Protoype The Game - PC, XBOX 360 & PS3
In Prototype the player controls Alex Mercer, a mysterious prototype with strange abilities. Alex must fight against special forces and a deadly virus whilst roaming around New York City
The Story
Prototype follows the story of Alex Mercer, an amnesia-stricken experiment. As the game begins Alex finds himself on the experimentation table with absolutely no memory of his past. The bewildered prototype emerges from an underground lab far below the heart of New York City, only to realize that there is a lot more going on in the outside world.
With no familiarity of where he came from or if he is even human, Alex is forced to slay to discover his past and take vengeance for what has been done to him. He soon discovers that he has the capability to devour the power of those whom he kills, taking their memories, skills, and even their appearance.
Above these newfound talents Alex is suddenly thrown into a war involving himself and two different powers. The Black Watch Special Forces, an unbearably mutated virus-infected population, and the prototype himself all wage war in the streets of New York City.
By interfering in fights between the game's factions, or even deliberately leading one force into another and triggering a fight, Alex can manipulate the speed and spread of the virus.
The whole game is revolved around a giant plot in which the developers explain is designed to echo real world government secrets.
Gameplay
Prototype's gameplay is centred around Alex's superhuman powers. He has superhuman speed, strength, and toughness, as well as the abilities of consuming his fallen enemies, shapeshifting his body, and easily manoeuvring in the New York City environment. The developers claim that there will be 750 different "unique combinations" of abilities.
Numerous aspects of Alex's body are superhuman. He is strong enough to lift vehicles or rip lampposts off of their moorings and use them as close-combat or throwing weapons. Alex is faster than a normal car and can run vertically up the side of buildings. He can jump long distances, and can fall from tall heights without taking damage.
When Alex consumes someone, he aquires their memories, their body mass, and the ability to mimic their appearance. Consuming memories will help him unravel the Web of Intrigue and advance the story. He also consumes valuable skills, eventually giving him the proficiency to pilot military vehicles and use various weapons. Consuming dead enemies and innocent bystanders augments Alex's biomass, enhancing his strength and his ability to morph his body into offensive or defensive forms. Each person he consumes becomes another figure he can use as a disguise.
Movement in Prototype is inspired by Parkour (Free Running) and makes it easy for the player to manoeuvre Alex around the city.
Shapeshifting
Alex has 4 different ways to manifest his shapeshifitng.
- Disguise - Alex can alter his appearance simply by consuming a human victim. Changing his appearance makes alex harder to find, but it also allows him to infiltrate and interact with other characters in the game.
- Attack - Alex's body can take on non-human forms too. He can offensively form bladed arms, hammer fists and claws that are deadly in close combat. He can use a ranged attack which causes spikes to impale people and vehicles from underneath them.
- Defend - Alex can increase his body's defences to protect against damage or scare attackers away. Defences include sharp spines on his back, bulletproof plates and a forearm-mounted shield. His skin can even harden to armour strength.
- Sensory - By adjusting his senses, Alex can perceive things in the environment that humans would normally be unaware of. He can see in infra-red and night vision as well as easily track individual enemies in a crowd
These abilities can be combined to give alex several powers at once making him truly unique.