WHAT I SAW:

Prototype 2, the superpower-fueled open-world action game from Radical Entertainment and Activision.

WHAT I EXPECTED:

I played the original Prototype (reviewed here by Corey) a few times during its development and enjoyed it, but didn't think it could stand up to the likes of Crackdown and the PlayStation 3's Infamous. After those two games delivered disappointing sequels, I came into this demo hoping for Prototype 2 to impress.

WHAT THEY SHOWED:

Radical Entertainment's studio vice-president David Fracchia gave  a narrated tour of new protagonist Sgt. James Heller's tour of duty through New York Zero. The game's initial reveal focused on the Green Zone of NYZ, a militarized area kept in control by the evil Blackwater corporation. This time around, the action took place in the Yellow Zone, a quarantined section overpopulated with escapees from NYZ's most dangerous area. Heller's self-appointed mission is to eventually make his way to that area - the mutated-skyscraper-filled Red Zone - in order to find and kill the man who infected him, original Prototype protagonist Alex Mercer.

The stealth portions of the first game decried by many has been one of the core areas of improvement worked on by Fracchia and co. This game's prototype is equipped with a "pulse" power than can sense if a potential target is being watched. Now, instead of rolling the dice and hoping to not get caught when aborbing an enemy, players will be able to find out who to take out in order to assume the right form to progress. The pulse plays a major role in the new "Blacknet" side missions in which Heller has to use his unique form of sonar to spot enemy operatives by sending out the signal and spotting the reflection point.

Of course, the original Prototype was better known for its intense action, and the sequel looks to amplify that even further. Heller will be able to utilize two mutations at once, allowing for much more diverse combat. During the course of this demo, one button was assigned to the standard claw (which was useful for slicing through crowds of soldiers and dismembering a giant "Brawler" creature) and a hammer-fist (which allowed Heller to perform the evolution of this move and uppercut a helicopter).

WHAT I THOUGHT:

It'll have been almost three years since the original when Prototype 2 releases on April 24, 2012, and the evolution is clearly visible. I always thought the original was a tad uglier than the other open-world games of that era, but this game has a much more vibrant and exciting style with smoother animation than the likes of Crackdown 2 and Infamous 2. The powers at play are even more extreme (my personal favorite was seeing Heller beat down a tank with its own turret), while a refined stealth system makes absorbing enemies' identities a more viable option, too. I'm hoping that Prototype 2's separation of New York into three different zones gives the setting a different feel than the first, as my only major concern is the same sense of familiarity that came when Crackdown and Saint's Row recycled locations in their sequels. However, based on what I've seen so far, and what I think Radical Entertainment is capable of doing over the next eight months, I'm confident that the game's variety will set it apart from the pack.