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PROTOTYPE (PS3)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Radical Entertainment. Released: June 2009. Genre: Sandbox. Other versions: X360; PC. Posted 3rd October 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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On paper, Prototype looked amazing. In the run-up to its 2009 release, footage would only have amplified the excitement, with the game seemingly defined by furiously fast, seat-of-your-pants action and death-defying parkour. It’s small wonder then that Radical Entertainment’s effort was touted as a potential heavyweight amongst the burgeoning superpowered sandbox sub-genre. A similar release window pitted it against Sucker Punch’s fantastic inFAMOUS, though on reflection, this rather flatters Prototype. Despite its undoubted promise, it ended up a bit of a mess.
Alex Mercer finds himself at the centre of a biological outbreak that’s sweeping rapidly through Manhattan, with all manner of military personnel, mutants and an increasingly zombified populace battling it out on the streets. He finds himself blessed with extraordinary strength and speed, the ability to leap great heights and glide incredible distances, playing hopscotch with skyscrapers. The city is his playground, albeit one that’s teeming with things that are trying to kill him.
Alex Mercer finds himself at the centre of a biological outbreak that’s sweeping rapidly through Manhattan, with all manner of military personnel, mutants and an increasingly zombified populace battling it out on the streets. He finds himself blessed with extraordinary strength and speed, the ability to leap great heights and glide incredible distances, playing hopscotch with skyscrapers. The city is his playground, albeit one that’s teeming with things that are trying to kill him.
As the story progresses, Manhattan descends into chaos
It goes without saying, a game with superpowers should make the player feel superhuman and, in isolated instances, Prototype does so. Alex can hurl cars at gunships, and gunships at tanks. There’s the means to wreak a whole lot of havoc on the streets of New York City and the player can even hijack the aforementioned vehicles, embarking on the kind of killing sprees that would make GTA blush. Alex can assume a shapeshifting disguise from anyone he consumes, allowing him to evade pursuits and gain entry to high-security military bases. I know what you’re thinking: this sounds awesome. You’re right, it does.
Perhaps fittingly for a game called Prototype though, it’s defined by a slew of promising ideas that are undone by irritations too numerous to ignore. At the heart of its troubles are some wayward platforming controls. Often, you’ll find Alex springboarding in entirely the wrong direction and precision movements are a nightmare. Combat is incredible scrappy and will test your patience in no time at all. Battles become so congested that the action regularly slows to a crawl, with half your button presses appearing not to register and many of those that do occurring too late to have the desired effect. You’ll get beaten out of the air, only to get smashed again and again as Alex tries to rise. Everytime he hijacks a vehicle, he goes about it in a frustratingly leisurely fashion, accumulating tonnes of damage as you wait for the animation to run its course. Agonisingly, the camera then swings around for what seems like an eternity before you’re handed control, only to find a veritable scrum of enemies piling on you, whilst the tank has an unfortunate habit of getting caught on any kind of scenery that isn’t strictly pan-flat. Rounding off the misery is a horribly patchy lock-on system that seems happier to target minor foes in the distance than a large boss who’s steaming straight at you.
Perhaps fittingly for a game called Prototype though, it’s defined by a slew of promising ideas that are undone by irritations too numerous to ignore. At the heart of its troubles are some wayward platforming controls. Often, you’ll find Alex springboarding in entirely the wrong direction and precision movements are a nightmare. Combat is incredible scrappy and will test your patience in no time at all. Battles become so congested that the action regularly slows to a crawl, with half your button presses appearing not to register and many of those that do occurring too late to have the desired effect. You’ll get beaten out of the air, only to get smashed again and again as Alex tries to rise. Everytime he hijacks a vehicle, he goes about it in a frustratingly leisurely fashion, accumulating tonnes of damage as you wait for the animation to run its course. Agonisingly, the camera then swings around for what seems like an eternity before you’re handed control, only to find a veritable scrum of enemies piling on you, whilst the tank has an unfortunate habit of getting caught on any kind of scenery that isn’t strictly pan-flat. Rounding off the misery is a horribly patchy lock-on system that seems happier to target minor foes in the distance than a large boss who’s steaming straight at you.
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Its enemies are massively over-aggressive. If Alex reveals the merest hint of his unusual talents (it doesn’t even have to be his combative ones), you’ll find an army of soldiers, helicopter gunships and tanks descending on his position in an instant. It would be comical if it wasn’t so tiresome having to deal with them so frequently.
Almost every mission carries with it a lingering sense of frustration, including side-missions, which fail to make the most of the Manhattan landscape. For a game with such anarchic potential, Prototype serves up far more aggravation than enjoyment. Excessive use of grainy FMVs, a non-entity of a story and a forgettable protagonist combine for one of the least interesting narratives in modern gaming, one that’s further smeared by turgid military conspiracies and just about every other cliché you could hope for. Even with the prospect of expanded abilities, you’ll find your interest waning amidst a conveyor-belt of button-mashing missions.
Almost every mission carries with it a lingering sense of frustration, including side-missions, which fail to make the most of the Manhattan landscape. For a game with such anarchic potential, Prototype serves up far more aggravation than enjoyment. Excessive use of grainy FMVs, a non-entity of a story and a forgettable protagonist combine for one of the least interesting narratives in modern gaming, one that’s further smeared by turgid military conspiracies and just about every other cliché you could hope for. Even with the prospect of expanded abilities, you’ll find your interest waning amidst a conveyor-belt of button-mashing missions.
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Prototype offers versatility and vision, just not execution
New York City looks reasonable, if a touch bland, with character animations that are below average and cut-scenes susceptible to odd quirks. Voicing is the same: it’s there, but nothing special. Prototype offers little to distinguish itself on the presentation side of things, save perhaps for the Web of Intrigue, a collection quest which links together the memories of more than a hundred scientists and military figures involved in the outbreak.
There’s a fair bit to see for those content to push through the annoyances, with a trio of difficulty levels and some tricky trophy goals for completionists. There’s no olive branch to be found here though; it’s worth bearing in mind that some of the more far-fetched trophy parameters are more likely to exacerbate the game’s problems. The shapeshifting idea is cool, the city is inviting and the abilities at Alex’s disposal offer lots of potential. However, poor mission design, frustrating A.I., sloppy controls and a forgettable story means Prototype remains just that. A flawed sandbox adventure, in the shadow of the more polished and enjoyable inFAMOUS.
There’s a fair bit to see for those content to push through the annoyances, with a trio of difficulty levels and some tricky trophy goals for completionists. There’s no olive branch to be found here though; it’s worth bearing in mind that some of the more far-fetched trophy parameters are more likely to exacerbate the game’s problems. The shapeshifting idea is cool, the city is inviting and the abilities at Alex’s disposal offer lots of potential. However, poor mission design, frustrating A.I., sloppy controls and a forgettable story means Prototype remains just that. A flawed sandbox adventure, in the shadow of the more polished and enjoyable inFAMOUS.
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VERDICT
"Prototype offers a slew of promising ideas that are undone by irritations too numerous to ignore. Poor mission design, frustrating A.I. and sloppy controls hamstring a sandbox that's left in the shadow of the superior inFAMOUS" OVERALL: 5/10 |