LogFAQs > #967562940

Prototype (Steam)

It's somewhat hard for me write a review for this game as I'm pretty biased; I absolutely despise this game.

I'll start with one of the more positive aspects: the story. While the story isn't some groundbreaking, fascinating adventure, it is more interesting than games of this nature generally warrant. There are some twists that I did not anticipate which again, aren't mind-boggling but do more than I think most people would have expected. These twists aren't fully explored unfortunately, but at the very least they are there. There are some inconsistencies, as Alex Mercer (the main character) has a lot of anger at how the military can play with people's lives, but the gameplay loop generally requires you to slurp up people (enemies and civilians) to regain health, so that doesn't entirely make sense. There is/could be a story reason for this (going back to the story being more interesting than needed) but it never really feels justified, especially because that story reason would then also somewhat clash with the rest of the happenings in-game. Be ready for some late 00's edge too; Alex Mercer's voice actor leans into it and the story kinda demands it as well.

Having started with something positive, we can move on to the negative: the gameplay. I never had fun playing this game, at all. The traversal is okay; once you get your powers upgraded you can get around NY pretty easily, but Alex is very cumbersome in turning and when you reach a big building, going up it will take some time regardless, whether you're running or jumping up.

But while the traversal is okay, the combat is where this game truly falters. See, Prototype is a superhero game. Alex Mercer is not actually a superhero, but his powers basically enable him to be one. However, you are only more powerful than basic civilians, basic mutants and the most basic of army personnel. Even the soldiers who have RPGS will instill fear in you; the damage they do will have you getting out of whatever combat situation you're in to guzzle up some poor civvies for health. And then we haven't even talked about tanks, helicopters, hunters, supreme hunters, and super soldiers, who will happily tear you to shreds in seconds.

I understand; it's hard to balance a game like this. But there maybe should have been some RPG elements involved in this game, where the further you get, the stronger you become. At the start of the game guys with RPGS and tanks can be a problem; later on however, these should be nothing to fear. You get stronger by unlocking upgrades, but these are mostly additional powers or a different move, rather than just hitting harder or being able to take more damage. Alex' power definitely goes up later in the game, but he will perpetually feel like cardboard on the taking damage front. One of the final powers you obtain is an armor one, which helps, but is also hamstrung by limiting your movability, and the quickest way to die in Prototype is by being surrounded on all sides by enemies. The most annoying aspect for me was definitely the fact that the game never started me anywhere with full health, which meant I had to run around consuming people first, but that probably got the military on my back who I then had to evade or take care of, losing health again in the process.

The variety in gameplay missions also leaves something to be desired. There's a lot of traveling around the map to destroy some radars or helicopters, or to blow up a base or a nest, or to have a fight with some specific enemy. It especially becomes egregious later on in the story, when some missions really feel like they were designed to pad the game out a bit, rather than having an organic story purpose.

One other positive to mention is the Web of Intrigue mechanic. This will mark some people on the map when you get near them, and when you consume them, you'll get some backstory on what's going on. It's unfortunate there's no easy way to hunt for them, but it's a neat way to explore the story.

On a technical note, the game is mostly unimpressive. It's not exactly pretty to look at, and it was very clearly designed in the era of video games when developers all suffered from a colour phobia. The music isn't bad, but nothing that will really stick in your head either.

I would not recommend this game to anyone, but I've also seen a lot of people love it, so I can accept being in the minority on this. I would probably recommend playing it on a console, or at least on a controller. The keyboard was not a great experience for this game.