Prototype 2, My Impressions...

warcrow

Regular
Prototype 1 was a mess.

The had it moments, but generally speaking it was all over the place. The graphics were sub-par and coupled with a banal aesthetic, making it fairly routine. The gluttonous leveling system shoveled new skills and power-ups at you at an overwhelming pace, and after 4-5 hours I found it to be, frankly, a pretty stale experience. However it felt like that game had a ton of potential. All someone had to do is work out the pacing of it all.

I'm happy to report Prototype 2 has dial back where it needed to, and improved in many of it's systems.


Graphics
Though it's not going to win any awards, the game is now much more appealing to see in action. Textures are now more defined, there appear to be many more things happening on screen, contemporary visual effects are now in place, and it all happens at a fairly sustainable framerate.

Despite all this, it's probably worth mentioning most characters in the game lack any real character to define them other than "I'M UPSET! BLARGH!". That is to say, there is very little depth to anyone in their design and thought. Is this a surprise? Not sure. Plus the cutscenes appear to be running is a much lower framerate than the actual gameplay segments.


Gameplay
Much like the first one, this game is extremely fast and vicious. However unlike the first one it's very rewarding. Moves are responsive, and gave me a sense of extreme power. Running, jumping, gliding and smashing through things amongst the people in this world made me feel unique. I suppose trashing 57 foes in a matter of seconds helps with that though.

Health is replenished by "absorbing" other people. That is to say, you snatch someone out of the crowd and slurp them up, with tentacles, into your skin. Its disgustingly thrilling every. single. time.

Once the game takes the training wheels off and opens up the city, you're allowed to go wherever--yup, time to party! Seriously, running down the street and up the side of a building to the top, leaping hundreds of feet into the air, snapping into a glide and then air-thrusting as you near the ground and then finally slamming into the ground like a goddamn boss is awesome!

Radical Entertainment has done a wonderful job of dialing back the skill system just enough to keep it rewarding and enticing, and not annoyingly overwhelming like the first.

Side-missions yield gameplay rewards and not just pointless achievements or trophies. For example finding all 5 radio drops (similar to the Satallite Uplinks in iNFAMOUS) will unlock a list of options where you can boost melee damage by 10%, or even jump 10% higher. They're fun to seek out, thanks to the furiously quick gameplay, and make sense to the narrative.


I don't mind cussing all the much, but when it's gratuitous it's annoying. The protagonist makes damn sure he drops the F-bomb in almost every scene, because you know, HE'S REALLY PISSED OFF GUYS!! In fact in one instance where he got frustrated with using a computer he was like "WHAT THE FUCK MAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE THIS FUCKING THING. THIS FUCKING THING SUCKS. FUCKING COMPUTERS!!!!!!111ONE".

Ok. ok. We get it. He's upset. I suppose my annoyance with it all is because it just comes across as lazy. There are many other ways to express frustration. How about trying to do it through gameplay? Blah. Tangent.


Conclusion
Anyway, I really do like Prototype 2. The sense of speed and power the game gives you in second to none. inf act I don't think I've ever played a video game that knows how to make you feel like you're completely able to traversing a city within a few moments, and without flying. It's a very good video game.





Side-Tracking Thought
However this one more thing I'd like to share--food for thought really.

At one point in the game I went to slurp up one of the Blackwatch soldiers and he exclaimed "Killing me won't bring back your family Heller!". It was a reminder that my mission was a pointless one--he was right. Though it was a very small morsel of the overall Prototype 2 experience, it was enough to completely take me out of the game. What the hell was I doing? Yes the protagonist was angry, seeking vengeance, but I couldn't help but wonder what the point was. Perhaps all this is a missed opportunity for Activision? What about choice? What about cause and effect? What's happening to all these people I've been slurping up for health? What if this game offered different paths with varying conclusions? Something other than a path filled with the lust for vengeance, blood and power.

It's true, Radical Entertainment and Activision intended to make the video game they made, but like Clint Hocking with Far Cry 2, why not take the opportunity to push farther a flawed game (Prototype 1) into new territory?
 
Thanks RobertR1!

Yes, I've been super busy being a new father. Not much sleeping and all that hehe. :D

I've got some more good news. Last night I got my confirmation for E3, AND on top of that SCEA decided (for the first time) to invite me to their press conference--CRAZY! :)
 
My Hype kinda died when i heard you didn't play as mercer wanted to know more about the sub plots from Prototype.
Elizabeth Greene Child Project Pharao if my remember it right.
Not interested in playing this so i read on wiki how to story goes apparently you kill alex mercer. Should have been the other way around if you ask me.
 
You think this game is better than Darksiders? I went with Darksiders at the time which I really liked partly because Prorotype just looked so visually weak.
 
That's a tough one because I really enjoyed Darksiders and enjoyed this one, however they sort of different.

Yes? No? :p
 
Cheers warcrow, this is a decidedly detailed impression of the game.

I had my eye on this one to pick it up, but I think i'll wait now till it hits the bargain bin.

P1 was for me an enjoyable game, but after playign for a while I just wanted to get through it so that I could move on to something else.

I found it funny how when InFamous and Prototype 1 were about to release, there were lots of comparisons made in the press, and lots of people online were chiming about how Prototype was so much better.

I bit the bullet after the reviews and picked up InFamous over Prototype, and i was so glad I did. The two games were very very different, but at least InFamous had a bit more in the way of choice and a meaningful narrative to experience. Prototype 1 felt uncooked to me, so I was very much hoping that Prototype 2 wold rectify that and actually provide a more compellign experience than simply, "here's a sandbox... go and play... oh, and there's a bit of poorly slapped together story here if you want something to do".

It's a bit dissappointing that it doesn't seem to have improved much in that area.
 
Beat the game yesterday. I really liked it. They've made a lot of improvements to their controls and mechanics.

This is a sandbox game done right, with a ton of options for you to choose from to approach any situation. I kept changing my play style as new powers became available.

Only the Radnet missions are boring, and have little to nothing to do with the actual game. But you since don't have to do them I just ignored them.

The story wasn't much, but I liked that it got a bit more personal towards the end. Mercer's motivations were pretty poor though. Clichés like taking over the world, and killing all his allies to show how evil he is.
 
I played some more over the weekend.

I made it to the second burrough, played roughly 4-6 hours and it's still an incredibly fun game. The side stuff is varied, and a pleasure to participate in. Ability/bonuses continue to unlock at a steady & comfortable pace. It' just a joy to jump around at impossible heights & streak around the cities. I never ever want to fast-travel because I feel like I'd be missing out.

The dialog continues to be annoyingly crass, the conversations drab and the story thin. However it doesn't really matter because I'm not playing it for the story. :)
 
But... (Prototype 1 spoiler incoming)

It was my understanding that the protagonist of Prototype 1 wasn't actually Alex Mercer, rather a creature that took on the persona of the dead Mercer.
 
But... (Prototype 1 spoiler incoming)

It was my understanding that the protagonist of Prototype 1 wasn't actually Alex Mercer, rather a creature that took on the persona of the dead Mercer.

Yeah that's true. It didn't make much difference though, both are asshole's. Someone who kills just because doesn't make for an interesting antagonist.

If Mercer isn't really Mercer, then I guess Heller isn't really Heller either.
 
That's a tough one because I really enjoyed Darksiders and enjoyed this one, however they sort of different.

Yes? No? :p

Ok :) Reviews seem to be ok for it so I've added it to my steam wishlist, don't think I'll get it at full price but I'll snag it when it's cheaper.
 
Got my second platinum trophy. I usually don't bother with that stuff, but I noticed I had unlocked most of them by playing the game regularly, and the remaining one's seemed like fun things to do. It's nice to see trophies implemented well for a change. The game was still fun the second time through. Playing on hard with most of Heller's already unlocked was even easier than normal difficulty the first time.


http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/5688-Prototype-2

A surprising verdict from Yathzee. I agree with most of it.
 
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