Prototype

"No longer a Prototype; this should be the 9.0 version"

Prototype is probably the future of sandbox-type games for 360. Almost everything about it was perfect, or near-perfect from the gameplay and gore to the engrossing storyline and gripping plot.

Gameplay=10/10: The gameplay was the high-point of the entire game. You are Alex Mercer, a man with amnesia who has the ability to shapeshift, transforming parts of his body into lethal weapons (I wont say which weapons for the sake of plot). The sheer power of his abilities is present even at the beginning. The combo system is a little tough to fully get into, but once you get into it, you become a complete killing machine

Storyline=8/10: The storyline was simply put; thrilling. As stated above, you are Alex Mercer, a man with amnesia who wakes up in a morgue with no idea who he is or what happened before. While escaping the facility he discovers he has amazing abilities. Combine that with an infection which is ravaging Manhattan (where the game is set) and you get a gripping and deep storyline. The cutscenes were a little underdone, with the dialouge being somewhat simplistic but otherwise the storyline was fantastic.

Challenge=8/10: It was amazing how the difficulty could change so quickly during the game. Even on the Easy difficulty, the game became increasingly harder as the story progressed. The enemies got smarter, and noticably stronger and the missions became more dangerous and easier to fail. The Hard difficulty was almost impossible without some serious time and effort. If your looking for a game with challenge, Prototype is the game for you.

Length-10/10: The length was great, in terms of the number of missions. There are 31 missions in total, with a huge number of side quests and events that take more and more time to complete. The replayability is very high, just because of the New Game+ where you can replay the campaign with the character you beat the game with, with all of his powers and abilities acquired during the campaign still present (similar to the Ratchet and Clank Challenge Mode at the end of the game).

Sound/Music-9/10: The sound was amazing to say the least. The sound of Mercer's weapons tearing through body parts was detailed and sharp. The game goes all out on the voice-acting, which was incredibly sharp and clear, much more so than other games.

Graphics-7/10: The graphics were where the game stumbled a bit. The cutscenes were detailed and very well done graphically, and the in-game gore and combat detail was amazing. However, besides Mercer himself, the character models werent exactly well done. They seemed a little blurry or pixelated, and the transforming graphics were a little odd. The car textures were also a little underdone. However, they were still well within the Xbox 360 standard for graphics.

Overall= 9/10: Prototype is definetely a game worth buying for anyone who like sandox and gory games. Everything about this game represents a major step forward in the sandox "mini-genre" Hopefully the creators will make a sequel or at least a similar game based off of this one in the future.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/09

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