Prototype is a sandbox-style action game developed by Radical Entertainment.So it begins the Wikipedia article… Prototype was one of those games that had a loooot of hype in the development process. We (the future users) saw the trailers and practically we couldn’t believe the awesomeness of the game. You could smash everything, climb buildings, cut through masses of people… It was nice. Really, really nice.
The Good
So, lets begin with the good points. The best part of this game is just one: the incredible feeling of climbing-up buildings. With only two keystrokes, you can run, and just by running you can push people, automatically jump cars, and of course, use your powers to climb. In just a few minutes, any user will learn how to jump and glide. This was really nice implemented, thinking that collision bugs could have ruined everything. Also, the mayhem! Jumping up, kicking through the air to reach an helicopter, hijacking it, shooting two or three missiles, getting destroyed by another helicopter, consuming some people to obtain some health, and then hijacking a tank, wishing that a missile doesn’t hit you… Good moments, that ones. The short little memories of people that you consume, loved the videos. All these stuff are really the main points of the game.
The Bad
The implementation of the story. Lacks depth. The morality of Alex Mercer (the protagonist) – why is he a human no more, kills everyone, but wants to save his sister? The gameplay itself, the events are not very fun, and they doesn’t innovate. It’s boring after a while.
Overall
I managed to finish the game, but I see the plot (quite bad, anyways) as an excuse for showcasing the technology. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s a really good game, but… not. It doesn’t quite reach there. With some friends we reached the conclusion that this game protagonist is a mixture of Hulk, Spiderman, and Carnage. It’s a nice homage, but it still does not innovate. Didn’t live up to the hype.
