Doesn't feel like a good time for a computer gamer. The E3 is over leaving us with nothing but a bunch of trailers to watch over and over again. Or play some older games over and over again the recent victims of which in my humble lair include 'GTR: Evolution' and, of course 'Crysis: Warhead'. Then, just before the last weekend, a tiny little spark of hope. Then a flash, then thunder on the horizon! Don't get me wrong, I didn't see 'Prototype' as just promising. For the final days of last week, it was a salvation, a Jesus of sorts. So here I am, on a grey hung over Monday. Looking forward to have a go at 'Crysis: Warhead' in the evening again.
Prototype [2009] [PC]
what's hit?
Pretty much every single recipe in 'Prototype' is a recipe for quite a mushroom cloud. Imagine being thrown into an all open city living its own busy life (New York in this case) with an arsenal of superpowers I can not call other than impressivissimo. What's even better, the city feels sort of... believable. Expect at least a few times as much traffic and much more than that times many people in the streets than you're used to in 'GTA' for instance. It's nice to see someone like Radical who apparently think that if bigger is more and more is better, then let's make it SCREAM with BIG!
what's shit?
There is however, a problem. A significant problem. A problem that simply makes me wonder how is it that 'Prototype' is seamlessly raking 8+ ratings all over the gaming web. It doesn't seem to become THE problem even if you realize that this game looks much like 'Crysis' on low with a badly crippled viewing distance and still "sports" some apalling framerates even on a decent enough rig (capable of eating 'Crysis' on very high alive by the way). It doesn't become THE problem even with the pointlessness of an open environment, with the stereotype that kicks in after a few hours or with the questionable storytelling. It's only when you ask yourself "what IS this game actually supposed to be?", a problem becomes THE problem, simply because then, 'Prototype' does not have an answer for you. It'll just, with an innocent child's face stare into your eyes not having a clue what it is or what is it for. Is it a superpowered 'GTA'? Nope. Is it a free-roamed 'Dark Sector'? Not really. Is it a vicious and savage version of the 'Spiderman'? Nah. 'God of War' in New York perhaps? No way, Jose. It may want to be all of those things but in the result, it's none. Which spoils everything. And I mean, everything.
what's it?
Watching the trailers breathless with my tongue instead of a tie, I wanted to LOVE 'Prototype'. I wanted to spend the weekend brutalizing civilians in New York City, throwing tanks around the streets and into buildings and busy traffic like matchboxes, and do a Mozart concerto on the keyboard in an irresponsible chain of battle combos. And I wanted to yell how much fun I've had into the world and I wanted the world to respond in humming and nodding. None of that happened. I have instead been thrown into a chaotic something that from a distance resembles one massive tutorial through a pointlessly open-environment city in order to achieve what has been shown to you at the very beginning. The game's disability to properly introduce itslef into the gamer's mind, its unwillingness to show-off and its saddening stance of "Okay, I AM forgettable, so what?" drags everything and again, EVERYTHING down to the bottomless pit. Or shall I say A bottomless pit? Because damn sure we won't recognize the pit's yawning mouth in no more than a few month's time.
SCORE: 5/10
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