Prototype

09.05.08

We are in a virtual simulation of the metropolis New York. 21,000 photos served the developers as templates. Real ambient noises were packed into this huge game world to complete the urban experience. What was that? Huge game world? Exactly, only that "huge" does not mean "large". According to the developers from Radical, “large” is the city "Liberty City" in GTA 4. “Liberty City” - based to a certain degree on New York - isn’t quite true to the original either. To cut a long story short: The virtual New York in "Prototype" is supposed to offer a decent serving of more space than the current "hottest item" from the stable of Rockstar does. It’s stupid that a virus is making trouble in the city of the oxidized Statue of Liberty. For the gamer that is everything but stupid; after all, such scenarios are ideal to "let it rip". To put it in a nutshell, "let it rip" could well be the subtitle of "Prototype". Just as the developer has intended, the gamer isn’t just going to rampage around a little, but also get going with some beastly action.

You assume the role of Alex Mercer. As in some other games, the figure in "Prototype" also suffers amnesia. Amnesia is the loss of memory or that you simply cannot remember anything. I know it so well, because in modern games you are confronted with the term as often as you are with the task of saving the world, including all of humanity. Characters with an obscure history are of course the best foundation for weaving in a twisted, mysterious and riveting story. This much is clear: You are a guy wearing a hooded sweater, acting in pretty egoistic and vicious manner; you have special abilities and know how to make splatter fans happy.

While the game takes its course, Alex constantly learns new tricks, moves and abilities. Not only can you re-design the enemies with mutated claw-hands or impale them on spears conjured up from the innards of the earth, but you can also take on their appearance or just "consume" them. With ”Shape-Shifting” (change of shape) you sneak, like Mercury Man in Terminator 2, into a briefing as a pilot, as an infected mutant as a result of contaminated terrain, as high-grade member of the army into a tank or helicopter, or just act the innocent bystander. This affords the player a lot of freedom when it comes to the strategy of certain missions. The frustrated businessman, who just wants to let off some steam, has a go at the mob with claw hands, military vehicles, shooters, exceptionally dynamic and hazardous jumps and stony spines. The enlightened gamer, on the other hand, prefers to grab an officer in a dark corner, dress in his skin and then calmly order an air raid on the desired position. By "consuming" persons, the player receives fragments of useful memories, health is boosted and there is a little energy too. Who would have thought it? Let it rip.

At the beginning of the game the city is not affected too much by the virus. That is also well called for, because it should be difficult to keep several mutants, including real monsters, the military and the so-called “Blackwatch” a special troop to contain the virus, at a distance with the initial abilities. When the degree of infection rises in the city, you should already have plenty of grey matter and also have attracted the attention of the local law enforcement agents. Later they will hunt you increasingly. Soon it is just teeming with club-wielding thugs, and you are being watched somewhere doing illegal activities with foreign body parts or similar things. Anyone who diligently exterminates vermin, objectively speaking, gets "evolution points". With them you can buy ever more crazy combos, attacks, armouring etc.

“Prototype” is appealing thanks to its great simulation of New York and boasts good special effects, a lot of freedom, apocalyptic scenarios and a great deal of action. "Action" is a very broad term; once you have seen "Prototype" in motion, you will have to redefine "action". Ten cars fly through the air, some in the mid-explosion. In the middle of this you also find about a dozen civilians, law enforcement agents and mutants involuntarily struggling in the air. Damage models can be seen from their best side, at the same time spikes shoot out of the ground, rocks and dust are flung into the proceedings. On the side three huge dogs that look like they’ve come straight from hell via a meat grinder try to do Alex in. But first Alex has to get rid of the three helicopters at his back, which keep on firing deadly salvos at him. A 100 m jump at a house front, a quick run along the building’s vertical panels, an easy 50 m hop onto the hood of a taxi, which gives him enough kick to fly through the air like Superman and capture the helicopter high above the ground. "You don't believe it is in-game?" A developer asked at a presentation. "Just you wait!" He finally said. Confidence is definitely not lacking!