Okay Geek Farm
E3 2011 -- Prototype 2 Early Preview
Daniel Carey
In a recent sit down with gaming blog Joystiq, Ken Rossman the studio head at Radical Entertainment, revealed several interesting morsels related to Prototype 2. Continuing on from the first installment, Prototype 2 is poised to captivate those wishing to slash, attack, and well pull off some over-the-top aerial moves all in the comfort of New York City.
In his pre-E3 interview with Joystiq, Ken Rossman spoke of a single issue that plagued the first Prototype. According to Ken:
“It had two volumes: 1 and 11. And really there was nothing in that middle range, so either you were in disguise and the world ignored you, sometimes, or all of a sudden you kicked the hornet’s nest and the world’s on fire. So that was something that we acknowledged and we were like, that’s something that we need to figure out in a better way.”
Unlike the first Prototype, you are no longer in command of anti-hero Alex Mercer. Instead, you play as Sergeant James Heller, a soldier who lost his wife and child in the first attack. And as such, blames Alex Mercer for such events. It is an interesting take, especially since anti-hero Alex Mercer is now the villain — whether or not he’s an actual “take candy from babies” villain is yet to be determined. But as some are already speculating, Mercer may simply be Heller’s villain for the events in the games previous installment.
Rossman later went onto to say:
“Alex was doing it for scientific reasons, possibly at one point, whereas James Heller is doing it purely for the ability to take back what he once was. So really it is about the two characters and how they are opposite each other. And there is a clarity of why you’re doing these things, why you make choices you make, and how you approach problems.”
In this game, much like in its previous installment, you play within the confines of New York Zero (a war torn New York City), though this time around the overall city has had some major refinements. Unlike the original Prototype where parts of the city were flung into anarchy based on your current mission, Prototype 2 has been split into three tiers. The first tier is known as the ‘Red Zone.’ Within the Red Zone the war between biological creatures and humans is ever present. The next zone set within NYC is known as the ‘Yellow Zone.’ Unlike the Red Zone, the Yellow Zone is a semi-safe haven with more populous — in essence, it is a quarantined zone. And due to this it can be assumed that the final zone is the ‘Green Zone.’ Much like aptly named zones in war torn Iraq, the Green Zone is a secure martial like state, safe for everyone except Heller.
Continuing to improve over the first game, Prototype 2 has been given an upgraded upgrade system. According to Rossman:
“One of the things we wanted to move away from in Prototype 1 was the idea of the move store. An hour into Prototype 1, you get a message that 21 new unlocks are available! You’re a player going, 21? I just got here. And so one of the things we wanted to do was keep the EP system of Prototype 1, thus allowing the player to make choices about how to upgrade their character, but at the same time, using the Blacknet system to go after awards that are player-driven.”
In short, James Heller is able to upgrade his moves through either the purchase system or by completing various missions / side missions.
Rossman continued onto to say that Mercer’s moves were gory, but Heller’s moves are gorier still. And for those that don’t remember, Alex Mercer pretty much disemboweled people for health. Not to mention the bifurcations and decapitations. Speaking of Alex Mercer’s health gain ability, Radical Entertainment is toning down some of the senseless violence. No longer will you be able to absorb or ‘eat’ innocent civilians for health — according to Rossman, this feature didn’t sit well with some fans.
Finally, much like the first title in the series, Prototype 2 will not be featuring a multiplayer component. Instead Rossman claimed that consumers will be granted with some downloadable content in the future, claiming “we’re making sure that there’s a long term strategy with the Prototype universe.”
Prototype 2 certainly looks as though it is shaping up to be as good as the first. Especially when it is safe to assume there will be tank destruction, gore, and all out anarchy. Yet, if there is just one thing that I hope for, it is that Radical will decide to not tone down the gore. For me part of the charm of the original Prototype was absorbing citizens and killing monsters in completely outlandish ways.
