Prototype Hands-on Preview

Crackdown plus Dead Rising equals Prototype. That might be simplifying matters somewhat, but you get the idea.

You play Alex Mercer, a hoodie-loving shape shifter who has complete control over his DNA. Like the hoodies that enjoy staring out old people on Streatham High Road, Alex is partial to the odd mood swing. Who can blame him? Without any memory of his past he’s fuelled by a burning sense of revenge, and takes it out on the military and the Infected, Prototype’s zombie-esque bad-guys that roam the streets of New York. This three-way war, the army versus the Infected versus Alex, is a constant and evolving meta-game in of itself.

The gameplay is distinctly Crackdown. You’re able to sprint (hold down the right trigger) at a breakneck speed along the city streets, push pedestrians out of the way, leap (A or X) over vehicles, pilot helicopters, run up the sides of towering skyscrapers then jump and elbow drop tanks, all in the blink of an eye. At its best it’s a breathtaking mechanic – like Superman trying his hand at parkour. And while it does have that “city is your playground feel” from Crackdown, it’s unfair to give that game too much credit. Prototype developer Radical was, after all, responsible for Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, the free-roaming action game that ranks as one of the best super hero games ever made.

There are key missions that move the story along, but, as with all good open world games, there are tons of side missions that players will be able to engage with whenever they want. Indeed the whole city is open to you from the very beginning of the game – a move that highlights how important freedom is to Radical. One of these “events” sees Alex charged with killing as many enemies as possible within a predetermined time limit. Oh, and he’s in a tank.

The combat is typical hack and slash combo stuff. Alex has a basic attack as well as a heavy powerful attack. By holding down buttons then releasing you’re able to sacrifice speed for power. You’re also able to grab, and throw enemies, too, setting them up for aerial combos and much damage. Pressing both the basic and heavy attack buttons at the same time will do an AOE ground pound.

Given that he can control his genetic structure, it’s no surprise to discover that Alex can transform his limbs into death-dealing tools of destruction. He can convert his fists into Wolverine-esque claws (useful for killing standard soldiers and Infected quickly), large boulders (ideal for taking out tanks), and shape shift an arm into one large, deadly blade, perfect for dealing with the more powerful Infected, called Hunters.

If that wasn’t enough, Alex can utilise three extra-powerful special attacks. One sees multiple tentacles sprout from Alex’s torso, doing massive enemy-clearing damage. Another sees Alex pound the ground, raising huge spikes that impale his foes. And finally he can shoot a mass of tentacles in a forward direction, great for clearing a path.

Alex is also able to consume his enemies, indeed it’s one of Prototype’s key mechanics. Consuming not only absorbs enemy abilities but also likenesses. Consume a soldier and Alex can alter his DNA so he looks like a soldier, allowing him to walk freely among the army. But you won’t be consuming just for stealthy reasons. Advancing the main story is dependent on you consuming key characters – their memories fill the gaps in Alex’s past. This feeds into the interesting “Web of Intrigue” feature. Here, Alex will slowly piece together his past, revealing the truth behind what’s happened to him and the city. Memories play like short films, linked together by the Web of Intrigue in spiralling storyboard fashion. This memory system is intended to not only flesh out the game’s story, but to motivate the dedicated among you. Only a small portion of the Web of Intrigue will be filled in by consuming essential story-based NPCs. The vast majority will only be discovered through exploration and engaging in the many side missions.

Areas of concern are few. The graphics, at this point, aren’t quite good enough to match the thrill of the gameplay. Yes it’s open world, with loads of enemies on screen at once, but it suffers in comparison with other open world games, like GTAIV and Fallout 3. Despite the fact that the engine has been developed from the ground up by Radical to cope with scores of Infected, soldiers, tanks, helicopters and Alex all going at it at once, we noticed the frame rate struggling, especially when the camera was up close and personal. Fingers crossed those technical deficiencies will be ironed out before release. It’s very gory, though. Very gory indeed.

At the time of writing Prototype begins with a Time Square tutorial set towards the end of the story. The city is in chaos, with the army and the Infected tearing each other to pieces. Alex has every power available to him. Once completed, though, all those powers are taken away, and the game flashes back to before all the madness begins. It’s a similar strategy to that employed in Metroid Prime and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. This technique is designed to grab gamers by the ghoulies right from the off, but it’s not to everyone’s liking – something Radical is aware of. The opening is far from set in stone and may be changed prior to release.

From what we’ve played Prototype is blistering, over the top fun. Apart from slight concerns over the graphics and the complete lack of multiplayer, there’s little here to prevent the game from being one to watch in 2009. There aren’t many games, after all, that let you elbow drop tanks from the top of a skyscraper.

Prototype is due out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this summer.