Prototype Review

The main theme of Prototype is to get revenge through deception and destruction. So you may think it is along the same story lines as a GTA Title. It’s certainly not. It’s a lot more than that. Every mission is different, requiring different varieties of attacks and tactics.

You ask yourself questions whilst looking down on a troubled New York City. Should i go in hard and tear everything to pieces or a quieter approach? Should i use a helicopter or a tank to destroy everything? Whichever decision you make, you will feel rewarded afterwards.

Almost the very first thing you do in Prototype is kill a lot of people. The game opens in Time Square, New York City and everything surrounding you is exploding from buildings to manholes, tanks are firing at mutants which are leaping from the cities billboards whilst you (Alex Mercer), are in the middle of everything chopping literally everything and everyone into pieces.

The structure of the game heavily resembles other games like GTA IV and Assassins Creed. Your free to roam anywhere at any time through the game from the moment you start playing. Side missions are dotted all over the map which resembles either side-missions or min-games. Mission markers are yellow and are available to be activated at any time. The games full missions will reveal who Alex Mercer actually is as you slowly progress through the game. Be warned, as there are a lot of twists in the plot. You will meet different characters through the game who know more about the viral outbreak of mutants. You then have the ability to absorb into these characters and find out what they know.

At the start of the game you will only have the ability to simply run and jump and as you progress and experiment through the game, you will earn Experience Points (EP) which you will then be able to upgrade Mercer in almost any way you want.

Consuming people will be a great experience for any gamer as you will be able to sneak into military bases and you can also upgrade to a stealth costume. Another excellent tactic against military bases by attracting attention to a mutant which will distract enemy fire and possibly the best ability of all is that if you steal the right identity you can order in artillery strikes onto your enemy bases or virus hives. Boosting Mercer’s strength is a must as he’ll be able to pick up heavier objects with more force and with the ‘Spiderman-like’ webbing Mercer has you will be able to pull heavier objects such as helicopters to the ground or you could catch a ride.

During the game you will be involved in some excellent boss fights with the best one possibly being the first one where you have an epic battle in the centre of a viral hive. At this point Mercer’s blades feel terrible to control but don’t worry as you will get used to them.

The mini-games featured in the game are also exceptional with five game types (Kill, War, Consume, Movement and Glide). In kill you simply kill as many mutants or military personals but with military devices such as tanks or helicopters. War is a lot like Kill except you don’t use military devices. Consume is where you have to locate and consume a certain character. Movement is simply a range of races around the city and finally Glide is where a target is set on the map and you must leap from the roof of a building, glide and land as close as possible to the target. The closer you get, the more EP you are rewarded with and it’s easier the next time around.

The game is superb, and offers so many ways to play it, with so much carnage and fun in it, you can’t go wrong. The only blank point is no co-op or multiplayer. You will be experimenting the game for months to come.

PSL Score – 9/10

Wanted: Weapons Of Fate Review

Wanted: Weapons of Fate is the latest secret agent game to head to consoles. The movie was very popular for quite a few weeks and Warner Bros. Are hoping to continue the popularity with the game.

You play as the greasy haired supernatural assassin, Wesley Gibson. Who is trying to discover the truth about his family, with a lot of questions to ask the game starts five hours after the movie ends. The game gives you the ability to curve your bullets into the throats of your enemies. The only way the developers GRIN could have made this happen is by making it a third-person shooter. The whole game is a slick and enjoyable adventure. Unfortunately the game is far too short and is in need of some DLC. In other words it’s a classic movie game.

To activate the ‘bullet-bending’, hold the L1 button for the PlayStation 3 or the same button for Xbox 360. Choose your target and put it through their skull. If you hit your enemy through the throat your screen will gush full of blood.

GRIN have done an excellent job with the cinematic part’s of the game. They can be aggravating at times but are always exciting and filled to the brim with memorable locations. The aeroplane level which is featured in the demo is a brilliant example where you come face-to-face with deadly assassins.

The cover system featured also works very well for the style of game. Sliding and rolling behind cover gives an adrenaline rush and the difficulty isn't too challenging provided players realise early on that steaming straight into the action leads to a quick death. For most of the game you will only have access to one gun but you will have access to two towards the end of the game. It might just be the way the story was supposed to go but every shooter needs a large range of weapons including some decent mounted-guns. The problem with Weapons of Fate’s mounted gun’s are simple, they’re the worst there is on a ‘next-gen’ game. They take up at least 75% of the screen and just ridiculous for any game in the 21^st Century.

The game will only take a few hours to complete which isn’t unusual for a game based on a movie. You will also pick up a few trophies/achievements through the short campaign, maybe even a full set. Nothing beyond the graphics will blow your mind away and the game is certainly not worth the £40 it was first released for. So either rent, or wait till this summer when it will be hitting the bargain shelves.

PSL Score – 7/10