Prototype 2 asks players to fight a plague that turns people into monsters, and it mostly succeeds. The game takes place five years after the events of the first Prototype, and it puts players in the body of Alex Mercer, a soldier who wakes up in New York City with no memory of who he is. The city has been overrun by infected citizens, and the military has quarantined it. Players move through the streets, absorbing enemies to gain new powers, and the core loop remains satisfying even if the story around it strains.
Trailer, via IGN.
Alex Mercer’s New Body
The player character is not the same Alex Mercer from the first game. This version is a clone, created from Mercer’s DNA, and he has none of the memories that made the original compelling. That change alters the stakes. The story leans on flashbacks and recovered memories to explain who the character is, but the central mystery of his identity never lands with the weight it should.
Players still absorb enemies, though. The system works the same way it did before: touch an infected citizen, and the game cuts to a close-up of cells merging together. The player gains health, speed, and access to new attacks. The best moments in Prototype 2 come when players chain together a few absorptions in quick succession, gaining power fast enough that the screen fills with enemy blood and the character moves faster than anyone else on the road.
New Powers and a Familiar Map
Prototype 2 adds a few new abilities to the mix, and they are mostly welcome. The game introduces a dash move, a grapple hook, and a new form of attack that lets players smash through walls. These additions give players more ways to get around the city, and they make the familiar streets feel fresh again. The dash, in particular, changes the pace of play. It lets players cross open ground quickly, which makes traversal faster than it was in the first game.
The map itself is the same New York from the first Prototype. That means the city is dense, packed with buildings, and full of places to climb. Players can scale skyscrapers, ride on trains, and jump across gaps. The verticality gives the game a sense of scale that other shooters lack. It also gives players plenty of room to experiment with the absorption system, since there are always more enemies nearby to try out.
The Story Struggles
The plot tries to be bigger than the first game, but it stumbles. It introduces a conspiracy involving the government and the military, and it spends a lot of time explaining why the quarantine exists. None of it lands with the same force as the first game’s simpler setup. The game also introduces a side character, Elliot, who serves as a foil to the main character, but the relationship between the two never develops into anything meaningful.
The pacing suffers too. Long stretches of the game ask players to walk through empty streets, listening to exposition about the conspiracy. Those sections break the momentum the combat builds up, and they make the middle of the game drag. The game is at its best when players are moving fast, absorbing enemies, and taking down groups of soldiers. It is at its worst when it slows down to explain the world around them.
Fighting the Infected
The combat systems hold up well. Players can fight with fists, weapons, or absorbed abilities, and switching between them feels natural. The game rewards players who keep moving and keep absorbing, and it punishes those who stand still and take hits. Boss fights test the absorption system directly, forcing players to absorb weaker enemies to build up strength before facing a stronger boss.
The infected citizens themselves vary in type:
- Some are fast runners
- Some are slow but strong
- Some fly through the air
Mixing up the types of enemies absorbed keeps the game interesting, since each combination of abilities plays differently. Players can also choose which attributes to keep after an absorption, which gives the system a layer of strategy beyond simple button pressing.
Performance Across Platforms
Prototype 2 released on PS3, PS4, PC, and X360, and performance varies across those platforms. The game runs at a lower frame rate on PS3 than on PC or X360, and the draw distance is shorter. On PC and X360, the game holds a steady frame rate and shows off the city’s scale better. The load times also vary, with PC offering the fastest times and PS3 the slowest.
Here is a rough breakdown of how the game performs on each platform:
| Platform | Frame Rate | Draw Distance | Load Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | Steady, high | Full | Fast |
| X360 | Steady, moderate | Good | Moderate |
| PS3 | Lower | Shorter | Slow |
| PS4 | Higher than PS3 | Better than PS3 | Faster than PS3 |
The differences are noticeable, especially in busy city streets where the draw distance determines how far players can see ahead. PC remains the best way to experience the game, but the other platforms are playable once players accept the trade-offs.
Final Score
Prototype 2 is a solid action game with a weak story. The absorption system remains the highlight, and the city of New York offers plenty of room to explore. The performance differences across platforms mean players on PS3 will get a less smooth experience than those on PC or X360. Overall, the game delivers a good time, even if it never reaches the heights of the first Prototype.
The game earns a score of 7.7 out of 10.
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