After having played both Prototype (Xbox 360, PS3) and Infamous (PS3), I have to comment on the similarities between the two. It’s as if the makers were copying each other during a test, and the results were these two games. They both are free-roaming comic-inspired action games where the main characters looks like your average guy, but they both are super powered and considered terrorists. Both involve mass destruction in the beginning that centers on the main characters and that in turn sets the motion for the characters to find out why they have powers and who’s behind the city-wide panic. They can glide, parkour, and climb walls and pretty have a lot of powers at their disposal. Both games were also released within 15 days from each other. Coincidence? Even though the games share a lot of similarities, they both have a different feel and different means of gameplay. Prototype focuses more on melee combat and Infamous focuses more on projectiles.

If I had to say it, I would say that Prototype is more similar to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction in terms of gameplay. Well that’s because Radical Entertainment are the developers behind both games, and what they have done was to create a big playground (Manhattan) for adults to mess around in. This is a violent and gory game with gratuitous f-bombs just to show you that the game is “mature.”

Story

Alex Mercer is in the mix of it all, Manhattan is overrun with the infected and the entire military is out to get him. He has no memory of how he got the powers, and it’s up to him to stop the city from ultimate annihilation. The game gives you a taste of what you’re capable of at the beginning, and then Alex Mercer tells his story to a mysterious figure in flashbacks, thus making you start from scratch from when you discovered your powers.

Gameplay

It’s always fun being in a sandbox game with practically the power of God at your disposal. You can glide, run on walls, jump high, air dash, run fast and hop over obstacles. You can’t drive cars, but you can hijack tanks and helicopters. Hijacking a chopper while it’s flying over you is easily one of the coolest things in the game.

Ever wondered what it’s like to consume an individual and become them? Well you can in this game. You can do this quietly or noticeably. The noticeable way is very gruesome as Alex Mercer impales the victim in many different ways to transform into them. Consuming and transforming helps you gain access to military compounds and escape easily. The ability to accuse a soldier and then having other soldiers shoot him on site is sadistically fun. Certain people that you consume can give you upgrades and others give you access to their memory. The best thing of all is that you gain health by consuming them.

Fighting

When it comes to combat, you can use your powers to create blades, claws, hammerfists, and more. You can buy attack moves, combo, powers, and armor. Combat is pretty fun when you’re unleashing pain, but not so much when you’re being attacked. I wish that there were more ways to counter their attacks, but air dashing and diveroll is the way to go. The only person you can counter is the super soldiers, and it’s only when they grab you. I guess I have been spoiled by games like Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, and soon-to-be Batman: Arkham Asylum. Hell, even the Pirates of the Caribbean game had counter system.

Missions

The missions are like GTA and other sandbox games. You can free roam and decide when you want to continue on the story mission or side missions. The missions are varied and aplenty and include escorting, defending, and destroying. My favorite mission type is to infiltrate a military base by disguising myself as a superior officer, then sneaking in and assassinating all the soldiers inside one by one.

Presentation

The graphics is pretty good, but not nearly as impressive as other AAA titles. The WOW factor comes from the living breathing city and the chaos it encounters. Manhattan is filled with many citizens. You can walk with the people unnoticed as long as you’re not doing anything crazy, but once you go crazy, people begin to panic and run away from you in masses while the military comes at you. It seems like Radical Entertainment has chosen Manhattan again as the locale because they probably have the blueprint saved and it would be easier to develop a new game with an area that they’re familiar with.

Conclusion

This game is tons of fun. Roaming around Manhattan is easy and stylish with gliding, dashing, and parkour. When fighting, you are given a lot of abilities that you can mix up your routine with. If you thought the Hulk was crazy in Ultimate Destruction, you haven’t seen Alex Mercer. It’s a definite play.

Grade: B+

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