Prototype

Prototype is not the average game. In fact, it's probably the most promising title I've seen at GC 2007 in Leipzig. It may not stand up to Fallout's hype or to the GTA IV's franchise, but when it's going to be released a lot of developers will hide their heads in the sand or utter words of insult.

Basically, Prototype is a third person shooter, but everyone will soon discover it's a lot more. The main character, Alex Mercer has no memory. Before you start bashing yet another game for embracing this puerile and clich? start, you should know that this only sets the background for the story to come. Unlike in other games where the player not only starts with major gaps in his memory but also with serious weapon deficits, in this one you will feel totally empowered right from the start. You see, Alex is not the usual hero and he can do stuff that we can only dream off? literally. From the first moment I saw him in action I thought this would be a kick-ass game. The physics involved in this game are completely mind blowing as the character is able to run and take huge jumps over cars, trolleys and trucks with an immense ease. The moves are extremely articulate and have a natural grace, not to mention all kinds of spins and twist performed in mid air which are simply amazing. As a game journalist I should be as objective as possible; however, it's really hard to act like that with Prototype, as I'm so enthusiastic that I'm almost trying to present the entire game in one single breath.

The setting for Prototype is New York which, this time, has been given quite a contemporary look and the best part is there are a lot of people on the streets. I should mention the fuss and commotion going on as everyone is heading somewhere, having lots of stuff to do (and that only manages to make everything look quite natural), but I can only think of one thing: with all these people around, imagine the mayhem and the massacre.

In the preview demo presented by Radical Entertainment, the game started in a busy intersection, the hero having one simple mission: destroy the military base. After jumping over several vehicles and running up on a building (yeah, you can do that too), the target is in range. This is where the fun stuff begins: there are several ways of achieving the objective and the first one that comes to mind is tearing it down, brick by brick. This is a metaphor of course, but it can be done by a frontal attack. Another solution is to sneak past the guards and absorb a high-ranking military officer who can command an air strike. The absorption part is quite simple and fun. You take one spike and shove it firmly through? the chest (I'm sorry for the LocoRoco fans, but the poor bastard will not survive this complicate procedure). You will not only take his appearance, but also his memories, access codes and any kind of vital information he holds about your past. This is the main solution to uncover why he can do all this stuff, even if it's quite painful and bloody. The third one would be to steal a tank or a helicopter from somewhere and surprise the poor soldiers with their own equipment. The final one we witnessed was a much more devious one. There is another faction in the game - the mutants, which have an unclear role at this time, but we do have important information about them: they are not beer buddies with the military. So you can get Alex to be chased by some angry and powerful freaks with rewritten DNA until you get to the base. The ensuing war will probably consume the entire New York but will also take the military base down. Mission accomplished.

The simple fact that everything is happening into an open world gives the player tons of choices and provides lots of fun with hundreds of "innocent" civilians patrolling the streets. By the end of the mission, most of the city was in chaos, but really (I have to say it)?it was beautiful.

Besides the morphing power and the athletics, the guys at Radical also demonstrated an even cooler ability. The mutants can't be fought in the usual form, so Mercer has to transform into more powerful conformation in order to fight them, losing his ability to jump but gaining strength. The guy that handled the demonstration really knew how to present the game to the press and turn the camera to follow the character from behind, while he was running. The mutants were throwing cars and people into the buildings, stopping at nothing just to get Alex. The chase didn't last too long and 'mutant' became nothing but a distant memory.

The player also has the ability to drive certain vehicles and I saw two such examples: first, there was a helicopter that was intercepted in mid air with the character jumping off a building. Alex climbed onto it, ripped off the left window, climbed inside and splattered the pilot all over the windshield. With the helicopter under control, the level of destruction grew exponentially and another one soon arrived at the scene. It later became the second 'victim'. The other vehicle we saw taken over was a tank, but it resembled a GTA chase scene too much. In any case, giving control over certain military hardware can only enhance the gameplay pleasure.

Maybe I'm a little too enthusiastic when it comes to some titles, but I could bet anything on Prototype. The build I saw was only 20% complete and it baffled me completely. I can only guess how much more stuff they can fit inside and how immensely entertaining it will be. I hope they will be ready in 2008 as promised because I keep having these dreams of me jumping off buildings and smashing the asphalt with my perfect landing.