14 DAY TRIAL // Super hero games. Everyone loves them because they offer people the ability to pretend they have superpowers. From jumping buildings in a single bound to obliterating everyone in one's destructive path, all of them fascinate people and gamers make no exception.
Activision's latest attempt to the super hero game genre is Prototype, a title created by the team at Radical Entertainment. It tells the story of Alex Mercer, a failed test subject of an evil corporation who wakes up knowing nothing about himself, but armed with some very impressive powers, like the one to absorb other people's life force and their memories alongside it.
The game was recently released after a very big hype campaign, but was it all that necessary? Is power a bit too much or is Mercer's struggle a bit pointless? Read on to find out my one hour spent with Prototype.
13:00 Finally, I get to see just what the team at Radical Entertainment has achieved with this game. I've been looking forward to it for quite some time, and my super power hunger is pretty big after playing the demo of inFamous, a week ago.
13:03 After a pretty short cutscene, I'm thrown in the middle of the battle. New York's Manhattan island is a war zone and I, Alex Mercer, am pretty much responsible for it. The ground is teeming with military men, mutants and, rarely, normal humans. Luckily, all my powers are active, so let the fun times begin!
13:11 You can say a lot of things about this game, but one's for sure, it never ceases with the intense action. Even though this was a brief tutorial of the basic controls, the enemies were plentiful, but didn't stand a chance against my powers. Things did become a bit hectic, as I didn't know who to kill or what to destroy, but in the end, after everyone was dead, things were alright.
13:25 Well, after a pretty spectacular finale, the tutorial sequence is over, and the classic 18 Days Earlier text appears, meaning that, once I have caught a taste of the power, I need to let it go and start from the ground up.
13:33 Story elements are portrayed through some interesting cut scenes, leaving Alex awaken, confused, but needing to escape from the military quite fast. Luckily, his new powers make him a prime free runner, especially since he doesn't need to grab onto anything, as his abilities do all the work. Just sprint up the nearest building and then choose your destination rooftop.
13:41 After quickly dispatching some helicopters and absorbing a military official, I must now save my sister who is about to be captured by the military. Time to start running once more!
13:49 Stealth is an important aspect, as, at the beginning, you're not the most powerful guy around, so it's best to sneak past groups of enemies disguised as one of their own. Luckily, Alex's shape-shifting ability is more than up for this task.
14:00 After I rescue my sister, it's time to confront the corporation that did this to me and save a person from my past from its headquarters. Let's see how it will fair against a very angry and powerful product of its research.
Overall, Prototype is looking very good. Its intense action is wonderful, but might seem a bit overwhelming at first. Hopefully, I'll be able to unlock new abilities as the Experience Points accumulate. Look forward to the full review next week.