Prototype - PC Game Review

Prototype (video game) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Prototype is a very intense game. I'm not sure what genre it properly fits into - it uses an outside view, so it is not a really a FPS - which I usually dislike, but makes sense in this case.

I've had this game for a while - purchased on a Steam sale, as usual - and I finally decided to try it out.

The game is about Alex Mercer - who (apparently at this point of the story) was mutated by a virus that gives him super powers (in a very Neal Asher's Polity sort of way - it can consume enemies, adapt in seconds to new situations with a thought, etc).

There are plenty of attacks and special moves, including just grabbing a car or large AC unit and throwing it. You can do enormous jumps and run up the walls of building - apparently by doing enough damage on contact that you just penetrate the wall (not sure how that would work on glass).

You can also grab guns your enemies drop, but that feels just wrong and the aiming feels like a console's, not a PC's.

That is something that I feel all the time on the game - this clearly feels more like a console game than a FPS. That is not all bad but it is jarring and annoying to me.

The game has a large amount of upgrades available, such as powers (attack, defense or vision), moves, etc. You buy these with action points, which you get by completing missions, killing enemies, completing events (there a lot of them - running, killing infected, killing military, and many more) or getting landmark markers or hints around the city.

New upgrades may appear after missions, just like new events.

Overall, however, the game looks and feels great. The battles are very fast paced and fun, and just running - automatically jumping on cars and climbing walls - is very cool.

One of the upgrades you can unlock later is hijacking choppers. You can actually get an upgrade that allows you to send a tentacle to grab onto the chopper and enter it. Very cool, and very useful - not only for actual battles, but also for getting around the city faster.

Update: I have finished the game now. Took about 24 hours. The ending feels like it could be a bit better, and it felt like the game was cheating in the final battle (i.e.: if you are attacking the enemy from a chopper, looked like the stuff it threw chased you in the air!), but still pretty good.

Very much recommend.