My name is Alex Mercer, and I’m the reason for all of this. They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist. I’m all of these things.  Three weeks ago someone release a lethal virus in Penn Station. I woke up in a morgue. Now I hunt, I kill, I consume, I become. I’m gonna find out who did this to me, and I’m gonna make ‘em pay.

These words open up one of the most highly awaited games of the summer, Prototype, in which you play the role of Alex Mercer. Mercer worked at a company called Gentek before becoming infected with a strain of the Black Light Virus, a successor to a virus released in Hope, Idaho many years ago called the Red Light Virus. Someone accidentally released Black Light in Penn Station, and a military organization, led by a man known only as the Specialist, called the Blackwatch is deployed to the city to control the outbreak. After becoming infected, you wake up on a morgue table about to be cut open. However, something’s different with you, you have strange abilities that give you super human strength, allow you to transform your body into different shapes, and even consume and take the form (and memories) of other beings. You use these memories to track down your sister, who starts to help you piece this whole thing together. The both of you find out that a strange woman named Elizabeth Greene is being held at Gentek, and you go to free her so that she may shed some light on the situation. Not a good idea as it turns out, as Greene turns out to be the only one who survived Hope, Idaho and she released the Red Light Virus upon the city, in addition to the Black Light Virus you’re infected with. The largest problem Alex has is the fact that he’s a hybrid. The humans don’t accept him because he’s essentially a terrorist and the infected are too brainless to recognize the difference between an ally and a target. Anywhere you are, there’s someone trying to kill you. But I guess in reverse, there’s always someone for you to kill. In a nutshell, this game is basically a combination of Assassin’s Creed, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Left 4 Dead, and Spider Man.

The game itself is pretty straight forward. Trek across the city (whether that be by free running, gliding, driving a tank, or piloting a helicopter) and find mission markers where you can progress through the campaign to find out what happened to you. The game falls a little short on missions, as it only has 31. To put it in comparison, Grand Theft Auto IV has 92. In each mission there’s usually someone for you to consume so you can string together a bunch of memories in a map called the Web of Intrigue. You can also consume random people on the island just for fun, and occasionally citizens have knowledge of the program so you can consume them and gain information without being in an actual mission.

Stealth Consumption or Rape? You Decide.

By the end of the game, they hope that you have full knowledge of the virus, the Blackwatch, a strange woman named Elizabeth Greene, and other things. A clever thing the game does is give insight to the 18th day of Infection, which turns out to be the day of the last mission in the game. Alex is being asked questions by an unknown individual, and the player is given insight to future events. Even if you don’t want to play the campaign, there’s still stuff for you to do on the wonderful infected island of Manhattan. There are also events you can partake in to gain evolution points to level up your character. I’m not particularly a fan of these, as they don’t make that much sense. Imagine Alex saying “GAH! I NEED TO KILL EVERYONE AND GET MY MEMORIES BACK! LET’S SEE HOW FAST I CAN CROSS THESE BUILDINGS!” Doesn’t make much sense, does it? I guess you can always just run around consuming different people and taking on their identities if you’re still not convinced of its awesomeness. The map itself is divided at times between militarized and infected zones, helping you recognize what types of enemies you will encounter there. At the center of each is a military base or hive, depending on which you go to. Destroying each will grant you a large sum of Evolution Points.

The combat in Prototype is pretty diverse thanks to the amazing shape-shifting and memory-gaining abilities of Alex Mercer. By being able to shape-shift into different weapons and armor variations, the player can try out different combinations for taking down different types of enemies. Combine the blade with the full body armor to take on big enemies, and use the claws and shield when trying to run through a massive mob of zombies. What isn’t showcased in the many videos released prior to the game is that Alex Mercer can actually pick up weapons dropped by military foes. Given there are only three types (assault rifle, grenade launcher, and rocket launcher), but this still allows you to take on certain obstacles from a distance without getting directly involved. This strategy works great when you’re running low on health. You can also hijack helicopters and tanks used by the military to take on dozens of enemies at the same time, something Alex wouldn’t dare to do even with his abilities on foot. Finally, you have Devastator attacks. When you consume enemies and pick up Evolution Points, you gain health. You can go past the regular health meter and enter what Radical Entertainment call “Critical Mass”. It is in this state that Mercer can release enormous amounts of energy in either focused points or all around him.

And On The 8th Day, God Gave Alex The Tendril Barrage Devastator.

Let me just point out that you want the Critical Pain Devastator for the final two boss battles. I’m doing you a favor, for you have no idea how many times I rage-quit because I couldn’t take them down. While I’m talking about these attacks, I would like to point out that Alex does not start with them. You have to buy them in the Upgrade Store with Evolution Points you gain from killing enemies and completing missions. If you’ve ever played Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, it’s very similar to that method of upgrading. Some attacks can be bought and upgraded, and some have just one level. You can even upgrade your health and regeneration abilities. Nonetheless, all of these attacks and abilities have their strengths and weaknesses, so think before you go wasting points on them. Once again, Critical Pain Devastator.

The graphics in Prototype are a little confusing to discuss. The cut scenes are great, and so are the actual game graphics. My real problem is the textures. Most of the time the developers did a great job with them, but in others it seems as though they just didn’t care. A good example is the outfit that the Specialist wears. His face and hair are modeled fine, but his camouflage is very blurry and somewhat pixilated. With that aside, the Anti-Aliasing turns the models themselves into amazing representations of actual humans and what zombies could look like should Max Brook’s World War Z come true. The torn flesh looks great, and the strands of virus that hang off of Alex’s body just have an ominous look to them.
Prototype is a great game, and even if you’re turned off by its shortness, give it a try. I think Radical Entertainment is planning some DLC for the future, and while you’re waiting you can always roam around doing events and consuming random people to steal their identities. The story is great and with the extensiveness of the Web of Intrigue, you can continue to learn about the story of Alex Mercer even once you’ve beat the game. The graphics are great as well, leaving a realistic trail of destruction behind you in your conquest. Plus, you’ve got in-game advertising, and who doesn’t want that?

Knowledge: Apparently It’s Better Than A Gun.

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