Product Description

You are the PROTOTYPE, Alex Mercer, hiding in human form. You step out onto the streets of New York with no memory, but limitless power. As a terrifying viral epidemic sweeps across Manhattan, top-secret Black Watch Special Forces move in, transforming it into a war zone. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #718 in Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Model: 83611
• Published on: 2009-06
• Released on: 2009-06-09
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .57" h x 5.39" w x 7.56" l, .33 pounds

Features

• A deep, conspiracy driven storyline set in a realistic recreation of New York City that delve into the true nature of Alex Mercer's power and his part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.
• Fast & deadly shape-shifting combat that allows players to reconfigure body parts into offensive and defensive items like claws, blades, hammers, whips, shields and armor.
• Use of advanced sensory powers like thermal vision and infected vision to track your enemies and keep the action going.
• Fluid, over-the-top locomotion & agility based on real-life Parkour movement styles that allows you to bound from building to building, run up walls, bounce off cars and everything in your path.
• Unique disguising abilities derived from Alex's ability to "consume" characters, and in doing so acquire their appearance, memories and special abilities.

Amazon.com Product Description

Prototype is a single player, open-world action game where players take control of shape-shifter Alex Mercer. In this gameworld you literally are a genetic prototype hiding in human form. You step out onto the streets of New York with no memory, but limitless potential power. As a terrifying viral epidemic sweeps across Manhattan, top-secret Blackwatch Special Forces move in, transforming it into a war zone. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making. Battle through an infected NYC. View larger. Turn your body into a weapon. View larger. Consume abilities, memories and physical form of others. View larger. Combat or join special forces units. View larger. Story Alex Mercer was once a scientist for the prominent medical research corporation, Gentek, but one day he wakes up to find himself a shape-shifter with absolute mastery over his genetic structure, but no memory of how this came to be. Taking to the streets of New York City in search of answers, he quickly encounters a web of lies and vows to rip the truth from those who have hidden it from him and the world. A few other things that Alex also learns quickly is that he is not alone in possessing amazing abilities, that there is a secret war brewing in New York City and he is on its front lines. A deadly infection has spilled out of control and the government has seized the media to stop the spread of information and has placed New York under quarantine as martial law is instated; igniting a firestorm of combat, carnage and death. As he roams the city, he faces an ever growing army of infected creatures warped and changed by the virus. As it spreads, the virus overwrites the genetics of those it infects, warping and changing their form into something else, something that seems to have been planned. The answers he seeks appear to be tied to the virus, so he rushes to discover the truth behind it, but standing against him and his goal is Project Blackwatch. An elite army specialist force, they are tasked with halting the spread of the virus at any cost and are eager to bring Alex in dead or alive to determine his connection to it. It would seem that they are potentially both enemy and ally to Alex's cause. Will Alex assist Blackwatch in its hunt, or join forces with the virus and subjugate humanity, pushing his powers to the limit as the genetic shackles of humanity fall by the wayside? That choice is up to the player in Prototype. Gameplay In Prototype players engage in 'Deceive or Destroy' gameplay. This 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. Although Alex is literally strong enough to fling people and large objects around easily, his most intriguing power is his ability to 'consume' people. In doing this he acquires their memories, abilities, and their appearance. New memories help him to solve the mystery of how he got the way he is, while new appearances allow him to shape-shift into new useful forms at will and abilities allow him to maneuver in parts of the game requiring specific skills in specific situations. In addition, Alex's consumption of people also facilitates his ability to transform his physical body and manipulate his senses. Most weapons acquired in this way are outgrowths from his appendages like exaggerated blades, shields, whips and claws used for brutal close combat, but consumption also allows for powerful abilities like thermal vision, which provides for vision through smoke and obstacles, as well as 'infected vision' with which Alex can detect hotspots of viral infection throughout the city. Key Features: Fast and Deadly Combat - Shape-shift your body to the situation at hand ... from claws to blades to hammers to whips, as you choose the right weapon for the situation. Change to shield or armor for defense or use advanced sensory powers (thermal vision, infected vision) to track your enemies. Over-the-top Locomotion - Seamlessly and fluidly bound from building to building, run up walls, bounce off cars and everything in your path. Adaptive parkour lets you move freely through the open-world environments of New York City. Unique Disguising Abilities - Consume anyone at anytime, take on their appearance and assume their memories and special abilities. Deep Conspiracy Driven Storyline - Wake up with no memory of the past ... just mysterious powers and a link to a town in Idaho. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making. Parkour Inspired In-game Movement - Alex Mercer's movements are inpired by Parkour, a mostly urban activity bordering on both art and martial arts that aims at moving the human body from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible. Recent examples of it gained worldwide attention in chase scenes in the 2007 film "Casino Royale." Xbox LIVE Achievements - Collect a wealth of Xbox LIVE achievements and build your gamer score as you play.

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

A Good Romp in the Sandbox
I'll say this right off: If you own Hulk: Ultimate Destruction or a Spider-Man game, then you can probably pass up on this game because it is practically the same type of gameplay. However, this game does not have a MARVEL label and can be considered an original piece of work.

-Graphics. The overall look of the game is good. Manhattan island is replicated beautifully, and it shows. If you need to figure out where Gold's Gym is, just have Alex Mercer (the Prototype) jump around the city until you find the sign. Then maybe you can find it while you're driving around! However, some textures seemed stretched or PS2-esque when you look closely. However, this can be somewhat forgiven as the city looks gorgeous when looked at from a tall building.
The animations are smooth and well done. From Alex running over cars and up buildings, to the solider that was just the victim of a Patsy maneuver, to the simple pedestrian puking their guts out because of the virus, everyone seems to come to life, regardless of the outdated graphics.

-Gameplay. I will admit, I was a bit surprised as to the simplicity of the controls. My original thoughts were that you would need more buttons than one could fit on a blackberry just to pull off some of the stunts. But with a nice upgrade system and button layout, wreaking havoc on the army is a breeze that looks fantastic. Some moves don't need to be bought to beat the game (in fact, a lot of them don't even need investing into), but its just fun to watch you uppercut someone into the air and then grab them in mid-air and slam them into the ground. And in case you forgot how to do that one move you love performing in front of your friends, the skill-purchase screen gives a wonderful diagram that tells you what to push in what order.

-Story. Let's face it, the people who buy this game are in it for the action and chaos. However, if you pay attention to what is going on in the life of the protagonist, you may find yourself CARING and WONDERING how the virus got to this point. To enhance the story and make you care, the game shells out people that contain memories vital to Alex Mercer's own mind. Apparently he has some kind of amnesia, so instead of waiting for the effects to tide over he simply abosorbs the people that know something about him. The more memories you collect, the more the puzzle fits together, and the more you want to absorb to find things out...and the more tanks that get destroyed when they kill someone that has a vital memory you need.

-Other Comments. I enjoy this game very much, regardless of what others may think. This is just an opinion that you don't have to listen to. In the end, you will have to play the game yourself to see if you like it or not.
Also, I would like for people to consider this when talking about the graphics: should under-par graphics get in the way of an enjoyable experience? That's like saying a super model is ugly because she's wearing a hand-me-down dress from her mother's side in the 50's. A game's replay value should not be based on graphics alone. Besides, texture loading and framerate would be major issues if released with next-gen graphics. Mass Effect had that problem, Gears of War had it, and so did GTA IV.

Overall, the game is great. [PROTOTYPE] is one of those games that sticks with you until you beat it, then you want to start over to see if you can beat it on hard mode or try a different skill set. The only major downside is that there is no multiplayer. Period. If you want co-op action as you run down the streets of a fear-stricken neighborhood, go play Crackdown.

Great fun, but ignore the hype.
If you didn't get too caught up in the hype and don't come into this game thinking that's it's going to be the best game ever, you'll love it. It has very stylized superhero-type action, loads of ways to wreak havoc in Manhattan, and a sandbox world in which you can achieve your goals in many different ways.

Considering I'm playing on an Xbox 360, the graphics are nothing noteworthy, but if I were looking for awesome graphics I would be playing it on a PC. The voice acting is top notch, as is the storyline. It's admittedly pretty predictable, but honestly, it's so much fun that I don't really care. The controls take some time to get used to, as there are so many things you can do and not enough buttons on the controller. Once you master the learning curve, it's a blast.

Alex Mercer's powers provide more fun than should ever be allowed. You can slice and dice some fools with claws or an armsword (that's what I call it, anyway), glide from rooftop to rooftop, turn your arm into a grappling hook and take down a helicopter, and consume NPCs for powers and/or health bonuses, among many other things. One of the most notable aspects is Alex's ability to run straight up buildings, which of course makes everyone think of Spiderman. Somehow, this is way cooler though. Also, you would think that this game would get boring with all of the powerful bio-weapons. However, you'll find that some powers work better than others depending on what you're fighting. This keeps you up on your toes, and believe me, this game can be a challenge at times.

For we collector and exploration nerds, there are plenty of orbs for us to obtain throughout the city. Some are simply landmark orbs, others give us hints, but from my experience these hints have been things that I've found out previously just through gameplay. They don't really do anything other than to give you experience points with which you buy more upgrades.

I do have a few grievances, but nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the game. Loading screens feel rather frequent, but they are short enough that I don't get annoyed. The camera can do some pretty stupid things sometimes as well, but really only in confined spaces like tunnels. The scenery can be repetitious at times, save for some of the major landmarks like Central Park and Times Square. However, the constantly changing city and citizens make up for it. Also, Pedestrian Bowling (what I call sprinting through the sidewalks knocking down all of the NPCs) is a hoot. As I mentioned before, the controls are a bit awkward at first, but you soon learn to adjust.

As long as you don't put ridiculously high expectations on this game, you'll enjoy it. After all, we play video games to have fun. If you want to play it, ignore whatever hype you've heard and just enjoy it for what it is.

Chaotic Neutral Never Felt So Chaotic Awesome!!!
Prototype allows you to grow organic body armor with blades sharp enough to cut 10 people in half, jump 50 yards, run up a skyscraper, karate kick a helicopter, grab onto it, force open the cockpit, throw the pilot to his death, fly the helicopter through the streets of New York unleashing guns and missiles on traffic, zombies, tanks, and soldiers, bail out of the helicopter - crashing it into a building, glide to the ground, grab an unsuspecting human, digest him, steal his appearance, and blame someone else for what you just did. If that sounds awesome to you, buy Prototype!

Concept: 10/10
Take Spiderman's Symbiotic Suit (aka Venom & Carnage) push it to the limit, give it to a maniac, have him kill an army of zombies and a misguided military in, around, and above the streets of New York. You get to be that maniac!

Story: 9/10
You are Alex Mercer, a very bad man who has inherited superhuman powers. You're on a quest to stop a viral outbreak that turns people into mutant zombies and to stop a rogue general with the military at his disposal. The story is told through cutscenes and missions. Additional story detail can be obtained through "Digesting" key NPC's and stealing their memories. It's exciting, compelling, and well acted.

Gameplay: 9/10
The abilities bestowed upon Alex Mercer are amazing! You get an arsenal of military weapons. You can hijack tanks on the ground and helicopters out of the air! You can run up skyscrapers. You can glide through New York. Your body can morph into different types of weapons. You can take the shape of any NPC, so stealth is also an option. When you destroy things or complete missions, you get points that you can use to upgrade Alex. Rampaging through New York is fun, but it does take time to learn how to use all of Alex's upgrades and there isn't much guidance on what you should upgrade. There is a lot of depth in the game, and you won't fully understand it until you are about 90% of the way through. Once you understand how to fully use all of the powers, the game becomes amazing!

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are good, considering that the game has to draw all of New York from the ground and the air. The character models are also pretty good. You can expect to see 100 characters, tanks, cars, helicopters, zombies... on screen at once!

Level Design: 7/10
Some levels are better than others. There's a good variety, showcasing all of Alex's Powers. The difficulty differs between easy and you'll die before you can read the Mission Objective. There is no 'right' way to complete a mission. You can use speed, stealth, brute force, or hijack military vehicles. If you fail a mission, you can always upgrade and try new tactics.

Replay Value: 7/10
The game is open ended, there are a ton of optional missions, and different difficulty settings. Prototype's single player campaign is 11-20 hours long, depending on how many optional missions you do. I would strongly suggest taking your time and learning how to use Alex's powers before attempting the later missions. You'll have more fun that way.

Maturity:
The game is rated M for throwing people to their deaths, chopping them in half, blowing them up, crushing their skulls, impaling them, running them over, gunning them down, and splattering them against the ground... Oh, and there's some harsh language, too.

Overall: 9/10
Prototype is a very fun open world superhero game. Trashing New York with super powers and military vehicles is a great way to blow off some steam. Some of the gameplay could use a bit more polish, but the scope of this game is so huge any slight faults are forgiven.

Buy it if you want New York as your playground and you're feeling destructive, if you've ever wanted to play a Venom game without Venom, or you loved Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.
Actually, this game could have been called "Skinny Guy: Ultimate Destruction."

Rent it if you like action games, have an extra 15 hours, and only play through games once.

Avoid it if you like linear missions, playing good guys, or you don't like violence.

If you like this game, I can recommend Red Faction Guerilla, Crackdown, or Infamous (if you own a PS3.)