So I just finished my first playthrough of Prototype 2 (PC), and found it to be much better than I was expecting. Having played the original Prototype, I kinda just expected the same with a few extra bells and whistles. And while some may argue that's indeed the case, I think it improves upon every area of the game and reworks the core mechanics in such a way that it can be called an excellent game in it's own right (and not a full-priced expansion pack).
Note: Mild spoilers follow.
Combat
So, what am I talking about? Well, for starters the entire ability system has been reworked to be much more intuitive - instead of requiring you to remember a hundred different key combos, it gives you the five basic powers and packs all related abilities into each one. There's the normal left-click attack, and then the more powerful attack variants differ depending on the context - whether you're on the ground or in the air, or depending on what you've targeted, etc. Each power also visually improves as you upgrade it.
Even after beating the game, I'm still discovering new actions. For example, if you jump into the air with no weapon equipped and hold left-click, Heller executes a body-slide on the nearest NPC - something which required knowledge of a key combo in the original - but then, if you click again at the end of the slide, he kicks the body high into the air (and at any targeted enemy if applicable).
And consuming enemies looks different depending on which power you have equipped - my favourite is the tendrils, which creates a web and strings the enemy up.
The difficulty curve is also good - playing on normal, helicopters and brawlers were a pain to deal with at the beginning. But by the time I hit the red zone, they were quick kills. It really reinforced that growing 'top predator of NYC' vibe, which is awesome.
And those quicktime event finishing moves - gone. The only thing that came close was the final boss fight, but it was brief and straightforward enough.
[http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/8791/prototype22012080301351.jpg]
[small]Missing something?[/small]
Dialogue
But enough about the combat. I was also pleasantly surprised by the dialogue... Heller is indeed quite the badass, and it would be an understatement to say that he has some pretty amusing lines in different side missions. The same goes for the side characters (though most of which don't live long). The dialogue in general is quite cleverly written, even if you only get a feel for it after the first few hours of gameplay. It becomes most noticeable in the red zone, actually, where tension is running high for all parties. I thought the dialogue in the first game was pretty bland, so Prototype 2 just stands out all the more.
[http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/8906/prototype22012080222185.jpg]
[small]Exactly what you don't want your pilot to do when you're high above NYC...[/small]
Narrative
I also found the narrative to be more engaging than the first, probably due to the much improved and stylised cutscenes. Going for something of a Sin City colour scheme in most cutscenes, while the flashbacks maintain the style of those creepy live-action memories from the first game. The side missions all relate to the story, too, so no more jumping into random glowing circles on the ground for gold medals. All 'web of intrigue' targets are also contextualised by some radio dialogue explaining who they are and what they're doing.
There was also a quite touching moment when Heller changes his mind about killing Rook at the last second, just as he hears Rook enquiring about his own daughter. And of course, the final cutscene.
And collectables... Handled much, much better.
[http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9353/prototype22012080202510.jpg]
[small]Zombies, come get your hotdogs![/small]
Graphics
The graphics were also noticably improved over the first game - realistic reflections and sunglare off windows came greatly appreciated. And the blackwatch soldier uniform looks downright awesome. So awesome that I spent most of my time disguised as one.
And despite the large world size, loading screens were pretty much non-existent (even without using an SSD) and I didn't notice any streaming textures either.
I was particularly impressed with how the main menu blends seamlessly into gameplay when you load up the game - the menu's live-rendered background simply becomes the game screen. Again, no loading screen there.
[http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/545/prototype22012080301310.jpg]
[small]Even that zombie looks scared...[/small]
Criticism
Now, while that makes it all sound very awesome, I still feel compelled to point out its few flaws. The glitchy camera movement, for one, though I'm not sure if that's just me of if it's the PC port of the game. Secondly, killing enemies gives so little EP that it might as well not give any. And thirdly, drop attacks seemed to have been all but removed. Alex Mercer's bullet drop ability was one of my favourites from the original. Just dropping from a great height without pressing any keys still produces a large impact, but attacks specifically designed to have increased damage with greater height seem absent from this sequel... With the possible exception of things like the hammerfist air attack.
Conclusion
So those few qualms aside, I found it a very enjoyable game - and while I expected I would, it still managed to exceed my expectations.
Now over to you, people of the Escapist forums... What did you think of the game? If you haven't played it, you could just state what you look for in a good action game.
EDIT: I didn't actually mean for this to be a full-fledged review of the game, but it sort of became one, so I decided to add pretty pictures too.
Note: Mild spoilers follow.
Combat
So, what am I talking about? Well, for starters the entire ability system has been reworked to be much more intuitive - instead of requiring you to remember a hundred different key combos, it gives you the five basic powers and packs all related abilities into each one. There's the normal left-click attack, and then the more powerful attack variants differ depending on the context - whether you're on the ground or in the air, or depending on what you've targeted, etc. Each power also visually improves as you upgrade it.
Even after beating the game, I'm still discovering new actions. For example, if you jump into the air with no weapon equipped and hold left-click, Heller executes a body-slide on the nearest NPC - something which required knowledge of a key combo in the original - but then, if you click again at the end of the slide, he kicks the body high into the air (and at any targeted enemy if applicable).
And consuming enemies looks different depending on which power you have equipped - my favourite is the tendrils, which creates a web and strings the enemy up.
The difficulty curve is also good - playing on normal, helicopters and brawlers were a pain to deal with at the beginning. But by the time I hit the red zone, they were quick kills. It really reinforced that growing 'top predator of NYC' vibe, which is awesome.
And those quicktime event finishing moves - gone. The only thing that came close was the final boss fight, but it was brief and straightforward enough.
[small]Missing something?[/small]
Dialogue
But enough about the combat. I was also pleasantly surprised by the dialogue... Heller is indeed quite the badass, and it would be an understatement to say that he has some pretty amusing lines in different side missions. The same goes for the side characters (though most of which don't live long). The dialogue in general is quite cleverly written, even if you only get a feel for it after the first few hours of gameplay. It becomes most noticeable in the red zone, actually, where tension is running high for all parties. I thought the dialogue in the first game was pretty bland, so Prototype 2 just stands out all the more.
[small]Exactly what you don't want your pilot to do when you're high above NYC...[/small]
Narrative
I also found the narrative to be more engaging than the first, probably due to the much improved and stylised cutscenes. Going for something of a Sin City colour scheme in most cutscenes, while the flashbacks maintain the style of those creepy live-action memories from the first game. The side missions all relate to the story, too, so no more jumping into random glowing circles on the ground for gold medals. All 'web of intrigue' targets are also contextualised by some radio dialogue explaining who they are and what they're doing.
There was also a quite touching moment when Heller changes his mind about killing Rook at the last second, just as he hears Rook enquiring about his own daughter. And of course, the final cutscene.
And collectables... Handled much, much better.
[small]Zombies, come get your hotdogs![/small]
Graphics
The graphics were also noticably improved over the first game - realistic reflections and sunglare off windows came greatly appreciated. And the blackwatch soldier uniform looks downright awesome. So awesome that I spent most of my time disguised as one.
And despite the large world size, loading screens were pretty much non-existent (even without using an SSD) and I didn't notice any streaming textures either.
I was particularly impressed with how the main menu blends seamlessly into gameplay when you load up the game - the menu's live-rendered background simply becomes the game screen. Again, no loading screen there.
[small]Even that zombie looks scared...[/small]
Criticism
Now, while that makes it all sound very awesome, I still feel compelled to point out its few flaws. The glitchy camera movement, for one, though I'm not sure if that's just me of if it's the PC port of the game. Secondly, killing enemies gives so little EP that it might as well not give any. And thirdly, drop attacks seemed to have been all but removed. Alex Mercer's bullet drop ability was one of my favourites from the original. Just dropping from a great height without pressing any keys still produces a large impact, but attacks specifically designed to have increased damage with greater height seem absent from this sequel... With the possible exception of things like the hammerfist air attack.
Conclusion
So those few qualms aside, I found it a very enjoyable game - and while I expected I would, it still managed to exceed my expectations.
Now over to you, people of the Escapist forums... What did you think of the game? If you haven't played it, you could just state what you look for in a good action game.
EDIT: I didn't actually mean for this to be a full-fledged review of the game, but it sort of became one, so I decided to add pretty pictures too.
