E3 2011: Prototype 2 -- Be a Badass - IGN (original) (raw)

Designed for those of you having a terrible day.

Did your boss or teacher give you a hard time? Did your significant other leave you? Did someone steal your car? The original Prototype was meant to help people cope with an awful day, according to Design Director Matt Armstrong from Radical Entertainment. It was a game for you to enjoy with a few beers. It was a game made to make you feel powerful. When I met with Armstrong at this year's E3, he talked to me about Prototype's intentions, and the various ways it faltered.With Prototype 2, Armstrong and his team at Radical wanted to address the issues that made you feel weak and enhance the moments that made you feel strong. Prototype 2 is a revenge fantasy meant to empower those that want to run wild through city streets plagued by a deadly virus. Need a shoulder to cry on (or an arm to dismember)? Prototype 2 wants to be there for you.

In the original Prototype, combat was supposed to be cathartic. But, Armstrong explained, you didn't feel powerful when you were ganged up on by annoying enemies, or hit by a projectile being fired from off-screen. These issues were frustrating and suggested a lack of control. Naturally, losing control is quite the opposite of empowering and worked against the developers' intentions. This had to be changed.

Similarly, the mission structure in the first Prototype wasn't ideal. Alex Mercer would receive mission orders from his ex-girlfriend. Not exactly what you'd expect from a mutated killing machine prowling the streets for blood. To address this, Armstrong and his team changed mission distribution by giving the new hero, Sgt. James Heller, the ability to hack into an enemy communications network and acquire targets to eliminate.

Many other changes have been made along the way to make Heller the true badass that you want to be (as long as you don't have a weak stomach). Heller's upgradable attacks can decimate the infected that roam the streets and fester underground. Enemies can be dismembered and engulfed in a sea of lethal tendrils that surge out of Heller's body. In a savage battle against mutated opponents called Juggernauts, Heller leapt through the air and tore into his opponents without flinching. The special effects, animations, and sound design all work to highlight Heller's power and, in turn, yours.

Of course, there's also a healthy dose of throwing cars at monsters ten times your size. For Heller, it's nothing to worry about.

Prototype 2 is only in a pre-alpha state and it already runs smoothly. Armstrong and his team are committed to fulfilling the power fantasy they set out to create in the original Prototype. It looks like they're on the right track.

This article is based off a private 30 minute demonstration conducted by Matt Armstrong and an Activision producer at E3 2011. The demo began with Armstrong's comments on the original Prototype, followed by a hands-off, live gameplay demonstration of Prototype 2.