E3 2011: Is Prototype 2 Your Type? If you like ripping people apart, then the answer is quite possibly "yes."

Prototype received mixed reactions when it was released in 2009. Some loved the brutal combat, the enormous open world, and the feeling that you were an unstoppable superhuman. Others, though, found it unpolished with uninspired mission design. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel, which will arrive next year. Prototype 2 is set 14 months after the first game, stars a new protagonist, and tackles some of our complaints.

You may be wondering if Prototype 2 is right for you. Well, ask yourself a few questions.

Do you like role reversals?

Alex Mercer, the protagonist from Prototype, is now the bad guy. He has taken control of a large chunk of Manhattan where he rules over the mutants with a mutated fist. Stepping into the role of anti-hero this time is Sergeant James Heller, a soldier tormented by the death of his family. The developers of Prototype 2 liken Heller to Mel Gibson's suicidal Riggs character in the first Lethal Weapon.



Heller is aware of Mercer and blames the mutant for the death of his family. When the two meet, Mercer sees potential in this tortured soldier and "turns" him, granting him the powers players enjoyed in the first game. And so begins Heller's long quest to hunt down Mercer and get his revenge -- but Mercer has plans of his own...

Do looks matter to you?

Because Prototype 2 is graphically superior to the first game. I saw both games running side-by-side and the difference is striking. Buildings are much more detailed, making for a city that doesn't look like cookie-cutter tract housing. In many areas, the Blacklight virus is so dense that it scales skyscraper walls like pulsing vines.

Vehicles show more realistic damage now. You won't just punch a tank until it explodes – with each hit it reveals more and more dents. Deformation is localized to the exact point of contact and parts of vehicles can be ripped off and used as weapons. It's pretty badass to tear a rocket launcher off of a tank, leap 50 feet into the air, and fire it down on its previous host.

Do you want to rip people apart with your tendrils?

In Prototype 2, you can.

But what are tendrils, you ask? A tendril is a slim, winding piece of something. In this case, they are the parts of Heller's body he can extend and use as extra limbs (because he's a freak). The first game had lots of tendril play, but now you can use them to connect people's arms and legs to different nearby objects. The tendrils then constrict, pulling the person in every which bloody way. It's an exciting new way to draw and quarter people. There is also a fun tendril finisher that lets you tear your victim in half lengthwise.

You can now have more fun torturing the monsters of Manhattan. Instead of just punching them until they fall over, you can dismember and distorso the beasts. Be careful, though -- certain enemies become more dangerous without their limbs. One monster turns into a crawling landmine after you sever its legs.

Finally, a new ability called the Bio Bomb allows you to plant an organic explosive device under the skin of a victim. If they wander into a crowd or if poor souls come to help, they'll all be taken out by the explosion.

Do you like taking orders from your sister and ex-girlfriend?

If you answered "yes," Prototype 2 might not be for you. The first game doled out missions by having Alex Mercer check in with the ladies in his life to see what he should do next. For an experience that is supposed to empower the player and make them feel like an invincible badass, this might not be the best method.

Prototype 2 uses a system called Blacknet to assign missions to players. Blacknet is a network used by Blackwatch, the shadowy military organization trying to contain the viral outbreak in Manhattan. Heller taps in to the system and uses the information to decide his next move.

Do you like giant monsters?

Prototype 2 has them. Whereas the enemies in the first game were mostly around the same size as the player, I've seen at least one giant in the sequel that stands several stories tall.


What do you think? Does Prototype 2 sound like a game you could spend some time with? Let us know in the comments below. You have some time to decide, though – it's not set to arrive until next year.