If someone asked me for a game that epitomizes modern design principlesóboth the good and
badóthis would be the one I hand them.
For everything it does well and for everything it thinks it does well, this is todayís most
prevalent philosophies on game design wrapped into one violent, vulgar...and often vapid
package.
This is the prototype.
And my puns are always intended.
Released in April, Prototype 2 is a follow-up to the 2009 original...a game that was widely
thought of as ìinFamous: The Hey, Thatís Not inFamous Edition.î Frankly, the games
are too similar not to be compared, so if youíve played inFamous, you have a pretty
good idea what to expect from Prototype.
And by extension, Prototype 2.
You play the game as James Heller, a soldier who weíre evidently supposed to care about.
His family has been killed...or something.
The game doesnít really do much to elaborate or even make Heller a sympathetic character
because of it.
And thatís one thing that makes Prototype 2 a bad example of modern game design.
Heller is supposed to be fighting for his loved ones, so he should be a emotional.
He should be conflicted.
But in reality, heís written like a one-dimensional jerk.
I mean, he just swears and curses...and swears some more.
He has tantrums over ALT keys.
The
writing is almost laughably stereotypical of bad video game story writing, and itís
really symptomatic of the industry at large.
Iím not saying video games canít tell a good story, but the ones that do are very
few.
And this is not one of them.
Fortunately, Prototype 2 is also an example of what modern games do right.
When Heller is finally done with his tirades, heís straight-up kicking ass.
This game takes the inFamous concept to a whole new level.
You run around this massive city, accepting a mission or embarking on a side quest, all
the while working to make Heller an even more powerful living weapon.
The game feels designed around the idea that Heller is driven not necessarily by his thirst
for vengeance alone, but also by his infection.
He wants more, and as the player, so do you.
In fact, you spend much of the game almost compulsively scouring the city for somethingóanythingóthat
can make you more powerful.
For Heller, itís like this irresistible drug.
And through the gameplay, the player shares in his addiction.
Ultimately, the appeal of Prototype 2 is the sense of empowerment it provides.
The game gives you this insane amount of upgrades, and the more you find, the more fun youíll
have exploring the city and finding more.
Like Heller, the game seems to grow itself, and it does an unbelievable job of making
you feel like a superhero.
And from a video game, you canít ask for much more.
Prototype 2 thinks itís an emotional story.
I got news for youóthe commercial for this game had more emotion than anything in the
product.
For the gameplay, on the other hand, Prototype 2 is everything you want this kind of game
to be...plus some.
It does have delusions of storytelling grandeur, but you can grow claws from your arms.
And thatís awesome.