Review: Prototype (X-Box 360)

Prototype has been on this gamer’s personal radar for over a year now. Radical developed Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction for the original X-Box and I got a bit of enjoyment out of that. Looks like they snagged a lot of the core ideas behind that game and opened up the mechanics a bit more while adding elements that kept the genre fresh and engaging. By now, most of you know you play Alex Mercer. You wake up in a morgue at the beginning of the game with no memory, the ability to leap great distances, survive gunshot wounds to the head, and have a hunger to absorb human flesh. The side benefit to this is you get to experience and retain the memories, skills, and appearance of the people you consume.

Like many other sandbox games, Prototype gives you options to choose from. You can progress through a fairly linear story mode and bypass the associated challenges, or you can grind your way through these challenges to earn extra Evolution Points to upgrade your abilities and skills. I say “grinding” but truly, it doesn’t feel like it. Moving from challenge to challenge is fun and fluid. Retrying is not frustrating, and you feel a suitable sense of accomplishment when you finally get that Gold or Platinum award.

You start the game with the ability to run up walls and leap great distances. You can also pick up and throw vehicles. Right out of the gate, you are taking on squads of troops and pitching vehicles and air conditioners at helicopters giving you a sense of immediacy and reward. Leveling up feels natural, and at no point did I feel like I was grinding or putting a lot of effort into attaining all upgrades. Moving from objective to objective is punctuated with side-quests to pick up “Web of Intrigue” targets: those with knowledge of the Outbreak, the conspiracy surrounding it, and clues to your past. This adds a degree of excitement to completing certain tasks when suddenly a WOI target pops up on your radar for you to consume.

The story for Prototype is deep, engaging, and well done. Voice acting is also high-caliber. Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, Seven Pounds, The Green Mile) voices Alex, and does so very well. I found myself progressing through the story to find out what is going on, and finding Web of Intrigue targets to flesh out that story. Like most good stories, it’s immersive. It draws you in and encourages you to find out more. The mark of a well-produced game.

The gameplay is challenging and rewards caution and hit-and-run style gameplay. You are a walking superweapon, and you should have foes that cause you to think twice. This game has that in spades. From facing off a pack of hunters, a squadron of Gunships, or a fleet of tanks, you have fierce opposition at several points throughout the game. Boss battles are challenging, but not frustrating. I faced one of the more challenging boss fights in recent memory near the end of the game and felt a good sense of accomplishment after pounding that boss into the ground and consuming it.

All in all, I give this game a four star ranking. It has a solid story, solid and challenging gameplay, is extremely enjoyable and has a high degree of replay value. Anything that can pull me away from Halo 3 for as long as Prototype has has to be worth sharing with others. Hope you enjoy!

One Response to “Review: Prototype (X-Box 360)”

1. wyoming says:

   July 15, 2009 at 12:12 pm

   I am pumped to try this game, thanks for the good insight Hoji. Glad to here that the bosses are fun but not frustrating; that always gets me down while playing a game.