Why Prototype 2 Concerns Me (So Far)

[Jackblank]

Some time ago I decided, for what I can only assume are reasons, to wait for Prototype 2 on PC instead of playing it on Xbox. Maybe it's because I played the first one on PC, who knows. I finally got my hands on it this week, and was enjoying myself. At first. But then I began to have some doubts, some worries about the game. I tried to dismiss them. Sure, the controls were finicky and hard to manage in pitched battle, but hey, it was the same with the first one. I'll get a whip-thing and it'll be fine. Maybe the graphics weren't that great, but that could always just be my machine, which is mid-range at best. The story seemed to be going nowhere, but it was early on, it probably picks up later.

Then this happened:

As I'm going in to maybe my fifth or sixth mission, the character talking in my ear is outlining what he wants me to do. Turns out it's infiltrate a base, assume a disguise, then kill whatever eventually tries to kill me. I've put some time into the game already, and so far this has been pretty much the only objective. But just as I'm about to sigh with exasperation at being instructed to do the same thing, Heller (the player character) himself sighs and refers to it as "the usual".

This is not acceptable, game. I'm allowed to get bored with you. You are not.

I don't know if maybe it was just a bad idea from the writer's table, or if perhaps the developers knew this thing was going nowhere, but this was a deeply disturbing moment for me. I'm less than two hours in, if the game is already bored with what it wants me to do, how should I feel about it? So I'm hoping someone out there can convince me to keep going. I want to, but it feels like the game is telling me it's already given up and I'll just be doing the same thing over and over for the next fourteen hours until it feels I've gotten my money's worth. Those of you further than me, or who have played it on Xbox, what were your thoughts?

 

[Mister Six]

It's...meh at best. The first one had that spark of originality, an interesting story, and a protagonist who was a hero only in the Greek Epic sense of the word. In 2 they threw away a lot of what made the first game good and didn't really add anything to it of value. So while I would have cautioned you not to buy it, since you have all I can say is play it in bits and pieces, that way you still get your monies worth with out burning out.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I agree it is really fucking horrific when the characters point out how boring the game is, so not only did the devs know but they rub it in your face... you fucking assholes I payed money for this lazy bullshit.

But hey you already bought it so there is no going back, if you asked before I would tell you this is no triple A game, $20 if you feel really generous.

 

[Ghonzor]

I would just say replay Prototype. The first one. It was infinitely better (from what I've played of the second) and it took a lot longer for me to get bored of it.
As for main characters...trying to make a mass murderer into someone likable is difficult. The only real route you can go is with an anti-hero, but the new guy (whose name escapes me) tries to act like anyone should be sympathetic to him, which is just silly. And from what I've heard, they ruin Mercer as a character. He wasn't a particularly spectacular character to begin with, but turning him into a mustache twirling avatar of evil is just ridiculously contrived.

 

[VincentX3]

I JUST beat the game (PC) around 10mins ago.

What you described is basically 80% of the game in a nutshell.
The other 20% is the not-so-rare chase, grab the cargo before the time runs out and kill\destroy missions.

Then the final boss, which is just.... bland if you shield spam\claw combo.
The ending of the other hand...

....
Its Mass Effect 3 all over again >:7

Spoiler

Yes, YOU KILL MERCER! Consume him and his last line is "welcome to the top of the food chain"

Many speculate on the forums that it isn't the real Mercer, only a clone of him that's gone evil, hence the "Kill your maker?" achievement.

I really do hope a new post-ending DLC fixes confirms if this is true or not.

 

[KingHodor]

I loved the first Prototype because, unlike most sandbox games, it was gritty and took itself seriously. All the carnage and mayhem felt that much more fun precisely because the scenario wasn't all tongue-in-cheek and over the top, so all your crazy actions as a superpowered-antihero must feel completely mind-blowing to the citizens of this virtual New York.

Prototype 2... I was really pumped when they announced it, had a bad feeling about it after the first trailer, and after reading the reviews, it looks like something I'll buy as soon as it's on sale in Steam rather than full price.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I found the gameplay and controls to be a lot tighter and more polished than the first. The combat, in particular, feels a lot weightier and fighting powerful evolved one-on-one is incredibly satisfying.

Unfortunately the missions are nowhere near as varied or entertaining as the first, they took out the patsy ability, it's far too easy and the story is terrible (it wasn't great in the first, but it was interesting enough that finding more web of intrigue targets was a reward in itself).

Once you've beaten it, it's a bit more fun to dick around in than the first was, imo.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I was a huge fan of Prototype 1 and I loved the sequel as well. Having said that, it does suffer from the Assassin's Creed issue of basically the same 4 side missions done on loop with slightly different dressing every time. For me, I just loved the gameplay so much that I didn't mind, but because not everyone is me (Thank Heaven) I can see how it can become repetitive.

If I can give any motivation to move on it's that it becomes more fun once you get more mutations and toys to play with. But really, it's not much different than the monotony of Prototype 1 which suffered from the same issue of the same missions. I'd tell you to push on and complete the game because I just had so much damn fun doing so, but it's not like you're missing out on an incredible piece of gaming history if you drop out.

 

[Arakasi]

I enjoyed it. I dunno, I guess I just liked the mechanics, even though I did find/use a gamebreaker (Jump, attack, repeat ad nauseum).

Though the end annoyed me.

Spoiler

Alex Mercer absorbs about 6-7 Evolved, including one who should be a tier above Heller, but during the final boss fight, not only does he remain the same size, but he sucks ass! Seriously, same game breaker, jump, attack, and he can barely touch you. I wanted a fucking unique boss fight the size of a skyscraper like Green in the original, but it was just like fighting another god damned evolved.
Overall the game feels like it was cut short. Like they ran out of money (and they probably did).

 

[Soxafloppin]

The missions are repetitive, and the game feels cheaply made.

However I enjoyed it. In terms of "Wreckin shit" its hard to beat, and the humour was great in the game.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I enjoyed it. I dunno, I guess I just liked the mechanics, even though I did find/use a gamebreaker (Jump, attack, repeat ad nauseum).

Though the end annoyed me.

Spoiler

Alex Mercer absorbs about 6-7 Evolved, including one who should be a tier above Heller, but during the final boss fight, not only does he remain the same size, but he sucks ass! Seriously, same game breaker, jump, attack, and he can barely touch you. I wanted a fucking unique boss fight the size of a skyscraper like Green in the original, but it was just like fighting another god damned evolved.
Overall the game feels like it was cut short. Like they ran out of money (and they probably did).

Yeah the last battle is rather underwhelming (even on hard) and the game's ending itself is also very much a letdown. I'm not talking ME3 levels of disappointment, but what happens even from a visual standpoint I thought I hit a button on the controller or something and unintentionally told it to skip it. After I looked it up on YouTube I thought, "Wow... no one in QA or management thought this ending MIGHT look a LITTLE messed up?"

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Eh I enjoyed it, but the whole 'Oh our new main guy has emotions and cares bout his family' bullshit didn't work. What worked with Mercer was the fact that he just didn't give a shit, he just wanted to know what happened to him.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

My problem with the game?

Spoiler

They turned Mercer into a villain for no good reason! Okay, there was a midquel comic to explain it, but I still don't buy that explaination. I mean, Mercer seemed to gain a conscience by the end of the first game, but the sequel negates all that. Tch...

 

[Nerexor]

The gameplay is better in terms of controls etc... but everything else is so much worse. Story is watered down and makes very little sense, the protagonist is a twit, and the villains can't be taken at all seriously. Half the fun I had playing this game was listening to the ridiculous dialog from the blackwatch. It was on the level of "You know whats badass? Killing puppies." "Nah, man, you gotta eat them alive. In front of the little kid who owns the puppy. That's the shit man." They're so over the top "HEY LOOK AT HOW EVIL I AM" that it's like they took lessons from the captain planet villains.