Prototype Preview

Alex Mercer is pissed.

All of a sudden the open world superhero genre seems crowded. It’s not as if there haven’t been any open world superhero games before (Crackdown, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Spider-Man 2), it’s just that this summer seems rife with them. inFamous, Sucker Punch’s PS3-exclusive open world super hero game, has already revealed itself, scoring an impressive 8/10 in our review. There are rumours that Microsoft will take the lid off of Crackdown 2 at its E3 press conference next month. And, finally, there’s Prototype, Radical’s take on the open world superhero genre, due out in June. They’re like buses, really, these open world superhero games. You wait ages then loads turn up at once. The question is, is the real world big enough for the all of them?

At a recent Activision press event in London I got the clearest indication yet that the answer to that question is yes. Prototype might play a lot like Crackdown and it might look a lot like inFamous, but it does one thing better than both of those games: make you feel like a disturbed and dangerous superhero.

Alex “hoodie” Mercer, Prototype’s emo protagonist, can not only do all the open world stuff that you’d expect, like scaling skyscrapers like a squirrel on speed and leaping off of them like a monkey with wings, and can not only do all the superhero stuff you’d expect, like slicing soldiers with Wolverine-like claws and chucking tanks at helicopters like The Incredible Hulk, but he can consume his enemies, too.

Prototype's open world is in constant conflict

Alex’s ability to consume is what makes Prototype stand out in the packed open world crowd. Not only is it a cool thing to do in of itself, but it sprinkles some variety on the traditional go anywhere do anything gameplay. Consume a soldier, for example, and Alex’s DNA will rewrite itself T-1000 style so that he looks exactly like that soldier. He’s then able to walk about undetected among the very people who are after his genetically altered derriere. In fact, given that there’s a detection system in place that shows you how close you are to being sniffed out, you might say that there’s more than a little Metal Gear Solid in Prototype.

Early in the game this mechanic demonstrates its usefulness. Perched on a city building, soldiers man every virtual sinew of the surrounding streets. The only way to get anywhere without getting into a scrap is to consume a soldier, assume his likeness and walk about like you own the place. While in disguise a few symbols on the HUD keep you informed of how close you are to being spotted. One symbol shows you the skin you’re able to morph into (you’re able to store disguises for use later), which changes colour to depict your level of detection. This, of course, is governed by your actions. Start doing superhero-like stuff and the soldiers will clock you and start riddling your body with bullets. Walk calmly and slowly, however, and they won’t blink an eyelid.

Of course, the biggest thrills will come from simply barging your way through the crowds in Radical’s virtual New York City, running up building walls then leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Prototype has a wonderful sense of speed and freedom, and it’s all down to the game’s refusal to allow realism to get in the way of fun. Alex will automatically leap over vehicles as he speeds down streets, and will automatically run up walls if you guide him to them with the thumbstick. Auto-lock enemy targeting (with the left trigger) makes the annoying camera a lot more bearable, and a simple light and heavy attack system makes combat a breeze. Clearly, Radical has tried to remove as many barriers to simply being a superhero in the city as possible.