time.
ENEMIES LACK VARIETY: Your enemies are military personals and vehicles; infected humans and superhumans. While it is initially fun massacring them, after about 4-6 hours, it becomes terribly boring face them over and over and over again.
BOSSES ARE HORRIBLE: This is my biggest complain. They give you so many awesome powers; however, other than one particular boss, I found rest of the boss fights really dull. A lot of these bosses will have you fight the same enemies over and over again. JUST TERRIBLE.
SOME MISSIONS ARE JUST HORRIBLE: Later on in the game, there are few missions that will make this experience very miserable. A good example is you have to destroy certain machines in later on mission. These machines are in an area covered with deadly gas and under strict military surveillance. It took me a long while just to distinguish these machines from other structures in the area and afterwards it took me a while to destroy them thanks to aiming system in this game. There are other missions similar to this that will get you confused.
THE LOCK ON SYSTEM IN POORLY DESIGNED: Using different military vehicles is great; however, it is difficult to lock on certain targets with these vehicles thanks to poor lock on system in this game. Right analogue stick is used for both changing targets and changing camera view making lock on very difficult. A good example is the mission I described in the above con.
THE GAME HAS GLITCHES: It truly breaks my heart to say this, but I encountered terrible glitches. You are capable of using one offensive and one defensive power at the same time. I am fighting the final boss and what happens?? I cant first use any of them. I die. Afterwards I can only use one power (either offensive or defensive) at a time. And when I use defensive power, I cant use the offensive one. I tried turning on/off system, restarting from previous check point, nothing fixed the glitch. While I was still able to finish the game with this glitch, it made things terribly difficult. JUST TERRIBLE.
All and all for what this game allows you to do (powers and vehicles), it is a great game; however, its flaws prevents it from being enjoyable at times. I think they had great concept in mind, but failed to execute it properly. However, if you are bored and feel like just free roaming in an open world and massacring enemies, THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU.
As for Prototype vs Infamous, INFAMOUS ALL THE WAY. Why? Check out my Infamous review on Amazon.
Worth playing
On: 2010-05-30Large expansive world you can destroy but over time becomes a little repetitive- Pretty fun though.
Great
On: 2010-05-24This game is total top on my list of the greatest games of all time. Not for the younger audience hence the M rating. Very violent and bloody.
Limited fun
On: 2010-05-12This game gets boring pretty fast after you finish exploring the city.
Everything revolves around getting points to upgrade your characters abilities. The catch is once you get more abilities, the enemies increase in level too. Instead of one attack helicopter, there are two, or four. WTF is the point??
Even on Easy level the missions can be frustrating. They are pretty sucky.
Why do programmers always make you fight dozens of enemies at the same time. How unbelievably unrealistic is that? I would prefer one or two that are challenging instead.
Price Drop
On: 2010-04-16Is Amazon aware there has been a price drop on this game? EB has this game for $19.99 any given day. PS3 version-same price.
This was a really great game
On: 2010-03-12This game was great. I love how you can hijack helicopters and tanks and just shoot and blow up other people. I like to run and pick up and throw vehicles at helicopters that are chaseing me. Consumeing people is good to. When you consume someone it raises your life then you can take on anything that stands in your way. You can upgrade your attacks and raise your life gauge longer buy using points you get and just have fun destroying what stands in your way. I recommened this game to anyone.
The Prototype for mediocrity
On: 2010-02-13As a lover of both Crackdown and Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (same dev as this game), I had high hopes for Prototype. Unfortunately, and beyond all expectation, it turned out to be a mediocre bore of a game.
The graphics are pretty poor, but I try not to let that bother me. While the gameplay works on a design level -- controls do what theyre supposed to -- Prototype just isnt very fun. You may look at videos and screenshots and ask, "How can a game where youre a nasty superhero in an open city be less than awesome?" I couldnt answer that for you, but its true. The boss battles, combat, and story progression are all sub-standard. Even with the ability to purchase upgrades, nothing really drives you to keep playing. The story is quite weak, in the brooding tough-guy vein.
Maybe this open-world genre is just getting long in the tooth. Maybe Radical just dropped the ball. Whatever the reason, I really didnt enjoy Prototype, and I wouldnt recommend it over similar games. Wait for Crackdown 2, or pick up the super-cheap and underrated Crackdown 1.
GTA without the cars.
On: 2010-01-31Listen, I love that I can JUMP KICK A HELICOPTER as much as anyone, but frankly, this game is GTA without the emphasis on cars. Sandbox games and everything are neat, but I never care for all the side challenge missions they have.
Tons of fun and VERY violent, but at the end of the day, just ask if you really like the GTA series, and if you did, pick this up. You wont be dissapointed.
Super Car throwing 5000
On: 2010-01-26Hmmm, yeah.. The plot in this game is really boring. Marella doesnt even consider this a full-game, its more like a mini-game based on throwing auto-mobiles with a lame plot thrown in to blind players from what is truly is.
Marella believes the "idea meeting" for this game went something like this -
Guy 1 : Wouldnt it be awesome to make a game based on throwing cars?
Guy 2 : OF COURSE!
Marella is not to fond of throwing peoples cars.. Im sure their insurance can take care of it, but still.
Marella gives this game a solid 1/5.
It's Reach Seems to Have Extended its Grasp
On: 2010-01-05I truly believe that if the developers took a few more months to polish it up, [PROTOTYPE] would have been a real jaw-dropper. There are so many moments that the game almost becomes immensely fun to play, but for me, there always seems to be some irritation the prevents the game from really dropping into "5th gear" so to speak.
I wont rehash the plot. Its a little different and modestly interesting, but the way that its told, in my opinion, makes it extremely difficult to really immerse yourself in it. The basic idea is that you wake up with amnesia and need to "consume" certain people who are flagged in the city as having a small piece of your memory. Doing this triggers a flash-back and from there, you put together what happened to you. In a nut-shell, it plays like a big jigsaw puzzle. The issue is that you start off knowing so little, that for me, it was difficult to feel like youre understanding whats going on. This lends the game to degenerating into a "run here" "Hit this check-point" "Take out the target" without really understanding why youre doing it. This might be something that certain gamers dont mind, but for me, the style of story-telling was a bit of a turn-off.
The city itself is a replica of New York City. Unfortunately though, its really pretty ugly. There not a lot of color or variety and it can make it difficult to just "know" what part of the city youre in just by looking at your surroundings and not checking the map. Think for a second, for comparisons sake, at GTA 4. That game was stone-brilliant at the way it crafted its environment! This definitely is a missed opportunity here. Even the citizens dont have a whole lot of variety to them. You can probably count the number of character models on one hand.
The graphics are a pretty interesting mish-mosh of above and below average points. On one hand, the frame-rate is absolutely absurd. There are points where there is so much going on that the feeling of complete chaos will be totally and convincingly conveyed. This is one of the things that [PROTOTYPE] is doing really well and its impressive! On the other hand, on top of a fairly ugly city, the amount of "pop-in" graphics, I thought, was unacceptable. For example, theres a mini-game throughout [PROTOTYPE] that has you collecting these "landmark" and "hint" orbs of light. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to hijack a helicopter and do a fly-over of the city in order to look for them in open-areas or building-tops. The orbs wont show though, unless youre virtually right on top of them. The ability to see objects at a distance is really poor.
The controls definitely needed work. I had the same complaint about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but the environment being as destructive as it is, is both a blessing and a curse. Theres so much debris to pick up and potentially so many enemies on screen, that in highly-chaotic situations (which is often) it becomes frustrating to try and target the object that you want. I could be mistaken, but the AI seems to default to selecting artificial targets for me to attack, regardless of distance. So lets say Im in the middle of a war-zone and Im being besieged by both tanks and a bunch of these mutant hunter-things. If I just hit the "target-lock" button, itll default to selecting the tank, NOT the monsters that are directly in front of me and beating me senseless. That extra second or two it takes to get the targeting correct makes a huge difference in maintaining your characters health on the higher difficulty levels. The other thing about the targeting is that its being controlled on the same joy-stick that controls your camera. This isnt doing you any favors when you feel you have a good angle on the action ...
Where [PROTOTYPE] really becomes a game worth checking out though, is your super-powers and your ability to upgrade them! Theres a ton of really cool stuff thatll keep you playing just for the chance to unleash some of these beauties! Organic blades, whips, Hulk-like biceps and fists, full body armor, a shield, the ability to glide ... [PROTOTYPE] has got it all! Its wildly fun to drop yourself in a military base (for example) and just go bananas, you really start to feel invincible! Conceal your identity by absorbing a military officer and sneak into a military base. You can then turn around and take an APC, tank, or helicopter for whatever use you please. Wreaking havoc is what you gain experience from, and thats how you earn the ability to upgrade your powers. Its all very cool and a lot of fun!
Its just frustrating that a lot of, what I felt were, missed opportunities here were totally fixable, if the proper time was just taken to do it. Whether it was because of time or money, I was left with the impression that [PROTOTYPE]s designers really wanted to do more then they were ultimately able to. Id still have no reservation about giving it a thumbs up though, especially now that its been released for a while. Im not sure it was worth fifty or sixty dollars, but at this point you should be able to grab a copy at a price thats more then fair.
Underrated Game. I think everyone should give this a try.
On: 2010-01-02I have no idea why people are complaining about the look of this game. The cutscenes in this game are some of the best Ive ever seen in terms of visual. Actually, I can not name a single other game that had a single cutscene more visually impressive that [Prototype]s opening. I remember as a kid, I used to have Ninja Gaiden for the NES and used to watch that opening cutscene hudreds of times (And speaking with several other gamers Im not the only one). This game has an opening scene just as "epic" for its time.
Now the graphics in game are not shoddy by any means. Watching New York City from a skyscraper is amazing. So detailed...this game is just gorgeous. Ive played almost every "Big" Game for the xbox360, and this game is just so visually impressive.
PROS
+ The game is gorgeous. Visuals are just amazing.
+ Controls are pretty easy to pick up, and there are a TON of moves to do, however its not too much to confuse you.
+ Difficulty: Now, this might be a con to some of us... Ive gotta mention that this is one of the hardest games Ive ever had to play. There are 3 modes (Easy, Normal and Hard. You unlock Hard mode after beating Normal difficulty), and doing it on Normal was very hard. This game is so fast paced, you need to think on the fly, and one tiny mistake can and probably will lead you into death.
Cons
- Campaign: The story is a bit confusing, and it doesnt really all make too much sense until you capture all the memories. The Protagonist; Alex Mercer, has some sort of Amnesia, and to recover from it, he kills certain people and "consumes" them, to unlock a memory.
- No Multiplayer: There is absolutly no multiplayer on this game. No co-op, no matchmaking, nada, zip, zilch, nada. Just like Batman:Arkham Asylum, if you play this game you will understand why there is no multiplayer...I cant imagine what type of multiplayer could be done for this. However it is 2010 now, its something the general public "expects" nowadays.
The achievements arent that difficult with prior planning. Its not too easy, and its definitly not impossible. This is a game where if you max it out, kudos shall be given. Some of the harder achievements require you to beat the game without dying, beating the game on hard, getting a platinum on all events (These are like...mini-games, where how well you do gets you a medal; platinum being the highest). Definitly an obtainable 1000, but you might break a controller or two.
This game has almost no flaws. Had the story been better, this game would be considered one of the best games of the year. This game also has no multiplayer as mentioned above. So, due to the fact that there is no MP, is there any replay value? This game is a lot of fun, I personally love moving around the city, running around, jumping, gliding, etc...After you beat the story, and get the achievements you want, there is little replay value to this. Its a fun title that I feel everyone should play at least once, but with all the games out there with addictive MP, this wont stay in your Xbox/PS3 for too long.
Great fun to be had...somewhere in there
On: 2009-12-31Open-world games are some of my favorites: from the GTA series to Fallout 3. Theres so much potential for storytelling and immersion that I keep a close eye on any that are released.
[PROTOTYPE] (dont forget the brackets) managed to intrigue me just after I was made aware of the premise. As opposed to most other open-world games, the goal wasnt really to make money, kill a rival gang, or to save the world. When push comes to shove, Alex Mercer exists to destroy and terrorize the city hes been unleashed upon.
The STORY, in a nutshell, centers around Mercer waking up on a slab in the morgue, just seconds before hes to be cut open for an autopsy. Once he is out in the world, hes quick to discover that something is different. He can climb up walls, send people and cars flying for entire city blocks, and also he can consume human bodies and disguise himself as them. Not a fun thing to wake up to for Mercer, so he begins to cut a trail of blood and vehicle parts toward the truth of what really happened to him.
To me, Mercers story is of the more confusing and uninteresting sort. At first, I was all for discovering who had done this to him, but then you realize that it really doesnt matter, does it? Since hes working his way out amnesia (lame), youll have no idea who the bad guys are until the very end, and when the final group of baddies emerge, its the equivalent of finding out Evil Soldier #1 and #2 are the perpetrators. Theres not enough characterization, and not enough backstory given (amnesia) to hold a players interest in a plot thats way too complicated for its own good. Not to mention that most of the plot is kept in the dark, anyway (amnesia). By the time the big revelation came, I honestly didnt care.
So the STORY is a major bust. Its main character is hard to sympathize with, since he turns out to be a mass murdering mutant. But I must give credit to Barry Pepper on his video game voice acting debut. Even though Alex Mercer is sort of a lost cause in my eyes, Pepper voiced him extremely well. And given his recent and equally excellent performance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, its easy to see him having a respectable future in the industry.
Now, the GAMEPLAY is what makes and breaks this game...at the same time. The missions are repetitive to the point of unpleasantness, and they all center around the unappealing story that I mentioned earlier, so its hard to invest much passion into completing them. And in the end, some of the missions become unexpectedly difficult, ensuring that you die at least once or twice on your first playthrough. It all just left a really bad taste in my mouth after killing the umpteenth military commander.
But! Theres a reason why I rated the game 5 stars on the "fun scale" and thats because when youre allowed to free roam Manhattan with all of your powers unlocked, [PROTOTYPE] provides some of the best action ever put to disc. The powers that you attain are unique and devastating to your opponents. Thrust your hands into the ground and watch as a mob of pedestrians are impaled on a field of spikes. Swing your whip around a squad of enemy combatants to see them all fall apart in pieces. This game is so bloody that you will almost feel bad that its so much fun.
One of the more awe-inspiring things that the game allows is jumping to intercept a helicopter, hijack it, use it to gun down anything you wish, and if you happen to be destroyed you can jump from the flaming wreckage onto another helicopter to continue the fight. Woooow.
Another really neat aspect of the game is that a virus is slowly sweeping through Manhattan. When you first start out, youre lucky if you catch one person collapsing on the street or coughing up blood, but by the end of the game, buildings will be on fire, entire streets will be crowded with abandoned vehicles and kill-crazy mutants, and youll find the military desperately trying to quarantine the area using propaganda, blockades, and brute force. The progression from calm to mayhem is well done and exciting.
Its a shame that I can only recommend this game on the basis of a bright spot of its gameplay aspect. [PROTOTYPE] is a joy to just mess around with, but the missions will get boring and the story is convoluted, complicated and shallow (which is amazing how it managed that). This is a game, like Assassins Creed, that has a marvelous concept that just begs to be expanded upon in the sequel. I would love to see more variation with the "consume" aspect; running up the face of skyscrapers and throwing cars at helicopters disguised as an old lady was very entertaining, but there were hardly any well-designed characters to consume. Everyone looked so boring and cliche.
I hope that Radical Entertainment can do for [PROTOTYPE]s sequel what Ubi-Soft did for Assassins Creed II and improved upon the awesome concept that theyve created, because then we might have a real must-buy on our hands. As is, youre probably better off renting this game, sadly.
Great fun, but repetitive and not much story.
On: 2009-12-28When I first started playing this game, I was really amazed at how fluid the game is. The parkour element is done really well and fighting was really exciting. As you play the game you will get experience points and new abilities so youre constantly getting new abilities and the game is slightly changing as you play so it doesnt get too repetitive.
Yet the game still felt too repetitive. After playing it for nearly 10 hours, I was bored with the game. The fighting became kinda boring even though I had new powers, it was the same type of thing, just over, and over again. This might have to do with the fact that the storyline is pretty much non existent and is told in a somewhat original yet confusing way. This isnt much of a spoiler, but you basically consume people and see their memories. So the story is told in pieces and bits of memories. The problem is, is that none of the memories are really in sequence. And all these bits and pieces come in 15 second chunks which basically never draws you in.
The game was a lot of fun. I dont deny that at all, but at the end of it I was left not really wanting to play it anymore, and not very satisfied.
Oh and if youre looking for a game thatll give you easy achievement points, this isnt one of them. To 100% the game requires a lot of work... scouring Manhattan for 200 landmarks will take a long time... killing 54000 zombies will take a long time too.. and by the end of the game I just didnt care enough to play it anymore to complete the achievements.
NON-STOP FUN FROM START TO END.
On: 2009-12-22Perhaps the funnest non-sports game/non-racing game Ive played and one of the funnest games Ive ever played. That what video games are supposed to be, fun.
During the first 5 or 10 minutes I thought the game was corny and silly. I definitely found the combat to be silly--something I never experienced before and wasnt used to. So, I put the game on the shelf for a couple of months before coming back to it--and Im glad I did. Im happy I came back to the game and gave it a second chance. I loved it. Its a roller coast ride.
During the first mission, I wasnt quite sure what I was supposed to do, so the target person got away. But then I figured it out. The a few minutes later when I had to infiltrate the military base, I wasnt quite sure how to "win" without being killed, but after I figured it out (which wasnt hard) the game was a non-stop action packed, hardly ever a dull moment fun game. I never died, or hardly ever died, or failed a story mission until later in the game.
This is a non-stop action packed thrill ride. You must be mobile and when your health gets low run, jump and glide and get the hell out of there to a safe place, consume people, disguise yourself to restore your health in order to not die and not have to start the mission all over again. Its completely frantic.
Just like Infamous for the PS3, youve got the "story missions" and the optional events or "side missions". If you mix up the events with the story missions you will really have a good time. You can also just to thru the city and do your own "side mission" by engaging in combat with the military or infected hunters to get a lot of XPx. Prototype is much more frantic than Infamous. The protagonist Cole in Infamous is much more human. I bought and played the 360 version of Prototype.
The side quests are more fun than the side missions in Infamous. You got timed speed events, gliding challenges, combat challenges and others. You get bronze, silver, and gold medals with more XPs with each. You can retry the side quest as many times as you want to try to impove your medal and awarded XPs, you can quit and come back to later in the game when youve upgraded your abilities. If you get the gold medal in all the side quests you will unlock the platinum-level quests.
I played and conquered the game in just under one week. I didnt do all the side quests and I repeated some of the quests many times. Other quests I got the gold on the first or second try. A couple events I gave up on with only a bronze or no medal.
Use both you left and right thumbs for the devistator attacks and the "cannon ball" move so you wont have to twist your right index finger and right thumb "in a pretzel" as one critic wrote.
Its easy to hijact tanks most of the time and reak havok and kill eveyone (just stay very mobile). They could have subtitled the game "Grand Theft Tank". If you stay stationary the tank will get destroyed fairly quickly.
The boss fight with the Elizabeth Green monster took me about 90 minutes to 2 hours of battling without dying before completely beating all four of her. I made the mistake of dying one time. Im sure if I was any good at skyjacking helecopters it would have taken much less time. I had to constantly all run and attack and hijack tanks and run and hide and comsume people to restore my health.
Then twords the end you have to stop these helecopters from leaving Manhattan Island. Thats a big challenge and fun and frustrating but a very fun frustrating and the "damn it, I almost succeded but failed so I have to do the whole thing over again."
There is replay value. Once youve completed the game, you can replay with the powers youve aquired (on Normal or Hard). Plus once youve beaten the game you can continue and due the side quests you missed or want to repeat.
Infamous and Protype are both equal in the fun catagory. Prototype is much more frantic and has never or hardly ever a dull moment in it unlike Infamous, e.g., collecting blast shards (which is optional) and youll die much more often in Infamous. I do like the story much better in Infamous and I love the Sasha boss and the whole "Sasha experience" with all of her romantic sweet talking she does to Cole which was pure genious. I liked the good and evil paths in Infamous which gives it two different replay experiences.
If you dont own a PS3, Infamous is worth buying a PS3 for just for that game (in addition to the other PS3 exclusives). The PS3s Blu-ray player is stripped down, it doesnt have the numerous picture and sound options and internet optons that my standalone Blu-ray player has, but it does a good job playing Blu-ray movies and an outstanding job of upscaling and double upscaling standard DVDs. I did buy and play the 360 version of Prototype. I always buy the 360 version of a game when a game is made for both systems. I never risk buying the PS3 version).
Slice and dice!
On: 2009-12-21I wasnt sure about what Prototype could be... but it ended up as a great surprise for me!
The game has a good story... I think the character should be easier to control sometimes... there are some minor quests to resolve that may become painful and annoying because certain moves of the character are not that good...
I know Manhattan so it is good to walk around and see known spots! I did not finish the game yet but Im expecting a interesting and exciting close up!
Wreaking Havoc
On: 2009-12-02You control a very powerful character who can wreak havoc on the people of New York. Run up walls to the top of buildings, throw objects, rip things/people apart. Even trying to walk down the street without causing a ruckus is impossible since the streets are littered with pedestrians and your character shoves people around for no reason. I havent gotten very far in the game, though. Some of the objectives are tiring and difficult to achieve unless youre a hardcore gamer, which Im not.
Overall an excellent game.
On: 2009-11-30This game was truly a lot of fun to play. It is most definitely not for children though, and should only be played by mature individuals. My favorite part of the game is the controls: it is so fun to be able to just run around randomly, pick up cars, throw them, take on tanks, change your primary arm weapon, etc. It is a real blast to play. The storyline is okay - I never really like any storyline in any games, so I tend to just skip on by it and pick up what I can in bits and pieces. It was nice that in the opening screen you had access to all powers and you could see immediately how intense the game could be. Great game, I would highly recommend it.
Ooooh Yea.
On: 2009-11-30Well, where do I start? This game is amazing. I dont think I have ever played a game with smoke effects anywhere near as good as this one.
Graphics -
Looks great, everything runs fairly smoothly.. Sometimes devastators cause a tiny bit of lag or clipping but besides that, the entire free-roam NYC area is very well done. Oh yea, did I mention that when the lips move in cut scenes you can ACTUALLY tell that they are speaking English etc? Thought I would add that as it always bothers me.
Story -
Great story, seems a bit repetitive towards the middle but quickly picks back up. You have the option of continuing the main storyline whenever you feel like it, so in between the main missions you can run around and eat people, cause cause mass havoc, or even play some of the events that you unlock.
Gameplay -
The story is fairly short and if you go through the game playing nothing but the missions it could take you less than 15 hours. On the other hand, you have upgrades you can unlock for your abilities, upgrading them or even unlocking entirely new ones. This concept extends the game, at least for me. Ontop of that, you can run through the game all over again with the stuff you unlocked on your first run through, basically making the replay value awesome :)
The parkour, or free running in this game is really really cool.
Almost everything in destructible, save for destroying CERTAIN buildings ;). Falling from high areas and hitting the ground actually does damage to things and so fourth, all in all the gameplay is insanely cool.
Overall -
This is one of the better games I think I have played for the xbox 360. Everything works really well, and the combination of elements put into this game are fantastic and can keep you glued to the tv for quite some time. The only way to explain this game, is Spiderman + Hulk + Spawn. More Spawn than anything. Ive been trying hard to release some vulgar language in this review because I really think the game is THAT good.
Cool
On: 2009-11-29This is game is really open but gets kind of repeatable but not boring. It is a game to go too. Dont compare to Infamous. If you think of the Hulk meets Venom this is what this game is with zombies....
Pretty decent, but not all that memorable.
On: 2009-11-12If you asked me to summarize Prototype quickly, Id have to tell you that its a game with a unique plot, but its not an amazing title that well still talk about in ten years. Theres nothing terribly wrong with Prototype, but theres nothing particularly amazing- so, I would normally give it an average rating- 3 stars. However, the gameplay IS pretty fun, so Im going to give it 4 stars.
Gameplay: What is there to say? Youre a superpowered man who can eat people and disguise yourself as them, drive a ton of vehicles than can wreak havok, walk up the sides of buildings, and bash helicopters in with your bare hands. The game is quite fun to play.
Plot: With some ups and downs, Prototypes plot is pretty good. We have a formula that interests the viewer: You wake up with no recollection of whats happened, and you have all these strange abilities. The military is hunting you, and you need to survive while you find out the truth. The plot has cutscenes in which youre talking to a masked character, who is not revealed until later, as you "recollect" (play through) events. Combined with the amount of the plot that is gained on the side by finding "web of intrigue" targets and consunming them, you find out a lot without having it spoonfed to you. While its not the quickest way to get a story told, it certainly is an interesting approach, and one that I enjoyed. Points to activision for that.
At the same time, some moments are predictable, and there are some plot points that are...the best way I can describe it is "meh". Still, I thought I knew who the final boss would be. I was wrong.
Video: Another area where Prototype has nothing flagrantly wrong, but nothing amazing. Prototype runs at 720P on either console (360 or PS3), it doesnt look bad, but if you look, you can tell. The graphics arent superb or bad. Unlike inFAMOUS (which I bought at the same time), the city feels pretty generic and boxy. The game has some low quality textures at points, but it is respectable graphically throughout.
Audio: I dont currently have a surround sound system, so I cant speak for directional sound. The music of the game is pretty good, and the sound effects are decent. One particular criticism I have is that the voice acting is of VERY inconsistent quality- like they did everything in one take. There are some lines that are so poorly delivered you have to cringe. The script itself is not too bad though, and the web of intrigue scenes (many) have a ton of voices, so props on variety.
Controls: An area where I will give Prototype props. The controls are pretty intuitive as a whole, which is great with the amount of havoc you wreak. Youd expect jumping up like Superman and hopping onto a helicopter, ripping the door off, and hijacking it to be hard, but the game does pretty well. It doesnt absolutely baby you, but its intuitive (with the occasional inevitable bugs).
Length: Theres a decent amount of side material and missions to add value to the game. Thankfully, they were able to do so without making the game feel artificially stretched out.
Overall: This game is fun to play, and its pretty well priced. I can recommend it. Its not a legendary title, but its a solid title by any means.
Prototype
On: 2009-11-04I paid for this and did not receive it.
Its been a long time that I placed the order.
Please reply ASAP
The flaws didn't stop me from having an incredible amount of fun with this game
On: 2009-10-10Freaking awesome!!! I know some complain that this game is too much like Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. I havent played the Hulk game so I wasnt bothered by that in the least. There are also complaints that the story is kind of stupid, the characters are cardboard, etc., which is all true. There are some other complaints that the camera and targeting are a bit problematic...but I have yet to play an XBOX game where that wasnt the case, and they could be worse than in Prototype, so I didnt let that get to me.
The game is set up like GTA, in that theres an open city to explore, and side missions and events to trigger, as well as a main plot that keeps you moving throughout the city at your own pace.
This game is just flat out action on a colossal scale. It is so much fun. At one point in the game you find yourself fighting a gigantic monster and its brood of smaller mutants in the middle of Times Square, as hundreds of civilians flee for their lives, and the military deploys dozens of tanks, helis, and soldiers at you all at the same time. Later, the final battle takes place on the deck of an aircraft carrier, where you are literally throwing helicopters at your opponent. In other words, the scale of the action is just insane.
The mix of superpowers and abilities is huge, and your character feels ridiculously powered up. But this is really well-balanced in the game, and as powered as you are, you will have to use some real strategy and no doubt make numerous attempts to achieve your objectives. I must have died about 30 times trying to beat the final "boss"--but it never got old because each time around I was able to use different strategies, moves, and powers--youre not forced to repeat the same steps, because the game gives you so many ways to combat your foes. In any situation, you can use a huge variety of powers, or just grab guns or rocket launchers from dead soldiers, or hijack and drive tanks and helicopters. You can fight from the air by running up buildings and drop down on the enemies, or on the ground for intense hand-to-hand, or stay far back and used ranged powers, or just throw trucks and cars and air conditioning units at your enemies! You can truly create your own gameplay experience based on your own fighting style and tactics.
This is some of the most fun Ive ever had in a video game. The story tries to be profound, but it is really stupid, Ill admit. But when I was running up the side of the Empire State Building, or cleaving tanks in half and throwing trucks at an army of monsters, I forgot to let that bother me!
like hulk but better
On: 2009-10-10this game is really fun fur a wile. i beat it a couple times thn sold it while it was still new ;)
the graphics are really good, and theres a good balance of sneakyness and all out mayhem. a couple of the bosses sucked though and i had to find a glitch...ish where they couldnt hurt me while i hit them.
p.s. THE GUY DIES AT THE END!!!
(or does he?!)
DUN DUN DUN!!!!
UnFreak'nBelievable!!!
On: 2009-10-06I cant believe anybody wrote a bad review about this game...Honestly....This is only my opinion..but this is one of the best games that has came out on 360. I am the type of gamer that loves the action. Im not into roll playing games that much anymore I want to be on the edge of my seat and not getting bored. I love most FPSs online with lots of action and fast pace not to fast because it can get ridiculous.
But this game is a wide open relm to KickA$$ in....You have so many powers...You cant drive cars but you wouldnt want to anyway. You can just throw them. But you can drive tanks and helis. I could go on forever about this game. Lets just say AWESOME!!!
Bottom line is that everyone I have talked to, met, known, seen, or even watched me play it were not dissapointed.
uhhhh, really? what's with all the hype?
On: 2009-09-28Ok, ill give you this, the first 20 minutes of this game are awesome. Youre running up buildings, smashing tanks, ripping combat choppers out of mid air, and killing mere people is laughable. But then after about 20 minutes you realize youre just doing the same thing over and over again. Theres no real point. Its a giant sand box game with no real goal or structure. If your thing is to destroy tank after tank or chopper after chopper in the same way then you may dig this title, but thats a total one trick pony in my book. That will not stand. Gave the game away after taking it out of my xbox because I knew i would never put it back in.
Delivers loads of fun, but not much else
On: 2009-09-14A lot of reviewers have discussed a lot of the finer points of the game. I will only to add a few things that I felt were inadequately treated.
GAMEPLAY: PROTOTYPE has two features in this category that work very well for it. Indeed, I think that these are its only two selling points and the source of all its fun. First, its leveling content. You gain evolution points by defeating baddies (no surprise there), and use them to unlock a wide array of abilities. One thing PROTOTYPE can boast is its library-sized selection of powers suitable for almost any style of play with relatively simply controls to execute what amounts to visual ecstasy. I found the ability to skyjack helicopters to be extremely satisfying, but being able to dash up and down buildings and cut hordes of enemies into ribbons was thrilling. And all this points to what I have already mentioned as its second strength: namely, that these abilities should be so flexible and yet so easy to execute. A final positive thing worth mentioning is its use of shape-shifting. Catch the unwanted attention of military personnel? Quick run around the corner after consuming someone and mimic their form. If you were out of line of sight, youll no longer be sounding the alarms. This is an innovative way of escape, which lets you get right back into the action.
Unfortunately, the game play is not perfect. The targeting system is the cause of great frustration. Since all it takes is a flick of a thumb-stick to switch targets, dashing around or trying to maneuver the camera to get a better view of what youre doing can cause you to switch targets. It might seem like a relatively small complaint, but when you become surrounded by tons of them and you need to target specific foes then, well, it will be an exercise of self-control to not throw your controller across the room. Only choppers have target lock, and this needed to be implemented globally, especially while on foot.
Another sore spot is the redundancy of the games features. Go here, kill this, go there, kill that. The only break in the monotony is the ability to infiltrate military bases, which thankfully shows up in a fair amount of the story missions. But this is only of minor concern, since people who buy this type of game - myself included - are more interested in causing chaos than a whole lot else.
GRAPHICS: As some others have indicated, PROTOTYPEs graphics really do not make use of what the 360 has to offer. It seems somewhat reminiscent of PS2 days. I would agree that at high elevations, the citys artful rendering is something worth marveling over, but the truth of the matter is that you spend the great majority of the game close to the ground (especially since nearly all of your powers revolve around this kind of play). You cannot help but notice the inferiority of the detail with respect to other 360 games. But this is not to pooh-pooh on them altogether: the individuated animations do, as other reviewers have mentioned, allow the city to seem as it has a life of its own. But at the same time, we should demand that we, as consumers who spend so much on a game, get both. They should not be mutually exclusive, and in PROTOTYPE they are.
PLOT/STORY: The protagonist of PROTOTYPE is subject to the cliché, yawn-inducing condition of amnesia as a result of his contact with the games virus. While this presents a novel way of learning the details of the story - consuming others to collect their memories - it does not really speak to any originality on the part of Activision/Blizzard. You spend your time, as you might expect, working way the up informational chain until the AH-HA! moment is revealed by eliminating the games pesky antagonists. Unfortunately, the AH-HA! moment is less of a eureka and more of a head-scratching anticlimax. Though story is not usually a primary driver for the design of a sandbox video game, it would seem as if PROTOTYPE has clearly announced that it has no interest in delivering one. By the last third of the game, any interest that the evolution system might have generated for me had worn away and I was scrambling to beat it only so that I would not feel compelled to play the game anymore.
All characters are flimsy and one-dimensional. Even the main character lacked any really interesting features that would set him apart from any other generic antihero. He wants his memory back and he wants revenge for what happened to him. His sister drop an f-bomb every third word even though there really isnt any reason to. The military is super evil because they like making weapons. Nothing new here.
SUMMARY: The game can be quite a bit of fun, but it seems like Activision/Blizzard did not actualize all the games potential. I would suggest that it is worth at least renting, seeing as it would not take more than ten or twelve hours to beat, but it is certainly not worth sixty or even forty dollars. I regret spending so much. I would advise everyone to wait until its in the discount bin, and then pick it up.
Chaotic Neutral Never Felt So Chaotic Awesome!!!
On: 2009-09-13Prototype allows you to grow organic body armor with blades sharp enough to cut 10 people in half, jump 50 yards, run up a skyscraper, karate kick a helicopter, grab onto it, force open the cockpit, throw the pilot to his death, fly the helicopter through the streets of New York unleashing guns and missiles on traffic, zombies, tanks, and soldiers, bail out of the helicopter - crashing it into a building, glide to the ground, grab an unsuspecting human, digest him, steal his appearance, and blame someone else for what you just did. If that sounds awesome to you, buy Prototype!
Concept: 10/10
Take Spidermans Symbiotic Suit (aka Venom & Carnage) push it to the limit, give it to a maniac, have him kill an army of zombies and a misguided military in, around, and above the streets of New York. You get to be that maniac!
Story: 9/10
You are Alex Mercer, a very bad man who has inherited superhuman powers. Youre on a quest to stop a viral outbreak that turns people into mutant zombies and to stop a rogue general with the military at his disposal. The story is told through cutscenes and missions. Additional story detail can be obtained through "Digesting" key NPCs and stealing their memories. Its exciting, compelling, and well acted.
Gameplay: 9/10
The abilities bestowed upon Alex Mercer are amazing! You get an arsenal of military weapons. You can hijack tanks on the ground and helicopters out of the air! You can run up skyscrapers. You can glide through New York. Your body can morph into different types of weapons. You can take the shape of any NPC, so stealth is also an option. When you destroy things or complete missions, you get points that you can use to upgrade Alex. Rampaging through New York is fun, but it does take time to learn how to use all of Alexs upgrades and there isnt much guidance on what you should upgrade. There is a lot of depth in the game, and you wont fully understand it until you are about 90% of the way through. Once you understand how to fully use all of the powers, the game becomes amazing!
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are good, considering that the game has to draw all of New York from the ground and the air. The character models are also pretty good. You can expect to see 100 characters, tanks, cars, helicopters, zombies... on screen at once!
Level Design: 7/10
Some levels are better than others. Theres a good variety, showcasing all of Alexs Powers. The difficulty differs between easy and youll die before you can read the Mission Objective. There is no right way to complete a mission. You can use speed, stealth, brute force, or hijack military vehicles. If you fail a mission, you can always upgrade and try new tactics.
Replay Value: 7/10
The game is open ended, there are a ton of optional missions, and different difficulty settings. Prototypes single player campaign is 11-20 hours long, depending on how many optional missions you do. I would strongly suggest taking your time and learning how to use Alexs powers before attempting the later missions. Youll have more fun that way.
Maturity:
The game is rated M for throwing people to their deaths, chopping them in half, blowing them up, crushing their skulls, impaling them, running them over, gunning them down, and splattering them against the ground... Oh, and theres some harsh language, too.
Overall: 9/10
Prototype is a very fun open world superhero game. Trashing New York with super powers and military vehicles is a great way to blow off some steam. Some of the gameplay could use a bit more polish, but the scope of this game is so huge any slight faults are forgiven.
Buy it if you want New York as your playground and youre feeling destructive, if youve ever wanted to play a Venom game without Venom, or you loved Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
Actually, this game could have been called "Skinny Guy: Ultimate Destruction."
Rent it if you like action games, have an extra 15 hours, and only play through games once.
Avoid it if you like linear missions, playing good guys, or you dont like violence.
If you like this game, I can recommend Red Faction Guerilla, Crackdown, or Infamous (if you own a PS3.)
Good Enough
On: 2009-09-08Got to my house a couple of days after ordering. Great condition. Overall a great game for fans of sandbox style games. Only problem was no multiplayer or coop. Great price too ($40).
If you like Hulk UD, you'll like Prototype
On: 2009-08-25Ill keep this simple: if you were a fan of last-gens super-fun superhero simulator Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, youll love Prototype.
ok not spectacular
On: 2009-08-22only thing i loved about this game was the storyline. remindedd me of resident evil trilogy movie. graphics are exceptable and gameplay good enough. some of the powers are to far fetched tho i liked the fact he could become the persons he consumed and gain their memories and his critical mass powers and the hammer fist glide powers and the shield super strenght and speed but the blade and claws i did not like i love sci fi but sci fi needs to be beleivable also. i would not buy this game. its a rental
A Great Way To Release Stress
On: 2009-08-14Yes this game looks like other mass destruction games but that is where the similarities end my friend. Through out the game you are faced with new challenges on how to keep the military away from you and people you know. To do this you are giving various abilities: super strength, claws, disguising yourself by consuming others (thats right you absorb people into yourself), etc. I had a lot of fun playing this game. Its bloody, violent, everything one needs to release stress after a hard days work.
Holy S*** is this game fun!
On: 2009-08-12Got to be one of the best games Ive played on the Xbox 360. Flawless mix of superhero meets resident evil-type zombies. Great gameplay, great graphics, engaging story, and best of all its super polished. Havent noticed any clipping, lagging, or bugs of any kind (although it kinda sucks when you cant just plow through a handrail with a tank, only go over them. what, are they made of adamantium?). I hate when they rush a game to market before its ready (ie- Mercs 2). This game is ready. Great mix of free-roam rampaging, missions, and mini-games. One of my favorite things to do is jack a helo and go on a shooting spree at the hives and bases (destroying buildings is a quick way to rack up xp for upgrades). This game will keep you addicted for quite a while. I highly recommend it.
Best Superhero Feeling in a Videogame so far
On: 2009-08-07Ok, so some may say that inFamous offers more diversity, looks better and has the choice of being good or evil. But for me, Prototype is the better game because of the flawless super-hero like movement abilities and the extremely cool skills. It feels really good to be powerful and destructive. Jump from one ceiling to another, crushing a helicopter in between - nice! ;-)
If you want to know how the game feels: Take the sandbox gameplay of GTA, the super-hero feeling of Spider-Man and the tentacles of The Darkness. If you are looking for a game which gives the best mean superhero feeling ever, choose Prototype.
Very impressive game
On: 2009-08-02When i first heard about this game, i was curious to see if it was a worthy buy, and it was. The game starts out with all your powers already gained, but once you finish the first part, the game starts from the beginning as Alex telling a story. Yes, its a flashback game. But prototype really pulls it off. The combat is fun and persuades players to fight more often and to look for enemies to fight. the upgrade system is simple yet affective. and its fun to watch your character become completely unreal. run at 100s mph, jump as high as buildings, and lift cars over your head. throughout the game you learn abilities (such as flying helicopters, driving tanks,) that help you through the game. you learn these abilities by consuming people. (basically absorbing them. the game will last you a good amount of time and a fair amount of fun is to be had with this game. a need to buy for any Xbox 360 game collection.
People = Food
On: 2009-07-22She: "Oh my god. This is the most violent thing Ive ever seen. Why are you crushing all those people?"
Me: "No! Watch this. Even if I tried to steer the tank around them, real slow like..."
[demostrating...]
"Look, they keep running in front of the tank. They are stupid! Plus if I get out of the tank and kill enough them for the purposes of eating, I get to do this thing where I look like I am going to take a dump, except instead of s**t, tendrils shoot out of my head and impales everyone in a 20ft radius."
She: [speechless]
Fun, while it lasts
On: 2009-07-22[...]
If youre familiar with open-world games, then much of what you already expect is utilized in Prototype. However, the way Radical Entertainment has crafted the game allows it to take detours we havent seen; making it the anomalous figure of the open world-genre.
Prototype is unsurprisingly your typical cliché action story, but if youre playing Prototype for the story, then youve come to the wrong place. For what its worth, the story centralizes itself around New York City and a man named Alex Mercer. A standard amnesiac, Alex happens to be infected with a virus that has transformed his entire body into a living weapon. Not at all pleased, Alex has made it his personal goal to find out whos responsible and pay them back in brutal fashion.
While its largely derivative, Prototype tricks you into thinking theres much more to the story by implementing something called the Web of Intrigue. The Web contains the memories or mini-cut-scenes Alex has once he consumes someone who has been directly involved in the viral infection. These people are scattered throughout the city and even appear during missions. The system does add a little more depth to the shallow story, but youll find that once the difficulty amps up towards the end that its just not worth the effort. The targets are often killed by random fire or are unexpectedly killed by collateral damage youve caused while approaching them. Theyll respawn after a period of time, but it really doesnt matter in the end as youre playing for the pure violence, not the story.
For a game that has a ludicrous amount going on, its a complete wonder how the frame-rate is so smooth. Granted, Prototype isnt the best looking game out there, but for what it does it delivers visuals that are pleasing enough and that especially goes for the city. Traversing the cityscape is simply one of the best parts of Prototype. Bolting up the sides of skyscrapers and leaping off the precipice never tires and makes for an exhilarating way of transportation. But what do you expect from a man who can shift his arm into one massive blade?
Prototype separates itself from the rest by the extreme, over-the top gore typically not found in the open-world genre. Never have there been more dismembered limbs, headless bodies, and tidal waves of blood running freely through a digital city. Alex has five different mutations he can shift his arms to such as claws and a massive whip. Every mutation is awesome and all have their strengths and weaknesses. Of course, killing is the main focus of this game and its met with an emphasis on repeatability. Whenever you kill someone, hijack a helicopter, roll over a grandmother, you receive Evolution Points (EP), Radicals equivalent to experience points. These points are usually given to you in bulk and thankfully so as theres a tremendous amount of upgrades to purchase. At any given moment you can access the menu screen and spend your EP to further augment Alexs lethal arsenal. The sheer amount of upgrades alone will have you completing missions or just mindlessly murdering so you can witness the destruction your new found abilities commit. It also helps that practically every move is ridiculously cool and leaves behind a certain satisfaction that can be hard to find nowadays.
On the other hand, there are so many abilities that some will find it tough to utilize them all. That or theyll just stick with a few moves that get the job done and are actually able to be pulled off amidst the action. Some of Alexs moves are redundant and/or are placed so strangely on the controller that they just arent viable in combat. For instance, in order to shoot towards the target in a cannonball you must depress the square and circle buttons (X and B for the 360). Its not possible to contort your hand into some type of creature to do that. Couple that with the fact that its easier to simply karate kick for equivalent damage and you have a completely useless move. There are other abilities that fall along the same lines, but thankfully theres a variety that masks the ones that dont work well.
As fun as Prototype is, the game suffers from some serious flaws that otherwise hinder an exceptional game experience. Throughout the game the infection in the city will steadily grow, which also means the military presence increases to combat it. The problem with this is that by the time you reach the latter portion of the game, its not fun to run around and cleave people in two anymore. Whenever you attempt to do so, theres a tank waiting for you or a legion of soldiers waiting to call in strike support. Its understandable that Radical wanted to make the game a bit more challenging as the infection spread, but its ridiculous when youre continuously knocked down by constant streams of rockets and tank fire. The game is easy yes, but by eliminating the gratifying overpowered nature of your powers it also eliminates the number one reason why Prototype is a fun game.
While Prototype is relatively short (10-12 hours), its some of the most free-form fun you can find presently. Unfortunately the powerhouse military, monotonous side missions, and lackluster story really prevent this title from being anything more than a weekend rental.
High-end but not exquisite
On: 2009-07-20I had misgivings getting this game. I love hack and slashes occasionally, but I didnt know if this had what it took to fit the bill.
It did.
The gameplay does take a bit to get into and especially USED to (there should really be more buttons on the controller for this game!) but the story line is deeper than most, the combat expansive, free-form and grotesque. Unfortunately...
The game suffers from draw-length issues (things you should be able to see from far away only become apparent from a few meters away), the buildings cannot be destroyed and the graphics for the scenery leave alot to be desired (but hey, it was New York... they only had so much to work with!)
With that being said, I am enjoying this game immensely, and even though it seems to have borrowed a few elements from other games, the game itself is more than sea-worthy. It may have a couple of leaks, but well worth the play time and the cost. It challenges you to think around corners and to just once... very occasionally... demolish every single item not bolted down in a 1-mile radius!
Pretty Cool Game.....
On: 2009-07-18This game is an ok game kind of frustrating at points with all the differnet types of challenges and what not...Your hands will hurt if you play this game because the controls can be extremly frustrating so be ready for some hand cramps and things...the story is pretty good but kinda predictable u will guess the end by the middle of the game...this game has about 10 hours of game play so if your a hardcore gamer it will take about two days to beat this
Mass Destruction
On: 2009-07-11Prototype is the kind of game which can be described very easily. Action. Pure, gasoline enriched, testosterone injected action. The game is pumped full of action, to the point where it is odd to NOT be destroying tanks, attack choppers, and zombies at any given moment. The story is interesting, but takes a back seat to the action. The story has to do with an outbreak of a virus on Manhattan Island. Our Hero wakes up in a morgue, with no memories, except for knowledge of himself and his younger sister. and upon waking up, soldiers try to kill him, only to find that the bullets pass right through him, and his strange, shapeshifting powers. Our hero is now trying to unravel mystery of the outbreak, and more importantly, his own death. The interesting thing about the story is that the majority of the backstory is revealed through the "Web Of Intrigue". One of the main powers of the hero, Alex Mercer, is to absorb other peoples body mass and their memories. Certain people on Manhattan Island are marked with nodes, which means that they know something about the outbreak, the virus, or even of Alex. This allows one to piece together what has happened over thepast week, and discover a conspiracy decades in the making. However, this method of storytelling leaves you uncaring about many of the characters, and only leaves you somewhat sympathetic to a certain character who, otherwise, you still wouldnt have cared about. But, still, very fun game, but light on story.
GTA meets Crackdown meets Infamous..no wait!
On: 2009-07-11At first glance prototype may seem like another mash-up from previous game genres, but what sets this game apart from most Superhero games is the ability to hijack tanks and copters, consume NPCs (be they enemies of civillian pedestrians)as a method of "blending" in, and upgrading your powers and capabilities.
You play as Alex Mercer a former scientist of Gentek who is responsible for leaking a dangerous virus in NYC and in turn is given powers: shape shifting,super strengnth, claws,hammerfists and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. (with the help of a dash run.) throughout the game Alex unravels more and more about who really caused the pandemic as when a target is consumed there are flashback clips that further reveals a conspiracy between the Gentek,Alex and the Blackwatch army.(and some of it is quite shocking as well as speculative.)
graphics are not really up to par compared to the newest games, however this is a sandbox title so when adding plenty of scenery there are bound to be comprimises.The gameplay itself is what makes this game so much fun, wether its soaring about the city,collecting orbs based on real NYC landmarks, or taking on both the military and the hivemind creatures.
However i wished the programmers have added a block button as oppossed to a dodge button especially during heavy combat with those damn Hunters.
The music isnt that memorable and at times can be repetitive.Thank god for 360s custom soundtrack feature as i at times use the Cure song; Take the power during some boss battles.
although this game is favorbly Compared to Sucker punchs inFAMOUS, theres not much simularities with the noted exception of both being superheroesque sandbox games, however I prefer proto over the PS3 exclusive inFamous. (and yes, I own both games.) Prototype has a more adult themed plot/story arc which I am a sucker for conspiracy plots and not to mention the hijacking and skyjacking of vehicles that help complete your objective.Theres also the various skins your character can don from the Blackwatch to the armor mode that looks something out of the Guyver anime series.
One major gripe however would be the product placement of gamestop and gamecrazy with these "ADs paying Activision, you would think they would lower the price for this game. All in all, I think Prototype is worth the hype.
infectious
On: 2009-07-08this game is freaking awesome. my only gripe about this game is that if youve played the incredible hulk: ultimate destruction then you have played this game. the engine and environment is pretty much pixel for pixel the exact same thing. even the upgrade system is almost identical. but faulting a game developer for using their old recipe for success is like not listening to a band because they dont switch genres between albums. the saying "if it aint broke, dont fix it." comes to mind. Prototype is a fun genetically enhanced romp through NYC in a possible not too distant future where you take control of main character Alex Mercer (ZEUS), an amnesiac who wakes up in the morgue of a local NY hospital where apparently a virus is running rampant and the authorities are quickly losing their grip on the city. i havent finished the game yet but ive played it for probably around 8 hours just having fun running around New York killing random pedestrians. with all the abilities you have access to along with the fact that they kinda created a new kind of parkour engine for this in that it is pretty much aware of your surroundings. all you have to do is sprint and the character will find his way around pretty much any obstacle, whether he jumps over it or spins around it, it is all done automatically which gives it a very smooth natural feel. all in all i would at least give this game a rental if i hadnt bought it already. im kind of a sucker for free roam games and parkour games, so when they are combined in a way that is not only fun but original i am pretty much sold.
what were activision doing all this time?
On: 2009-07-06overall, this game is pretty good. but everything good about it was already made. anyone who has played hulk: ultimate destruction can tell ya this game is basically that one reskinned. everything was great about hulk is still great about prototype but almost everything theyve added is not that great or flat out bad.
Alex mercer the main character is wholely unlikable. not only is he dressed like a tool but he acts like one. they play the damaged victim card from the start of the game, wronged in some unnamed way by a large corporation he must protect his sister and find out who he is. but the sheer numbers on civilian casualties and collateral damage make it hard to feel for the guy. hes a super powered whiney punk so you cant really get into his shoes.
theres a ton and a half of collectibles landmark collectibles, hint collectibles(hints that if youve ever played a game before you already know), web of interest nodes and tons of upgrades for your character. it seems like activision couldve spent more time actually working on the game and the story and less time on the little useless bs.
this game deserves a 9.5 in my opinion
On: 2009-07-01i loved this game very much. i dont care that you cant destroy the buildings. this game had everthing i look for in an action game.
AWSOMENESS!!!
On: 2009-06-30This game is totaly awsome what makes awsome is the free run killing people jacking tanks blowing up helicopters choping off heads overall The best sandbox game ive ever played get it now or else I will find you then i will put a bullet in your head
Your prototypical generic action game
On: 2009-06-29This game is a prototypical open world action game, with a lackluster story, worse then average graphics, bland combat, a terrible targeting system, and less then 10 hours of semi-compelling gameplay.
Wow, that sounded harsh, but Ill try to explain everything the best I can in this review. Let me start by saying that I am completely unbias towards any product/game and my goal is to help inform you of the product before you purchase it. If you really want to buy this game, by all means go out and get it now (or order it now). If youre looking for an honest opinion from someone who loves games and has played through it, then Im going to do my best to inform you.
Lets start by saying that the concept of the story seems like it would be great for this game. You play as Alex Mercer, who wakes up in a morgue and discovers that he has strange, superhero-like powers and that Manhattan is becoming infested with mutation. The into to the game is decent, as it begins with a tutorial showing you the basic controls as you are fully powered up. Then, all those powers are taken away from you, which I felt was stupid. As you complete missions throughout the game and do other actions, you gain EP (evolution points) which can be used to purchase new powers and upgrades. Thats fine, but they teach you the controls of the game WITH all the powers, then take them away and you are left knowing how to do something but do not have the ability to do it anymore.
The story of the game is not at all interesting, and I think its because of the way that the story is told. There are two main ways of storytelling in the game. First, there are cut scenes before and sometimes after each mission. These are CG, not using the in-game engine (thank god) but they still look pretty terrible. The voice acting is downright terrible. I found myself wanting to skip each scene and just get onto the next boring mission, but watched them just in case something interesting was shown. The other way the story is told is through a mechanism the game calls "The Web of Intrigue". Every time Alex consumes one of the "web" targets, a small collage of events is played, which is supposed to give you more story information through each persons memories. I got absolutely nothing in these brief 10 second scenes and actually skipped these towards the end of the game because they all seemed to be random. The game doesnt control the entire order that they are displayed, so it can really screw things up.
The gameplay can actually be fun once you gain certain upgrades, and get a handle on the frustrating controls. Its hard for me to pinpoint what makes this game so frustrating, its a mixture of the controls and targeting system, and the terribly cheap ai. The targeting system is the only way to aim (projectiles and powers), and is pretty bad at detecting the MOST THREATENING enemy on screen. For example, there may be a foot soldier, tank, and hunter in your screen, and you would think the foot soldier would be the LAST priority to target, right? WRONG according to this game. The game also likes to throw multiple types of enemies at you, and spawn them infinitely until you take out a specific target. Couple that with the targeting system, and add in enemies being able to interrupt each attack and evade move that you have, and you can see how this game can be very frustrating. I was only playing on Normal, I cant imagine sitting through a hard difficulty setting.
Like I mentioned before, the graphics are terrible. They display little to no detail, the textures are bland, every part of the city looks the same except Times Square. The frame rate is mostly steady except when there is a ton going on. On the plus side, there is no loading throughout the city, and you can scale any building to the top and jump down, which is pretty exhilarating, but with games that look great in this setting (GTA IV), this game might as well be on PS2 or the original Xbox.
This is a single player game only, which is a bummer since they had planned co-op originally. There are 31 story missions, and they all feel exactly the same. Then there are side missions, which dont interfere with the story, and are equally as boring except with no point other then gaining experience. I played through the game with minimal side missions in about 10 - 12 hours, and then had no need to go back and play it again.
I know this is probably the most harsh review I have ever written, but I did have some fun just wandering the city and destroying things. Jumping and climbing up buildings can be fun for a while, but this game had a lot of hype and ultimately fell flat on its face. I suggest a rental, or wait until the price comes down, it simply isnt worth the money.
-JD
Wonderfully enjoyable open-world mayhem
On: 2009-06-27Open-world games have been all the rage over the past couple years, but when theyre done right they end up providing for some wonderful video game experiences. Prototype is one such game, in which you play as Alex, an amnesiac hero who has some mysterious powers and abilities, and are caught in the middle of a viral outbreak in which the citizens of Manhattan are turning into blood-thirsty mutants. Technically speaking the game looks gorgeous and features some vibrant and brilliant sound effects as well, but its the surprisingly rewarding gameplay that really stands out. Alexs superpowers are easy enough to be able to pull off, and you also posess a huge arsenal of moves and other abilities to use as well. The games storyline is intriguing and there are a great amount of side-missions and challenges to accomplish as well. While the games missions themselves are pretty varied, the environments arent, as most of the islands environments starts to look alike after a while. Still, thats really the only drawback to Prototype, other than not having any multiplayer options, which would have made the game all the sweeter. All in all though, Prototype is a great game that makes good on having an open-world environment at its disposal, and the game is wholeheartedly worth your time.
Mercs 2 + Crackdown
On: 2009-06-26Prototype may not be the nicest looking or polished game out, but it sure is a ton of fun. There is just so much to do and the action never stops.
There are plenty of powers to acquires and tons of side missions and events to do. Its fun putting on the shield and just sprinting through traffic.
Very Enjoyable, Yet Somewhat Wanting.
On: 2009-06-23Prototype is a rare game - one that makes you feel empowered. Soaring above the city, spontaneously sprouting whip-arms or claws, throwing the charred remains of helicopters you kicked out of the sky at virus-infected buildings that spawn giant pink hulk-monsters out of cancerous boils... it is all seamless.
The story is surprisingly good for a game of this type - mainly centering around the infection of one Alex Mercer, the games protagonist and hood enthusiast. It begins with Alex waking up in the morgue, and realizing he has the ability to absorb people and their memories into himself. He sets about discovering why he is what he is, and while he does so, the city falls apart around him.
The combat, for the most part, is solid. If youve played Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - yeah, its basically that. If not, you have a catalog of upgrades, powers, and combos you can unlock, and you use those to wreck havoc among the occupying military force and the mutant/zombie Infected as well. You can get such amazing powers as the ability to Glide, grow your fists into hammers or blades, and trade a bit of life energy for the ability to sprout a forest of bio-spikes, impaling everything around you. Some of the boss encounters can be a bit one-sided, but the checkpoints in missions are generous.
The "open-world" aspect is sadly lacking. The draw distance for the island of Manhattan is abysmal - commonly, you cant even see 10 blocks in front of you, and the activities you can partake in, while entertaining, are fluff.
In short, if you enjoy having superpowers, and dont mind a few minor annoyances, you will thoroughly enjoy Prototype.
Hulk + Crackdown + Amazing
On: 2009-06-23[PROTOTYPE]... a great blend of gameplay, graphics, gore, action, animation, twisted storyline and anything you could ever want. This is and could be the best game I ever played. Although many games Radical Entertainment made sucked pretty bad, this basically makes up for it all. If youre a fan of either Hulk: Ultimate Destruction or Crackdown, this game will then suit you like no other. Since Ive played this, Ive been too glued to play any of my other games so most of them I just traded in to be honest. Once youre finished with story mode, this game offers a unique "New Game+" mode allowing you to restart the entire campaign with all the powers and attributes left off from the ending of your last playthrough. This game is a DEFINITE buy for any gamer with a huge action-craving. If youre not sure about [PROTOTYPE] and havent played Hulk: Ultimate Destruction or Crackdown, at least give it a rent, you wont regret it. Brawling with Infected beasts, parkouring up a crash-landing chopper on fire and taking a rocket to the eye... is just the beginning.
The only downside to the graphics (which arent bad but actually wickedly good) is if you own a SDTV. The resolution and contrast on an SDTV will knock the gameplay down a lot in my opinion. To compare, go on YouTube and search two things... "Prototype 480p" and "Prototype 720p." Huge difference.
Gameplay - 10/10 - (Most fun Ive had out of all 360 games.)
Story - 9/10 - (Very unique "Web of Intrigue" styled storyline. Bit confusing.)
Graphics - 8/10 - (Call of Duty getting a 9/10.)
Replay Value - 9/10 (All the destruction, gore, effects and gameplay. Youll keep wanting more.)
$60 + tax...
Overall Value - 8.8/10
Well, I bought my copy for $49 (brand new) so Id say,
Overall Value - 9.5/10.
mediocre, game freezes, disc errors.
On: 2009-06-22tired of a mediocre (at best) game freezing on me or mucking up every time i load it up.
CONS:
- game freezes more than any other or recent memory (other than FarCry2s corrupted saves problem).
- story is dumb.
- combo button moves are childishly stupid and reduce the game to button mashing.
- i could never get the controls solid and ended up killing people i am supposed to consume half the time (in most games, right trigger is some form of attack, in this game its sprint? except when youre in a vehicle? but not when you have a gun? ya...confusing...or just stupid.)
- stuff, enemies movie so fast, knock you down so often, you cant get your bearings and end up having to run around like a stupid chicken with your head cut off.
- the "powers" dont really make any sense. why does he have a blade growing out of his hand? why can he make a spike go underground? odd powers can be cool (shooting bees out of your arm in bioshock), but here it just seems silly and not story-driven.
- trying to survive in a helicopter with other helicopters around attacking you seems impossible.
- auto-targeting is GTA-style, ie, not good.
- map is ugly and uninspired.
- getting "disc is unreadable" errors now. lovely. the disc looks brand new and spotless. POS. Been on the same "guys like phones" or whatever its called mission for an hour now to too freezes and dumb disc errors.
Theres more, but why go on. I have no reason to "hate" on this game. Its just mediocre, and I dont feel like playing a mediocre game that wont even let me play it without freezing or getting some goofy error every time I try to do something...Thankfully Point Lookout is coming out soon for Fallout3 and I dont have to put up with this garbage anymore. Very disappointing. The early videos made this game look great...like it might be a sleeper hit. Instead, its just a sandbox with a lot of sand and not many toys to play with.
This is a terrible game
On: 2009-06-20when you beat the game there is nothing to do. it gets really boring after a while it just sits on my table. not even beeing used. Get Red Faction:Guerilla you will have more fun or Halo 3: ODST, Assasins creed 2, Bioshock 2, Mass effect 2, COD Modern 2, Splinter cell conviction.
Cool Stuff
On: 2009-06-20This game is sweet the graphics are pretty good and being able to upgrade your character is awsome. Its a little overpopulated sometimes like having too many people on the screen, you cant hardly see but great game. Dont listen to all the other bad reveiws it is awsome maybe not for 60 bucks so buy it used or when the price comes down but great game buy soon its sick. The shapeshifting thing is very well made you can actually see Alex transform into the next character. The begining is slow but once you go through 3 levels or so the dustruction really begins.
Fantastic
On: 2009-06-19This game is like Prince of Persia meets The Incredible Hulk Meets....Carnage from Spiderman, You can run up walls, Jump Super high and far, Glide, Turn your arms into weapons and just HAVE FUN really there is not alot that isnt possible i have more fun free roaming and dread doing missions because i dont want the fun to End!!!!
Well worth the money probubly the best video game ive ever played
Prototype - Not The Hype
On: 2009-06-18What a disappointment.
The start of the game is very misleading, and makes you think you are about to begin a great game. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Lets start with the good though.
Good : Fun movement system, and a stunningly elaborate character evolution system. The Web of Intrigue is a very unique and overall cool idea, and really the only part of the game that is polished.
Bad : Everything else imaginable. The moves are extremely redundant and at LEAST 70% of them are silly or useless. The AI is over the top annoying, and the rate at which waves of AI attack and react to you will literally make you want to turn off the console. The side events were a good idea, but they too are redundant, annoying, and in the long run a slap in the face to someone looking for a cutting edge action game.
As good as the idea and general premise for the game is, they somehow manage to make you feel cheated with the plot. Watching the half-effort cinematics one after the other will tarnish and ruin any credibility the game initially starts with. One of the most irritating and vexing parts of this game is the mandatory usage of vehicles such as tanks and helicopters. If I wanted to play a modern warfare game, I would have bought a title that didnt stress the fact that you have amazing supernatural powers. Seriously, about 30-40% of the main story missions MAKE you use vehicles, no power usage whatsoever. On top of this, the helicopter and tank missiles put your direct attacks to shame, both in damage and efficiency. And, the vehicles arent even fun to use, its more like lets just get this over with or Yay, target and spam R trigger, Yay. Even during missions where you are allowed to use powers, the objectives are generally lame or repetitive, or make you wonder just what the hell is going on. You will watch a cinematic and get a random objective that will widen your eyes, making you wonder if you just fell asleep and missed something important. The answer, however, is that the game just isnt polished.
Finally, one thing I havent seen mentioned in earlier posts are frame rate issues. Without these issues, at least you would have somewhat of a game. During some missions, the entire world is out to get you, and whatever appears in view range is basically already shooting you, or will ignore any other threat to come in a direct path to melee you. Dont get me wrong, I love going up against all odds, but when literally EVERYTHING is aggressive towards you (infected people walking straight by soldiers in order to attack you, and the soldiers letting them and pinning their cross-hairs over you + big boy demons leaping through the air past tanks to land on top of you with tanks shooting at you + helicopters firing missiles at you ETC ETC ETC. My goodness, during these awesome affairs your frame rate will drop ridiculously low. I cannot express in words how pathetic the game really is in terms of gameplay/framerate during battles, it will make you sigh over and over again.
Trust me, wading through this plethora of negative comments and direct anger towards this game is nothing compared to the frustration you will feel while trying to finish this game. The fact that they rob you from using your overly underdeveloped and redundant special powers during missions and FORCE you to use tanks and helicopters really is an insult. Whoever designed the mainline missions should be shot, and whoever approved that guys work should die in a fire. I only give this game 2 stars because the idea is very original and worthy of a virtual pat on the back.
AMAZING!!!!!!!
On: 2009-06-18This game is just amazing. I cant stop playing since i got it. Its just so fun and so gory. It has everything you want in a game. Dont listen to ignor those othr websites this game is amazing!!!
Outstanding game
On: 2009-06-16This game kicksa$$. You can do all kinds of crazy stuff in this game. You can run on buildings, glide through air, consume people and become them, hijack tanks and helicopters, upgrade your powers, shap shift into a walking obomination, use stealth, and use guns to shoot at people or the military. This game will have you playing all day long. The other great thing is? Being that Xbox 360 supports HD, it shows the great effects, but thats only if you have a sony HDTV or any kind of HDTV.
The graphics are beautiful in this game, and being that I have a HDTV its even more beautiful. The story mode is great to, but gets kinda repitive. Between Prototype and Infamous, Prototype has my vote, because you can do alot of other things instead of killing people. Im not bashing on Infamous, but in my opinion, its not nowhere near as better as Prototype. So overall, this game is freaking crazy. Buy it.
Must rent, recommended own
On: 2009-06-15I rented Prototype due to the mixed reviews and no available demo. After renting, I have to own this game!
There have been a lot of comparisons with Infamous. This is like comparing soft rock and death metal. They both use guitar, bass and vocals. Past that, its a matter of taste.
The intensity of the game play rivals Ninja Gaiden. When Prototype kicks it into high gear it can be a little too intense and overwhelming.
Good Stuff:
Most of the controls are really tight.
Nice mixture of missions.
Intense action.
Graphics! The screen literally swarms with enemies, zombies, pedestrians and vehicles and with zero slow down. Overpopulated human problem, solve it with a tank!
Story and Videos.
Super Powers.
Bad Stuff:
Your Right trigger finger will be sore after a long gaming session. This is used to sprint. It might have been better to sprint by default (You walk maybe 5/100 minutes).
Picking up items in the heat of battle is hit and miss.
Some battles are a little too intense for too long. Intensity overload!?!
No Demo!?! The tutorial level would have been perfect.
Bad Marketing. Did they run over budget?
most fun you'll have this summer
On: 2009-06-15Game has its flaws but overall this is the most fun you are going to have this summer! I had to take a break every 4 or 5 hours due to a pure sensory overload. w00t.
A Good Romp in the Sandbox
On: 2009-06-14Ill say this right off: If you own Hulk: Ultimate Destruction or a Spider-Man game, then you can probably pass up on this game because it is practically the same type of gameplay. However, this game does not have a MARVEL label and can be considered an original piece of work.
-Graphics. The overall look of the game is good. Manhattan island is replicated beautifully, and it shows. If you need to figure out where Golds Gym is, just have Alex Mercer (the Prototype) jump around the city until you find the sign. Then maybe you can find it while youre driving around! However, some textures seemed stretched or PS2-esque when you look closely. However, this can be somewhat forgiven as the city looks gorgeous when looked at from a tall building.
The animations are smooth and well done. From Alex running over cars and up buildings, to the solider that was just the victim of a Patsy maneuver, to the simple pedestrian puking their guts out because of the virus, everyone seems to come to life, regardless of the outdated graphics.
-Gameplay. I will admit, I was a bit surprised as to the simplicity of the controls. My original thoughts were that you would need more buttons than one could fit on a blackberry just to pull off some of the stunts. But with a nice upgrade system and button layout, wreaking havoc on the army is a breeze that looks fantastic. Some moves dont need to be bought to beat the game (in fact, a lot of them dont even need investing into), but its just fun to watch you uppercut someone into the air and then grab them in mid-air and slam them into the ground. And in case you forgot how to do that one move you love performing in front of your friends, the skill-purchase screen gives a wonderful diagram that tells you what to push in what order.
-Story. Lets face it, the people who buy this game are in it for the action and chaos. However, if you pay attention to what is going on in the life of the protagonist, you may find yourself CARING and WONDERING how the virus got to this point. To enhance the story and make you care, the game shells out people that contain memories vital to Alex Mercers own mind. Apparently he has some kind of amnesia, so instead of waiting for the effects to tide over he simply abosorbs the people that know something about him. The more memories you collect, the more the puzzle fits together, and the more you want to absorb to find things out...and the more tanks that get destroyed when they kill someone that has a vital memory you need.
-Other Comments. I enjoy this game very much, regardless of what others may think. This is just an opinion that you dont have to listen to. In the end, you will have to play the game yourself to see if you like it or not.
Also, I would like for people to consider this when talking about the graphics: should under-par graphics get in the way of an enjoyable experience? Thats like saying a super model is ugly because shes wearing a hand-me-down dress from her mothers side in the 50s. A games replay value should not be based on graphics alone. Besides, texture loading and framerate would be major issues if released with next-gen graphics. Mass Effect had that problem, Gears of War had it, and so did GTA IV.
Overall, the game is great. [PROTOTYPE] is one of those games that sticks with you until you beat it, then you want to start over to see if you can beat it on hard mode or try a different skill set. The only major downside is that there is no multiplayer. Period. If you want co-op action as you run down the streets of a fear-stricken neighborhood, go play Crackdown.
MOST INSANE GAME EVER!!
On: 2009-06-13This is the sickest game ever. If you have ever played Spiderman 3 for Xbox 360, this game is somewhat like that because your in free roam and you go around looking for missions. This game is also like a little like Assassins Creed because you are wanted and you have an alert bar, where when it turns red, the people know its you. So when this happens you run away until they cant see you and you switch into another disguise. You also have a zombie infection to fight off and the army or some military force is against you. This game is very action-packed and the powers you have are so much fun ( gliding, jumping really high, sprinting fast, long CLAWS, and hammerhands ). This game is definitely worth buying, or if you are unsure about, RENT IT and then youll end up buying it because its so sick. This game is also pretty bloody...
Incredibly fun.
On: 2009-06-13Any negative reviews listed for this game, while valid, are nitpicking minor drawbacks and bringing them to the front when they are not important...because this is one of the most fun games Ive played in a while.
I appreciate a really good game with depth, one with complexity, and one with a story worthy of its own movie, for example Mass Effect, Bioshock, Half Life 2, and the like. This game, however doesnt have much in that department. But thats not what this game is about and I couldnt care less.
The gameplay rocks.
Gliding over the city with the cool slithery effects swirling around the anti-hero, Alex Mercer (a perfect comic book hero by the way) is pure awesomeness and you feel as if you are in complete control and can do anything. You feel like a god. The controls are tight in just about every way and the powers and other abilities are a complete blast to use on the infected and civilians of the city. It feels like a hack-n-slash a lot of the time and it is great fun. Hijacking vehicles and disguising yourself are added gameplay elements of awesomeness. 9.5/10
The way the game tells its story is interesting and mysterious.
Its not quite strong enough a story for a Hollywood film, but the web of intrigue is very cool and watching the memories play out once consuming an element of the Web is an interesting experience, one I havent seen in other games. 8.2/10
The graphics arent as terrible as people say, in my opinion, but maybe they expect more.
The city is believable enough and I never was distracted by any graphical flaws like many others. The buildings arent incredibly detailed, but they serve their purpose well and climbing them at a bazillion MPH is entertaining and fun in itself. Alex Mercers animations are really amazing and his powers are really nice to look at. Overall the graphics do what they should, never bad at all, but never mind blowingly sweet. 7.7/10
The sounds of the city are good and the screams of civilians never fail to entertain.
I especially love the sound that Alexs powers make when they are used. Verry cool. The soundtrack isnt too distinct from other superhero games/movie but it fits and is epic and exciting. 9/10
Prototype is one of the most fun action games Ive played, and it is definitely like no other, in terms of powers and storytelling method. If you are even remotely interested in this, Id say it is a must buy. Do yourself the favor, its a helluva lot of fun.
9/10
AMAZING ADRENALINE RUSH!
On: 2009-06-13I was eagerly awaiting this game and have not been disappointed. The best Super Hero game bar none ever. Although X Men Origins is still keeping me interested.
Absolutely Great Game
On: 2009-06-13If crackdown and GTA had a baby it will be this great game.
Running up buildings and gliding through the air never gets old.
Its addicting, your character gains EXP points like an RPG style which you then use to upgrade your powers and strengths.
No jump is too high, no building is too tall.
Picking up a taxi a flinging it at a helicopter? I mean come on!
This game is a pure rush to play and I even found myself reliving those dreams as a child of flying. You dont need to go mission by mission and theres hundreds of side things to see and do.
If you enjoy superhero and/or open world games this should be on the top of your list.
Rated M for Mayhem!
This has to be one of the best games I ever played.
On: 2009-06-12So I have got to admit it, I wasnt really looking forward to prototype. When I heard the whole stealth thing about being able to hide I thought to myself "Oh no, a GTA style Metal Gear Solid." But of course I picked it up anyway and wow am I glad. So heres the low down on Prototype.
Graphics - 4.0
While not cutting edge, the game does offer some great things to look at. Soaring above the park, looking at the dark blue water glisten in the sunlight is a very pretty sight. Now while the graphics arent spectacular, I still feel its graphics power is good due to the gore. Im no gore hound but to have as much detail as it already does and then slap on the massive gore that it has without being totally cheesy, its a part of the games graphics design, a very graphic graphic.
Story - 4.4
Again, where most games fail now and days Prototype doesnt get far from the normal. For some reason you wake up, have no idea who you are really or why you have these powers. Same old story, but I give it a higher than average score because its told rather well. Sadly plot unfolds are predictable though and thing are rather blandish in terms of there really isnt much unique thought going on here. Again though, the method of story telling is very good especially the hundreds of memories Alex can consume, flicking onto the screen in patches of knowledge. Very nicely done.
Controls - 5.0
Things get a little murky here, but Ill try to explain. Early in the game the controls are a perfect 10. Alex flows through the world like a natural element, not like hes pushing through some static environment. The running ability, as basic as it is, is one of the more impressive features in the game. Just holding one button and aiming Alex in a direction sends him off at high speed. The thing being though that he wont get stuck on walls, trees, people, cars or anything. Alex fluidly dodges, runs up, over and jumps off of anything in his path. This gives the movement in the game a very fluid natural feel. Switching from powers is also very quick, the game even gives you a nice slow time effect when switching powers so that you dont get blown away while choosing. The problem with the controls is later in the game, and no its not with the vehicles which handle and function just fine. Actually its the abundance of power you get. Eventually youll have so many moves you wont remember which button combos do what, X+B does this, but X+B in sprint does this, oh and X+B in air does this and also X+B on wall does this. Thats just a small example, while variety is nice and I give them points for working this hard on giving variety, I feel maybe sub dividing powers into specific power sets would have been better (i.e - X+Y with claws does this but X+B with Hammerfist has a totally different outcome.) Also there will be moments where you come to see Alexs speed is high but his agility not so much. Certain Landmark orbs you come across will prove to be just plain frustrating to get at times, and the games Point to point races are just frustrating in many many cases.
Gameplay - 5.0
The only reason this isnt a ten is because of two things. One, there are moments, though few, that what you need to do are not explained well and you end up dying a few times before changing your approach. What comes to mind mainly is the first time you try to lure what is supposed to be the guy who did this to you, you get ambushed by helicopters and the like. You figure, run away or kill them. Since nothing in the game up to that point should give you much trouble you figure you can strong arm it. This leads to many deaths, until you finally decide to try and hide to change forms to escape. Which does work. Two, while this isnt a problem, the only thing holding this game back from perfection is terrain destruction. If this game could some how implement the building destruction of the new Red Faction:Guerrilla. I cant imagine anything funner than watching the entire city burn as all hell breaks loose. The final issue I find, which seems stupid but plays out well. Is the human side of the game is very, well stupid. It is so hard to get caught by the humans doing things, I cant tell you how many times I walked up to two soldiers and consumed one with a stealth consume just to have the other one watch me and then walk away. As well, if you change disguises in front of a soldier it alerts them and they come after you... Yet if you FLY by a enemy helicopter they pay no attention to you and act like its perfectly normal. The humans just have very poor response to your actions, but this isnt bothersome as the game obviously isnt suppose to be realistic. You are a unstoppable killing machine and the game makes you feel like a monster. While I wish sometimes humans were slightly more responsive its a minor issue in this gem of a game.
The Overall
I deeply hope this game does very well to warrant a sequel, this is truly a good game. One that I believe anyone could and should enjoy playing. Im going to be playing this title for a long time and years from now Ill come back to my 360 just to play this game some more.
The Sandbox King!
On: 2009-06-12This Game rules! Its fun, Its bloody, and the locomotion is nuts! The controls are tight and the sense of power you feel playing as Alex Mercer is as if you had actually gotten to play as Neo in the Matrix game. The graphics are nothing mindblowing but like I said, the controls more then make up for it! the detail to certin spots in NYC is the best rendering done to my fair city. Prototype is defnitly worth the ticket price!
Pure Sandbox Action and Mayhem From Start To Finish!
On: 2009-06-12Prototype delivers the kind of game most fans of other sandbox games have only dreamed of: causing as much destruction and mayhem as possible without getting stomped down by the AIs response for it. Back when GTA 3 came out and I started my first vigilante rampage, I always thought there needs to be a game that lets you take it to the next level without getting destroyed by the citys Law Enforcement or Army. Prototype delivers it all hands down and gives you the tools to make a mockery of just about anything the AI throws at you. The best part is: it keeps getting better the further you progress into the game.
It needs to be said that Prototype is a pure-action sandbox game. Its not slow or methodical in terms of how you move through the city. Your ability to leap from building to building, fly across the NYC skyline, and run up along buildings to dash off into a glide means you will move through the city quick, and its probably the first time Ive seen a sandbox game focus more on the character(Alex Mercer) than the city created around him.
This probably explains why the visuals were not given the high polished treatment that other more recent sandbox titles have. Textures are pretty flat, bland, and dull in respect to the people, buildings, and cars of the city. Alex Mercer himself seems pretty well done, but the rest of the city feels like a VR simulation from Virtuosity (obscure movie reference?) where cars types identically overlap frequently and there appears to be only 12 - 15 unique civilian types in the entire game. You can easily walk amongst a crowd and see the same person in that crowd 2 or 3 different times.
Aftering playing the game and getting engaged into the story, the visual aspect takes a back seat to the amazing gameplay experience to be had. The civilians become cattle, and using them as weapons or sources for power become more the aim of the game, and not the fact that the woman you just grabbed to throw at the group of soldiers at shooting you is the same woman you used to consume for energy a few minutes earlier. Whether it was the developers intention to make the citys populus to feel inconsequential to you or pure laziness on their part in not adding variety, its diffcult to say. But what I will say is the fun and enjoyment you get from the execution of this game makes forgiveness to these flaws much easier.
And as I said earlier, thats what Prototype is all about: pure action, pure fun. You are death and destruction at the highest possible humanoid form. The game allows you to enjoy just about every aspect there is to its superhuman theme. You cannot go into this game comparing it to recent titles like Red Faction or inFAMOUS, cause the basis for comparison simply isnt there. These are all stellar titles that each bring something different and enjoyable to the table.
Aside from the visuals and some questionable choices in detail immersion, Prototype hits on the rest of its 8 cylinders. The storyline while unoriginal, is completely enjoyable and gives you adequate reason to care and continue on with the story. The pre-rendered scenes are done quite well and the voice-acting is completely convincing and doesnt ever feel too over-the-top. The games soundtrack when it does kick in is just amazing. The orchestral scores or action music (as I like to call it) that strategically kick in during the game are so well done and adds a real dark, suspenseful, and haunting theme to the game. The detail in ambient noise and sound effects are all there and its pretty amazing the detail in audio that has been placed in the game. You could be running up buildings wall and hear the of chunks of brick being broken off as you scale the building and then hear the sound of glass being smashed as you scale windows on that same building. While they could have just used one canned sound effect for all the wall scaling sequences, its easy to see there has been detailed considerations made to ensure the audio experience isnt lacking.
As a sandbox gaming experience, Prototype delivers on what it aimed for. Despite its shortcomings in a few areas, nothing lacking takes away from the fun that is to be had in this game. If sandbox games are not your forte but action is, you may want to give it a rent just to make sure you can enjoy the hybrid of the two genres present in this game. But for sandbox fans that have always wanted to be a free-roaming superhuman weapon in a city just begging to unleashing complete carnage and devastation (and this game is extremely violent)upon the unwary masses, you cant do much better for your gaming dollars than Prototype.
Great fun, but ignore the hype.
On: 2009-06-12If you didnt get too caught up in the hype and dont come into this game thinking thats its going to be the best game ever, youll love it. It has very stylized superhero-type action, loads of ways to wreak havoc in Manhattan, and a sandbox world in which you can achieve your goals in many different ways.
Considering Im playing on an Xbox 360, the graphics are nothing noteworthy, but if I were looking for awesome graphics I would be playing it on a PC. The voice acting is top notch, as is the storyline. Its admittedly pretty predictable, but honestly, its so much fun that I dont really care. The controls take some time to get used to, as there are so many things you can do and not enough buttons on the controller. Once you master the learning curve, its a blast.
Alex Mercers powers provide more fun than should ever be allowed. You can slice and dice some fools with claws or an armsword (thats what I call it, anyway), glide from rooftop to rooftop, turn your arm into a grappling hook and take down a helicopter, and consume NPCs for powers and/or health bonuses, among many other things. One of the most notable aspects is Alexs ability to run straight up buildings, which of course makes everyone think of Spiderman. Somehow, this is way cooler though. Also, you would think that this game would get boring with all of the powerful bio-weapons. However, youll find that some powers work better than others depending on what youre fighting. This keeps you up on your toes, and believe me, this game can be a challenge at times.
For we collector and exploration nerds, there are plenty of orbs for us to obtain throughout the city. Some are simply landmark orbs, others give us hints, but from my experience these hints have been things that Ive found out previously just through gameplay. They dont really do anything other than to give you experience points with which you buy more upgrades.
I do have a few grievances, but nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the game. Loading screens feel rather frequent, but they are short enough that I dont get annoyed. The camera can do some pretty stupid things sometimes as well, but really only in confined spaces like tunnels. The scenery can be repetitious at times, save for some of the major landmarks like Central Park and Times Square. However, the constantly changing city and citizens make up for it. Also, Pedestrian Bowling (what I call sprinting through the sidewalks knocking down all of the NPCs) is a hoot. As I mentioned before, the controls are a bit awkward at first, but you soon learn to adjust.
As long as you dont put ridiculously high expectations on this game, youll enjoy it. After all, we play video games to have fun. If you want to play it, ignore whatever hype youve heard and just enjoy it for what it is.
Whoa! Hold onto your controls!
On: 2009-06-11Man, this is one slick game. With the exception of one rotten review from someone who will obviously never be happy with their gaming experience, this is one hell of a trip. If youre reading this, you obviously know the premise of the game. Controls are slick once you get used to them, graphics are outstanding, a little choppy at times but I think thats only because I need to give my xbox more air. Sound is great, fits with the game very well. The voice acting is top notch. Really enjoyed this game. Its nice to be the ultimate fighting machine that is totally off the hook and no one can stop you. Definitely a "must buy" game.
Unbias review - I own PS3 and 360.. game is "ok".
On: 2009-06-11OK.. as stated in the title - i own both systems. I see an AWEFUL lot of system huggers saying prototype is better cuz its on the ps3 or whatever..
i owned infamous
i own red faction guerilla for 360
and i had bought prototype.
First impressions:
very chaotic. the opening scenes were kinda messy with the action almost outta control. the whole game was just that - "ok".
the actual in game play was "ok". it didnt blow me away at all. the targeting system is horrid. it was like the game was about to get to the edge and leap off but just fell back instead. crappy AI and sub par control mechanics really brought it down.
graphics- a little to congested. the focus was far from on detail. i mean the jumping around and smashing things was great, but the explosions were horrible. the distance draw was non exsistent.
The memory chain idea was kinda cool, and the upgrade system kept adding intrigue to want to do more.
it was hard to do what i wanted to do while in the game some times. id want to do this move or that and it would just take over and not let me do it.
the missions were pretty crappy and very subpar as well. there wasnt much range in what you had to do.
i will say that the missions in infamous were ALOT better at first, but those died off drastically half way thru.
i sold infamous and will be selling prototype. ill prob get prototype again when it hits the $20 mark.. def not worth it to me for $60+
Red Faction Guerilla at least has MANY many ways to complete a mission with lots of fun on the side. great AI and awesome physics implemented in the game. just blowing crap up helps relieve a stressful day.
im waiting patiently for ghostbusters to come out, but in the meantime enjoying UFC and RF: Guerilla in the meantime..
THE HOTNESS!!!
On: 2009-06-11PLEASE DO NOT BELEIVE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FOR THIS GAME. THIS IS THE MOST FUN IVE HAD WITH A SANDBOX GAME SINCE CRACKDOWN. ITS ALONG THE SAME LINE, POWER UPS, CRUSHING ENEMIES. PURE MAYHEM AT A FEVER PITCH, IF YOU WANT IT TO BE. IF NOT GO THE STEALTH ROUTE, STILL FUN! A DIFFERENT CONCEPT THAN inFAMOUS AND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME. PLEASE DO NOT COMPARE THE TWO. ONLY GOT 4 STARS FOR A STORY THATS NOT TOO ENGAGING AND SOME TECHNICAL LAPSES(BUT NOT ENOUGH TO AFFECT GAMEPLAY).IF SANDBOX GAMES ARE YOUR THING OR EVEN IF THEYRE NOT, PICK IT UP.YOU WONT BE SORRY.TONS AF REPLAY VALUE. GAME LOOKS AWESOME TOO
Met my expectations, great game
On: 2009-06-11I picked up my copy of Prototype yesterday so have only got to play for few hours so far. That being said, the game has impressed me. I own GTA4, Assasins Creed, have played Spiderman, anyone who remotely likes any of those games will like Prototype.
It takes super human fantasy to the next level. The action is furious and over the top in a good way. The powers are fun and easy to use. The controls are very well set up and intuitive. After only a few minutes I was running up walls and slaughtering military and infected with ease. The game makes you feel invincible without being too easy. Ive died several times on normal difficulty.
The story is just getting going for me but I like that idea that you have to track down the people who know more than you do and consume them to take their knowledge.
Only 2-3 hours in and Ive accquired a ton of abilities with no end in sight. Prototype may have more upgrades than any other game Ive played. Claws, Blades, shields, gliding, running up walls, and much more. The only thing really missing is an ranged attack. You have to pick up military weapons to go ranged but I havet really noticed as Alex can cover ground so fast its incredible. You can cross the whole city in a few minutes.
At only a day in, I would highly recomend Prototype to any fan of open world action adventure, super hero(anti-hero) games. It is one of the finest examples of this type of game out there. Enjoy the carnage!
Is this what passes for a good game these days?
On: 2009-06-11Come on people!! This game is completely horrible. What s with those last gen graphs??? Ok the animation on the special moves is sweet but the graphics SUCK!! Seriously. Had to force myself to finish it cuz i wasnt gonna waste my 60 bucks. But as soon as i get rid of it i hope i never hear from it again. Character upgrade is a plus in the game but most of the moves are completely useless. I was expecting something much better than this crap. Worst thing about the game is that i think they downgraded the visuals because i remember seeing a much better looking game in the previews. Anyway, Im going to start trusting the reviews from now on becuz i just couldnt believe that the game could be as bad as stated in some of the reviews i had read.
BAD PROTOTYPE
On: 2009-06-11Im sorry , but Infamous is actually better than Prototype and
What would you do if you had super powers? Become a hero or become a villain? inFAMOUS on the PS3 gives you a chance at both.
PROTOTIPE!!!! WHOA!!!!!
On: 2009-06-10This review about the new and exclusev game for da Xbox call PROTOTIPE!~
You play the game playing a man name Alex Mercy who is the PROTOTIPE and who runs real fast and faster than the bad guyz and jump and pown and use him razor blade hands to beat up people the way Terrel use to beat me up down by the bikes after school until that one day the popo came to school and stop him and make him go to juvie and he stay there for three months that show you Terrel HAHAHA suck it I win!!!!!! So thats like Prototipe!!!!!!!!
You can jump up way hi and destroye tanks with youre elbow and take people and crush they head and comsune them when your really mad. The graffiks are so realistic a technical term that we insiders use in the vidio games world is FOTO REALISTICAL and these graffiks are foto realistical I swear its like your looking at a FOTO sometime only with more blood and gore and guts and razors and tanks and prototipes. When something blow up it totolly look COOL AS S*** know what I sayin????
All in all I give this game a 10 stars but stuped Amzamon.com only let you give five stars max which is stupid why only give us five stars then youre game can only be halfway good or what????? BUY THIS GAME it is good and be sure to read my revew of Ininana Jones and the Staf of the King!!!!!!!
PEACE!
Outstanding.
On: 2009-06-10Ive watched the development of this game since the very beginning around 2 years ago and i can honestly say that this game has lived up to my highest expectation. The Manhattan landscape is gorgeous and even though most real time games fly from day to night within 5 minutes this game usually takes 15 minutes, even including the sunrise and sunset. The citizen models are expertly well done. They no longer look generic, they all have tweaked faces wrinkles along with different varieties of clothes.
Gameplay wise, you are the ultimate weapon. The weapons and the amount of gore you dish out is incredible. Its quite amazing walking down a sidewalk slashing everything in sight and then turn around and see the mangled torn apart bodies and blood everwhere.
the special effects as in destruction and explosions work really well. The smoke from destroyed cars and buses go up into the air long after you have left the area. The overall reactions from people and veihcles are extremely well done. AS in if you jump from a building and his the ground cracking the pavement, people stop and stare and cars swirve into each other trying to miss you.
Story wise its great, the game itself starts you off at the end so you can get a taste of all the powers, then he starts retelling his story of what happened. So its up to you to upgrade your self to the most powerful point.
I strongly reccomend this game, definately the funnest game ive played in a while.
Fun for the most part, but chaotic
On: 2009-06-10The game starts out strong, and really leaves you thirsty for more action. You play as Alex Mercer, a victim of a spreading infection located in New York. As you start the game, you are put in the middle of the street with armed soldiers and the infected population battling it out with each other in what seems to be some sort of Armageddon. You start off with a fully upgraded character and some random control indicators that give you a glimpse of how to control him. After you finish the beginning, the boring stuff begins.
The plot is boring. Theres an infection spreading through New York that eventually turns everyone in to zombie like characters. There are many types of monsters thrown in, as well as the usual military defense that attacks you, even though you are trying to help them. Alexs mission is to gain as much knowledge as possible to find out who single handedly turned him into the fighting machine that he is.
The game is pretty awesome. There are a slew of upgrades that Alex can learn, all through a nifty little experience system. Your experience points not only attribute to you purchasing upgrades and abilites for Alex, but they also give you health. You can consume people, evade armed forces, complete missions, complete side objectives, or just do an old fashioned rampage through the city, slicing and dicing to gain experience. Although Alexs abilities are awesome at first play, they lose their appeal as you play more and more. He can run/climb up buildings, leap 50 stories high, run with amazing speed, pick up heavy obstacles, shape shift into different characters and take on their abilities, and transform into monster like forms, all of which have their own unique touch for battling foes.
Like I mentioned before, while the game is great fun, it loses its glimmer after a while due to the limitations of what is achievable in the game. Once you clear all the extra events, the only thing to do is run through the town slicing and dicing the community. The main missions are very redundant. If youre not infiltrating a military base, youre either blowing up in infection hive, or keeping an ally alive. The targeting system is horrible, to say the least. It will never work the way you want it to, especially in times that you need it the most. Battling missions are very chaotic. Theres absolutely no organization whatsoever. Everyone is going insane trying to blow each other up, whether it be with guns, tanks, or Blackhawks.
Graphics are decent. The world is nicely detailed, explosions are sort of cheesy, vehicle damage is laughable, characters have hardly any animation other than walking, mouth movement is out of sync with voices during cutscenes, and the main character animation is pretty realistic (as realistic as you can get for a super hero type character).
Overall, its a pretty good game. Very fun with hours of entertainment, but the replay value is considerably low for a $60 game. Improve character AI, make the missions more interested and less redundant, make the damage effects more realistic, improve the targeting system A LOT and youve got yourself a great game. Worth a play nonetheless.
Flawed rehash of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
On: 2009-06-10I remember renting Hulk: Ultimate Destruction when it came out, and returning it to the store a day early. Not because it was a horrible game, but because everything about the game was bland. Sure, it was fun for the first hour, but nothing that came after that initial rush - the repetitive missions, the generic and barren open world, using the same two or three attacks over and over - was really all that enjoyable. In other words, had there been a demo, that wouldve sated me.
I only write about the previous Hulk game because Prototype is developed by the same company, and it shows. From the similarly empty and unmemorable cityscape to the exact same canned elbow drop and throw animations, the resemblance is undeniable. The graphics are bland, unrefined, and nothing really pops about your character or the games version of Manhattan. The spectacle of the violence cant be articulated with any words other than ridiculous and gratuitous. The prospect of gore in a game doesnt bother me, but it seems Radical spent more time on its detail than on the variety (or lack thereof) in the story and side missions, and I still find it random and foolish that throwing a person into a tank or a helicopter will cause it to spontaneously explode.
Perhaps I expected too much. Perhaps I thought the story was going to be something more interesting than an over-the-top recounting of Wolverines origins (in the early parts of the game, anyway. As new plot elements are introduced, the story gravitates closer to other easily identified comic book and science fiction cliches, but Ill refrain from "spoiling" those points. The Wolverine thing is evident from the trailers, so thats fair game). Maybe I thought there would be more to do than run around and kill the same three or four generic enemies and blow up the same tank time after time. The ability to use weapons and drive vehicles is fun, but futile, and ultimately seems misplaced: why would I voluntarily use something that will only inhibit my ability to kill the uninteresting enemies that will attack me in wave after groan inducing wave? And the while the choice in powers is excellent, it creates too much choice, and there are several powers that will go untouched, both from lack to time to experiment with them, and from general lack of effectiveness.
And the tanks all handle too loosely for my tastes anyway.
I had the opportunity to purchase this game a week ago, as a Best Buy close to my house broke the street date and put it out on the shelves, but Ive already let a friend borrow it, and once hes finished, Ill probably put it up for auction or trade it in, because Im dreading the prospect of ever playing it again.
A blast to play, but not enough play testing beforehand
On: 2009-06-10In line of the new superhero boom, Prototype and Infamous has graced us with there presence, and the nightmarish days of Superman Returns and Superman64 are all but forgotten. Alex Mercer, a seemingly normal science nerd, awakens on a mortuary slab to suddenly find himself hunted by GENTEK scientists and a special forces paramilitary organization, trying to piece together his life and memories for those he consumes.
Visuals in this hold up greatly, and the feel of Manhattan, though they were prohibited from using some of the facades is so real its almost visceral. Building heights and skyscapes are well detailed and accentuated even from the highest points, and gliding down doesnt produce more than the most forgivable lag in visual detail. The only problem is seeming to becoming almost endemic: TYPEFACING.
You notice how these black letters contrast rather well with the stark white background. Eevn wehn I pourspely mipsslel eevry wrod in a sneetcne you can udnretsnad waht Im syanig. Thats because you can actually read them (And because of an interesting brain chemistry quirk in which, at least with jolly ol English, you only need to have the first and last letters in the right positions, but I digress). Having a blood red scrolling text against a midnight black background is a one way road to what did that say? Even though this game has the magical ability to reread a page of scrolling text, in itself a miracle, its almost as illegible the second time. Im not sure if all of these recent games with a few rare exceptions are being playtested on $5500 Plasma-hi-def-laser-inscribed-holo-uh...nano-based? televisions, but the uproar over Dead Space should have gotten the message across that you need to be able to read text to enjoy it, and read it on a gamer salary television.
Audio, as should be expected, is top notch. While the main character has the expected problem of having smoked since kindergarten, and never speaking with anything other than a near-emo vengeful hiss, the characters fill their roles well. Memories that you consume are told from a first-person, in-voice style, and radio intercepts vary from more than three messages, and are done with multiple voices.
Gameplay is where the game hits its finest points and its most groaning misses. The game is fantastically fun. Pounding tanks into scrap, carving enemies up like turkeys being filleted with chainsaws, ripping industrial air conditioners out of roofs at throwing them at apaches never loses its charm. The side missions are your basic cookie cutter, but there well put together and intelligently thought out so that, even from the first try, theyre actually games of skill and intelligent upgrading rather than nonsensical trial/error chores. The web of intrigue, which is essentially your logbook and movie storehouse, while a bit of a strange design, helps flesh out the story nicely, and the links between the various parties become apparent even early on and mesh together well. Best of all, youre not spoon fed any of story, and have to fight for just about every scrap, at least to start.
Powers are varied and have their own uses, and though the fall into the standard templates, are creative and have varied uses.
But there are too many points where the game stumbles and falls flat. Running fast creates pothole like craters behind you, which youd think would be the proverbial trail of breadcrumbs that the delta force would use to follow you and place a 50 cal round in your head. Jumping from a high rooftop will create a concentric explosion that blasts cars around and creates a general panic, while having your flesh ripple and gurgle like a lava lamp as you turn into someone else garners nary a raised eyebrow by crowds of passersby. Commanders seen by dozens of men grabbed, consumed, and then flown away with are welcomed by the same soldiers that were trying to fill the obvious clone with lead not ten seconds prior. "Evading" the military consists of running around a building corner. And the difficulty is like a wild roller coaster. Monsters encountered in the first real story mission can tear you to pieces within a few heartbeats, regardless of approach. Healing becomes a problem quickly, as you can consume enemies while being pummeled from behind. The standard button configuration make combat on the fly difficult(left stick to move, left d-pad to change powers), as you cant move while activating or deactivating a power without an extra knuckle on your thumb.
But, as most of you are probably thinking, these are nits. And while some of you probably pound the desk and either agree wholeheartedly or think I need to find something better to whine about, these are the only nits. A few control issues are present, but not enough to bear mention, though the lack of a ledge grab ability is a bit curious. The game overall, is fantastic, entertaining, and actually playable on a higher difficulty setting without sending normal players into fits, though some of the 360 achievements are laughable pipe dreams. But all told, this, like Infamous, is worth full market price, as itll encourage more of the same.
--best super hero style game on xbox 360--
On: 2009-06-10if you enjoy games like Incredible Hulk:Ultimate Destruction or Spiderman 1-3, you will most likely have a total blast with Prototype, as the controls could be compared to a fusion of the two (including the open world city), although overall its a unique super powered experience. the list of powers is too long to have here in its entirety, but heres a tast: shape shifting (overall & individual body parts) super speed, 100ft jumps, running up walls, gliding, super strength, ect. you can also commandeer enemy military vehicles like tanks and helicopters.
graphically speaking, its not bad at all given all the action on screen at once and the huge variety of powers at your finger tips. there is a nice variety between buildings and characters on the street. although soldiers pretty much all look the same, depending on their class.
all kills/activities give yout experience points toward upgrading your character how you see fit, whether its upgrading his health bar, running sleed, jump height, or learning an entirely new power.
theres a decent variety of missions, ranging from chases, to protection missions, stealth operations, to general extermination, ect.
controls are responsive and smooth, once you get accustomed to your larger than life character. very few games arm you with such raw power and destructive capabilities built into your character.
basically you are the prototype to an experiment 40 years in the making, you wake up with no knowledge of who or what you are, only the need to find out, and the tools required to do so.
the story is filled with intrique. who are you really? how did this happen to you? is there any humanity left inside Alex Mercer? who did this to you? and what in the &%*$ kind of twisted things are you going to do to them?.. enjoy.
graphics 8.25/10
gameplay 9.5/10
controls 9/10
sound 8/10
story 8.75/10
overall - 9/10
replay value = moderately high
I didn't like GTA but I love this game!!!
On: 2009-06-09To me the mix would be GTA meets Skate 2 meets Hulk. Imagine you can auto skate the entire environment and do amazing movement by holding 1 button. Story is just ok, nothing really shocked me. Fighting style reminded me of Ninja Gaiden. Graphics? Top Notch! Sound? I really dont know, I wasnt paying attention since theres so much movement but it must be good because I dont remember any part that music was bad enough to remember. Control is where it shines...and falls... Im not sure what their intention to the control. Most of time, I feel like running on top of a slippery ice. When you upgrade your movements, it gets even more crazier. Also, when playing on "normal" it felt too easy for me. The character moves so fast that enemy cant keep up w/ you and regeneration of health is too easy. Targetting system is very annoying. Anyways, this is the best ACTION game of 2009!!! I prefer slow action style like God of War but this is something different!! definitely a BUY!
Fun action game!
On: 2009-06-09This game is not your original violent game... THIS GAME TAKES IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL!!!!!!!!!!!
The game is like Grand Theft Auto mixed with Red Fraction Guilluia if that is how you speel it???
Its an amazing game to play for a long period of time. Maybe you will find yourself playing for hours and miss that movie you were suppose o go to with yor wife. But this is a fun game. NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Activison hits one out of the park with a new IP.
On: 2009-06-09Prototype is a new game from the guys at Activison. Here they take a look at other open world (sandbox) games like GTA, Crackdown, and really Hulk UD and mix them up in a blender to form this tasty cocktail.
The game starts off in the heat of the battle. Crazy "infected" cilivains and armored military face off. You, Alex Mercer, is in the middle. The games first 5 min introduces all the powers you can get while playing the game and really previews some truly specail and powerful moves. The game then takes time to jump back in time to tell the story from the start. Its this little "Pulp Fiction" take on the narritive that has you rebuilding Alex to the person you first played as. The games story is done well enough to never make you want to skip it, it does manage to prgress the action along nicely.
The biggest complaint is the opened ended of the game. Dont go in expecting a GTA game world...or even a Crackdown game world. NYC in Prototype is small in comparison. A fully upgraded Alex can go from one side of the map to the next in a few mintues.
This isnt the lush playground that Rockstar created with GTA4. Here NY seems a little plain and boring. It is nice to see all the gory deathes and the change from the infection spreading over the NY landscape. With that said the mission are also very linear in scope. You will not have a dozen of missions at once on the map. Youll get one at a time.
They included a few "events" or minigames that you can pick from and play. All these do though is add to your Experiance Points so you can purchase upgrades. And this is where Prototype shines. Destorying bases and killing bad guys for all the EP you can muster just so you can upgrade Alex is great fun, always with the goal to become that killing machine you were in the first 5 mins. of the game.
In the end Activison has a soild game on their hands with Prototype. It might not have the buzz or the flash of other sandbox games but it really is a nice change of pace from the norm and well worth a play. Heres hoping they follow up this game with a Prototype 2.
