Prototype 2010

Prototype is an action-adventure video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision. The game was released in North America on June 9, 2009, and in southwestern parts of North America as well as Oceania on June 10, and was released in Europe on June 12.

The game is set in New York City, where a virulent plague is spreading through Manhattan. Those infected are mutated into hideous monsters. The United States Marine Corps, under the command of the black ops organization Blackwatch, is dispatched to contain it. At the center of it is the protagonist, Alex Mercer, a shapeshifter with no memory of his past. Alex has the ability to absorb other individuals, taking on their biomass, memories, experiences, and physical forms. Parallel to the game's storyline is the ability to play the game as a sandbox-style video game giving the player freedom to roam Manhattan.

Many reviewers compared and contrasted it with Infamous, a game released in the previous month by Sucker Punch Productions which features a superhero with developing powers in an open world.

Gameplay
Alex's primary superpower is his ability to shapeshift, changing his form to suit his needs. Going hand in hand with this power is his ability to "consume" others, absorbing them entirely. This process allows Alex to quickly regain health by absorbing the biomass of his enemies. This also allows him to take on the forms of the enemies he absorbs, thereby allowing the player to move about the enemy as one of them. The disguise will only last as long as Alex remains inconspicuous. Alex has super-strength, and will kill most humans in a single punch. He can perform various melee  attacks without shapeshifting, as well as more gymnastic moves such as air combos, sliding along the ground using any human enemy's body, and a high-speed rolling cannonball attack.

Alex can also transform parts of his body into a selection of martial implements acquired over the course of the game, either as purchased 'upgrades' or being given them. Offensive powers include the large and powerful Blade, fast razor-sharp Claws (which can also erupt large spikes from the ground), the telescoping Whipfist, Musclemass that augments his strength, and the slow but powerful Hammerfists. Defensive options consist of a large Shield that needs to regenerate after excessive damage, but its exclusively for ballistic attacks and a full-body Armor that exchanges agility and speed for sheer toughness, but its exclusively for mano a mano battle; both will allow Alex to plow through most obstacles when active. Vision modes include thermal, which allows Alex to see enemies through smoke and other obstacles, and Infected, which highlights those infected with the virus as well as military units. One defensive and offensive power may be active at a time, and using either will negate Alex's current disguise. In addition to his own abilities, Alex can take the weapons from defeated or absorbed enemies. These include automatic rifles, grenade launchers, and missile launchers. He can also seize control of military vehicles, such as tanks and helicopters.

Alex's most powerful attacks are the Devastators, which require Alex to be in Critical Mass - either a state of near-death or having excess stored biomass. These include the Tendril Barrage, which fires impaling tendrils from his body in all directions, the Groundspike Graveyard, which erupts massive spikes from the ground all around Alex, and the Critical Pain, which fires a single beam of hardened biomass from his hands to cause damage on a single target.

For movement around the city, the player has access to a number of enhanced parkour feats. At running speed, he will automatically hop over cars, barriers and other obstacles without losing momentum. Alex will also scale any wall he comes into contact with. He can jump great heights and distances, enough to clear five-story buildings, and can sprint at extreme speed indefinitely. Falls cause no damage to the player even from the greatest heights. Even small jumps are enough for Alex to dent the ground beneath him, and falls from sufficient heights will create shockwaves at the point of impact which will kill most humans nearby. Falling height also factors into several of Alex's melee attacks.

Prototype 2010