badóthis would be the one I hand them. For everything it does well and for everything

it thinks it does well, this is todayís most prevalent philosophies on game design wrapped

into one violent, vulgar...and often vapid package.

This is the prototype.

And my puns are always intended.

Released in April, Prototype 2 is a follow-up to the 2009 original...a game that was widely

thought of as ìinFamous: The Hey, Thatís Not inFamous Edition.î Frankly, the games

are too similar not to be compared, so if youíve played inFamous, you have a pretty

good idea what to expect from Prototype.

And by extension, Prototype 2.

You play the game as James Heller, a soldier who weíre evidently supposed to care about.

His family has been killed...or something. The game doesnít really do much to elaborate

or even make Heller a sympathetic character because of it. And thatís one thing that

makes Prototype 2 a bad example of modern game design.

Heller is supposed to be fighting for his loved ones, so he should be a emotional. He

should be conflicted. But in reality, heís written like a one-dimensional jerk. I mean,

he just swears and curses...and swears some more. He has tantrums over ALT keys.

The

writing is almost laughably stereotypical of bad video game story writing, and itís

really symptomatic of the industry at large. Iím not saying video games canít tell a

good story, but the ones that do are very few. And this is not one of them.

Fortunately, Prototype 2 is also an example of what modern games do right. When Heller

is finally done with his tirades, heís straight-up kicking ass. This game takes the inFamous

concept to a whole new level. You run around this massive city, accepting a mission or

embarking on a side quest, all the while working to make Heller an even more powerful living

weapon.

The game feels designed around the idea that Heller is driven not necessarily by his thirst

for vengeance alone, but also by his infection. He wants more, and as the player, so do you.

In fact, you spend much of the game almost compulsively scouring the city for somethingóanythingóthat

can make you more powerful. For Heller, itís like this irresistible drug. And through the

gameplay, the player shares in his addiction.

Ultimately, the appeal of Prototype 2 is the sense of empowerment it provides. The game

gives you this insane amount of upgrades, and the more you find, the more fun youíll

have exploring the city and finding more. Like Heller, the game seems to grow itself,

and it does an unbelievable job of making you feel like a superhero.

And from a video game, you canít ask for much more.

Prototype 2 thinks itís an emotional story. I got news for youóthe commercial for this

game had more emotion than anything in the product. For the gameplay, on the other hand,

Prototype 2 is everything you want this kind of game to be...plus some. It does have delusions

of storytelling grandeur, but you can grow claws from your arms.

And thatís awesome.