Fans of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction should find much to like in Radical's free-world biological disaster follow-up.

Game Summary

Popzara Rating

Prototype is something of a interesting concoction, with a wealth of features and concepts that should work simultaneously to make a excellent game, but only when the stars align. On the surface there is theoretically plenty to enjoy with interesting gameplay mechanics that for the most part quite good, but its inconsistency to properly bring everything together reveal shortcomings that turns some of the incredibly brutal enjoyment into lingering annoyances when you need the cohesion the most. Fans of the developer's previous hit Ultimate Destruction will find much to like - and destroy - here, while the more undemanding gamer should think the game is just good enough to keep playing. Release Date: 06/09/09 ESRB Rating: M Publisher: Activision

Written by Herman Exum

We’ve all seen it before - a video game where you take control of a brooding, tortured soul of an antihero who shows little remorse, yet remains a likeable character you wouldn't mind spending a few hours with. No matter how much the formula has been done, titles like these are pumped out in droves almost like clockwork. But what really separates the good and mediocre besides hype and a budget to match? I guess that’s exactly what Radical Entertainment sought out to do with their much-anticipated release of Prototype  (stylized as "[PROTOTYPE]") that takes every gaming and comic-book archetype in the book and mashes them together for yet another sandbox-style super hero epic that gives you all the power in a world.

So who are we stepping into the shoes of this time around? Alex Mercer is his name, and if you didn’t know better you would probably think this antihero is a cross-combination between Altair of Assassin’s Creed and Cole McGrath from InFAMOUS. He is gifted (or is that cursed?) with extraordinary superpowers. They are his fuel for vengeance and also the answers to his new superhuman abilities. With the help of the powers, he will hopefully figure out what is driving a devastating virus that is gradually infecting the population of Manhattan Island. In doing this, he’ll have to take advantage of his newfound physical abilities that go well beyond the average man as he can leap and vault stories into the air, sprint at great speeds, overcome any obstacle, and dash up buildings with relative ease.

Much of the layout will have gamers treating New York like a playground that simply waits to be exploited. It feels exactly like Radical Entertainment’s own spectacular Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, in fact.  You’ll be undertaking missions to further the story and challenging yourself with numerous miscellaneous events that’ll aid in you upgrading Alex. The city is truly yours in search of things to do if you have the attention span required for such a task.

Alex also has the uncanny talent of  absorbing anything living , essentially becoming a shapeshifter. Among a city teeming with thousands of citizens, this ability proves valuable when you need to feed off of genes to survive. It also serves as the foundation of the game when it comes to discovering the background of how you came to be. This occurs through acquiring the memories of anybody you consume, as well as cracking information through key figures and gaining various skills in order to operate APCs, tanks, and helicopters.

Shapeshifting also translates into transforming your body for more lethal methods, such as razor-sharp claws, whips, or blades. Of course, these mutations can be upgraded and other varieties of moves can be obtained through an ‘experience point’ purchase system. Thankfully Prototype is fairly liberal in how you approach almost any aggressive situation, making even the most reckless player turn a chaotic battlefield into violent amusement if they choose, gradually you’ll need a bit more finesse as the game progress through admittedly not a great deal more.

What isn’t as impressive throughout the game are the various technical faults seen during the campaign. While it is somewhat of a feat to explore much of the scaled-down Manhattan, it lacks longevity with visuals that are laughably bland to take a really close look upon, almost a complete contrast to the character animations, which are great in comparison. At times its fun but when things get too crazy in the thick of action (and it often will) you’ll greatly lament the definitive lack of overall gaming polish; chaos and confusion contributed by tons of enemies and other pointless distractions will merge into something of a unfocused crowd riot that will have many wondering how time was actually spent fine-tuning the final build.

Prototype is something of a interesting concoction, with a wealth of features and concepts that should work simultaneously to make a excellent game, but only when the stars align. On the surface there is theoretically plenty to enjoy with interesting gameplay mechanics that for the most part quite good, but its inconsistency to properly bring everything together reveal shortcomings that turns some of the incredibly brutal enjoyment into lingering annoyances when you need the cohesion the most. Fans of the developer's previous hit Ultimate Destruction will find much to like - and destroy - here, while the more undemanding gamer should think the game is just good enough to keep playing.

Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.