E3: Prototype 2

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
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E3: Prototype 2



There'll be more blood, more monsters, and more gross tendril attacks in Prototype 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Prototype-2-Playstation-3/dp/B004FUI84G/].

Prototype 2 is still in a pre-Alpha phase, but Activision demoed it for us at E3 2011 anyway. For a pre-Alpha game, it looks like a lot of brutal fun that'll add to the Prototype formula.

Prototype 2 moves Alex Mercer into the role of antagonist, placing Sgt. James Heller squarely in his place as hero. Heller blames Mercer for the death of his family, and gives in to accepting the curse of Mercer's powers to avenge them. The game takes place in three separate zones. The green zone is closest to normal, but is under oppression by Blackwatch special forces. Yellow is under quarantine and looks something like the slums from District 9, with Blackwatch performing strange human experiments there. Red is where Mercer resides, and is generally considered to be beyond help. Entire skyscrapers are encased with biological constructs.

The demo opened in the green zone with Blackwatch forces brutally murdering a group of innocent civilians that wouldn't evacuate a cordoned-off area where a strange creature was found. Heller takes the appearance of a Blackwatch soldier so he can question the scientists investigating the creature. There are multiple ways to solve this situation, but our demoer did it by creating a distraction with a tendril bomb, and then moving on to the scientist and bashing his brains out to absorb his memories. A second mission featured the Hunter mechanic, which allows Mercer to ping the environment (like radar) to locate a specific person.

One method of acquiring these missions is through finding Blackwatch command trucks where Heller can hack into live operation folders and try to work out the story of the organization and its ties to Mercer. Players can pick which they take on at any time.

Moving around the city is easier than ever, with Activision showing a system that looked like super-parkour. Heller soars up the sides of buildings and flips across rooftops with ease. It looked like a lot of fun just to make your way through the city. As Heller grows, players will earn mutations that might make his air dash or other customizable abilities more powerful.

There are also lots of other fun things for players to do. For example, when attacking a tank you can weaponize its attached rocket launcher, rip it off, and fly up into the air in slow motion as you blow the tank up with its own weapon. Lairs are a new mechanic that are basically like "underground treasure chests." The one we were shown was filled with a bunch of wild infected human-type enemies, but they were just scenery compared to the real lair threats. A few spiky dog-types came out to team-up on Heller, who slashed them to pieces with his close-range tendril blade. Once they were all sliced in half, a pair of huge Juggernauts emerged as the bosses of the lair. Activision said it's attempting to improve enemy tells in important fights like these so players can use skill in battle rather than relying on luck or a bumrush.

These tells will seriously matter in fights with one major foe that was teased at the end of the demo named "Tiny." He wasn't tiny. He was half the size of a skyscraper, with one bladed hand and another mutated fist the size of a silo that it could barely lift itself. We weren't able to see how Heller takes this thing down, but you can bet the act will be headlined by a lot of gross liquid that'll shoot out in the process.

Prototype 2 is scheduled to hit the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2012.

See all our coverage directly from the show floor. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/e3_2011 ]

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MrSnugglesworth

Into the Wild Green Snuggle
Jan 15, 2009
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Aww, I enjoyed Mercer. I'd rather play him than Heller.


Oh well. This is still pretty low on my list.
 

scotth266

Wait when did I get a sub
Jan 10, 2009
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Ironically, I've just started playing the original Prototype again. Hopefully they fix the REAL problems with the series, which were shoddy voice work, bad cutscenes, and a difficulty level that seemed to be entirely random.

Oh, and better boss fights please.
 

Innegativeion

Positively Neutral!
Feb 18, 2011
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scotth266 said:
Ironically, I've just started playing the original Prototype again. Hopefully they fix the REAL problems with the series, which were shoddy voice work, bad cutscenes, and a difficulty level that seemed to be entirely random.

Oh, and better boss fights please.
Yeah, I always felt like attacking the bigger baddies in prototype seemed like they had rubber skin. Everything just bounces off.
 

Azaraxzealot

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Dec 1, 2009
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my most anticipated game of all time.

of all time!

can't wait to see and feel how it plays with the new engine and powers!
 

xXAsherahXx

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Apr 8, 2010
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My problems with the original are pretty minor. Mainly, fix the angle of the story. There is a very interesting premise in there, but it's bogged down by terrible voice acting and bad cut scenes. I understand that they wanted to tell the story through the missions and gameplay, but there still needs to be a balance, at least in my opinion.

I don't really think the game needs a sequel anyways. The original ended on a note that I didn't think could be turned into a sequel, but you know Activision. The environment and mechanics of the game were incredibly well done and perfect for enjoying hours of dicking around.
 

The Random One

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May 29, 2008
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I don't really like if there are set 'green' 'yellow' and 'red' areas. To me the changing nature of the hives and bases was part of the previous' game ongoing theme of 'changing' and 'adapting'. But oh well.
 

Drago-Morph

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Mar 28, 2010
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The Random One said:
I don't really like if there are set 'green' 'yellow' and 'red' areas. To me the changing nature of the hives and bases was part of the previous' game ongoing theme of 'changing' and 'adapting'. But oh well.
In the last game, I was really wishing you could actually fight one side. Like, if you eliminate a hive the military might move in to occupy it or something like that. You could shape the game world. Shame they didn't put that in.

 

Dfskelleton

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Apr 6, 2010
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I do find it a rather interesting twist to make the protagonist of the first game the antagonist of the second. Not many big game developers do that, and the one indie developer that tried was a moron on newgrounds with no talent. Cookie if you know what I'm referring to.
 

Bob the frantic

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Sep 5, 2009
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Lucky there was almost no attachment to Mercer, thanks to the ending or this protagonist switch might be upsetting. As long as the guy I'm controlling can glide, consume and tear up people with transforming limbs, I'll be happy. Everything else is a bonus
 

kajinking

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Aug 12, 2009
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More Prototype! How can you go wrong with that? The first's gameplay was solid so that doesn't need to be tweeked much so I hope they mostly improve the minor things and make another great game.
 

MortisLegio

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Nov 5, 2008
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Drago-Morph said:
The Random One said:
I don't really like if there are set 'green' 'yellow' and 'red' areas. To me the changing nature of the hives and bases was part of the previous' game ongoing theme of 'changing' and 'adapting'. But oh well.
In the last game, I was really wishing you could actually fight one side. Like, if you eliminate a hive the military might move in to occupy it or something like that. You could shape the game world. Shame they didn't put that in.

thats what I wanted

ot: I hope they fixed some of the problems that were in the first game and have the story make a little more sense than its predecessor. If it does that than I will buy it on launch day
 

Owlslayer

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Nov 26, 2009
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2012? That's a long time, hopefully it'll be worth the weight /Gabe Newell.
Looking forward to it, though i didn't really play the whole first game, just a lot of it at a friend's place. And it did look fun. Chaotic, epic fun.
Also, it was somewhat cool reading that the worst areas are red, and that's where Mercer resides.
Damn powerful guy.
 

Latinidiot

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Feb 19, 2009
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I got a headache from Prototype, and this one looks even worse. So, I'll give it a miss.
 

Ninjat_126

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Nov 19, 2010
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Innegativeion said:
Yeah, I always felt like attacking the bigger baddies in prototype seemed like they had rubber skin. Everything just bounces off.
And the weaker enemies died in one hit.

The Random One said:
I don't really like if there are set 'green' 'yellow' and 'red' areas. To me the changing nature of the hives and bases was part of the previous' game ongoing theme of 'changing' and 'adapting'. But oh well.
I barely noticed the changes. I'd just home in on the closest quest/sidequest/pack of enemies/base and start blowing shit up.

This 3 part system might make things a bit easier to distinguish.

xXAsherahXx said:
My problems with the original are pretty minor. Mainly, fix the angle of the story. There is a very interesting premise in there, but it's bogged down by terrible voice acting and bad cut scenes. I understand that they wanted to tell the story through the missions and gameplay, but there still needs to be a balance, at least in my opinion.

I don't really think the game needs a sequel anyways. The original ended on a note that I didn't think could be turned into a sequel, but you know Activision. The environment and mechanics of the game were incredibly well done and perfect for enjoying hours of dicking around.
Prototype 2 should be basically Prototype 1 with better voice acting, a tighter, less serious story and hordes of new enemies and places to incinerate.


On my to-buy list.
 

Shemming

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Jun 12, 2010
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The one thing that will make this game...just a big red kill count in the corner of the screen. It will be like a high score, of mass murder.
 

garjian

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Mar 25, 2009
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ugh... more of this horrible game :/
run 'round, press x, kill everything... woo. it has no depth at all, and i somehow doubt this one will be any different.
 

Harry Mason

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Mar 7, 2011
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These tells will seriously matter in fights with one major foe that was teased at the end of the demo named "Tiny." He wasn't tiny. He was half the size of a skyscraper, with one bladed hand and another mutated fist the size of a silo that it could barely lift itself.
Am I the only one that hears something about a boss fight with a big guy named "Tiny" who immediately imagines the protagonist fighting this guy?

If Tiny were actually a boss in the game, I might consider buying it. Otherwise, it's as shoddy as the other one until proven innocent.