Prototype 2

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List Price: $29.99
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I've been a fan of the first prototype ever since i've played it. Prototype 2 really steps it up from the first in all aspects. I have been following for a bit of what the developers have said the changes in this sequel and it delivered. The graphics got a big boost, the game definitely seems longer, combat system is even better, new combat skills with a boost to the same ones, and what I probably noticed right off is that the environment seems to be scaled quite well compared to the first. Even though there is a new protagonist there are still quite a few tie-ins from the first game. If you haven't played the first, but are interested in Prototype 2 I recommend playing, although there is a prototype recap on the menu (I haven't messed with yet).

So far from playing it there really hasn't been any cons at all besides a few tad nit-picky things. The story is better than the first overall, but it still kind of feels like the first in terms of a little repetitiveness and kind of goes off trail. I recommend trying to get the Radnet edition to make the game more worthwhile. I was thinking the game had challenges like the first one, but radnet gives you some new challenges each week (for now anyway depending on when you purchase). With completing the challenges you get a few new things in terms of content. I guess it is a little trade off since there is the blacknet side missions you can do.

*Update. The //Blacknet Side missions kind of tie in with the story line missions, but are optional. The game length will depend on how you play also, with the challenges slowly being unlocked on Radnet.

Oh and don't listen to Timetorise, definitely is a troll trying to be funny.

Update:

I also wanted to add that everything in Radnet Edition content is free even the 5 system themes you get that are coming up EXCEPT the 2 DLC: Colossal Mayhem Pack and Excessive Force Pack. The Colossal Mayhem (May 8th) will be 4.99$ on PSN and i'm guessing the Excessive Force Pack (May 29th) MIGHT be the same cost as well.

Update 2:

"Received" The First Freebie Thursday and installed the 2 wallpapers and I would consider them "Premium Themes" since there is animation on them, but doesn't change your XMB icons. They are cool nonetheless.

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The first "Prototype" was a game that, despite it's amazing potential, fell short of what it was capable of by the last few hours of the game. While it was an enjoyable experience for sure, there was a certain type of magic missing, not to mention a decent mission structure and polished gameplay. This gamer loved it, but knew that there was much more Radical could have done to match the greatness of their fantastic last-gen title, "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." But given that people love running up walls and blowing things up in video games historically, it sold well enough for Activision to give the talented developer another crack at the franchise. That's a good thing, because while "Prototype 2" will certainly not be the best game you play this year, it will give you some of the best times you're going to have with one.

Taking off a few years after the initial entry, this sequel puts you the boots of Army sergeant James Heller, who has lost his wife and daughter to the Mercer virus that has turned New York City into a parasite-infested wasteland. Fueled by PTSD from the Iraq War and rage from losing his family, Heller swears vengeance on Alex Mercer, the originator of the virus. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Mercer was the protagonist of the first game, and seeing him in a whole new light really broadens the scope and perspective within the continuity. In this, he's a maniacal sociopath who has been corrupted by the virus that turned him into a superhuman, and on a whim, he decides to give this superhuman virus to Heller because he displays a large amount of spunk. This is a big mistake due to the fact that Heller has a burning hatred for Mercer, and what occurs is a fun and compelling revenge yarn between the two men.

Unlike the first game, "Prototype 2"'s story starts off kind of weak but soon turns into something genuinely compelling and fun. Both Heller's conquest of revenge and his one-man attack against the oppressive Blackwatch military that abducts innocent civilians to test new viruses on them make for some good, B-grade entertainment. The more characters that get introduced, the more perspectives the player is given access to, and watching these different outlooks and personalities mesh makes for a fun time during cutscenes. No character, though, is as entertaining and fun as Heller himself. A walking profanity and trash-talk machine, James isn't written off as the "stoic and angry African-American male" cliche that too many games use, and instead is one of the best and most believable Black leads in gaming. While the story isn't really anything groundbreaking or tearjerking (in fact, it's one of the weaker parts of the game), Heller makes it an overall more entertaining experience.

But one could ignore the story in "Prototype 2" and not miss much from their overall experience, because one element in the game itself is flawless through-and-through: the gameplay. Instead of forcing the player to work themselves up to a level of power equatable to Mercer's in the first title, Heller starts off with the most of the abilities an average gamer had at the end of "Prototype", and begins to get stronger at a rapid pace. This gives an untold level of power and control to somebody who picks up this title, which is a treat in and of itself. How Radical takes it one step further, though, is that every little gripe people had about the core gameplay before has been addressed, and now everything works the way it should. Heller adjusts perfectly to ledges he stands on, aiming is far more accurate, and gliding from roof to roof is streamlined to perfection. Vehicle controls no longer feel too sketchy, and doing large maneuvers such as ripping the missile launcher off a helicopter in mid-air or duel-wielding different abilities in the heat of battle can be pulled off with minimal effort. For the first time in my long history with video games, a developer has given a player the opportunity to be a superhuman and not held them back with cumbersome controls or overpowered enemies. Running up the sides of skyscrapers, karate-kicking helicopters hundreds of feet above ground... almost nothing in this game is impossible. Radical finally "gets" what people want from a title like this, and so many developers could take a cue from them.

Running around with insane abilities is nothing without a compelling setting, and the level designers obviously knew that. New York Zero is a gorgeous city whose imperfections have been coded with loving attention to detail and overall aesthetic. Every crack in the pavement and every hole in the building are all rendered with the utmost care. The same can be said for both the character models and enemy designs. While the NPC passerby are more or less drab, the main characters all look quite slick, with special notice needed to be given Heller's design. Moreso than Mercer, Heller's model is quite impressive, and always looks completely natural with the parasitic attachments his body grows. To top it off, his movement is fluid and realistic, making for a more believable "hero" than the previous protagonist. Overall, this is game is very pretty to look at, despite the ugly setting.

That's not to say it's all sunshine and daisies in this otherwise stellar game. What really holds Radical back this time around is the fact that their mission structure is questionable, to put it in kinder terms. Which is to say that many of the missions for the approximate first-third of the game are drearily repetitive, to the point where I thought my initial score for the game would be a good bit lower. The majority of these missions involve absorbing a Blackwatch trooper, infiltrating a base, and killing a new enemy/destroying something/absorbing somebody to gain information. It's a cool concept, but it soon wears thin, especially when considering that you're still doing these types of missions near the end of the game. For a game that houses gameplay so wonderful, it's a crying shame to see it getting bogged down by missions that lack creativity. And don't even get me started on the cookie cutter side-missions, which offer little to no incentive outside of gaining some extra experience points. This is a fun game, but the basic structure of the missions might have you believing otherwise at first. Don't worry, though, because when vehicles get introduced, much of this initial boredom is alleviated.

The only thing that never really improves is the music. I can't remember one bit of "Prototype 2"'s soundtrack, and I just finished the game last night. Nothing here is even remotely interesting to listen to. It's not really bad, per se, more than it is uninspired and very cliche. If you've listened to a big budget action movie with swelling orchestra pieces during crucial moments, then you've listened to the soundtrack for this game. What makes up for the lack of an original soundtrack is the phenomenal voice acting, which possesses the rare distinction of having a perfect actor for each and every role in the game. To be honest, that's one of the things that makes the plot more compelling. In the wrong hands, it would've been revenge tripe addled with cliches. Hats off to the voice director for preventing this work from falling into that lamentable pitfall.

A merely functional story, forgettable music and an often boring mission structure still don't hold back this unstoppable beast of a game when all is said and done. "Prototype 2" gives gamers more power than any superpower-driven open world game out there, and while it is nowhere near perfect, it's still a fun game that knows all of the sweet spots to hit. If you're willing to turn your brain off and just have a good time, few games come more highly recommended.

Plot: 7

Gameplay: 9

Sound: 8

Graphics: 9

Overall: 8.25

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Game Type: Single Player Action (offline/online)

Multiplayer: None

Graphics: 720p

Rated: M for Mature 17+

Replay Value: Moderate

The reemergence of a deadly virus is loose in New York City. Its side effect is mutation and homocidal rage. The virus is actually a biological weapon developed by Gentek Corporation. The release of the virus is blamed on a Gentek scientist, Alex Mercer, when in actuality Gentek is running human trials on the populace. Gentek employed Blackwatch, a highly trained private military to enforce these trials and protect their employees.

Sgt. James Heller returns from his tour in Iraq to find his wife and daughter were killed by mutants after he had told them to trust Blackwatch to control the situation.

You are James Heller and you blame Alex Mercer for the death of your family. Upon returning to America you request duty in the heavily infected Red Zone. Feeling depressed over your family you go to the red zone to die. However, when you encounter Alex Mercer you become bent on revenge, but Alex Mercer has plans of his own.

You become infected, but the virus reacts differently within you and enables you to mutate your body into various weapons you'll use to kill and consume your prey. You'll be able to impersonate everyone you consume right down to their DNA.

To get the information you seek you will have to infiltrate military bases, commandeer APCs, tanks and helicopters, explore lairs of the infected mutants and you will have to kill...a lot.

This is open-world and as in any open-world game, detracting from the main story is decided by the player. With that said, some of these detractions are in forms of finding collectibles such as black box recording devices and tasks such as eliminating field operations teams. Performing these tasks will give you upgrades. You can place a waypoint to aid your search. Once close enough, you're notified on screen with an icon and distance meter. From there you must seek it out on your own. I like this concept because it gives some purpose and reward to exploring.

The interface is intuitive. Pull up your map, cycle through what's available in the area you select, set a waypoint and off you go. It does require two button presses to exit the map, but this is nothing to complain about. You will access the map frequently. The ability to place multiple waypoints would have reduced having to frequently access the map.

Controls are responsive and rarely are camera angles an issue. Heller's feet seem to adhere to verticle surfaces well, especially narrow surfaces. This solves a frustrating issue from the first game. In Prototype 1 trying to run up a narrow surface often resulted in falling off and causing you to utter some explicit words at your TV.

RADNET: Introducing RADNET was a great idea. It was a way to add fun to play content in the game while keeping them separate from the main story.

If you played the first Prototype you know there were things in the game that just didn't fit. Things like collecting glowing orbs for various reasons and other mini-games. It seemed like filler in an otherwise good game.

With RADNET these things are outside of the story and yet rewards gained from completing them are carried into the main game. It's a win-win. RADNET does require an internet connection.

Mission design flows well. The story unfolds gradually as you progress. It makes you want to continue to the next mission to discover more about the story.

As odd as it may sound, Prototype 2 feels more real than its predecessor. Not only are the graphics substantially improved, but I was able to slip into this world and lose track of time and reality. To me this is indicative that a game is doing something right. After all, games are not just entertainment, they are an escape, a way to experience things on an interactive level we likely will never see or do in real life. To that end Prototype 2 delivers.

There is repetition in that the searches for black boxes and field teams are the same in all areas. In fairness, the hunt for black boxes is alright because it makes you explore to locate them and rewards you when you find them all. I think the field team missions could have offered a bit more variety, but they fit with the story.

Prototype 2 improves on the first game with graphics, story and gameplay. It has music fitting the sequences of the missions. It's easy to get absorbed into the game and just have fun.

Read Best Reviews of Prototype 2 Here

A lot of people compared the first Prototype with competing videogame Infamous, even though the similarities between the two games were minor. Prototype 2 on the other hand has a lot more in common with Infamous. In fact, this sequel manages to combine many of the qualities of Infamous with the first Prototype to create a game which is much more focused with regards to story, mission structure, and the acquisition of new powers when compared to its predecessor. Taking place a year or so after the first game, Prototype 2 opens with New York City suffering a second outbreak of the Blacklight virus, now being referred to as the Mercer virus since it was supposedly Alex Mercer himself who caused this second outbreak. Sgt. James Heller arrives back home from active duty in Iraq and finds the city under siege from the infected monstrosities born from the virus, but even worse, his wife and daughter were killed as a result of the outbreak. Swearing vengeance on Alex Mercer, the one responsible for spreading the virus, Heller throws himself into battle and takes any and every opportunity to kill the infected so he can eventually find Mercer and make him pay. While on a search and destroy mission in the more heavily infected area of what is now known as New York Zero, Heller's transport is destroyed by Mercer himself. Heller then pursues Mercer through the destroyed city streets in a (obviously) futile attempt to exact his revenge. Mercer casually digs his Claws into Heller and infects him with a modified strain of the Blacklight virus. After being picked up by Blackwatch soldiers and Gentek scientists to be studied and then disposed of, Heller uses his new superhuman abilities to break out of the base. He is then intercepted by Mercer, who informs him that not all is as it seems and recruits him to his cause, which is to take out Blackwatch and Gentek once and for all. Now set loose to discover the truth for himself, Heller's journey will take him through three of New York Zero's islands that he eventually gains full access to as the main story progresses. The first island is designated the Yellow Zone, which is fully under the control of the military and has many refugee camps set up for all the citizens who have been uprooted from their homes due to the outbreak. The second island is the Green Zone, which also has a strong military presence and is the most well put together of the islands, with its citizens going about their daily lives as best they can. The infected occasionally make it through to these first two islands and will attack anyone they come into contact with. The final island, the Red Zone, is what used to be Manhattan Island and was where Alex Mercer had his adventure in the first game. The island has now been fully overrun with the infected monsters and even some of the buildings are on the verge of collapse due to all the fighting between the infected and the military. Other buildings have tendril-like infected tissue growing on them. It's like an episode of The Walking Dead on steroids.

As far as the graphics go, this game does look better and overall more detailed than the first one, although there are significantly better looking games out there. The CGI cutscenes are an exception; they actually look pretty good. They're done in a style of black and white that mirrors what was done in the movie Sin City; only red objects (Heller's hood and infected tissue) and blue objects (computer terminals and the goggles on Blackwatch soldiers' masks) appear in full color. This wouldn't work for most games, but it does for this one. One thing the first Prototype lacked was drive. It's story was interesting, but didn't focus a whole lot on character development. Instead, it concentrated more on what was going on around Alex Mercer and the conspiracy he was trying to unravel about the virus and his past, making the whole experience feel somewhat hollow. This game goes the other way and focuses more on Heller and his interactions with the other characters he encounters, whether it's his old friend and ally Father Luis Guerra, the cold-hearted and dedicated Blackwatch commander Col. Rooks, or Heller's "maker" Alex Mercer. While Heller is no saint and will do whatever it takes to find out who is responsible for the death of his family, he is a more relatable protagonist than Mercer. Also, despite the fact he's a potty-mouth, he provides some genuinely amusing moments when he expresses strong desires to inflict harm on certain characters such as a Blackwatch soldier who calls him out and insults his wife, or another Blackwatch soldier who continuously (and annoyingly) refers to people as "bra". Ignore the other reviewers who say the story for Prototype 2 is rubbish: they're simply wrong. It's not the best story out there and some of what happens is kind of predictable, but there are plenty of interesting twists and turns that will surprise you if you're willing to make the effort to pay attention to the story. Well, before I lose those of you with short attention spans, I'll get to the juicy part of Prototype 2: the gameplay. I'll be the first to admit that this game starts out a bit slow and doesn't really pick up until a little bit before Heller reaches the Red Zone. Still, the missions Heller goes on can be quite fun and normally involve sabotaging Blackwatch's plans to weaponize the infection or destroying infected monsters. Most of the missions will have Heller consuming soldiers or scientists and copying their forms to sneak into their bases, destroying specific targets such as tanks, choppers, or monsters, hunting down human targets to consume them, and even accompanying Blackwatch soldiers on rescue missions through streets filled with infected. There are also plenty of side missions to complete and collectibles to... collect, and even these revolve around the game's story.

The side missions involve Heller using his Hunting Sense which functions like a sonar and lets him track down specific targets. Finding these targets and consuming them lets Heller absorb their memories and gain access to vital information on Blackwatch's operations, making them vulnerable to Heller's sabotage. He goes about this normally by sneaking into military bases to mess things up, racing against time to steal important cargo scattered along rooftops, and the like. Other side missions focus on Heller going into underground Lairs which are breeding grounds for infected that must be destroyed, and other ones involve finding and killing small field teams made up of soldiers and scientists who are conducting experiments in different parts of the city; how you choose to dispose of them is limited only by your own imagination. You can throw a car at them, walk up to them and slice them to ribbons, divebomb them from hundreds of feet in the air, throw them into the ocean, whatever. These side missions, especially the earlier ones, can be somewhat repetitive, but nevertheless they're oh so satisfying. There are even audio recordings called Blackboxes hidden all over the city which are all found in the pockets of dead Blackwatch soldiers. Some of the recordings are interesting, but most just detail the soldiers' last words before being taken out by the infected. All these side missions serve purposes other than to increase playtime. Completing them earns Heller upgrades to all his powers and skills. The upgrade system for Heller's powers and abilities is more in-depth compared to Mercer's in the first game. After earning enough experience points, Heller will level up and be able to add a point to one of his main attributes which increase his overall performance: movement, health, regeneration, etc. Furthermore, completing a set number of side missions and acquiring enough collectibles allows Heller to gain other improvements to his offensive, defensive, and movement abilities. In stark contrast to Mercer gaining pretty much all of his powers by the first game's halfway point, Heller's rise to power is much more gradual (in fact, he doesn't even gain his first power, the Claws, until after the third or fourth main mission). He gains his main powers at specific moments in the game's story, while most of the corresponding upgrades can be acquired by completing the side missions or just killing enemies while in free-roam. It won't be until somewhere around the 75% completion mark that Heller will have pretty much all of his main powers available to him. He'll gain many of the previous game's offensive powers: Claws, Blade, Hammerfists, and Whipfist. Consuming certain infected enemies upgrades the effectiveness and damage output of Heller's offensive powers, as well as changing their appearances (spikes added to the Hammerfists and his Blade growing larger and sharper). There's also a brand new offensive power, Tendrils. This ability has Heller's hands turn into stubby appendages that can release tendrils from his fingers capable of ensnaring and damaging his enemies. The Tendrils can also burst forth in all directions from an ensnared enemy, attach to things around them such as cars and people, and fling them back into the center to crush the target enemy.

All these offensive powers can be equipped from an improved weapon wheel which pauses the game completely and lets you map two powers at the same time to both the square and triangle buttons. For example, let's say you map the Claws to the square button and the Hammerfists to the triangle button. If attacking an enemy with the Claws using the square button is proving to be ineffective, then all you have to do is bash the triangle button to attack the enemy with the more effective Hammerfists. A handy system indeed. Heller also gains a new version of the Shield power, which he can activate simply by pressing the designated block button (R1). The Shield completely protects him from pretty much all forms of damage, whether it's infected monsters slashing at him or attack choppers firing missiles at him, although the trade-off is that he is unable to move when his Shields are up. Heller's own version of the Tendril Barrage Devastator lets him take out many surrounding enemies, and he'll even gain the ability to summon infected monsters to attack his enemies for him. And of course, consuming certain military enemies increases his effectiveness in using weapons like assault rifles, missile launchers, tanks, and attack choppers. He'll even be able to rip gatling guns and missile launchers off of tanks and choppers, allowing him to use them against other enemies. Finally, there are the enemies. A lot of the same enemies from the first Prototype make a return. Marines and Blackwatch soldiers with all their weapons and vehicles make a comeback, as do the Super Soldiers. Many of the previous infected enemies return as well: the weaker, zombie-like infected, nasty Brawlers (replacing the Hunters), and serpent-like Hydras. New infected enemies include obese and armored monstrosities called Juggernauts, the enormous and truly freakish Goliaths, and beings known as Evolved who possess abilities similar to Heller's. These enemies provide fun and challenging battles, but fortunately this game practically never reaches the same level of frustration achieved by certain missions and boss battles in the first game. As the game progresses however, the enemies tend to get easier as Heller continues to grow in power, with the only exception being the final boss (which was truly epic). All in all, Prototype 2 has all the same qualities that made the first Prototype so fun, only it has a level of polish and direction that was lacking in its predecessor. While even this game can be the slightest bit repetitive, it's still a blast and should not be missed by fans of the first game. Even those who didn't like the first Prototype should at least give Prototype 2 a try.

Want Prototype 2 Discount?

Never played the first game. Never even heard of it until this game came out. Pre-ordered Prototype 2, saw the negative reviews and thought about returning it, but I kept it anyway and I'm glad I did. It's true, the story is weak; fine, who cares. Don't buy this game for the story. Buy this game for the tank smashing, people eating, zombie splitting, helicopter hijacking, New York City roaming video game monster that this is. Turn off your inner Siskel and Ebert that wants to critique the game because tank turrets wouldn't rip apart that way in real life, or the protagonist isn't relatable, or the graphics aren't as crisp as Uncharted 3 (the developers at Naughty Dog sold their souls to be able to do what they do, definitely not a fate every game developer is prepared for). This is your chance to play as an organic version of Terminator 2's T1000 in a 28 Days Later meets Battleship meets The Crow.