Review | Prototype

Format: 360/PS3/PC | Genre: Sandbox action | Publisher: Activision | Developer: Radical | Out now: £29.99-£49.99

By Greg Giddens

Do you recall those panic-stricken moments in real life when you can’t remember which button on the controller you’ve to press in order to get out of your car?

That’s the feeling you get when a game manages to completely immerse you and bleeds through into reality. Prototype does just that. It grabs hold of you and consumes you entirely. This is what sandbox games should be like: gripping fun, personified.

Prototype places you in the now-quarantined city of New York after the outbreak of a deadly virus. You are Alex Mercer, an infected individual with extreme strength, agility and shape-shifting abilities that allow you to consume others around you, talking not only their form but also their memories – something that proves useful, as you have only a fractured memory of who you are.  Perplexed and concerned about what you have become, you hunt down those responsible for infecting you and the city, consuming them and learning more about yourself and the viral outbreak.  It’s good to see a sandbox game pulling off the narrative so successfully.  Consuming memories is both unique and interesting, and the story is a true treat to follow.

//Balancing act
Prototype starts off challenging and ends somewhere between impossible and suicidal. In this respect, the freedom you have to approach each mission and fight is both a blessing and a curse. In Prototype there is no impediment to free action, and it feels utterly unhindered with regards to what your character can do. It’s the most resounding sandbox experience I’ve ever played, but because of the sheer amount of options available in combat, finding the right mix of attacks to defeat some of the bosses or survive some of the missions is a difficult task.

Amazingly, though, Prototype never becomes too frustrating. There are often checkpoints within each mission and fight, so whatever progress you can make counts for something - and there is always the option to return to free-roam mode and leave the mission until later, when you’ve built your skills and are stronger.

The bosses and some of the infected prove strong adversaries, but the human masses don’t stand a chance unless they’re in armoured vehicles - though even then, after enough upgrades, you can handle nearly anything mankind can throw at you. You’re like a big bad wolf in a world of little pigs, resulting in a feeling of completely ludicrous betterment that’s incredibly satisfying. It’s astonishing just how powerful you can become: you’ll upgrade your abilities, and learn new ones, by spending experience points gained from completing missions and defeating enemies, and not long into the game you will have a whole collection of moves you can perform and a list of buttons to execute them. The amount of combinations Prototype demands is amazing, but more impressive is how well they’re mapped to the controller. Even with all your abilities unlocked, everything remains manageable.

Combat isn’t the only aspect with copious amounts of button combinations and options; the simple act of getting around is also rather complex. Alex can traverse the city in several different ways. He can jump large distances and scale buildings parkour style; he can also fall from any height and not take damage. Add to that the fact that his enhanced parkour allows him to literally run up any building, and you can see that the word “obstacles” means a different thing to Alex than it does to everyone else. After a few upgrades you’ll find yourself gliding, air-dashing, and even driving or piloting military vehicles.

That the options to traverse New York are plentiful and varied is one thing, but what makes Prototype so astonishing is how much pure fun it provides, especially when you embrace your darker side as a player. Simply grabbing hold of an unaware civilian, climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, dropping them off and jumping after them just to see who falls faster is a thrill time and time again.

//Short but sweet
Exploring the city is great, but it also reveals Prototype’s few weaknesses. Some of the buildings and characters are lacking in detail, and occasionally the draw distance fails to match your speed. But these few graphical shortcomings still don’t distract from the enjoyment, and since the frame rate does a fantastic job of remaining fast, the overall presentation is still worthy of a current-generation title.

It’s also a fairly short game, in terms of the main story. Prototype only provides about ten hours of this, though additional missions easily add another five hours. And even without them, the length feels comfortable, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Besides, such small flaws are nowhere near enough to significantly damage the game. Prototype is still excellent in almost all respects, and it’s a shame the story has to end. Once it’s over, you’re bored of the additional missions and there isn’t anything left for you to do, the option is there to replay with all your abilities unlocked.  There’s no multiplayer to speak of – a rarity in modern console games – but I’ll never condemn a developer for choosing to focus on an arresting single-player experience.  Do be aware, though, that if the relatively short time-span bothers you, there are no current plans for downloadable content.

You could certainly ask for more from Prototype - more story, more variety in the optional missions, more diversity in the city locations - but it’s still one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year. Rarely does it feel repetitive or frustrating, and often does it feel like you’re a god among men. It’s challenging and engaging, unique and interesting, a game that deserves thorough recognition for a job well done.

9/10

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