Prototype Megathread

mobius387

beer snob
Premium Supporter
Feb 16, 2009
4,404
Milwaukee, WI
Prototype
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Release Date: June 9, 2009​

In Prototype, players take control of Alex Mercer – a dark, genetically mutated shape-shifter with no memory of his past, hell-bent on solving the mystery of his existence as he tears through a densely populated New York City moving with Parkour-style fluidity and consuming anything that gets in his way.

'Deceive or Destroy' gameplay allows gamers the choice to either blend in with the population and covertly progress through the story, or fully unleash Alex’s powers, and move through New York City like a walking slaughterhouse, taking control of military vehicles, and causing destruction at every turn.
 
AU Review

IGN AU review is up

8.0 Presentation
So many options in so many areas. Pity there’s no restart mission option on the pause menu.
8.5 Graphics
Decent art design throughout but the standout is definitely the memory flashbacks.
8.5 Sound
A rousing score paired with decent voice acting.
8.5 Gameplay
Controls can be unwieldy, but once you have them down, both movement and combat are a blast.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
It’s not all that long, but there are heaps of side missions, orbs to find and upgrades to purchase.
8.5
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

source: ps3.ign.com/articles/993/993389p2.html
 
well, the IGN Xbox page has a review, but no link to the PS3 one. Oh well, they are always the same anyways.

Heres the US one off the 360 page (ill change the source once it loads up on the ps3 page):

6.5 Presentation
Very hit or miss. Some cutscenes are a confused joke, others are well-produced. The story isn't your standard fare, but that doesn't mean it is outstanding.
5.5 Graphics
If it weren't for some nice animations, this game wouldn't have anything going for it visually.
7.5 Sound
There's nothing exceptional going on here, but the sounds and music do their job. The voice acting is decent.
8.0 Gameplay
Toying around with the powers, consuming and crushing everything in your path, and generally playing with the world is fun. The mission design could be better and things do tend to get too chaotic.
6.5 Lasting Appeal
You can do just about everything in well under 20 hours. I didn’t find myself compelled to play for a second time at all.
7.5
Good OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

source: xbox360.ign.com/articles/992/992950p2.html
 
Funny how much it differs.

yup, once again stressing that these reviews are just one person's opinion. i usually like ign reviews, which is why i posted them, but they can still be off. usually they are close, for me at least. best way to find out if a game is good is either rent it yourself, or talk to people who have it/have played it. i value the opinions you guys say here way above someone writing a review for a website.
 
yup, once again stressing that these reviews are just one person's opinion. i usually like ign reviews, which is why i posted them, but they can still be off. usually they are close, for me at least. best way to find out if a game is good is either rent it yourself, or talk to people who have it/have played it. i value the opinions you guys say here way above someone writing a review for a website.

+1 Just like movies LOL
 
Thats the good thing about being in a clan ... you get to feel each other out... then you get to see what others gaming patterns are .... some you will be very like minded with ... and those are the opinions that I use to buy games.
 
PS3 version of Prototype features installation bug, annoying workaround

Did you just pick up the PS3 version of Prototype only to discover you can't, um, play it? You are not alone! If your PS3 tells you that you don't have enough hard disk space for the installation -- and you know that it's LYING to you -- then you'll have to use this workaround, provided by Activision support: change the amount of free hard disk space on your system by 700MB. This can be done by either installing another PS3 game (like Infamous), downloading game demos (like the Infamous demo), or downloading and removing videos from the hard drive (like videos of Infamous).

The Activision support site notes the team is working on a better solution: "We take this issue very seriously and are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause." We're sure PS3 owners will patiently wait for a patch.


joystiq.com/2009/06/10/ps3-version-of-prototype-features-installation-bug-annoying-wor/
 
How varied are the missions? A variety of side/regular missions?

There are a few side missions I know of so far not many, like collect the orbs (xx/200) collect tips (xx/50). There are boss battles and I am sure they will get big by the end of it, after all it is a military & Monster game. Lots of upgrades you need to buy or collect. Decent story line eating or consuming people is definately a plus. When ever you get low on health just eat a few people or infected and regain health :) Camouflage yourself to look like the last person you just consumed to sneak by unnoticed into military bases. Trophies are reasonably easy to DIY. A bunch just come with game play, and some like "Kill 500 people while driving a tank" are just fun cuz who wouldnt want to do that in real life LOL

I am only just starting the second chapter myself but our son got to the end of the 3rd chapter I think it was last night after a few hours of playing. He is a run and gun style push forward don't look back. I am more a find everything take your time kill lots of infected. But sometimes you need to run and gun due to deadlines like protecting a safehouse.

Well that is my take on it. Worth the purchase to me.
 
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There are a few side missions I know of so far not many, like collect the orbs (xx/200) collect tips (xx/50). There are boss battles and I am sure they will get big by the end of it, after all it is a military & Monster game. Lots of upgrades you need to buy or collect. Decent story line eating or consuming people is definately a plus. When ever you get low on health just eat a few people or infected and regain health :) Camouflage yourself to look like the last person you just consumed to sneak by unnoticed into military bases. Trophies are reasonably easy to DIY. A bunch just come with game play, and some like "Kill 500 people while driving a tank" are just fun cuz who wouldnt want to do that in real life LOL

I am only just starting the second chapter myself but our son got to the end of the 3rd chapter I think it was last night after a few hours of playing. He is a run and gun style push forward don't look back. I am more a find everything take your time kill lots of infected. But sometimes you need to run and gun due to deadlines like protecting a safehouse.

Well that is my take on it. Worth the purchase to me.

Thanks for the info about it pmac :)
 
Prototype Review by PSU.com

If ever you needed a way to let off some steam quickly after a hard day at work or school, then Prototype is for you. Unapologetically loud, brash, violent and over-the-top, Radical Entertainment?s sandbox-style action game may be a bit rough around the edges, but it has a heart like a lion. At times, combat isn?t pretty and the presentation is a little grubby, but when you're picking up a New York City cab and tossing it toward the cockpit of a helicopter, or using your razor sharp-claws to rip the limbs off anyone who happens to be get in your way, we can guarantee you'll be doing it with a grin of perverse satisfaction across your face.

Prototype?s new antihero, Alex Mercer, is ruthless. There are no good or bad paths to follow throughout the campaign; he?s a killer, and that?s all you really need to know. Prototype?s storyline is an interesting enough premise, but it?s the molding of Mercer into a powerful killing machine that really takes center stage. Alex isn?t worried about who gets in his way on his quest to discover the truth, so you don?t need to worry either. Sit back on your sofa and whack up the 5.1 surround sound, because Alex doesn't do things quietly. He'll kill anyone that gets in the way and tear New York City apart in the process.

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Prototype follows the story of Alex Mercer, who, after presumed dead and placed in a morgue, wakes up out of coma to discover that he lost his memory. Alex has been used as a host for a deadly genetic virus that has now infected the whole of New York City. To his surprise, Alex now possesses a devastating range of superpowers, including brute strength, speed, and the ability to shape-shift by changing his appearance and taking on the powers of anyone he consumes. Furthermore, he can absorb people?s memories and initiate flashbacks, which helps him discover the truth behind this deadly disease and find out why the city is now controlled by the oppressive BlackWatch forces and populated with mutated freaks.

Prototype features a bustling, open-world metropolis that is jammed to the rafters with typical sandbox-style missions and side objectives that you can complete at your own pace. There?s nothing particularly innovative about many of the missions types that you carry out in Prototype, so you can expect the likes of point-to-point races and rescue, escape and protect missions, but more often than not you?ll be fighting tooth and nail against BlackWatch guards and some of the city?s mutated creatures. One of the major new ideas in Prototype is the concept of shape-shifting, but it hasn?t been implemented as well as we?d hoped. In fact, it wouldn?t have really made any difference if had it been left out completely.

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Shape-shifting allows you to blend into a crowd when the enemy is searching for you, or sneak into a facility undetected. You can tap on the D-pad and instantly switch to a different guise. The scenarios used for this particularly ability aren?t that interesting, though. Whenever you transform into another person, the disguise meter lets you know if enemies are aware of your presence. The problem is that the A.I. just isn?t that clever, so when you do get spotted and your pursuers let off rocket launchers and send their tanks heading your way, you can simply use Alex?s parkour skills to zip up the side of a building and hide it out on the rooftops until the coast is clear. It feels like a wasted feature.

Nevertheless, this pointless feature doesn?t distract whatsoever from the enjoyment of the game. Where Prototype really shines is in its vast range of exciting abilities and how you can evolve and better Alex throughout the game. Overturning tanks and plucking helicopters right out of the sky are among Alex?s special powers, but the combat system goes much deeper than that, with pages of upgrades and abilities to unlock. From physical abilities, such as being able to jump higher or glide across the city landscape, to offensive abilities such as ground spikes that allow you to skewer a dozen enemies standing yards away, there?s plenty of variety.

How about morphing into a walking shield? Maiming enemies with the Whipfist? Or using one of the devastator attacks, such as Tendril Barrage Devastator, where tendril ejects out of Alex?s skin and impale everyone around him?

The freedom of choice in Prototype means that you rarely see any scripted moments outside of the cut-scenes. There?s so much going on at street level, and you can change it all in the space of a second by firing a rocket launcher at a row of parked cars, or calling in an air-strike. The action is fast, frantic and exciting, though it can get a little confusing and a bit messy at times, especially when you?re in the middle of a heated battle. There are certainly tweaks that could improve combat. The lock-on function, for instance, can behave erratically; you don?t always target the person you wanted to. Still, the targeting works acceptably for a game with dozens -- if not hundreds -- of targets on screen at most times. On that note, however, the developer could also be accused of throwing too many enemies at you at one time, focusing on quantity rather than quality of enemy A.I. We've often witnessed enemies running about aimlessly, not appearing to really know what they?ve supposed to be doing. Nevertheless, when you have so many powers at your fingertips, combat rarely feels like a chore. Prototype has fun-factor nailed down, even with some of its technical inadequacies.

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Aside from the exciting superpowers and the streamlined upgrade system, there are a couple of other features worth mentioning. The ?Web of Intrigue,? for example, pushes the narrative forward superbly by tasking you with hunting the streets of the ?Big Apple? for targets that may hold memories that are of interest to you. You can spend time tracking down and consuming these people to trigger flashbacks that advance the story. Alternatively, you can partake in many of the other side missions, such as jumping across roof-tops and weaving in and out of the busy city streets in search of collectible orbs. As with any sandbox game, you can play Prototype at your own pace and there are tons of objectives to get stuck into that add hours worth of gameplay onto the campaign.

One area of Alex's superpowers which we are slightly disappointed with are his parkour skills. Alex can leap over cars, run up buildings, barrel roll over trees and the like. Though this can be quite exhilarating when he moves fluidly at such a lightening pace, poor camera angles alongside some glitchy animations can cause irritation. Our initial excitement of traversing the rooftops and exploring the city was also somewhat dampened due to the ugly textures and dismal looking districts. Many areas of the city are indistinguishable from the next, and despite the scale of the New York we frequently lost our bearings.

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In other games those would probably be major issues, but Prototype is so much better than its "rough around the edges" look. In fact, in some ways it works perfectly with Alex Mercer's rugged antihero abilities. Prototype isn?t the complete sandbox package, but it does offer dozens upon dozens of hours of unscripted and explosive fun. Becoming an awesome one-man killing machine doesn't get much more satisfying than this.
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