and I will say that I have an abusive relationship with this series. I like and hate this series at the same time. It’s frustrating, especially when you play them back to back, like I did, or compare the two, like I’m about to do.I got both games recently through a deal on Amazon that gave you both games plus DLC for the second game for Steam for only 10 bucks. On one end I would’ve like to see where this series would’ve gone if developer Radical Entertainment hadn’t gone out of business. On the other end, it was inevitable that they would go under because you can’t make a triple A title like the Prototype series at the quality it was. It is.

Lets start with the first game. The first Prototype game is such a mixed bag of a game, I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me that it wasn’t actually completed or major components and features of the game were taken out at the last minute. First thing I noticed were the graphics. Holy crap is this game ugly. It looks like a PS2 game with its resolution raised so it could pass for high definition. The story is paced like a subpar PS2 action title also. The only thing that’s not last gen is that a game like this wouldn’t have been an open world game just because the PS2, Xbox and GameCube wouldn’t have been able to do what this game does. It would’ve been an action title.

The other thing I noticed right away is the controls are really finicky. They are not precise and are real loose. You’ll constantly be doing things you didn’t mean to and you’ll start to get confused since the camera sucks as well. That being said, when you do have proper control, which thankfully is a considerable amount of the time, you see that the combat is fun. Destroying helicopters in one to two hits was fun and in the chaotic environment the game puts you in, there is a sense of direction. However, overall the story was just too uninteresting, and the side missions were equally unappealing. I had actually rented Prototype 1 before and I had said that the only way I would buy that game would be if I could get it for $10 or less. Which is what happened. This isn’t a proper review per se but the first game is definitely mediocre and I would give it a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Prototype 2 is definitely better. I have more positive things to say about this game so I’ll get the negative stuff out of the way. The most irritating thing about this game is the protagonist himself. James Heller is such an unbelievable bastard it’s really surprising he’s not actually the villain at the end of the game. Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the first game and the antagonist in this game, was an anti-hero, as he really didn’t care about anyone other than himself. Heller however is just an unlikable person right from the beginning. He’s way too brash, has a rotten attitude and uses the word fuck like it’s a punctuation mark. The other issue, and this is really the biggest issue, is the stuff that is here is good but it’s not great. There’s enough to do but none of it is really engaging. Lastly, this may be a minor gripe but it’s so strange, I’m willing to call it a glitch. Heller doesn’t like grabbing barrels. I’ve had instances where when I try to grab barrels, he runs away from them. Doesn’t even grab anything else. This sucks since there’s side missions where all you do is grab barrels but there you go.

Now for the good, which is everything else. The graphics are much improved and the game has a more polished feel to it. The controls are improved and although the game is slower than in the first game, it’s for the better as you just have more of an idea of what’s going on. The powers you get are also scaled back but more of them are useful. Plus new powers like the tendrills are just extremely useful. For what it’s worth, Heller does feel different from Mercer from the first game. The side missions have you doing things that are more meaningful such as finding recordings that add development to the overall plot or clearing out lairs that usually contain creatures of which absorbing them upgrades one of your powers. Some are still kinda dumb like your diving off of ledges and smashing enemy targets on the ground missions but they are less frequent. The game just feels more organic overall and less forced in its execution. Again, this isn’t a proper review but overall, I would score this somewhere around 3.5 or 4.

Overall, the series is still sort of underwhelming. The second game is better and I would actually recommend picking that game up if you can find it cheap (like $30 or less) but considering what the game’s premise is, it could’ve been better. Both the first and the second game fail to deliver on the idea of being this super being with an assortment of powers and flexible abilities while not having to be this beacon of chivalry or wear rainbow colored tights. A series like this that is decidedly second tier would’ve been fine last generation or even the generation before it but nowadays, there is no space for a second tier game and I have to agree with this game’s lack of popularity. For as much money that must’ve been sunk into this series, they have little to show for it. If you took out some of the more extraneous stuff that’s in the second game, you would’ve had a great downloadable title. Sure the game would be 12 hours long rather than 18 but I’ll sacrifice length for quality. Oh and the first game just needs work, downloadable or otherwise.

Well, those are my thoughts on Prototype 1 and 2 but what are yours? Let me know in the comments below and Santa will get you a Mega Wii U for Christmas. That’s a Wii U with a terabyte of internal memory, a touch screen with multi-touch, and Metroid Prime 4, Super Smash Bros U, Legend of Zelda U, and Earthbound U all included before anyone else gets to have it. So, you know, leave a comment. Please. Mega Wii U.

and I will say that I have an abusive relationship with this series. I like and hate this series at the same time. It’s frustrating, especially when you play them back to back, like I did, or compare the two, like I’m about to do.I got both games recently through a deal on Amazon that gave you both games plus DLC for the second game for Steam for only 10 bucks. On one end I would’ve like to see where this series would’ve gone if developer Radical Entertainment hadn’t gone out of business. On the other end, it was inevitable that they would go under because you can’t make a triple A title like the Prototype series at the quality it was. It is.

Lets start with the first game. The first Prototype game is such a mixed bag of a game, I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me that it wasn’t actually completed or major components and features of the game were taken out at the last minute. First thing I noticed were the graphics. Holy crap is this game ugly. It looks like a PS2 game with its resolution raised so it could pass for high definition. The story is paced like a subpar PS2 action title also. The only thing that’s not last gen is that a game like this wouldn’t have been an open world game just because the PS2, Xbox and GameCube wouldn’t have been able to do what this game does. It would’ve been an action title.

The other thing I noticed right away is the controls are really finicky. They are not precise and are real loose. You’ll constantly be doing things you didn’t mean to and you’ll start to get confused since the camera sucks as well. That being said, when you do have proper control, which thankfully is a considerable amount of the time, you see that the combat is fun. Destroying helicopters in one to two hits was fun and in the chaotic environment the game puts you in, there is a sense of direction. However, overall the story was just too uninteresting, and the side missions were equally unappealing. I had actually rented Prototype 1 before and I had said that the only way I would buy that game would be if I could get it for $10 or less. Which is what happened. This isn’t a proper review per se but the first game is definitely mediocre and I would give it a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Prototype 2 is definitely better. I have more positive things to say about this game so I’ll get the negative stuff out of the way. The most irritating thing about this game is the protagonist himself. James Heller is such an unbelievable bastard it’s really surprising he’s not actually the villain at the end of the game. Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the first game and the antagonist in this game, was an anti-hero, as he really didn’t care about anyone other than himself. Heller however is just an unlikable person right from the beginning. He’s way too brash, has a rotten attitude and uses the word fuck like it’s a punctuation mark. The other issue, and this is really the biggest issue, is the stuff that is here is good but it’s not great. There’s enough to do but none of it is really engaging. Lastly, this may be a minor gripe but it’s so strange, I’m willing to call it a glitch. Heller doesn’t like grabbing barrels. I’ve had instances where when I try to grab barrels, he runs away from them. Doesn’t even grab anything else. This sucks since there’s side missions where all you do is grab barrels but there you go.

Now for the good, which is everything else. The graphics are much improved and the game has a more polished feel to it. The controls are improved and although the game is slower than in the first game, it’s for the better as you just have more of an idea of what’s going on. The powers you get are also scaled back but more of them are useful. Plus new powers like the tendrills are just extremely useful. For what it’s worth, Heller does feel different from Mercer from the first game. The side missions have you doing things that are more meaningful such as finding recordings that add development to the overall plot or clearing out lairs that usually contain creatures of which absorbing them upgrades one of your powers. Some are still kinda dumb like your diving off of ledges and smashing enemy targets on the ground missions but they are less frequent. The game just feels more organic overall and less forced in its execution. Again, this isn’t a proper review but overall, I would score this somewhere around 3.5 or 4.

Overall, the series is still sort of underwhelming. The second game is better and I would actually recommend picking that game up if you can find it cheap (like $30 or less) but considering what the game’s premise is, it could’ve been better. Both the first and the second game fail to deliver on the idea of being this super being with an assortment of powers and flexible abilities while not having to be this beacon of chivalry or wear rainbow colored tights. A series like this that is decidedly second tier would’ve been fine last generation or even the generation before it but nowadays, there is no space for a second tier game and I have to agree with this game’s lack of popularity. For as much money that must’ve been sunk into this series, they have little to show for it. If you took out some of the more extraneous stuff that’s in the second game, you would’ve had a great downloadable title. Sure the game would be 12 hours long rather than 18 but I’ll sacrifice length for quality. Oh and the first game just needs work, downloadable or otherwise.

Well, those are my thoughts on Prototype 1 and 2 but what are yours? Let me know in the comments below and Santa will get you a Mega Wii U for Christmas. That’s a Wii U with a terabyte of internal memory, a touch screen with multi-touch, and Metroid Prime 4, Super Smash Bros U, Legend of Zelda U, and Earthbound U all included before anyone else gets to have it. So, you know, leave a comment. Please. Mega Wii U.

You know what, the fact that you avoided comparing them to the Infamous series is bonus points, good on you.

The opposite! I thoroughly enjoyed Prototype 1 but can't muster enough interest to load up Prototype 2. Heller may have something to do with it.

Prototype 2 is just so drab. The city already looks and feels totally fucked, Heller's annoying, and the story set-up is even more self serious than Prototype 1.

Whereas in the first one, I had a good time running through a relatively clean New York, wreaking havoc on choppers and tanks, just running over traffic or flying through the air. But everything about it didn't scream "sequel-worthy". You could see what would be improved upon and all that, but the game had that B-tier thing going on where you know it's not the best, but can still have a great time with it, but don't really want anymore of it when you're done.

The Prototype games (as well as The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction) have always had a special place in my heart. While they may not be the most well polished or in depth games they offer a certain style of gameplay that you can't really find anywhere else. While I love that in Assassin's Creed I can carefully and thoughtfully climb buildings and run across rooftops, all of which have been carefully designed for easy traversal, sometimes I want to run straight up a building. I love how Spec Ops: The Line made me question my morality, but sometimes I want to take an innocent civilian and turn them into a living bomb. Sometimes I get tired of story, characters, and carefully constructed set pieces and just want to blow shit up. That's what the Prototype games provide. They are pure id.

With that said I though this was a great write up. All of the criticism you made against the games are completely justified and I think this did a good job of summing up a lot of these games charms and faults.

What annoyed me the most about Prototype 2, is that I didn't think there was enough new interesting ideas, powers, mechanics etc. I definitely had the most fun with Prototype, even though 2 is the better game. They had this new crazy idea, but didn't quite know how to pull it off. Prototype 2 is the game that 1 should've been, but most of the stuff in Prototype 2 you had already seen, which to me made it a bit lackluster.

@Nightriff: I was already comparing them to themselves so I thought that was enough. Plus I haven't played the inFamous series enough to do a credible comparison.

@TheHT: I agree with your sentiments about James Heller. As I mentioned, he is just such an unlikable character and it's a grind to listen to him talk. I understand the developers wanted to make an anti-hero but did they have to make him less appealing than scabies? The concept of the city looking already dire Prototype 2 as opposed to it being normal in Prototype 1 didn't really faze me either way.

@Rainbowkisses: The idea of wanting to just go ape shit in a game and destroy everything is what I thought I would get in Prototype. That pure id, I'm all for that. This game would've been great if the story were something simple like, "This company experimented on me and the head of the company is my enemy." That's it. Instead it's like, "Here, have some convoluted military nonsense." I'm reminded of the Expendables movies. Do they have a deep plot? No because they don't need one. All they have is awesome action scenes and shit blowing up. That's all this needed and it does give you that but not in a easy way, due to the controls.

@Meltac: Perhaps it was because I played them back to back that the gameplay didn't seem old to me yet.