Tech Olive

By no means was I expecting or anticipating the release of Prototype, I just hadn’t paid much attention to the pre-release. Many gamers were very excited for its upcoming release but it had never quite demanded my attention. I didn’t really see much about it that was very exciting. Granted, I didn’t see much about it at all, for which only I can be blamed. From first looks, Prototype seems to borrow quite a few things from GTA IV. By no means is Prototype a “GTA clone”, but it very nearly falls into that category. In fact, it’s more of a Spider-Man game when you think about it. The bastard child of Spider-Man and Niko Bellic (Protagonist from GTA IV). Certainly an interesting child, but is it worthy of our time?

Prototype’s story focuses on a conspiracy about a mutagen-virus that is slowly infecting New York City (where the game is based). Your main character (Alex) wakes up in a morgue with no memories. As you progress through the game, you slowly uncover not only your past, but also the people responsible for the virus outbreak. I feel that the story is one of Prototype’s biggest letdowns. Although it is delivered well, it just doesn’t seem to be enough to keep you interested for long periods of time. Prototype has a constant feeling that reminds you that it’s a console game. It’s a fantastic PC port, but it just seems like the kind of game that is much better enjoyed sitting on a couch with a few hours to blow, not a serious, gripping PC game.

Normally with 3rd-person games, I much prefer a nice Xbox 360 controller over the typical mouse and keyboard, so I usually find myself using my controller, if it’s supported. Well, much to my good fortune, Prototype is a Games for Windows game, which (among other things) means that it will have 100% perfect support for the Xbox 360 controller on Windows. Surprisingly, Prototype offers far better control on the standard mouse and keyboard. I found the mouse/keyboard to feel much more fluid and a lot quicker than the controller. Despite being a mere button-masher at its core, Prototype does very well for itself in combat. As you progress though the game, you gain new abilities that allow you to have different attacks and weapons. Of course, you can also pick up your enemy’s weapons and use those against them. You can even shape-shift to the form of your enemies to move around undetected.

With a massive, open world, Prototype nearly falls into the category of a “GTA clone”, but after some actual gameplay, that thought is soon abolished. The world truly is fantastic. It reminds me a lot of a Spider-Man game, except you’re running around and jumping on and off of buildings, not web-slinging. The graphics unfortunately do not complement the great city very well. I understand, with such a massive world, it’s hard to keep the graphics balanced without having a massive system-hog filled with loading screens. Even with that in mind, the graphics still leave quite a bit to be desired. While the world graphics aren’t bad, I would have preferred that the character models (even just the main characters) where more detailed or at least higher quality. I will give the developer this though: the cut scenes look fantastic.

As I mentioned before, your entire arsenal of attacks, combos and abilities are customizable and upgradable. At a glance, this seems like a great feature, but eventually it just becomes a chore to have to upgrade your abilities all the time. That is the ultimate downfall of Prototype. It’s fun at a glance and even after a few hours of gameplay, but eventually it will just start to grind you the wrong way and you’ll grow tired of it.

Scores

- Graphics: 6
Although the massive and open world is usually just a blur, when you do slow down enough to take a look, you’ll want to speed right back up. It’s a bit like turning the lights on in the middle of….well…nevermind.

- Storyline: 6
This is how it works: Take a generic storyline, place it in a generic, urban setting and begin the game. This may be a little too blunt, but the story really doesn’t offer a lot of intrigue or novelty.

- Gameplay: 7
I will admit, running around the city, causing chaos while killing monsters and destroying military outposts is quite fun. Unfortunately, following the actual missions can lead to a feeling of repetition that is hard to avoid.

- Controls: 8
I was expecting to be let down by the mouse and keyboard setup and instead playing with a controller. When really, it was the opposite, this game is very fast-paced and it’s hard to keep up when using a controller. The mouse and keyboard really flourish with Prototype.

- Lasting Appeal: 5
Really, Prototype has to work hard enough to keep your interest in just the first play through and with no multiplayer modes, it doesn’t make for very high replay value.

Overall: 6 Olives