Prototype Review
                                                 on Xbox 360


So, today I look at Prototype by Radical Entertainment. I'd Like to start of by saying that I enjoyed this game immensely. Its fun in a way not seen since Crackdown, and shares many of its characteristics. So if Crackdown was your thing, you'll probably like this. If it wasn't, you should still give it a try, as its different enough to be likeable.

In Prototype you play a super powered, morally questionable ani-hero by the name of Alex Mercer. The game starts on the present, and so ensues a series of flashbacks in which you play through Alex's memories of the past until you catch up with the present. Though it sounds interesting, I found it didn't work. You spend the tutorial fighting a hectic battle with very little time to pace yourself into the game. I for one found this incredibly frustrating, however as soon as the tutorial ended and I began the game proper, I found myself instantly enjoying myself.

And it is her, ladies and gentlemen, that we get to the best part of the game, the freeroaming. It has been a long time since I have had this much fun simply running from roof to roof. The city is large and expansive, the streets feel full of food, sorry I mean life, and there is a whole host of mini games to enjoy. Also, none of the city is locked to you. It is free for you to abuse and terrorise right from the start.

The evolution (or levelling, to those of you not in the know) system is a breath of fresh air. Its about as free as the environment. Almost any action (though admittedly usually a violent one) will gain you experience, and this experience is sent to you evolution pool. You are then free to spend the points wherever you wish, and there is a lot to spend it on.

The combat is good, but not ground braking. You can, for example, experiment with different button combos, but I soon fount this pointless when I could just hammer the X button until things stopped moving. Still, there's enough weapons and equipment to keep you interested. If you get board of shredding people to teeny tiny pieces with your claws you can always pick up an enemy's weapon, or hijack a tank or helicopter.

Of course its not all shiny buttons and stardust. First of, since the guys at  Radical Entertainment obviously took a big pinch of Crackdown to put in their Prototype cake, I was disappointed that there was not co-op mode. Not even just allowing two people too freeroam together, which is a big shame. The other is that the story missions are very similar in terms of gameplay. Go here to get objective, go there to eat some guy, hide from enemies, repeat. Saying that, the story elements completely make up for this. Hell, I didn't really notice the repetition until after I completed the campaign. You can, after you complete the game, start a new game plus. This allows you to begin a new game with all your abilities. Still, I only see this as being good for one or two times. The games too linier for a great amount of replayability.
The only other thing is the AI. Radical seem to have done well on this front, and my only complaint is kind of nit picky, but why is a fellow soldier punching another more suspicious than a hooded man running up a sky scraper?

Still, a great game, fun and most importantly worth the money. I don't usually give games percentages but I don't usually do review so I guess it events out. I'd recommend this with a healthy 87%