Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Activision

Developer
Radical Entertainment

Released: June 10, 2009
Genre: Action
Players: 1

9
9
10
9
9.2

Supported Features:

To their credit, Radical Entertainment blends all these elements into a single action extravaganza unlike anything I have ever played in my 25 years of gaming. There is so much to do and so many ways to do it that I really don’t see any end in sight for this game. My gameplay experience lasted 17:19:29 from opening movie to closing credits, and that was a fairly focused run through the story with only a few side excursions to the more than 20 more hours that await in all the various side events and scavenger hunts.

There are 200 Landscape icons to find and collect as well as 50 Hint icons. Fans of the Spider-Man games will undoubtedly remember all those web icons you had to find, but these are even more challenging with icons hidden in remote alleys, under bridges, and at the very top of the tallest tower on the tallest building in Manhattan – some places you cannot even reach until you have acquired new and enhanced skills. During my story run I only collected about half of these icon as I caught them out of the corner of my eye. I expect at least 3-5 more hours of dedicated searching by helicopter when the sun goes down – the best time to see the glowing orbs.

While it might be easy to dismiss these non-story game elements as optional fluff, rest assured that you are handsomely rewarded with EP that you can use to radically (pun intended) develop Alex however you see fit. You have a comprehensive list of attacks, abilities, movement, combat, disguise techniques, and other abilities that need to be initially purchased and then upgraded through several tiered levels of devastation. At the end of my story I was only about 90% fully evolved, but with most of my missing upgrades costing a million or more EP, I have my work cut out for me to achieve my god-like status.

Prototype is a compelling single-player story that kicks off in the present, at least for Alex. He is loaded with powers and abilities allowing gamers a slick tutorial that showcases what lies in store for the dedicated player. Once the opening in-game tutorial is over you are transported back in time 18 days to where it all begins, with you lying in the morgue, only you aren’t quite dead. You just have amnesia. Meanwhile, outside, a viral bomb has gone off a Penn Station and the entire city is going to hell in a hurry. Half the citizens are mutated zombies and the other half are their screaming victims.

Enter Blackwatch, a private military organization with deep and sinister roots that can be traced back to secret experiments in the 60’s, experiments that are responsible for the current infestation, and secrets they are desperately trying to suppress, along with the growing percentage of infected New Yorkers that continually increases as the story progresses. Alex is also infected, but his variation of the virus has made him more super-human than zombie. Sadly, this makes him a target of both the military and the infected hordes, so he is getting it from both ends.

Alex is on a hunt to find the source of the virus, uncover the evil plot of Blackwatch, and possibly save the city. In order to do this he must make use of his powerful morphing abilities that allow him to fashion weapons and shields, or even take on the personae of other people by “consuming” them. Consuming people is a major part of the game by which you not only gain valuable access to bits of memory that will eventually complete the story in the Web of Intrigue; you also assume their visual identity and any skills of that person. Imagine consuming a tank or APC driver or a chopper pilot and immediately recalling their military training to pilot that craft, or how about consuming a Base Commander that grants you access inside military bunkers.

Stealth is a huge part of Prototype and you are encouraged to complete missions without triggering military alerts. This is fairly easy at first, as you simply must refrain from doing anything “super-human” while somebody is watching, as noted by the alert iris in the HUD. Later in the game the military will deploy fixed and portable virus sniffers and even super-soldiers that can detect you even in disguise. When the military does spot you they will send out Strike Teams that you must either destroy or evade.

As you complete each mission new upgrades and events are unlocked and will appear as icons on the massive city map. When not engaged in a mission you are in free-roam mode and can take part in any events or explore the city for hidden icons. Everything you do earns you EP that can be used to enhance Alex. It’s an interesting balancing act because if you rush through the story you will be ill prepared for bosses and events near the end. Prototype is more of a leisurely experience to be savored.

Some of the Events are quite addicting. You might find yourself jumping off a building and trying to glide into a target zone, or kill a certain amount of enemies, or trying to consume military people or scientists within a time limit, or even infiltrating a military base. There is also an ongoing balance of power within the city as viral Hives take over buildings and spread across the city. You can watch this red vs. blue battle unfold on the city map and even tip the balance of power by destroying hives or military bases to weaken their hold on that part of the city.

Manhattan offers a massively complex playground that boggles the mind. This is the most advanced version of the city we have seen in any game to date, not only in architecture but also in texture. I found myself continually getting lost in the journey and often forgetting my destination, and when I checked the map I was usually on the wrong side of town. One downside to this epic scale is travel time, at least in the beginning before you can hijack choppers or jump and glide across 2-3 city blocks at a time. While you can mark your waypoint on the map there is no “instant travel”, even when you go back to wrap up loose ends after the story is over. Expect a lot of running, jumping, and gliding to get where you’re going.

If I had to complain about anything in Prototype it would have to be that there is just too much here. You have this huge radial wheel of abilities and by the end of the game I realized I was pretty much only using 3-4 of them. I used claws and blades mostly but I never used Muscle Mass even though it was fully upgraded. I never used thermal vision but I did use infected vision. And each mode as so many attacks and buttons to remember that the game ends up being like Tekken with elaborate combos that have you holding triggers and buttons combined with analog movement, and some of the devastator combos like Circle and Square are extremely awkward to hit. You certainly can't fault the game for not giving you enough options or ways to play.

The game is a wonder to behold, not so much for it’s beauty – actually the game gets progressive less attractive as the city decays under the hold of the red-tinted virus. But the level of detail in ever facet of the city design is amazing as is the vast amount of awesome animations for Alex in each and every mode and ability. Even when he is just speed-running down the street, hurdling cars, or running up the side of a building or gliding to the next rooftop, you see these creepy black tendrils protrude from his extremities to grant him this mobility. The PS3 only supports 720p so it's not quite as crisp as the 1080p version on the 360 when it comes to gameplay, but the cutscenes look much better on the PS3.

The draw distance is impressive given the complexity of the world, and while there is some pop-up like rooftop water towers and AC units, at least the hidden blue and purple orbs are easy to spot, especially at night. The mini-map is key for locating event spots and memory consumption opportunities. I was particularly impressed when I took my first helicopter trip around the city and could just take in the whole scale of it all. But down on the ground you also get a nice variety of people and cars that bring the city to life. I challenge you to stand in the center of Times Square at night and not be amazed at the colors and light and overall ambience of a living, breathing city.

When it comes to audio it doesn’t get any better than Prototype. If THX certification weren’t enough, Radical is using a new DTS Neural Surround system to bring this game to life in a completely immersive way using full 7.1 audio for those with the hardware to support it. You can hear every gunshot, scream from a pedestrian, crash of a car, radio signal alerting a strike team, or the growl of an infected Hunter, and it all comes at you from the direction of the source. I was easily able to identify and locate enemies and objectives by simply listening for their sound then flicking the target lock stick in that direction. Not only does the sound enhance the experience, it totally adds to the gameplay.

Expect a 16-20 experience for the main story and at least another 10-12 hours of wrapping up loose ends after the credits roll and you are put back into the city. There are 40 Trophies, many of which are quite challenging – especially killing 53,000 infected or crushing 2,000 cars. I only got about 18 on my initial pass. None of them require a replay of the story other than the one for finishing on Hard. I’ll be happy to just wrap up the events, even if I can’t earn gold medals in them all, and finding the missing icons and memories scattered about the city. It’s this kind of post-game content you can come back to for short bursts of gaming with no long-term commitment since the game auto-saves after every significant find.

The best way I could describe Prototype is a mix of GTA meets Wolverine with a dash of Spider-Man thrown in. I haven’t had this much visceral fun and carnal bloodletting since Wolverine, and Prototype is on an entirely different level when it comes to scale, scope of story, and total originality. I can’t recommend it enough – this is a must-own, must-play game that is easy to play and impossible to put down.