POSTED 29/4/12


PROTOTYPE 2

Activision
PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

Yes, the stereotypes, there must be more to life...

After Alex Mercer let rip on New York City, now given the Coca Cola treatment and renamed New York Zero, there was fallout. Lotsa fallout – and we’re not talking Bethesdatational copyright infringement. Hit in the heart was Sergeant James Heller, whose wife and kid were dispatched by the Blacklight Virus, for which Marine boy blames Mercer. Cue stereotypical revenge trip.

Speaking of stereotypes, as we have twice already, Heller couldn’t be more blaxploitational if purring “Damn right!” or crapping on about Royales with Cheese. He’s John Shaft, Super Fly, Black Caesar, Action Jackson and Jules Winnfield smooshed into one – ludicrous fuck-laden dialogue included. It’s actually distracting, and cheesier than that aforementioned burger.

Anyway, like its predecessor, Stereotype 2 – sorry... oh, you know we meant that - delivers a conspiracy-laden open world where you can just mosey, running up hill and down dale (poor Dale!), shooming up buildings, flying around and undertaking assorted critical and not-so-critical missions if you can be arsed – or ‘fucking arsed’ in local parlance. The latter involves seeking out hidden stuff which yields power-ups such as beefcake Inspector Gadget arms on top of those acquired by trudging through main missions.

Find baddie, absorb, kill grunts, knock off the odd helicopter, explodinate some fuel towers, absorb more baddies, rinse, repeat. It’s rather samey.

Still, there’s fun to be had with freedoms given, save for annoyances involving controls and cameras. Get involved in anything frenzied and the view will usually fail quicker than Nickelback in a talent contest. This is aside from wrestling with Heller to climb or land anywhere resembling where you want him to. Then there’re daft control decisions like having the O button grab both absorbable peoples and environmental stuff. Need we elaborate?

Like Coke Zero, Prototype 2 isn’t quite right. But it’s palatable if you’re desperate.

CLICK THIS!



CLICK THIS!