Gaming Review - Prototype

(Originally written June 14, 2009)

In Prototype, Manhattan’s fate looks pretty grim. There has been an outbreak of some sort, and it is continuing to spread at an alarming rate, basically changing the population into zombies. You take the role of Alex Mercer, a man who avoids becoming one of the mindless masses, but is still affected in an unexplainable and monumental way by this same virus.

Though this set up is a solid foundation for many games and films that have come before, it still holds up throughout the game, remaining both intriguing and unpredictable for the most part. Still, I think the main reason for the stories success is not the actual plot behind it, but the way it is presented to the player. In the beginning, Mercer finds himself not knowing anything about himself and what has happened, and throughout the game it is up to the player to fill in the blanks by consuming people in the world. Though it is not necessary to complete all consume events, it is highly recommended in order to fully understand and immerse oneself in the journey of the protagonist.

While uncovering more and more about the situation Mercer finds himself in, he also starts evolving, becoming stronger, faster, and capable of doing a wide variety of moves and attacks. However, he is not the only thing changing. The open world is constantly being filled in with more side missions that allow ample opportunity to gain more experience, or just take a break from the main storyline. Also, main plot points becoming more and more challenging, and the only complaint is that there seems to be a constant seesaw in the difficulty level of the boss battles. The most obvious example of this is in the last two battles. It took me forever to beat Elizabeth Greene, however, the final battle on the carrier seemed overly simplistic. Then again, I think the actual problem might not be in the difficulty level of the bosses themselves, but in the way I went about trying to defeat them. For one thing, I was never sure which power of Mercer’s to use because at this point in the game there was such a wide variety to choose from, so more often than not I used the ones I had come to rely on and not the ones that probably would have been most affective.

With a game like this spanning the area of an entire island, the design work does not live up to its full potential. The buildings, though fun to climb and jump off of, are nothing spectacular, and are not distinct enough in their appearance (though I do really like Times Square). On a similar note, it does seem that the designers did put a lot of time in creating the characters filling the game. Though I will never understand Mercer’s choice of clothing, it sure looks good blowing in the wind as he glides from building to building. And last but not least, the animation of the cutscenes are done really well.

Though upon first glance prototype may appear to be just another open world game built around the downfall of Manhattan, it is far too fun to pass up.

Final Grade: 8.5