This Isn’t A Toy: Prototype Review
With more and more open world and sandbox games coming out, gamers know what works and does not work when using it. Prototype is the newest game using an open world setting and the formula it developed for it’s story and gameplay is what makes it a correct answer for gamers to enjoy.
The game starts with the main character introducing himself as Alex Mercer and you also see the city which happens to be NYC. Something happened to cause the city to be infected with something and he too has something wrong with him. Alex wants to know why him and know the bigger picture to this infection. As Alex, you fight with a variety of melee attacks killing soldiers and infected people alike. Each check point Alex reached changed Alex into a killing machine but when everything was said and done, we travel back 18 days ago to when this all started for him. Alex Mercer was dead but then came back to life. Once he woke, he didn’t know what was happening but realized that something about him was different. Alex was not phased after being shot, lifted cars and consumed people like it was his job. He remembers his sister after consuming a solider that knew where she was. Alex rescues her and she is taken to a safe house. Alex then tries to investigate more about who he is, what has happened to him and take revenge for what has been done.
It’s a free roaming kind of game like Crackdown, Mercenaries and the most recent game inFamous. Alex Mercer is in New York City and can go anywhere and do almost anything. When on the island, you can continue with the story of this game or do any side missions to earn points called EP (guessing it means Experience Points). From this EP, you can upgrade a large quantity of Powers, Movements, and much more Alex can do in this game. The upgrading or learning of new powers and moves have no tie in with the story line which makes the upgrading system kind of unnecessary. Upgrading Alex though is still satisfying when you start performing the new moves on the infected enemies/soldiers. Another side mission of sorts is the ‘web’ which entails Alex consuming certain people which then shows a small video about that person and how it relates to Alex’s situation. You don’t know where they are in the city unless you just roam the city and find them on your in game map. If you consume them, you will watch a memory which talks about the infection or something else that helps Alex understand the bigger picture. If you want to just fight and blow stuff up before continuing the story, you can always destroy important builds like infects strong holds and military headquarters. If you can destroy these buildings successfully, you can just gain extra EP for upgrading purposes.
The controls for moving Alex Mercer around aren’t to complicated and the balance of hits that Alex can take show a nice mix together. The player will use the left stick to move Alex around but use the right stick for the camera. The square and triangle are used for hitting while the circle is used to grab and x used for jumping. The R1 and L1 buttons are quick menus which can help you change Alex’s super power from claws to hammerfists without stopping. R2 is impressive because it handles the running but also moves around obstacles for you without you pressing any other buttons. For example, if you are running up the wall of a building by pressing R2, anything in the way of him he will push aside or jump away from while continuing the running action. The L2 is used for locking onto enemies or anything that stands in your path. The control pad is another quick menu which allows you to get to special moves and features Alex does in the game. Along side all these moves, taking hits from opponents are not overwhelmingly hard but still can pose a problem since a lot of enemies attack Alex at one time. All these features for Prototype make it an interesting balance and a fun experience.
Standing on top of a tall building with Alex is impressive and looking around to admire the view is notable but this isn’t something you will be doing all the time. Lets face it, the game was made for the action and violence, not the graphics so don’t be surprised when you don’t see Assassin’s Creed like graphics when playing. When running around the city, you will notice massive amounts of people and those people will not all be unique but will be overlooked as you slice your way through enemies or citizens. The buildings are nicely made and look different enough from each other to appreciate the structure. The cut scenes when going through the story mode aren’t eye opening but shouldn’t turn you away from the game as the gameplay is what rocks about this game.
When running up a building to landing from a 50 floor building, the sound is accurate while the music fits the game but doesn’t entice you to keep listening. The sound effects are well done when are are so many elements that will make sounds in the game. There are the screams from the citizens as they run away from the infected to just walking calmly on the street as another day is going by. The sounds make the gaming experience just a little better after you get a satisfying sound when landing on the street, impacting the ground.
The game does not try to move away from it’s primary objective and the gameplay is sound and just fun. There is only a story, side missions and violence to enjoy as you run on top of buildings, glide through the air and slice your way through anything or anyone you want. What more could any gamer ask for.
Must be Over (17+) – Teens can Play – For all Ages
Worth the Price – Let it Drop – Avoid at All Costs
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