Prototype (2009)

The plot is a bit of nonsense and the NPCs' AI is dumber than a bag of hair, but slashing up civilians with the Claw is always amusing. [Aug 2009, p.68]

Although it has everything you'd want from an intense, action-fuelled open-world title, the overall feeling with Prototype is that it tries a little too hard.

We expected much more from this game. It's a bit short with just 12 hours from start to finish, but it has a certain charm. It's fun to play around with abilities and upgrades and the story is entertaining, but the game itself is just slaughter and violence with a lack of variety.

On a theoretical level it achieves a significant design accomplishment in pulling everything together into a cohesive package. As the person holding the controller, though, it stumbles too often on its inability to turn its potential into a consistently fun game.

Prototype's combat and world traversal alone can provide more than a few hours of entertainment, I just can't get over how cheap a lot of the game feels. Whether it's the dated looks, its frustratingly difficult latter portion, or its awkward storytelling, Prototype often feels like a budget title that unfortunately doesn't have a budget price.

A fun sandbox game in small doses, but it's ultimately far too limited to keep you hooked long term. [Issue#22, p.54]