Prototype 2 review: Mindless fun

Version tested: PS3

When the first Prototype came out in 2009, it had a few pretty cool elements going for it. Consuming enemies and taking their form and memories, punching helicopters, jumping over buildings with a single bound and being able to transform the protagonist’s arms into various weapons. But the fun lasted for only a short while and after consuming the 5,000th Blackwatch soldier and punching the 1,000th helicopter into oblivion, it got old.

Prototype 2 has yet to bore me, with upgraded visuals and an improved combat system; Radical Entertainment managed to deliver an experience that although mindless, is a lot of fun. You play James Heller, a soldier that blames the death of his family on Alex Mercer; the protagonist from the first game. If you haven’t played the first game, don’t bother as there is a short recap video and the sequel is better in all the fundamental elements compared to the first game.

A year after the events of the first game, New York is experiencing another outbreak of the Mercer virus and Heller is given the virus by Mercer, giving him powers similar to Mercer. Needless to say, Heller is very angry and wants revenge on Mercer for the death of his family. He constantly channels his anger in his dialogue which is chock full of cursing and profanities. You will hear a lot of it.

The combat and the variety given to you to kill the enemy is the strongest point of this game. You can transform your hands into five different types of weapons, from claws to tendrils and two of them can be maped to the face buttons. Consuming enemies will restore your health and you will gain their memories and form but certain enemies will give you bonus experience or allow you to upgrade your skills.

Make short work of helicopters with Heller's tendrils

Gain enough experience points and Heller evolves, giving you one skill point to further increase his powers. The game does a good job of making you feel more and more powerful as you progress through the game. Like any other open world games, there are things for you to collect and side missions to complete.

The missions that the game tasks you with will get repetitive after awhile, its pretty much the same thing over and over again. Go there, eat that guy, kill everyone and escape. If not for the combat, I would have put this game down after the first couple of hours.

If you’ve played the first game, you will notice that all the animations from the sequel are pretty much the same; visually this game isn’t great but it’s not too bad that it stops you from enjoying the game. The cutscenes are all done in black and white with red highlights which is a pretty neat touch.

Recap
The game have some fun combat mechanics and makes you feel like a true badass wrapped up with a forgettable story and forgettable characters. The game is about 12-15 hours depending on how many side quests you complete. Great rent if that’s an option.