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Re: Prototype vs. Infamous
The more I play Prototype the more I dislike it.
The plot is weak. You jump from point to point with little explanation of how you came to that conclusion, and worse yet, the plot is fed to you in tiny pieces. You can find specially marked people in the city who somehow know something about you, though it's never clear how, or you can progress with the storyline. The whole game is being told in retrospect, which I thought was neat, but it's weak. Enemies are unimaginative. There's the top secret special ops, the military, some genetically mutated monster that looks a lot like a normal person but bigger and slimy, and some giant tentacles that pop out of the ground without any explanation.
The controls are terrible. Hold the run button, and you begin hopping over obstacles or cliffs and adhering to walls. To do this manually would alleviate a lot of the movement problems, especially when you're attempting to be precise, because simply by attempting to move faster you're shooting all over the place without any sort of direction or control. Sure, it looks nice when you're running through the city, but it's major frustration that persists throughout the entire game. Locking onto to targets is a hassle because it seems to randomly decide which target, on screen or off, it should adhere to.
The combat can be pretty enjoyable. You have a nice selection of weapons to choose from, per se. There's a simple combo system that isn't too repetitive, and you have special attacks you can unleash as well. Enemies are extremely accurate, and the hunters can not be interrupted during their attacks making them a frustrating opponent and potentially deadly if you happen to be overcome by more than one. The soldiers are weak compared to the hunters, but travel in groups. Helicopters are harmless unless they're firing missiles that track you down. Missiles seemingly fall from the sky, one at a time, from some super accurate artillery strike.
The gameplay is inconsistent and nonsensical. The entire armed forces, including the Blackwatch, are out to get you, yet most of the time they don't seem to mind that you're passing through, or that you even exist. Hopping through the city, and pass by a patrol? Oh, they notice you a little bit, but not enough to convince them you're who they're looking for. Climbing a building? Flying through the sky? The helicopters are sure to spot you, but you've got a lot more convincing to do. The same applies while you're in disguise. Is he climbing up the side of our base? Nothing out of the ordinary, there. Did you just grab that other soldier and absorb him, thus becoming him? I've been watching too much TV! Only extremely specific actions set them off, and once they do it's easy enough to get them off your back by running around the corner and switching disguises a few times. They never catch on.
Another problem is that hunters rarely attack targets other than yourself, even if you're in disguise they'll still seek you out en masse when there are plenty of other targets. You'll seldom find yourself engaging only hunters, because the Blackwatch are always attacking their nests, meaning unless you want catch hell from every fucking person on the street you've got to side with the Blackwatch in a disguise until you take down the nest. Meaning, of course, you've got to find a gun somewhere and use it. Guns are fun, but they don't reload and have very limited ammo. Fortunately, when in disguise the Blackwatch will help kill the hunters, but, unfortunately, they can still hurt you in the process. Though, for the most part, it's always two to one. At times, there's just no winning.
I wouldn't have written this long post if I simply disliked the game. There's a lot to like, which is why I'm feeling conflicted. The variety of ways you can achieve your objectives leaves a lot up to choice, unless you're playing through a challenge, which can be restricting for the sake of the challenge. The way the plot is presented is weak, but it's still interesting. Oddly, there are a lot of parallels with inFamous.
The more I play Prototype the more I dislike it.
The plot is weak. You jump from point to point with little explanation of how you came to that conclusion, and worse yet, the plot is fed to you in tiny pieces. You can find specially marked people in the city who somehow know something about you, though it's never clear how, or you can progress with the storyline. The whole game is being told in retrospect, which I thought was neat, but it's weak. Enemies are unimaginative. There's the top secret special ops, the military, some genetically mutated monster that looks a lot like a normal person but bigger and slimy, and some giant tentacles that pop out of the ground without any explanation.
The controls are terrible. Hold the run button, and you begin hopping over obstacles or cliffs and adhering to walls. To do this manually would alleviate a lot of the movement problems, especially when you're attempting to be precise, because simply by attempting to move faster you're shooting all over the place without any sort of direction or control. Sure, it looks nice when you're running through the city, but it's major frustration that persists throughout the entire game. Locking onto to targets is a hassle because it seems to randomly decide which target, on screen or off, it should adhere to.
The combat can be pretty enjoyable. You have a nice selection of weapons to choose from, per se. There's a simple combo system that isn't too repetitive, and you have special attacks you can unleash as well. Enemies are extremely accurate, and the hunters can not be interrupted during their attacks making them a frustrating opponent and potentially deadly if you happen to be overcome by more than one. The soldiers are weak compared to the hunters, but travel in groups. Helicopters are harmless unless they're firing missiles that track you down. Missiles seemingly fall from the sky, one at a time, from some super accurate artillery strike.
The gameplay is inconsistent and nonsensical. The entire armed forces, including the Blackwatch, are out to get you, yet most of the time they don't seem to mind that you're passing through, or that you even exist. Hopping through the city, and pass by a patrol? Oh, they notice you a little bit, but not enough to convince them you're who they're looking for. Climbing a building? Flying through the sky? The helicopters are sure to spot you, but you've got a lot more convincing to do. The same applies while you're in disguise. Is he climbing up the side of our base? Nothing out of the ordinary, there. Did you just grab that other soldier and absorb him, thus becoming him? I've been watching too much TV! Only extremely specific actions set them off, and once they do it's easy enough to get them off your back by running around the corner and switching disguises a few times. They never catch on.
Another problem is that hunters rarely attack targets other than yourself, even if you're in disguise they'll still seek you out en masse when there are plenty of other targets. You'll seldom find yourself engaging only hunters, because the Blackwatch are always attacking their nests, meaning unless you want catch hell from every fucking person on the street you've got to side with the Blackwatch in a disguise until you take down the nest. Meaning, of course, you've got to find a gun somewhere and use it. Guns are fun, but they don't reload and have very limited ammo. Fortunately, when in disguise the Blackwatch will help kill the hunters, but, unfortunately, they can still hurt you in the process. Though, for the most part, it's always two to one. At times, there's just no winning.
I wouldn't have written this long post if I simply disliked the game. There's a lot to like, which is why I'm feeling conflicted. The variety of ways you can achieve your objectives leaves a lot up to choice, unless you're playing through a challenge, which can be restricting for the sake of the challenge. The way the plot is presented is weak, but it's still interesting. Oddly, there are a lot of parallels with inFamous.
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