Prototype 2

Blog Post: It was good

TheMightyBlooBlah — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:49:00 GMT

I enjoyed the story as well as the fights adn challenges.

Wiki: Prototype 2 Guides

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:12:00 GMT

Guides for Prototype 2

Wiki Page: Strike, You're Out. Achievement

Foba Bett — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:12:00 GMT

This achievement requires you to destroy a Strike Team in 15 seconds or less. Normally, this achievement seems a lot harder than it is, but it mainly depends on the area you're located in; the red zone for instance, is a place too well guarded for players to successfully earn this achievement, and while the green zone is a better place, I've recommended the Yellow Zone, which is the perfect area to travel to in order to attempt this achievement. To earn this, head to a base there and hijack a helicopter. Once you do, cause a little mayhem until a strike team is called - which will always be one single helicopter, contrary to the multiple helicopters that usually appear in the other regions. Fly over to the helicopter and destroy it - preferably with missiles - to earn this achievement. Too easy.

Wiki Page: All Together Now Achievement

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:39:00 GMT

This achievement requires you to get 10 kills with a single bio bomb attack. You can do this with anyone or thing, so feel free to use this on the general public - I did, in the Green Zone. Or, you can earn this while in a Lair or even the Red Zone, both of which are constantly populated with infected. A relatively easy achievement to earn.

Wiki Page: Cannonball Achievement

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:37:00 GMT

This achievement's a bit harder to get since it requires you to kill a bunch of enemies - 20 - at the same time with one Hammerfist attack. In the overworld of New York Zero, you'll probably never find that many enemies crowded around each other to earn it, except possibly the Red Zone. However, you should have no problem locating large groups of infected inside Lairs. Try to corral a group, and then have at it until you've earned this achievement. It's relatively easy when you're inside a Lair and I earned it the very first time I tried.

Wiki Page: Anger Management Achievement

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:27:00 GMT

To get this achievement, you have to level up Heller to the point that you are able to earn the Finisher ability. It requires you to destroy five vehicles using this skill. Once you have earned this skill, simply start a few battles with enemies - usually at their bases where tanks and other enemy vehicles will be located - and when you see a tank or APC coming, do as you usually would and mount it. With the Finisher ability enabled however, you can simply press "Y" (for Xbox 360 players) once you've landed on these vehicles to instantly destroy them. Repeat the process, and you should have the skill in no time.

Wiki Page: How to get the So Above It All Achievement and Icarus Achievement

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:11:00 GMT

This achievement requires you to remain in the air for about 25 seconds. Early in the game, it's pretty hard to do this since you don't have your air dash ability evolved to its highest yet. Once you do, which will hopefully be when you've reached the Red Zone, travel to the Empire State Building in that zone and head to the top. Quite simply, you can also get the Icarus achievement by climbing up the building's spire. Continuing, you can glide from the Empire State Building's roof - make sure you use your air dash every so often to keep your gliding angle from becoming too steep. You should have the opportunity to use air dash either twice or three times. Either way, you should have more than enough time under your belt once you reach street level. When you land, the achievement should pop up.

-Orochi

Forum Post: Re: Why kill Alex Mercer when we played as him in the first game?

AlexMercer710 — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 01:35:00 GMT

What you just said Makes a load of sence. I hope your right.

Blog Post: Surpasses the Sequel, But Not By Much

pokecharm — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:53:00 GMT

Being able to morph body parts into any number of weapons seems like the perfect game, but an occasional frame rate issue or frustrating game play make the game less successful than it should be. In Prototype 2, the gamer plays as James Heller, returning from discovering his family has been killed and wanting to be inserted into a troublesome time in NYZ, their version of New York City. Heller quickly is descended upon by Alex Mercer, the anti-hero from the original game, and is infected with the Mercer virus. The game then goes down the long trodden path of revenge.

The story isn't original, the writing is lacklustre at times and the voice acting is passable, but nothing stands out in these areas of the game. What makes Prototype 2 worth playing are the controls that are easy to get the hang of and the stunning visuals that play out through the game. Building off of the original game, the game unlocks new weapons as you progress, but two of those can be mapped to one of the face buttons, but only two. You are granted several weapons but can only use two at any given time, which can be frustrating, especially if you are surprised by an attack and can't remember what controls you've mapped. Despite this, the controls are easy and the game does assist you with button presses onscreen at various points of action.

The visuals are truly phenomenal. The cut scenes are comprised of black, white and red and make for a stark contrast to the rest of the Prototype world. Unlike in the first game, the levels of the virus affecting the world are not displayed as the game progresses, but instead are depicted by three different zones the player visits. Each zone grows increasingly more challenging, but the God-like powers that Heller possesses make it impossible for any to truly stand against him. While the enemies also grow increasingly harder, with a simple dodge or block, the gamer can debilitate them quickly. In some ways, it made the game easy.

I'd like to say this game was great, but it wasn't. And for $80, I got the collector's edition; it might not have been worth the extra cash. I have to say, if you did get the collector's edition, the packaging is really quite nice, and while I love having a statue or something else, they give you a 20% of coupon for their online store which is decent.

I have to say I enjoyed playing this game. I wasn't a fan of the first game, mostly because I found Mercer to be deplorable. But having Heller be victimised and then avenging his family gave the story something more to work with, but it still wasn't much. When you play a game like Prototype, you play it for its mindlessness, and that is the best I can say about it. It was good mindless fun, and sometimes that's all you need while playing a game.

Blog Post: This Experiment is a Success

Orochisama LEVON, Spectre — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:37:00 GMT

14 months after the events of the first Prototype, disaster still reigns in New York City, now called New York Zone. Thousands of infected transformed by the Blacklight virus roam the streets, and Blackwatch continues to hide its sinister motives from the general public. However, Prototype 2 isn't the same old bag of tricks with fancier graphics.

Players got the chance to assume the role of Alex Mercer in the first Prototype, former scientist for Gentek, a front organization for Blackwatch and the game's equivalent of Umbrella corp. The story, haphazardly told and incohesive, was riddled with flaws and poor execution. Yet, there was promise, found in the player's chance to explore the Big Apple and wreak havoc with no restrictions - when they weren't getting pummeled by infected mutants and struggling to handle the controls and lackluster stealth and combat system. In Prototype 2, the franchise asks for a second chance and mostly delivers.

Enter Sgt. James Heller, a marine that loses his wife and child to a Blacklight infection in Manhattan. He vows to avenge them by killing Mercer, only to end up infected by the villain and given strange powers out of a hidden interest. Players will then begin their journey through Heller's story, and there will be blood. Lot's of it. Lush graphics, starkly contrasted cutscenes, and lot's of pyrotechnics complement it.

Prototype 2's most obvious improvements are found in its gameplay. Heller, in contrast to Mercer, automatically comes equipped with a few nifty abilities, such as gliding, that can be improved as the player unlocks new mutations, in addition to a few satisfying new tricks. The "hunting" ability, a type of sonar Heller can use to track his targets, will prove useful when players are completing objectives; a map that displays mission and side quest locations via small icons also keeps the player focused. Rarely will you ever feel lost in this game, unless you're knee-deep in a showdown.

Combat is better too, with Heller able to dodge and counter enemy attacks at the press of a button. He also has a plethora of different skills, as well as visceral "finishers" like beheadings, brutal smashes, and - in the case of the numerous legions of armored vehicles you'll face off against - explosions. Nearly anything you find will be used as a weapon, from cars you can toss into the face of your enemies to missile launchers you can rip from gunships and tanks. Using the powers that Heller inherits however, are the main attraction.

Any combination of a couple of Heller's abilities can be mapped to your controller at once, and changed on the fly with no problem. Whether it's the hulk-like fists you can use to smash and obliterate with; sharp claws that will turn Heller into a fierce incarnation of Wolverine; the snakelike Whipfist that'll make short work of any helicopter normally out of your reach; even the tendrils you can use to devastate enemies and the blade you can disembowel - and decapitate - your enemies with. The incorporation of a leveling system - experience is primarily gained by consuming important enemies and completing quests - as well as the use of these powers and even rudimentary weapons will eventually raise Heller's proficiency, making them more powerful. Soon, you'll even be hijacking tanks and gunships with ease and unleashing havoc on the wonderfully rendered battlefield.

The gratuitous amounts of customizing you'll do as Heller evolves also makes the grind of consuming people seem enjoyable. Different perks can be chosen as you level Heller up to your liking; pretty soon, those brutes and juggernauts you struggled against before will be harmless, especially when you can wipe them out with earthquakes, dive into the ground and cause spikes to erupt, and conjure a massive shield to defend against them. I haven't even mentioned the pack of mutants you'll be able to summon, or the enormous enemies you'll end up facing, like Hydras, mutated monsters that rise from the pavement, or even the Goliaths, infected colossi several stories high. Then, when you're not fighting the faceless Blackwatch soldiers and scientists, there's the Evolved, powerful new enemies that are an integral part of a new development later on. Nothing in Prototype 2, however, would be nearly as exciting without the impressively-rendered set pieces of New York.

Traveling throughout Manhattan and watching as tanks open fire against legions of infected monsters can seem unsettling at times. There're secret missions to complete for new mutations, lairs where infected and other dastardly enemies can be found; and plenty of pedestrians you can consume - they're mainly interactive props, really - at your leisure. Heller's blindingly quick speed and climbing abilities put Altair and Ezio to shame, and scaling the top of the Empire State Building only to dive toward the streets always feels exhilarating; the improvement of the game's stealth feature, much more forgiving this time around, only adds to the allure, although poor AI detract from it.

The game's campaign features plenty of missions, although somewhat repetitive, where your stealth abilities will be used, though they'll never become too difficult. Sensors can detect Heller's presence, and acquiring the identity of targets to gain critical intel in guarded bases will feel like puzzles that put your deductive skills to the test... if you wish, that is. You could just bash their heads in and capture the target the hard - or in some cases, easy - way if you don't want to waste your time with the stealthy missions, although the hunting feature will make it easier to systematically eliminate any distractions. Guards will notice odd behavior and a gauge will fill until they're on full alert and hunting you down with bazookas and strike teams, in addition to super-soldiers; you'll then have to lose them and shift your identity until things return to normal. With the numerous places Heller can escape to, this normally tedious tactic is made easier.

Story-wise, Prototype 2 is still a game with dozens of missions that follow the same pattern; yet, Heller's action-packed adventure ties these events together and keeps the normally monotonous formula from becoming exhausting. A few surprising characters, as well as a nice twist or two, give the game a narrative experience they can invest themselves in. However, this doesn't come without flaws.

One of my chief problems with this game - and no, it's not the kitschy and exaggerated violence, which I love - is its treatment of Heller as a character. The writing in this game is hit-or-miss, with moments that will have players bursting out in laughter or awe at Heller's apathy, and others where players will undoubtedly cringe worse than they did at hearing Snake Fist talk in F.E.A.R. 2. Yeah, it's that bad. The nearly misogynistic tone of Heller - and even the game in general, if one considers a rather hamfisted title for one of its achievements - makes it hard to believe he's a caring husband and devoted father, in spite of all the hell he's enduring and inflicting to avenge them. This area is where the game suffers most, and after the spectacular final showdown, we're almost left sympathizing for the villain instead of the hero.

However, Prototype 2 is still a successful and otherwise thrilling game; or, a guilty pleasure for those too ashamed to admit they play this foul-mouthed and exorbitantly macabre romp throughout New York. While Heller obviously wasn't written to be liked, his one redeeming trait is what will keep players interested: no matter how angry or brutal he is, he's still a father that loves his kid. Cliché, I know, but in this era of popcorn storytelling, it's sure to touch more than a few lives - when players aren't too busy ripping others apart.

Blog Post: PROTOTYPE 2

xXxMUGETSUxXx — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:55:00 GMT

LOVING THE GAME, STILL PLAYING AS I TYPE LOL...

Blog Post: Prototype 2 A new Review.

DeadRedManiac — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:07:00 GMT

Starting this game I can't help, but be reminded of the first game. I thought Prototype 1 was a decent game that only got hyped up because people pitted it against Infamous. Now that Prototype 2 has come out ways after Infamous 2 I don't have to worry about how over hyped this game might be so I am glad to say that I was fully unbiased going into this game. I picked this game up at walmart on a whim because it came with Prototype 1 for free and since I didn't own my original copy. I took the deal and went home and started playing. For short bullets this is how I will break this down. The graphics and sound in this game are leaps and bounds over the first. You should not be disappointed at all. Voice cast is great with a couple too many f-bombs, but hey i still enjoyed it. Prototype 2 is also pretty short. They have some side missions, but other than that. I rushed through it in an easy ten hours if that. As for the story it was good for what it was, but what I wanted out of it was the back story of the virus. If you start up Prototype 2 you will have no clue who Gentek is or Blackwatch is and why they are important at all. You'll wonder like me where is the armed forces? I hope they do well enough to make a third game, but this time either a new character or Heller I do like him, but different location please. All in all unless you have 60 to throw down at walmart to get prototype 1 for free do it other than that wait till it goes down in price snag it up for about 29.99 and enjoy what it has too offer like I did.

Blog Post: Fun combat & relatable story

captainfez3 — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:16:00 GMT

I didn't play the original Prototype, however, I am a fan of open world games and was always really bummed that I couldn't play Infamous. Prototype has been at bargain price for a while but I was always hesitant to pick it up. After reading GIs review of Prototype 2, I thought I would take the plunge, especially since I haven't bought and played a game since Skyrim. It was a good choice.

First off, this game has a story that is very easy to get into to and is actually pretty good. There is a really nifty recap feature right on the main screen that gets you up to speed so you are ready to go when you start playing. The story itself I found to be good, not top notch, but it was definitely easy to relate to (I especially enjoy a good revenge story) and the voice acting brought it to life so well. I was really impressed with the voice acting, and the amount of cheesy or cringe inducing dialogue was minimal to non-existent, so the writing was superb.

Now the combat... wow. You basically have a toolbox of 5 primary weapons which are mutations to your arms, and each one feels very unique and powerful, so there isn't a default one that is above all the others. Tack onto that the ability to grab just about anything and use it as a projectile or if it is a person/creature, consume it or turn it into a living grenade... well let me just say it is hectic and fun. The one thing that really surprises me about the combat is not so much the offensive aspect of it, but the defensive aspect. The dodge button functions so well when it comes to fighting targets that require you to be more mobile and when you acquire the shield power later in the game (and it becomes crucial to defeating certain enemies) it was wonderfully responsive and was actually very easy to work into a combat rotation. As a final note, I've read several reviews that took some shots at the auto target and how it was tricky. I will say that it is partially true, however I would say two things. First, there is hardly any instance where you need to be able to accurately target one particular target amongst several and second, the combat in the game makes it somewhat difficult to put in a target system that is 100% accurate and I never encountered an instance where it was an issue.

The only thing I have against this game is the repetitive nature of some of the missions. All the story missions are pretty awesome, but all side quests follow a rinse/repeat formula that gets old and predictable fast. However, it is not a deal breaker in any sense and as always, it is completely optional (you'll want to do it though for the mutations and upgrades).

All in all, if you enjoy open world games, like action, or want to feel like a super hero (a feeling many of us may have if you just got done watching the Avengers like me) then you will want to play this game. I loved the story, the gameplay was both fun and solid, and the package as a whole is worth the investment.

Blog Post: Prototype 2 delivers like the first game!!

maxiboy77 — Sat, 05 May 2012 08:46:00 GMT

I know lot of people didn't like the repetitiveness of Prototype 1, I enjoyed it though. This game doesn't have that, much. Prototype 2 was an excellent game, well made to surpass it's predecessor, it was fun, addictive, and had that creepy tone like the first had. The narrative, and voice acting was also well made, and comical, hearing Heller curse a lot like a gansta was really funny, lotta people complain, but I enjoyed it. But the game is not perfect, not at all, it has some flaws that I don't like.

In the first game, when i was expecting it, i expected big, I expected this unique game, with powers, stealth, chaos, action and lot of military feelings. I was always thinking about the ability to consume a soldier and entering a base undetected and consume important people for information, and do fun stuff. Well that was a disappointment, since the stealth is not that big, and the bases were small. And the other thing I didn't like was the fact that you had to consume a guy to become him or her, I just didn't like that you became the last person you consumed instead of making you choose which of your consumed victims to become. Well Prototype 2 didn't fixed that.

Also in Prototype 1, you could be disguised as a military, or a civilian, and if you jump really high, or climb a wall, the soldiers around you see you as normal. I know that would made things more difficult, but that's the whole point, be stealthy. Well Prototype 2 didn't fixed that either, so you could just climb a wall as a civilian, and they still gonna think you are just a civilian.

Anyways, those cons don't break the fun of the game, it was really really fun, and I like even the story, although i didn't like that SinCity wanna be cutscenes, (the cutscenes where black and white, with some colors added, in my opinion, that was lame) the quest for revenge of James Heller, was well told, and better than Alex's. The game is fun, all the options you have, all the powers (my favorite is the pack leader, fighting alongside with other monsters is awesome), all the abilities and the side missions you have make this game worth buying. It deserves that 8.

SPOILER ALERT!! Last paragraph talks about the story and the ending.

Anyway, you know that before the game came out, there was this war between team Mercer and team Heller (so Twilight like, it makes me sad) but that war went one side only. Now as I stated above, this contains the spoiler of the ending so please, if you don't want to know about it stop reading now!! The ending was nice, but it left you even with more questions, so we may expect a Prototype 3, but there is only one ending, Alex gets consumed by James. It would had been nice to be like a bad ending where you get bested by Alex in your final battle, and Alex consumes you, and keeps on with his mission, and we could have seen like a long cutscene of how Alex could accomplish or fail his mission, don't matter, I just wanted to see Alex win also, for the sake of the Mercer team. So the fact that there was only that ending bothered, me, and is not because I was a team Mercer guy, neither team Heller, I'm not into making Prototype Twilight, bit it would had been nice, to give mercer a second chance as well. Also something else that bothers me is that, when Heller consumes Mercer, only the memory of Mercer locking Dana with Heller's daughter was played up. Now I know that was the main objective, but it would had been awesome seen lots of memories from Alex Mercer. Making him more important, and like the longest memories, since Mercer has thousands of memories, now I'm not saying to play all those memories, but like playing some scenes from the first game, and also some scenes of the comics, when Alex gets out of New york.Also, another thing I didn't like about the ending, is the fact that it just ends with you asking more questions, as well as the question Dana asked, what are they gonna do know? Let's just hope that there is a Prototype 3 to clear our minds.

But well, still that is how the game was made, and it was worth it. Like I said above, the game is worth buying, it's fun and all the options it has, makes this game a have a worthy 8 out of 10.

Blog Post: The Good vs Bad when it comes down to Prototype 2.

that_sterlin_kid — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:24:00 GMT

Prototype has always been a game that I would go to in order to blow off steam and have a good time. The ability to kill anything with a pulse and bring total destruction to the world around you with awesome powers just screamed “satisfaction”. However, due to the games rather constant difficulty spikes and a few bugs, Prototype had moments in which it quickly managed to go from fun to bothersome. Fortunately, Prototype 2 is here in order to save the day and fix all of the problems its predecessor had. Did it live up to expectations? Find out what went good and what went bad by reading on in this review.

As for the good things about Prototype 2: The game takes you in an interesting direction that I have never seen in the world of videogames, or anywhere actually. Remember that awesome character from the first game that you got to know, leveled up, unlocked new powers for and killed thousands or people with? Yeah, he’s the antagonist this time around. Instead of playing the game as Alex Mercer (Prototype 1 protagonist) you play as new protagonist James Heller, a man whose family is killed by the “Mercer Virus”. I’d go on if I could, but I’m not one to spoil things often so I will end it there. The idea of the protagonist being an enemy in the sequel blew my mind from the moment it was announced, and it actually managed to work out quite nicely.

When I’m given a sequel, I don’t want too many changes to be made and nothing taken out for the majority of them. Prototype 2 does just that by leaving the gameplay just about the same at its core from controls, to objectives. However, they did end up changing a few things that made the game more fun and a lot less bothersome than the first. One of these things is the fact that the developers have dropped the games difficultly. Trust me when I say that I love a good challenge. I have the platinum in Prototype 1 and 44 other games (at the time this review was posted), but Prototype had some serious difficulty spikes for those who are just looking for a good time. Another significant change in the gameplay is the simplification of vehicular control and combat, especially in helicopters. James’ powers are also a lot easier to access and level up, with a few returning powers from Prototype 1 and a couple new ones.

Unlike Prototype 1 (unless my memory serves me incorrectly), there are moments in Prototype 2 in which you must work with your enemy within your disguise. This means no powers and no consuming people around you when you’re low on health (unless you aren’t being watched). Not only does this add a bit of suspense to the game, but it encourages more of a use for military weapons in combat, which was fun to do before, but not really required.

Finally, I was actually quite intrigued by the way that the games menu is put together. Usually the menus for games are the same generic background, a selection of options to choose from, and/or just boring overall. In Prototype 2, the background for the menu changes based on your last position during an automatic save. The time and date for your given location in the real world can also be seen in the top right corner for those who are just too lazy to press your menu button or look at a clock nearby.

As for the bad things about Prototype 2: The games story may manage to sneak in through one ear and out of the other. Though interesting at its core and actually being able to bring up a couple moments of interest, the games story just doesn’t hold up for the most part. Prototype 2’s cast of characters are more variable, interesting, and slightly more in-depth than the ones in its predecessor, but for the majority of the ride I found myself disregarding the story as I mindlessly hacked and slashed at everything that moved.

Overall, this game is definitely worth picking up even if you haven’t played Prototype 1 and is (to me anyways) one of the very few sequels that prove to be better than the games before them. 9.0 out of 10.

If you liked what you saw, be sure to follow me on my Youtube Page (TrueFreakinGamers) or Twitter (thatSTERLINkid) to share your thoughts on whether you agree or disagree! Thanks for reading my review.

(Review based on PS3 version)

Blog Post: Short and Sweet

Ag3nt Shadow — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:42:00 GMT

I enjoyed my time with Prototype 2. I thought about writing a review after my first 5 hours or so..and decided to wait until I had completed more of the game. Well..after getting all 1000 achievement points and completing the game to 100% I think I can finally write this objectively..

Prototype 2 is everything that the first game should have been. The graphics are vastly improved. The gameplay is much better, and the difficulty...well...there is no real difficulty. I only died 2 or 3 times during both of my normal and hard playthroughs. The story isn't all that great, but that is not the point of this game.

What Prototype 2 really succeeds in doing a fantastic job of is character progression. The most fun in this game is had by turning your version of Heller into a bigger and bigger *** as you progress through the story.

If I had any complaints they would be:

1.) Sometimes the lock on system is infuriating. I found myself having difficulty locking onto enemies when the main focal point, whether character or object, was not what I was trying to lock. This was frustrating when I needed to consume an enemy for a bonus upgrade when that enemy was not the focus of the objective. This was not a major deal, but it was a little frustrating at times.

2.) The game was short...not OVERLY short...but short nonetheless. Not that this game was meant to be long necessarily, but i would have like it to be a little longer.

Being that those were my only complaints, Radical should be proud of themselves. They clearly listened to fan feedback, and created a great game with absolutely brilliant character progression (in stats, not personality...Heller is kind of like Kratos...he's always angry). Two areas that were fine..but could have been better, were graphics and story.

Blog Post: Prototype 2 (spoiler alert kinda)

Ellems — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:50:00 GMT

Prototype 2 has done a terrific job of embellishing and building on strengths of the original while rectifying all the weak spots of Prototype one. I'm sure there's nothing I can point out before that you haven't heard already so I'll just give a list of my pros and cons here.

Pros:

Graphics are awesome. Beautiful at best (especially in the yellow zone) and nothing to sneeze at at worst. Character animations have also improved greatly

Fun missions and for the most part, great story (for the other part see cons). Story missions are a fun mix of base infiltration, hunting, consuming and destroying with a few chases thrown in. Highly entertaining and satisfying boss battles are also a perk. Cutscenes are a lot of fun to watch also.

The script is great! It involves a more dynamic cast of characters than the previous game and cutscenes are much more diverse and interesting than the "Do this Mercer!" format of the first game.

Combat is awesome. The diversity of things you can do is a little higher than before and is a blast to play with, especially turning people into bio-bombs before hurling them into the middle of a military base.

Cons:

Silly as it may sound, there are some small things I really miss from the original. To me it seemed as if Prototype's combat was designed with a cunning, if twisted sense of humor. For instance, one could target an infected citizen, smash them with the hammer fist and proceed to play soccer with the zombie's vertebrae. This aspect of the series is gone, as all moves are designed for practicality.

One thing I noticed was how hard it is to drop quickly when assaulted by choppers. There may be a solution that I'm not aware of but Prototype had a good number of diving moves that could help you escape/hide from the military quickly as well as smash up groups of soldiers. There are some weapon moves that involve descending but falling is always frustratingly slow as Heller seems to operate with low gravity.

As inconsequential as these faults are, I probably would have given the game a 10 were it not for the ending. Neither Prototype game has been afraid to make dramatic plot-twists and I was really hoping for something interesting to happen at the game's climax (that involve Mercer returning for a third game maybe?). But the ending was super predictable and left me feeling flat and rather sad instead of triumphant.

This is probably because I feel more attached to Mercer than Heller. While a big deal was made out of James' increased relatability, he was not a particularly interesting character to work with. He is too hot-headed to take part in real dialogues with his fellow characters.

But these are not serious flaws. Besides a disappointing climax and a few small omissions, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. Brilliant graphics, action-packed and fun missions and endless diversity of fun things to do.... Buy this game and you will not regret it!

Thanks for reading, if you did, sincerely,

Ellems, proud Prototyper

Blog Post: Great looking game!

Break Point — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:31:00 GMT

The game looks as solid as it could ever be. The developers nailed it when it comes to the combat system and navigation around. Some camera angles screw me up a little but that is okay.

Overall the game looks wonderful and sounds wonderful as well the, they really put a nice touch on the way everything looks and sounds. The creativity and the touch ups that they made from the first game have made this game great!

Blog Post: Radical’s Latest Emerges From Prototyping Phase

Bryan Vore — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:32:00 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.[Excerpt]

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.

File: Prototype 2 review

Bryan Vore — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:08:00 GMT

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