Prototype 2
Preview
Gamescom 2011: Action Thriller Mark II
by Ingvi Snædal
previewed on X360
The Most Dangerous Prey
The hunting mechanic has been significantly beefed up in Prototype 2 and allows the player to stealthily and silently take out his targets, without evoking the wrath of Blackwatch. When Heller enters hunting mode, the NPCs in front of him will have coloured auras around them. If the aura is red, that individual is being watched and taking him out would elicit a response. If the aura is white, however, that person is not being watched and can be stealth-consumed without anyone noticing. If the player tries to consume an NPC that's being watched, he'll be presented with a warning before Heller executes the command. This means that if you're about to make a mistake which you weren't intending to do, you can quickly get out of it and stay in the scenario. If you'd prefer to plant your foot squarely on the side of the hornet's nest, however, you can feel free to ignore the warning and consume the NPC in plain sight.
Another neat addition on the hunting side is the ability to ping specific targets. At GamesCom, Heller was given the task to finding a certain individual, consuming him, and logging into a console using his hand as your credentials. Heller simply entered hunting mode, sent out a ping which turned the whole environment red, which then got reflected off the target and turned everything grey again, emulating from his position. This way, the game doesn't simply present players with an arrow saying “the guy's over there”, but rather gives them a neat way to find the target themselves. This mechanic looks very cool close up, as when Heller pings a target standing very close to him, the player will be able to see the NPC's entire nervous system light up within his body.
The Art of Action
Where the game really excels is in the balls-to-the-wall action. The power wheel is still present, but the developers have worked in a hotswap system, allowing the player to have two powers selected at the same time and quickly swap between them during combat. Heller, like Mercer, is very good at hijacking military vehicles to use them against his enemies, be they a tank or a helicopter. He can also tear their weapons off and use them against them, such as tearing a tank's turret of and bashing the hull to bits with it, or the rocket pod of a helicopter and letting the missiles fly towards it, and the best thing is, Heller looks awesome doing it.
The combat looks exciting, the stealth elements look well designed and the hunting mechanic looks very interesting. All in all, it looks as though Radical has taken user feedback to heart in the development of Prototype 2 and made the struggle between Blackwood, Heller, and Mercer a focal point in this fun and exciting joyride.
