‘Prototype 2’ a fun but familiar adventure

"Prototype 2" is a good superhero adventure, but it's not a novel concept. Check out the familiar superpowers wielded by the hero, Sgt. James Heller:

A) Like "Spider-Man," Heller hops across New York-esque skyscraper rooftops, then jumps off and glides above the metropolis.

B) Like "The Hulk," Heller jumps high into the air, then lands on the ground with his big fists, smashing mean people, cars, zombies and monsters.

C) Like "Aquaman," he uses brain waves to send a sonar signal across large areas to locate bad guys.

D) Like "God of War," he acquires the ability to turn an arm into a long whipping chain.

E) Like the "Underworld" vampire films, he often kills a bad guy and absorbs his soul, which transfers that guy's memories into Heller's own brain.

I could go on, because the game gives us a great number of tropes and superpowers we know well from movies, TV and games.

I'm not in the mood to get into an ethical spiel about how "Prototype 2" echoes previous superheroes. Even Shakespeare recycled plots from the ancients.

But here's a thought:

Shakespeare waited centuries to borrow characters and stories from classic plays and ploys. His audiences may have felt ready to be freshened up.

"Prototype 2," on the other hand, reminds me of many games from the past couple of years - games still fresh in my memory, starring:

"Spider-Man, "Hulk," vampires or zombies, or other "Spider-Man"/"GTA" sandbox homages, from "Crackdown 2" to "Just Cause 2" to the first "Prototype."

Fortunately, "Prototype 2" has a saving grace: The action gameplay (its raison d'etre) is mostly executed very well.

To be blunt, large parts of this bloody game are violently fun (when they don't feel like the ghost of gaming past).

The artistry is prettily drawn. Movements are smooth. The game flows intuitively.

Technically speaking, everything works - except the game keeps making me choose a weapon, instead of remembering which weapon I used last time.

I hate the minigames where I race across rooftops on a timer to collect packages. And missions feel supereasy or superfrantic. Where's the middle?

You've probably noticed I haven't yet delved deeply into the plot. That's because it's meaningless and at times hard to follow. But it goes like this:

Sgt. Heller returns from modern wars; his wife and daughter are reported murdered; Heller is injected (against his will) with a virus that gives him those superpowers; then angry Heller hunts for bad guys and big answers in the big city.

As is usual in games, the bad guys consist of corporate scum, government scum and anarchist scum - that unholy trinity of anti-utopia society.

I could be far more critical of this game's retread elements. But the truth is: I feel like I've written that kind of column before, regarding other games. See? It's impossible to be completely original.

("Prototype 2" by Activision retails for $60 for PS 3, Xbox 360 - Plays just fun enough. Looks very good. Moderately to very challenging, depending on settings you choose. Rated "M" for blood, gore, drug reference, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language. Three out of four stars.)

Contact Doug Elfman at
delfman@reviewjournal.com.
He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.