Prototype 2 - Xbox 360

Radical’s Latest Emerges From Prototyping Phase

Bryan Vore — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:19:00 GMT

When the first Prototype released in 2009, it did a lot of things right: traversing the towering skyscrapers of New York City, stealing the identity of anyone you see, and forming weapons out of your character’s grotesquely morphed appendages. It fell short with a frustrating combat system, lackluster visuals, and inconsistent missions. Prototype 2 feels like a well-heard response to fan feedback, addressing nearly every issue from the original.

Over a year after the events of Prototype 1, New York is overrun yet again by the Blacklight virus. Former protagonist Alex Mercer has gone completely to the dark side, and new hero James Heller is out for revenge against Mercer for causing the outbreak that killed his family. Before long, Mercer grants his viral powers to Heller, seeing potential in the experienced soldier and hoping to win him as an ally.

Mercer slides easily into the antagonist role, since he was always more of an antihero. Heller reminds me of God of War’s Kratos, focused entirely on revenge with his emotions set constantly on angry. With him, Radical essentially traded in one story cliché (amnesia) for another (dead wife and kid). The arc hits all the familiar beats along the way without dropping any silly twists. Character interactions unfold in pre-rendered cutscenes, displayed in stylish black and white with red highlights. Except for confronting Mercer from time to time, they primarily exist so that Heller can threaten people or abruptly walk out when he’s got the gist of the next mission. Fortunately, these story-delivery nuggets fly by quickly, keeping you out in the action as much as possible.

Bouncing through the city and pounding the hell out of everything is the real focus here. The city traversal is some of the best I’ve seen. Like Mercer before him, Heller can sprint up a skyscraper in seconds, dash and glide through the air, and commandeer tanks and helicopters – but now the controls feel more natural. I loved how quickly I could zip across the whole city to a mission in no time and still land on a dime or flee a strike team and transform in a dark alley to escape.

The mobility improvements are nice, but combat has evolved even more. Instead of constantly fiddling with a weapon wheel, two powers are mapped to separate face buttons, allowing you to mix up ground-pounding Hammerfist area attacks with speedy melee claws. Or maybe you’d prefer pairing an arm blade with the long-range Whipfist that can cut groups of enemies in half. A new power extends tendrils from your arm and strings up a target, leaving it vulnerable to limb-slicing or other special attacks. Especially cool is its charged black hole attack that goes into the enemy, shoots out a bunch of tentacles, and pulls in surrounding debris.

New defensive options make Heller feel like a complete combat package rather than Mercer’s tendency to get caught up in a volley of Hunter punches or missiles with little chance of escape. The shield is easily accessible at all times, and it doesn’t ever break. Time it right and you can even reflect rockets or counter melee attacks with a shield bash covered in long spikes. You can also easily flip over enemies when they attack and start slashing from behind. I felt like I had to run away from battle to recharge a lot less this time around.

The difficulty remains relatively mild with a challenging flare-up here and there, but it never gets cheap. While most of the missions aren’t too tough on their own, many of them contain an Assassin’s Creed-style bonus objective for extra experience. Sometimes you simply have to try out a brand-new power, but other times you have to fight a huge infested monster without getting hit, for example. Overall, these objectives are easier to pull off than AC’s, but I always appreciate when developers hint at a unique way to solve a problem to pull me out of methods I’ve settled into.

You’ll be tracking targets to consume with a city-wide sonar ping, putting down infected monstrosities, busting/sneaking into bases, chasing creatures along the rooftops, posing as a Blackwatch soldier. Some stretches feel a little repetitive, but things always pick back up soon enough, especially at the end. The final boss puts all of your powers to the test, and is much more narratively significant than the previous final boss. Unfortunately, the by-the-numbers, post-battle wrap-up doesn’t leave much of an impact.

You could just stick to the core objectives and get through the game quickly, but it’s wise to keep up with the extra Blacknet missions as well. They provide unique tasks, more evolution points, and unique mutation upgrades. These mutations work outside the standard leveling system offering bonus range or damage to certain powers, faster hijack speed, and more. They can also be obtained by picking up black boxes scattered throughout the city, taking down hidden Blackwatch squads, and clearing underground lairs. Don’t worry, there are far fewer than the hundreds of floating orbs in the original, and the brilliant in-game hint system ensures that you can find everything without cracking open a guide once.

Prototype 2 has officially redeemed this franchise. The mechanics feel the way you wished they would have in the first installment, and it’s a rush to abuse your incredible powers any way you see fit. If you’ve stayed away from the first game because of the lackluster word of mouth, don’t hesitate to jump right into the sequel. A slick video catches you up on everything right out of the gate so there’s no excuse to miss this taste of ultimate viral power.

What is Radnet?

Radnet is the online component of Prototype 2 that comes as a code with every new copy of the game. For seven weeks, the game updates with a new set of minigames, challenges, avatar items, and DLC content (weapons, skins, etc.). Minigame “events” will show up in your normal game, tasking you kill as many enemies as you can in a certain time limit, collect packages on rooftops, throw virus barrels into an incinerator, and more. If you complete a weekly set of tasks, you get a making-of video, a new mutation power, evolution points, and, if you beat all challenge sets, an Alex Mercer skin to use in the main game. Leaderboards keep track of all your scores and will promptly notify your friends if you best their scores. While I appreciate the attempt to introduce Pinball FX-style score battles, I just don’t care if someone does better than me at roof running. I just want to get a bronze rating on the event and move on to the next task so I can nab that weekly reward faster.

Need A Reason To Pick Up Prototype 2? Activision Has 11 Of 'Em

Jeff Cork — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:06:37 GMT

Radical Entertainment's Prototype sequel is filled with opportunities for players to create their own fun in the game's sprawling sandbox. Activision has released a new trailer for the game that highlights just a few of the insane things players will be able to do when they take on the role of James Heller. Warning: Helicopters don't fare so well.

Heller has loads of techniques at his disposal, which you'll see in this top 11 video list. A few of the clips include weapons and attacks that are only available as preorder bonuses. Still, even vanilla Heller can uppercut a chopper into the upper atmosphere without breaking a sweat.

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Look for Prototype 2 on April 24 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, and PC.

New Protoype 2 Video Shows Off Hunting Mode

Kyle Hilliard — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:03:40 GMT

The latest video for Protoype 2 shows off the hunting mechanic, where players can single-out targets from just about anywhere in the city.

The video below shows the developers talking about the new mechanic as well as the Black Net computer network, that allows players to log on and learn more about targets and just exactly what is going on.

Prototype 2 will be available next year. Peruse our previous previews to learn more about Protoype 2.

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Explore Prototype 2's Fractured New York Zero In Dev Diary

Tim Turi — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:33:00 GMT

For Prototype 2, developer Radical Entertainment wants to create a more visually distinct world. That world is New York Zero. Since being ravaged by the cataclysmic event at the end of the first game, this ruinous city has been segmented into three districts. Radical Entertainment discusses the goals and tone it wished to achieve with these new areas in this new developer diary.

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We're eager to hear more about the militarized, pristine, and infected zones of Prototype 2. It sounds like Radical Entertainment is taking feedback from the first game seriously while trying to create an engaging open world experience.

New CG Trailer Caters To Tentacle Fans

Jeff Cork — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:57:00 GMT

Activision and Radical Entertainment said that a new Prototype 2 CG trailer would be arriving Friday at New York Comic-Con. Wouldn't you know it? Today's Friday, and we've got the clip for you right here. It sets up the confrontation between Prototype 1's Alex Mercer and new character James Heller. As you'll see, this Heller guy has a few neat tricks of his own.

You won't get so much of a glimpse of Mercer in this video, though there's another installment coming. Don't assume that this is just a bunch of boring exposition, though. Heller makes the most of this Mercer-free situation, taking the opportunity to demonstrate his arm-blade skills and devilishly effective tentacle bomb. See for yourself below.

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Activision has also released some new screens for the game, which you can see in the gallery. Look for Prototype 2 on April 24, 2012, on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

New Prototype 2 Trailer Shows Off Combat

Matt Miller — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:01:00 GMT

All sorts of crazy powers are on display in the newest video for Radical Entertainment's new open-world game.

The first Prototype game met with mixed reaction from critics and fans alike when it released in 2009. It remains to be seen whether the sequel will exceed the reaction met by its predecessor, but a new trailer for the game certainly makes it look like there's some fun to be had.

In Prototype 2, players take on the role of Sgt. James Haller as he wanders through New York Zero. We can only presume that New York Zero is a new branding strategy adopted by the local chamber of commerce to attract a younger, hipper crowd to the City That Never Sleeps.

Prototype 2 is set for release on April 24th.

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New Prototype 2 Trailer Details The Sordid History Of Blackwatch

Matt Helgeson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:07:00 GMT

Activision has high expectations for Prototype 2, which looks to expand on the intriguing concept of the first game while (hopefully) providing a more compelling gameplay experience than the first game.

This new trailer, entitled "Timeline," details the entire history of the secret military unit Blackwatch and the Blacklight virus that it loosed on the world and the first game's protagonist Alex Mercer. In the second half, you'll also see another glimpse of the sequel's new character, James Heller.

Activision also dropped some new screenshots of the game, so check them out at the bottom of the page.

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Video: The Power Of Prototype 2's Tendrils

Adam Biessener — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:55:00 GMT

Activision put together a video with equal parts developer commentary and in-game slaughter to show off the new face of the tendril power in Prototype 2.

H.R. Giger would be proud of the things you can do to your hapless foes in the upcoming action game from Activision and Radical Entertainment. From stringing up dudes to cars to smashing them together midair, players should have an amusing time experimenting with the tendril power in Prototype 2.

If you're looking for more, check out Activision's explanation of what the last game's protagonist is up to for the sequel here.

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Prototype 2 is scheduled to come out in 2012.

What Happened To Alex Mercer In Prototype 2?

Phil Kollar — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Fans of the original Prototype -- I'm assured by the comments section that they do exist -- have been wondering why developer Radical Entertainment decided to remove Alex Mercer as the protagonist of the upcoming sequel and make him the villain. Who better to explain than the developers themselves?

In this video, the developers lay out why they felt turning Mercer into the enemy makes for a compelling story in Prototype 2. Check it out, let us know if you buy their reasoning, and then take a look at the last Prototype 2 trailer from last month.

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Activision also sent over this cool poster image showing off the new hero from Prototype 2:

Go On A Magical Flight With Latest Prototype 2 Trailer

Phil Kollar — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:55:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered what goes through the head of a faceless enemy tossed from a rooftop by Prototype 2's super-powered lead James Heller? Activision's newest trailer for the game provides an unexpected answer: soft, pretty music.

Prototype 2 returns to a New York City overrun by a conflict between various conspiratorial military factions, a virus that is mutating the city, and a powerful, dark anti-hero on the hunt for revenge. The sequel follows the tale of Sergeant James Heller, who is infected with the same strange bug as the first game's Alex Mercer. Distraught and angry, Heller now wants to find and kill Mercer.

Though the trailer below is short, it does showcase one aspect of the game that has me a little hopeful: the redesigned city. Even in these brief flybys, it seems like Prototype 2's New York City has a lot more character and life than last time around.

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