
	Platform PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Genre Action Publisher Activision Developer Radical Entertainment ETA 2012

Review: Prototype (360) Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (360) Review: Scarface: The World is Yours (XB) Interview: Prototype Post Mortem Q&A
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Prototype 2

E3 2011 Report: What I saw of Prototype 2 alleviated my fears that the combat would be unchanged from the original. It was always fun, initially, to drop into nest of enemies and watch the bodies fly. That fun would be quickly replaced by frustration as off-screen enemies made quick work of dropping Alex Mercer. One

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section of the demo dropped the player into an arena type setting -- the kind of area in the first game that would send me running for a corner to fight from because I couldn't be taken unawares. Heller stayed in the middle of the room, handling lesser creatures and much larger creatures with acrobatic aplomb under the eye of a very steady camera. It was really good to see that.

I also heard the word

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that has been music to my ears since Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction: weaponization. How important that particular mechanic remains to be seen, but being able to snap the top off a tank then spin it around and smash it into the ground, with a little slo-mo for emphasis, I can't see ever getting old.

If the combat wasn't enough to cement the idea that Radical has really listened closely to critics and fans alike, the Web of Intrigue has been overhauled. I received some reassurance that the Web of Intrigue was no longer the convoluted mess of the original and would be there (mostly) for players that want to explore the "complete" story, apart from the A-plot. How both of those aspects tie-in to Heller's ability to tap Blacknet, the communications net for the brutal Blackwatch, the group tasked with containing or eliminating the Blacklight virus.

It was good to hear that the team also wants to create some narrative with the visuals in the game world's three infected zones. With a canvas as big as a city, the results could be very interesting. It will likely mean Prototype 2 is more about macro than micro stories, which was reinforced by the appearance of the ironically named "Tiny." The massive beast pursued Heller, knocking cars out of the way, and... snap to black! Demo over.

There's a lot of time until Prototype 2 is released sometime in 2012. With what I was shown it seems like the game is on-track to become my most anticipated action game of 2012.

- Aaron Simmer

(June 23, 2011)

* All screenshots taken from official Prototype 2 teaser film.

One of the titles I'm hoping that finds its way to the E3 show floor or at least behind closed doors is Prototype 2, mostly because I enjoyed the original.

In Prototype 2, players will take control of a nemesis to Alex Mercer, the jerk protagonist of the original game. This nemesis, Heller, is pretty angry. After the

viral infection (that Mercer caused) wiped out Heller's family , he only has one thought on his mind: kill Mercer.

There you go, a bloody revenge story.

And there will be blood. Buckets of it.

From what I've seen and read about Prototype 2, developer Radical Entertainment (Prototype, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction) seems to have layered the goo pretty thick and upped the insanity of the various moves available to Heller as he evolves throughout the game.

Not pictured: Subtlety.

As much as I liked the original game there was still room for improvement and this is precisely what the team has been examining closely and started making notes as far back as June 19, 2009. At that time Prototype producer Max Belanger indicated "we will certainly look at addressing concerns in our future releases." Well, only time will tell, but it's still good hear that they've taken player response and criticism to heart. Or at least listened to it.

One aspect of the original that doesn't need a whole lot of tweaking is the locomotion. Many of the developer comments in the Q&A mentioned above wanted Prototype to be remembered for "its sense of freedom of locomotion." The lessons learned with Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction were refined with Prototype . As long as Radical offers another refinement rather than a complete overhaul of the locomotion system, Prototype 2 is already on solid footing to be a good sandbox, exploration, kill tanks and helicopters kind of game.

If some major wrinkles in the combat and upgrade systems are ironed out, Prototype 2 has all the potential to be an intestine-spilling good time.

- Aaron Simmer

(May 3, 2011)