Prototype was announced on 10 August 2007 by Sierra Entertainment. It was released on June 9 2009 to North America, June 10 2009 to Australia and June 12 2009 to Europe under the genre of Action with an ESRB rating of M for Mature. Prototype was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision. The sandbox-style action game is set in New York City in a fictional time when a virus infects people and the military attempts to put an end to it. In the game, players play as Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the story who has enemy-absorbing and shapeshifting powers. He has the ability to take memories, experiences, biomass and physical forms of enemies through absorption and even shapeshift into more specialized forms for attack, defence or sensory enhancement. Parallel to the game’s storyline is the ability to play the game as a sandbox-style video game giving players the freedom to roam Manhattan to do missions or just run around the city killing people or consuming them. As the game progresses, New York evolves from a troubled city, to an all out war zone with BlackWatch fighting infected humans and Hunters. Alex can perform agile feats such as running up the surfaces of skyscrapers, jumping hundreds of meters at a time and gliding through the air using adaptive parkour. Unfortunately, Prototype does not use falling damage but the ground is seen to deform as the player lands after falling from great heights. Playes may also use firearms in combat and can perform a variety of melee attacks without having to shapeshift. However, Alex’s primary superpower is his ability to shapeshift, transforming parts of his body into a selection of deadly weapons genetically acquired by consuming enemies possessing these weapons.
Reviews
Prototype is a fast-paced open-world action game that features New York facing a viral outbreak that is turning the island’s population into mutants. In the game, players play amnesiac Alex Mercer that has amazing agility and superpowers. Prototype has a very intriguing story, varied missions and some memorable boss battles. Although it is hard to understand Alex Mercer, the character is pretty easy to control as making giant leaps, gliding through the air, and even running up the sides of skyscrapers are effortless actions.
Prototype is a single player, open-world action game in the style of Crackdown or The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. You play as a man gifted with superhuman powers and the option to go most anywhere you like and do most anything you want once you get there. It’s sandbox gaming with a heavy focus on pure action.
Though you play as a man bestowed with superhero power, Mercer is anything but heroic. There are no moral choices here. Mercer has vowed to destroy those responsible for his current situation and he has the means to do it. To gain new powers or refill your health bar, you’ll literally absorb other living beings. Find yourself a little low on hit points and you can simply grab an innocent bystander, crush his or her head, and then consume them for a quick boost. If you find yourself in a pinch with attack choppers chasing you through the roads, you can absorb a person and morph into their likeness to blend in with the crowd.
“Prototype is a game with many cool features. However, it lacks many of the finishing touches that make for a great and memorable game. To say the graphics and game engine need work is a massive understatement and many of the missions are cookie cutter in design without any real focus or attention to detail. Thankfully, Alex Mercer’s absorbing and shape shifting powers manage to overcome many of the shortcomings of Prototype. Though the missions themselves aren’t anything special, the vast array of powers provides their own variety and flair.” (IGN, 2009)
