Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
We know there are thoughts of inFAMOUS in your head, so knock 'em out. Though Radical's Prototype does share a bit of common, decaying, blood-stained ground to the PS3-exclusive, they're not the same. Prototype is no ordinary sandbox crime beat 'em up based in zombie-infested Manhattan.

For the duration of the adventure, you'll be controlling super anti-hero, Alex Mercer, with powers that'll cause colossal collateral damage as much as it dishes death to the military baddies. With tentacles, Hulk-like fists and a double-edged sword among other weapons as his hands, Mercer is out for revenge against those that made him that way. Prototype's easily distinguishable among the sea of GTA-copycats, automatically making it a breath of fresh, sandbox air.

What's Hot
When developers were busy trying to emulate the success of Rockstar's GTA franchise, Radical knew that the key to making the city a playground was to give the keys straight to you. Alex Mercer isn't a god, but he sure as hell acts like Hades himself. With six different powers, all of which can be upgraded, Mercer is able to easily cause chaos and destruction within seconds. Evolution Points (EP)--the currency used for upgrades--are gained through main missions, side missions and general mischief. Though some of the side missions may be a little pointless, it's the cool, copious amounts of violent maneuvers and skills that will encourage gamers to get more involved in the different objectives.

Undoubtedly, Prototype will appeal to almost every gamer due to its instantly gratifying nature. The game wants you to create your own "cheap thrills" as you slice 'n' dice pedestrians, bullet dive from the tallest towers and accuse military personnel of being Mercer himself. While other games excel in pacing and narrative build-up, Prototype throws the playbook out of the window. It's messy, instinctive, and vicious, allowing gamers to do what the hell they please with the thousands of zombies, civilians and soldiers in a playground-like Manhattan. By providing gamers with a chance to simply muck about, a moment with Mercer never really gets tedious, increasing the chances of replayability months down the line.



Though many sandbox games have tried to give players the freedom they obviously expect in a sandbox title, Prototype executes this notion of freedomfreedomfreedom exceptionally well. Thanks to the applaud-worthy adaptive parkour animations, Mercer runs faster and more fluid than Altair ever did in Assassin's Creed. As he does his little blistering jog up the street, the sense of freedom Mercer's speed gives is leaps and bounds (pun intended) ahead of other games. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, concrete to rooftop and rooftop to "that big helicopter there" feels incredibly free flowing. Guaranteed, you won't find a more visceral experience than this.

What's Not
Due to the lack of red tape the game provides, you'll find that Prototype's a tad all over the place, such as its storyline. Unlike many linear titles that force-feed their narrative frantically, Prototype uses the Web of Intrigue, a collection of memories gained by consuming civilians in hopes that you'd piece the puzzle together yourself. Don't mistake my criticism of the game's narrative with an under appreciation of the way it's told, but Prototype's tale is one that is generic and clichéd. While it has its merits, the Web of Intrigue would've been a lot more engaging if it didn't contain a convoluted plot that doesn't particularly tell a cunning tale.

Though it's not "PlayStation 2 terrible," Prototype's graphics did have to be downgraded to fit the amount of mayhem on screen at a time. While I personally don't pay too close attention to a game's visuals, Radical's sandbox adventure can look a little outdated, especially compared to those that stress its importance. Despite that Alex Mercer himself can look menacingly detailed, the "copy and paste" pedestrians, often bland textures and questionable cut-scenes reduce the level of immersion by a small margin. However, on the flipside, Prototype does boast a stable framerate one should not simply ignore.

Final Word
Once you can accept the fact that Prototype isn't inFAMOUS, it truly does feel like a visceral experience not found in its sandbox competitors. While Niko Bellic carjacks vehicles, Cole McGrath shoots electricity from his hands, and Alec Mason tears buildings with a sledgehammer, Alex Mercer is able to devour countless human souls down a street within seconds. Simply put, he's a badass. Sadistically imaginative, Prototype reminds us why graphics aren't everything and that games can still be ridiculously fun with no strings attached.