Review - Prototype

By Clay Scott Brown

New York is where Prototype begins and ends. Manhattan to be precise. I think I've seen my share of the nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live there, city. Godfather and Grand Theft Auto and quite a few other 'adventure' games have focused mainly upon New York City. Problem is, New York itself is a Main Character... often too big of a character for anyone!

In Prototype, for the first time that I can remember in a Video Game, at least, New York City is really looking good. The city is very impressive in Prototype and the makers of the game have really done something correct for a change, they've been able to, for the most part, avoid the Dead Space of Video Game Technology, that vast space that is endemic to the Video Game Experience, where you have a large land mass and the need to fill it in. Prototype actually gives you a sense that there is actual life teeming in its New York City.

If you 'Drop' from the top of a building (something that you will do often in Prototype) to street level, there are large masses of people walking around with many things happening, Prototype doesn't bother letting you in on too much, is what it is, the buildings can't be entered, but they look like the real thing, and luckily night doesn't descend unless it's a part of the tale that Prototype is trying to tell. So here, finally, we have a story overtaking the substance of our complacent knowledge of reality and placing it in New York. The Island has never looked better, even though it is under a Plague!

Biology and it's myriad uses is mostly Prototype's game, you are more than likely familiar with what I'm talking about. If you're in any way familiar with modern entertainment then you've likely seen a science lab gone wrong and a monster running rampant. It's the Zombie Syndrome packaged into a young man, Alex Mercer, who is, in fact, the actual reason that there is a plague in the first place. Alex died releasing "The Black Light Virus" into New York Cities atmosphere and awakens from 'death' into a new sort of creature who can 'Consume' people and gain their experiences and knowledge. In this way Alex goes about finding "Who Did This To Him". Which is interesting since Alex is a thief and was killed while stealing from a Government Agency. I'd say that Alex did it to himself, but Alex is young and he may not yet see the world as being bigger than himself.

Prototype then continues with Alex searching for who he is, in this way he finds his sister Dana and together with her and a few other people Alex begins to awaken his new powers. The story is actually told as something of a backtrack. Having us play the events 18 days earlier from where Alex is, 18 days in the future. Alex is our future selves then. So its a "how did we get here" approach to things. In this time the city of New York begins to break out with the Black Light Virus, and people are generally as you'd expect, killing each other and destroying everything around them, typical humanity up to it's usual ways and means! So there are no surprises here! Alex meanwhile is often taking on tasks, or Missions that further his understanding of himself and the virus itself, he unlocks a great many powers, powers of which you will have to Purchase by means of Experience Points (EP), which can be gained by completing Missions or destroying and causing grief wherever you go!

I primarily focused upon getting all my Health Upgrades bought out, since that to me was the most important. At first the Missions aren't that difficult. But things do get harder as the game progresses, luckily Prototype isn't too hard, nothing is more frustrating than being unable to continue a Video Game because it has gotten too difficult. You'll have to 'Consume' certain important people during the game, where you sneak up behind them and 'absorb them'. After which, if the person is of note, you'll see a small film of their lives, mostly having to do with the military... these little scenes give you an idea of what is occurring behind the scenes and helps Alex unravel the militarys' plans in terms of himself and the deadly virus.

Alex himself is young as I mentioned, he doesn't seem all that aware that he is the cause of all this terror and the military has given him the name Zeus. Not a bad name because as Alex, you cause a lot of damage. I do remember, a bit later in the game when Alex receives his full body shielding and long sword, that I spent some time just mowing down pedestrians and the so-called Strike Team which is two helicopters, and a tank or two. After a time, this destruction began to pay off as my EP points went up pretty nicely, allowing me to buy new killer moves. There are all kinds of upgrades, and you'll probably find yourself going mostly to the upgrade section of the game to figure out which buttons to push to make these cool new moves happen.

Prototype is called a Sandbox Game, which means you can explore the city without having to be on a timed schedule. There are certain 'tests' (usually signified by Monikers placed all over the game map) that you can do to gain medals and extra EP points. Generally you have to get a certain number of kills in a specified time, these are called "Events" in Prototype, which is funny, because I don't think there is much "Event" happening to these little sidebar moments. This kind of thing is getting popular in Video Games of late, I like especially when I don't have to do these things. I usually try a few of them then I get one that's too hard and/or boring that isn't important to the game... to me these 'little taunts' as I call them, can get out of hand. I believe that the story needn't be too cluttered up by these 'arcade moments'. Still I'm not against these, but after entering a tank for the 5th time and getting blown away I finally decided that I could do without the 5000 EP for a bronze medal! I'll just stay as dumb old Alex then!

Everyone knows about the guy who does everything in every game, I'm definitely not That guy. I'd rather take a DIRTNAP (My Favorite New Word) and leave a mystery unsolved a time or two.

Now having finished Prototype I'm pretty well pleased by this game, it was actually a lot of Fun. Fun. I haven't much felt any for some time, and the tone of Prototype is to be commended. You get a sense that the makers of the game were having a good time just making it, and there is the Rub as Old Shake's would say. Sure these are pretty depressing events, but Prototype tells it's Armageddon story without the whining and keeps us interested until the end. Alex Mercer is enigmatic, I suppose, for a video game character he feels more real than most video game creatures. It is interesting that he won't take any responsibility for his actions or who he is! Instead he does blame others (Boring!) and the game agrees saying that he is something else now, funny though he still looks like Alex Mercer, at least his sister seemed to recognize him. Still Alex Mercer isn't Spider-Man, he isn't going to be looking into himself too deeply until his 20th birthday or so!

The final round with the Supreme Hunter was fun, although almost every Hunter in a video game looks like a knock-off of Resident Evil. It took quite a while to off this big bad wolf! I could have played many more hours of Prototype. There will be a Prototype 2, there is no doubt, this first one is very good.