Review: Prototype 2

Prototype 2 is an action-sandbox game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. It was developed by Radical Entertainment.

Sergeant James Heller, using his powers to take down a giant  Infected that he's probably going to eat.

A year after the events of Prototype, Manhattan has again become host to a plague that turns people into horrific monsters, called Infected, and been quarantined. The military has been called in, including Sergeant James Heller, whose wife and daughter were killed by the Infected. In Manhattan Heller encounters Alex Mercer, the protagonist of Prototype, who infects him with his own virus, which gives Heller the ability to turn his arms into weapons, shape shift, and eat people to read their minds. Alex tells Heller that he is being framed for the spread of the infection by the company Gentek and the military group Blackwatch, who are using the chaos to conduct deranged scientific experiments, and wants Heller to help him clear his name. Heller does not care though, if Gentek and Blackwatch are behind the spread of the virus, then he wants to cause as much damage to them as possible.

Outside a Gentek base, where everyone is about to die horribly.

Prototype 2 is made up of several missions located all over New York City, divided up by the Green Zone, the Yellow Zone, and the Red Zone. Missions involve Heller using his new powers slice, smash, and eat Blackwatch, Gentek, and the Infected.

Heller starts out with extra strong punches and kicks, which are good for taking out basic soldiers but useless against extra-strong soldiers, tanks, and giant Infected. Consuming soldiers that are experts in things like rifles and rocket launchers (indicated by a little logo appearing over their head) or special Infected that act as the bosses for the end of missions grant Heller new powers; especially the Infected, which lead to cool mutations like claw hands and whip hands when consumed.

You are going to need some crazy powers to take down the stronger enemies the game throws at you.

Heller can also run really fast, glide, run up the side of buildings, and parkour over everything. This is Heller’s main mode of transportation, and it is one the coolest parts of the game, being able to run and jump everywhere like an unstoppable force of nature.

Actually, most of the fun of Prototype 2 is from feeling like an unstoppable killing machine. Heller can slice through zombies and military in a second, hijack tanks, pick up cars and toss them into helicopters, and make giant fleshy explosions. Everything is very easy to do, and New York is crawling with enemies to cut up. The diverse array of powers Heller has also gives you a lot of ways to complete missions so you can do it whatever way you find the most fun. Missions are still challenging though, because Heller can be knocked off his feet by explosions and tossed around by giant Infected, which makes eviscerating everything all the more rewarding and keeps the game from getting dull.

Most missions are about killing someone or  something. There is some variation in where you go, and sometimes you have to do something first like escorting a vehicle or destroying all the fuel depots in a military base, but in the end it always comes down to killing something. It is never boring though, because you are always fighting something new, or with a new ability.

There is also the occasional "hunt down this guy using your radar power" missions too.

There are also side missions you can complete, like hunting down special op teams and Infected lairs, that strengthen Heller’s existing abilities. These are never difficult, but they never do anything new compared to the main missions, and feel like they are just there to pad out the game.

I found the story to be confusing and pointless. Blackwatch and Gentek do not appear to have any motivation beyond generic evil experiments; they have no grand goal at all. This in turn makes Heller’s acts of destruction pointless, though that would fit with a guy who is just after revenge, but it does not build up to anything. It is funny to hear just how ludicrously evil Gentek and Blackwatch are though, the number of evil experiments they conduct and the callousness they have towards everyone is so over-the-top that it is hilarious.

Fans of the Prototype’s story will be disappointed. Alex Mercer is turned into a supervillain with no explanation, and the origins of the viruses hinted at in the first game are never elaborated on.

The setting is cool though. The three zones all look distinct and alive, the Yellow Zone is filled with shantytowns, the Green Zone is normal, and the Red Zone, Manhattan, is a living nightmare, with zombies and destroyed skyscrapers covered in tendrils. The game can create hundreds of people or monsters running around onscreen at the same time, like a real war zone.

Heller is pretty cool too. He channels his rage into a combination of threats and growling quips.

Prototype 2 is a nice little sandbox game. It does not do anything new, but makes up for it with gleefully sadistic fun. It is a decent timewaster.