Zero Punctuation: Prototype 2

[Sonicron]

For the life of me I can't understand why most critics have been paddling this game. I'm pretty picky with sandbox games and must admit I feared the worst about this one, but I had a jolly good time with it; all in all I think it's actually better than its predecessor.

Funniest ZP in quite a while. ^^
And I'm sorry, I'll be too busy sciencing my way across western Canada to pretty up the expo. A shame, really.

 

[Richardplex]

Sad thing is for me I a PC gamer get to wait even longer to play it than Yhatzee had to.

"Possibly Liverpool" made me spew milkshake over my desk...expecially after last night. >.>

The fact that so many British people rip on Liverpool makes me wonder if the individuals from there are actually that bad.

One my Uni friends who lives in Liverpool outside uni assures that yes, it really is that bad.

 

[DJjaffacake]

The Black Watch recruited from the Scottish Highlands. I think maybe their representation is more accurate in Mount & Blade Napoleonic Wars than in this game from how it is described here.

I don't think Blackwatch in the game have any connection to the actual Black Watch somehow.

 

[Jabberwock King]

I took the game seriously... enough. Sure the sheer number of psychopaths in Blackwatch can strain the willing suspension of disbelief, but Heller genuinely comes off as grief stricken. I modeled my behavior after what I thought Heller would be thinking, and so I avoided civilian and marine slaughter fests (went the whole game without eating a civvy), due to Heller having been an ordinary soldier and father beforehand. Some characters personality's can easily draw you in if you let them, and James Heller's certainly can.

 

[antipunt]

Yatzhee seems to enjoy games that focus on massive, mindless killing sprees lol

 

[dmcc85]

i don't think i can go there, it is another continent.
and i don't own a jet-plane.

 

[Wareve]

Hold up, 4:31. Last Psychopath on the left, is that John DeFoe from the Chzo Mythos?

 

[Palodin]

Sad thing is for me I a PC gamer get to wait even longer to play it than Yhatzee had to.

"Possibly Liverpool" made me spew milkshake over my desk...expecially after last night. >.>

The fact that so many British people rip on Liverpool makes me wonder if the individuals from there are actually that bad.

One my Uni friends who lives in Liverpool outside uni assures that yes, it really is that bad.

Its no worse than any other poor-ish northern city, really. Incredibly annoying accent (Search for the Harry Enfield skit on youtube, its only got worse since) and ridiculous victim complex though. Seriously, dare to mention anything bad about this city and you will be hounded.

 

[Hookman]

Did Yahtzee just insult Liverpool?
This is an act of blatant agression, kidda!
PREPARE THE SCALLY CANNON...La!!!

Its no worse than any other poor-ish northern city, really. Incredibly annoying accent (Search for the Harry Enfield skit on youtube, its only got worse since) and ridiculous victim complex though. Seriously, dare to mention anything bad about this city and you will be hounded.

How dare you, I'll show you a victim complex!
PREPARE THE OTHER SCALLY CANNON..."Random scouse slang"!!!

 

[Thaluikhain]

Oh, one of the evil recruits is wearing a welding mask.

If you don't know why I mention this, go here: http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/games.htm

 

[Palodin]

Did Yahtzee just insult Liverpool?
This is an act of blatant agression, kidda!
PREPARE THE SCALLY CANNON...La!!!

Its no worse than any other poor-ish northern city, really. Incredibly annoying accent (Search for the Harry Enfield skit on youtube, its only got worse since) and ridiculous victim complex though. Seriously, dare to mention anything bad about this city and you will be hounded.

How dare you, I'll show you a victim complex!
PREPARE THE OTHER SCALLY CANNON..."Random scouse slang"!!!

You should visit, you'd fit right in

 

[maswell]

I never got around to playing prototype but always wanted to. If and when I do, should I just pick this one up? I couldn't really tell from the review if this one was actually better.

 

[Netrigan]

Its nice to see I am not the only one that feels prototype tries to get too serious for its own good.

I was not expecting "Saints Row" level of randomness and tongue-in-cheekness, but Heller is written like a rather generic "bad ass with a vengeance". Its hard to take the character seriously when he moans about his family while killing pedestrians using a grandma suit like the villain of MIB 1. I have the same issue with Bellic in GTA4.

Rockstar seems to have a major problem with balancing tone and gameplay in their sandbox games. If I'm running around causing mayhem, then having me agonizing about killing a single person gets a bit silly.

Not to mention sending me off on endless missions where I'm supposed to shoot everyone I see.

About the only stories I thought got the attitude of the lead character right were Saints Row 2 (for pure cartoony evil) and The Ballad Of Gay Tony (on the serious side). Saints Row featured a character who loved random violence, while Gay Tony featured someone who was simply irritated at being put into violent situations not of his choosing... having no problem doing what he had to do otherwise.

But this is always going to be a problem in sandbox games, even if you decide to grade the player on their driving skills ala L.A. Noire... but at least there's a sense there that you're doing something you're not supposed to as the game only penalizes you such behavior.

 

[Hookman]

Did Yahtzee just insult Liverpool?
This is an act of blatant agression, kidda!
PREPARE THE SCALLY CANNON...La!!!

Its no worse than any other poor-ish northern city, really. Incredibly annoying accent (Search for the Harry Enfield skit on youtube, its only got worse since) and ridiculous victim complex though. Seriously, dare to mention anything bad about this city and you will be hounded.

How dare you, I'll show you a victim complex!
PREPARE THE OTHER SCALLY CANNON..."Random scouse slang"!!!

You should visit, you'd fit right in

I visit it quite often, with living there and everything. I must admit we aren't the greatest of people but I don't think we have as much of a victim complex as some other parts of the region *Cough* Manchester *Cough*

 

[mariofan1000]

People saying "What he liked a critically panned game" All the scores are actually pretty high on Metacritic.

 

[Mahoshonen]

I'm still holding out hope that Yahtzee reviews Warriors Orochi 3 this week. If he thought Prototype 2 is silly I wonder what he'll make of a game where the plot just simply doesn't give a fuck.

 

[Xman490]

I'm guessing that Yatzee will put this game in his Top 5 for 2012, which would be nice because (according to The Jimquisition) Prototype 2 didn't do very well in the first 2 weeks compared to last year's April releases.

Granted, November 2010 didn't have a batch of hyped-up releases like November 2011, and people still play Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3 en masse.

 

[gamegod25]

Overall I think the Prototype 2 is an improvement over the first. The story is pretty flat and one note like a summer action movie, though Mercer's sudden shift to moustache twirling villain bent on world domination (of course!) was a little jarring for me. But then the original game wasn't that great and paced very poorly too. But the the important part is the gameplay which is much improved over the original. Combat is much more fun and every power has a use, dodging is easier and you can do context sensitive special moves to do extra damage. Targeting can still be troublesome when things get really hectic but it never got me killed as much as in the first game.

 

[gunheads]

As somebody thats lived in liverpool for all his life, I loved the "perhaps liverpool" comment.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

Okay so wait.. am I understanding it right that Prototype 2 has NO gods-damned races? I may have to buy this game just to show support for removing that unwanted "challenge" trash from a sandbox game!

Thank gods SR 3 doesn't appear to have those... at least I don't remember doing any.

No surprise here. It's an open sandbox game so, no matter the quality Yhatzee will love it. Just as he will hate any very prescripted linear game no matter its quality (ie Uncharted 2, 3)

Except he doesn't, and has actively given positive comments to linear games such as Psychonauts, Portal, and the Sands of Time trilogy. And if memory serves me, he ripped into GTA4 pretty good, too.