Game Review: Prototype

To start, the game throws you right into the action just to give you a taste of the controls and Alex Mercer's full capabilities. This is nothing more than show casing Alex's arsenal of weapons but really captures your attention and makes you want to play on.

The game is set in Manhattan in NYC in an open world map. This sandbox type of play which is great if you don't mind traveling from one end of Manhattan Island to the other for your next mission, or if you like the occasional free roam to explore or even for the side missions... which are less like missions more like mini-games.

When the actual story starts, Alex is no where near as powerful as he will eventually become with the upgrades that become available, and he has no recollection of what has happened before the moment that he awakes.

Your way of combating this is to find key people, inside and outside of the story line, and consume them taking their memories as well as their form (which can be used to sneak into public places) building up what is called the Web of Intrigue. Adding to this helps you piece by piece build the story as to why you are the way you are and who released this virus upon the city and for what reasons.

The missions are quite varied with different tasks, all of course requiring different methods of execution, whether it be a stealthy mission that requires tactical thought, or an all-guns-blazing mission that involves not much other than great combo skills and smashing the crap out of everything that stands in your way.

Your health can take quite a pounding from time to time and there are three ways in which you can replenish it. First off is the old fashioned, all time classic of getting out of harms way and resting up. Simple but not very effective if you wish for a quick regeneration. Secondly, the mutants who are infected with the virus drop glowing red life orbs that you can collect for a quick boost, but the most interesting method by far is to grab yourself a human or mutant and consume them.

The Graphics are not up to par. They are in the same league as PS2's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City in terms of characters end vehicles, but the city scapes in this game are truly something to be admired and the colour change in the scenery as are you enter a virus infected area is quite impressive as well. The subtle change from a regular blue and gray city atmosphere changes quickly into a red and debris filled surrounding that isn't all that welcoming.

The weapons, shields and sensing powers that Alex displays are all works of art. Each weapon handles differently and add a variation to your awesome power. The weapons in Alex's arsenal are all made from the biomass within Alex that he can control and form into rock-hard clubbing, knifing and stabbing, manipulating his DNA instantaneously.

Over all this is a really good game with one of the strongest protagonists in gaming history, brilliant skills, great weapons, awesome action and some awesome, if a little repetitive, scenery and a really good story line that the game ties well into.

It gets a well deserved 9/10 from me.