Prototype

"Terror City"

Whether you're wreaking havoc in the streets of Manhattan or following the well planned story, this game has something to offer everyone. Prototype has been one of the few games that I actually found myself smiling while playing. I can't quite describe the feeling as well in words, but it's just that great sense of amazement you get when you see something really cool for the first time (think of the first time you saw Microsoft's Project Natal).

I was a bit iffy on whether or not this game would live up to my expectations due to the constant trolling that flooded the boards here at Gamefaqs. Trolls were beginning to scare me with jokes of the graphics being terrible, the controls being clunky and the game just being no fun hands down. I couldn't really do anything about it however, since I had already had the game preordered and I was determined to prove that the game wasn't all bad.

So when I first picked it up, as you could imagine I was absolutely excited. I put the disc in and instantly you're thrown into the story and are introduced to the various powers that Alex Mercer can use. It was an exciting rush to just destroy just about everything in my path and the parkour is what really got me.

The parkour in this game was honestly one of the most fun things I've done in a video game since I first started playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare online! It's so adaptive and it works with every surface, which honestly, I found surprising. It flows so smoothly and the controls are by all means, not clunky. I feel they may take a little bit (five minutes at the most) to get used to them, but once you master them in that small amount of time, it's a blast.

The story, I love how they presented it within this Web of Intrigue form. They use these little clips of (usually) real life pictures presented in a eerie way to portray the story in a unique and captivating manner. It's simply intriguing (excuse the pun). The story is great overall as well. I found myself getting into it every step of the way.

As for the graphics. I don't feel they're necessarily bad as the amount of objects/action on the screen counts towards the graphics and this game boasts a great framerate for how intense and fast situations can get. However, they aren't outstanding either. There are some points in the game where you could just tell the developers could have worked harder on them (mainly some cutscenes where I couldn't even make out what the place was until I looked a little harder). Most cutscenes however are gorgeous and make me love the game even more.

So even though the graphics are subpar in the resolution department, I believe that most could care less about them when they're being attacked by helicopters, tanks, and military personnel, all at the same time the infected are after you. It gets way too intense to care enough, so this may be the game's weakest point, which in my eyes is very minor.

I would give this game a "buy" rating because you can't experience the whole thing in one rental. There's just too much it offers. And by the time DLC comes out, the game will be even more fantastic.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/09

Game Release: Prototype (US, 06/09/09)