Despite the cool concept and impressive graphics, "Prototype" was just too much to handle and have fun.
AIMEE GREEN / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, July 2, 2009 12:00 am
It's funny how often games (or movies) with similar ideas come out at the same time. The comparisons between "inFamous" and "Prototype" were inevitable: Both games involve apocalyptic futures and the development of superpowers.
I was surprised to discover that, despite the fact that there's a lot more to "Prototype," I enjoyed "inFamous" more.
I spent all week trying to figure out why this was, and it's hard to pinpoint because "Prototype" isn't a bad game.
It has all the trappings of a really cool game: The main character, Alex Mercer, has been infected with a virus that mutates his genes and gives him powers.
Of course, Alex also has lost his memory, so he uses his powers to find out what happened to him and where the virus came from.
Among the things Alex can do: quickly scale buildings, jump really high and glide across Manhattan.
His powers let his body morph into whatever he wants. So, for example, he can turn his arms into rock-hard hammers for blunt attacks or sharp blades for slicing.
Alex also can make himself look and sound like other people by "absorbing" them. This lets him disguise himself to get away from enemies or to infiltrate military bases.
Absorbing certain people lets Alex see their memories. Others give him skill upgrades.
Despite the cool concept and impressive graphics, "Prototype" failed to suck me in.
I decided the problem is that "Prototype" throws so much at you at once, it's hard to click with a single part of the game. Alex gets so many different powers, you can't really use all of them easily. Button combinations get out of control.
Enemies can be overwhelming. They all look the same, and so many come at you at once, it's hard to move around and see what you're doing. Battles take on a chaotic, throw-out-what-you've-got-and-hope-it-sticks feel.
The controls also can be problematic. Alex moves with grace most of the time, but changing directions quickly is nearly impossible without a bunch of flailing about.
In the end, there's so much going on, "Prototype" loses a bit of its cohesiveness.
The game is fun, but after a while it begins feeling more like work. I would suggest renting it first.
* Seems familiar: "Prototype" feels a lot like "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." It's no wonder; Radical Entertainment developed them both.
* Keeping active: The game has a number of side activities to complete, but most of them feel more like chores.
Reach Aimee Green at 473-7326 or Aimee.Green@lee.net.