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Prototype sounds good

Of course...even then, it would still be just a nice bit of cock teasing. After all, no matter how soon we get new info or not, that doesn't make the game's Q3 2008 release date come any faster...
 
So this is technically OT, but I'm replaying Hulk UD right now, and there is some stuff there that I had even noticed before that makes Prototype all the more promising. Specifically, there is a move called Sonic Clap which you can upgrade to Critical Mass strength (Thunderclap, I think it's called). Now the base attack isn't all that special, just an area shock attack. But the upgraded version isn't just destructive, it really feels powerful. The charge animation shows vehicles in the vicinity being sucked towards Hulk before the shock wave visible destroys them and makes them go flying in the opposite direction, and debris will rain down long after. If there are unfortunate pedestrians in the way, they will be pressed against the nearest walls and flop to the ground after the force is unleashed. And all in slow motion. It feels like one of those elaborate crashes in Burnout, only more focused and controlled.

Now if they can channel that feeling of raw bio-power into Prototype in all its "next-gen" glory, then god damn.
 
Found these wallpapers last night & thought some of you might be interested in them (I'm currently using the first one).



:D

Andrew: The CM thunderclap, is that the one where you have press both X & Y or X & B?

I've been looking for my copy for a couple of days now & I can't seem to find it. :(
 
Thanks for bumping this thread cause I just found out about this game. Sounds wicked! Would love to see footage.
 
Heh, between Prototype and Darksiders, I wonder if hoods/hoodies will be the start of new, popular thing to do for game protagonists. Stylish enough to be a fashion statement, but also makes it so an art team doesn't have to be but so concerned with crafting a "face" for what should be more of an "everyman" type of character...
 
Thanks for the wallpapers. Granted this is art but as such it at least shows intention, so if the piece with the jets and burning skyline is any indication of what they are aiming for with Prototype, then it should be damned sweet. I was a little bit concerned that this game would focus mostly on the "parkour" and less on destruction, but that shot seems to indicate that the destruction is very much still a factor.

The critical thunderclap... I'm playing the PS2 version so I don't know how this translates to the Xbox version, but it's basically a charged sonic clap and is unleashed by pressing Triangle and Circle. I don't think I ever got this far the first time I played it (think I got stuck on some boss before), so I just discovered a bunch of other moves in the game, like the progressive air pummeling of Hulk busters; grab the poor sod, get airborne and then unleash one hell of a crush combo. Add a critical thunderclap to defeat the remaining enemies and bring down a building. God damn. :D

TreIII said:
Heh, between Prototype and Darksiders, I wonder if hoods/hoodies will be the start of new, popular thing to do for game protagonists. Stylish enough to be a fashion statement, but also makes it so an art team doesn't have to be but so concerned with crafting a "face" for what should be more of an "everyman" type of character...

Hey, hoodies rock. And yeah, I think in this case it actually makes sense, seeing as how the common form of the prototype is the least important and is probably meant to be more of a vessel. The developers of Darksiders sounded very honest about the decision to go with hooded style there, and they're right; no hairdo can really capture the essence of War. Although I suppose Joey DeMaio would disagree.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Hey, where are these wallpapers coming from anyway? Did that site get these as exclusives from Sierra or something?

I found them on Gamewallpapers.com.

I'm not sure if they're exclusive from Sierra though.
 
oldboy1 said:
I found them on Gamewallpapers.com.

I'm not sure if they're exclusive from Sierra though.

Hmm. This dripfeed stuff is odd; there is a whole class of images in the GI article that have yet to be released, but this concept art is brand new. Hopefully the lot of it will be released soon enough.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Good? It sounds incredibly awesome. Possibly the most awesome. Gameinformer has a great preview in the latest issue, really shows the potential of the game. The fluidity of movement, in particular, coupled with superhuman abilities is going to be the shit.

I read the game informer issue too. I remember the devs for the game had made The Hulk games for the Xbox and this was their chance to do something different and more in their interests. With the success of the hulk games, they have a backing for a decent game.

If I sound unenthusiastic, it's because I don't like games where you're unstoppable. The way the devs described this game in the preview depicts an unstoppable protagonist who somehow gets superpowers from a crazy experiment (that's original...) and takes on the powers of....well, pretty much any cool thing you could possibly think of. I look for challenge more than anything in the games I play. If I'm some sort of man god at the start of the game it's just pointless in my mind.
 
Quagm1r3 said:
If I sound unenthusiastic, it's because I don't like games where you're unstoppable. The way the devs described this game in the preview depicts an unstoppable protagonist who somehow gets superpowers from a crazy experiment (that's original...) and takes on the powers of....well, pretty much any cool thing you could possibly think of. I look for challenge more than anything in the games I play. If I'm some sort of man god at the start of the game it's just pointless in my mind.

That all depends on how they handle such a thing, in my opinion.

I mean, take a look at games like Devil May Cry, and especially God Hand. Obviously, in both cases, you portray a character who, for better or worse, has powers that go far and beyond what any stock human is capable of, and probably has a number of advantages against the enemies in the game, as well. But the player then gets a heaping dosage of reality, once the notion that "You got da power...now you gotta learn how to really use it effectively!" sets in.

In short, yes, you were a "man-god". But in order to fully realize your potential as such, you had to learn the ins and outs of the game, and that required much more than what a simple, 5-15 minute tutorial can teach you. Otherwise, you were doomed to get your ass tore up by the enemies, because learning the ins and outs of the combat system is really what will make you (and your character) a bad-ass.

And that's what I'm hoping will be the moreso case here, especially on higher difficulties. I excused the "man-god" thing for the Hulk: UD, because, well, you're supposed to be the gyat-damn Incredible Hulk. If the Hulk went down like a punk too easily, that would do a discredit to the source material. But here, in Prototype, it's a different story. You're some unknown guy who has to gradually grow into his powers and such. If he started right off the bat with being a god-moder, then yeah, that probably would be quite a ways disappointing, and probably would be more of an example of how gameplay balance will be an issue.

But for now, I see more to be excited about than not. That new trailer especially looks tantalizing. 2008 is definitely looking to be an awesome year.
 
Quagm1r3 said:
If I sound unenthusiastic, it's because I don't like games where you're unstoppable. The way the devs described this game in the preview depicts an unstoppable protagonist who somehow gets superpowers from a crazy experiment (that's original...) and takes on the powers of....well, pretty much any cool thing you could possibly think of. I look for challenge more than anything in the games I play. If I'm some sort of man god at the start of the game it's just pointless in my mind.

I'm not too concerned about that, to be honest. Radical did an awesome job making you feel powerful in Hulk, but you were still never invincible. For every new strength gained, a new level of enemy was introduced. From regular police to rocket troopers to tanks to choppers to mechs, there was a progressive level of challenge to the game that allowed you to really put your latest powers to use. I expect this to be a similar experience.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
I'm not too concerned about that, to be honest. Radical did an awesome job making you feel powerful in Hulk, but you were still never invincible. For every new strength gained, a new level of enemy was introduced. From regular police to rocket troopers to tanks to choppers to mechs, there was a progressive level of challenge to the game that allowed you to really put your latest powers to use. I expect this to be a similar experience.

Indeed, I still remember the first time I face off against a Hulk buster. I must have lost at least 10 times before I finally managed to take it down & then there was the mega Hulk buster near the end of the game. :O
 
Gamespot impressions

In a near-future New York City, the populace is gripped in the claws of a vicious war between three powerful factions--the military, the monsters, and you. You are Alex Mercer, a shape-shifting, backflipping, people-eating antihero, and the star of Radical Entertainment's upcoming free-roaming action-fest, Prototype. We recently got a long, hard look at Alex's approaching exploits, and we were horrified by what we saw--in a good way.

The first thing we noticed as the developers ran Alex around the beautifully rendered city streets was his uncanny speed and agility. Alex can run at least 60 miles per hour and he leaps like a frog, bouncing from car to car as if they were lily pads. Actually, he's much more graceful than a long-legged amphibian, and his moves seem clearly inspired by that darling of internet videos, parkour. Of course, his athletics go above and beyond anything remotely human, given that he can also run up walls from story to story, dash in midair, and fall from any height without breaking anything but concrete. This game will put the "loco" in locomotion.

Alex isn't meant to be good, or even likable. Rather, he's the fearsome byproduct of a corrupt society, the wicked specter of science gone wrong, risen to wreck his creators. He's like Godzilla in a hoodie, though the famous lizard wasn't mentioned by the developers as an influence on Alex. Rather, they mentioned Darth Maul (for his crazy, vicious side), Travis Bickle (the weirdo in Taxi Driver), and Hannibal Lecter (for his sense of taste). But Alex doesn't wield lightsabers; rather, he forms his body parts into lethal weapons, kind of like the T-1000 from Terminator 2.

We saw him turn his arms into sharp, hard prongs and slice people in two, as well as stick his hand into the ground to cause an eruption of stalagmites under a tank, which will no doubt have a massive repair bill. Alex can also grow armor plating to protect him from damage, but at the cost of being able to cut people up or impale armored vehicles. As you eat more people, your body mass becomes denser and your attacks even stronger.


http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/prototype/news.html?sid=6176885&mode=previews



IGN impressions

Built off of a modified version of the engine Radical used to create their last game -- The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction -- Prototype is looking amazingly good visually at this point, even with more than a year to go until release. It's easy to compare the cityscape in Protoype to the living city feeling of Crackdown, but Prototype looks even more densely crowded with cars and people, and Radical is definitely favoring a much more realistic look for the game.

One of the most impressive features of the game is the dynamic animation system, which appeared to react to various situations realistically and without any hitches. The animation was flawless as Alex scurried through the city streets, flipping off of car hoods, skirting around corners at breakneck speeds, and crumpling the tops of trucks as he jumps from one to another. The way Alex moves looks like Gymkata on speed, and he literally flips, flails, and throws his body through the streets, all the while cracking the concrete as he goes.

As mentioned earlier, Alex can run right up the side of buildings to explore the upper reaches of the city, and when he gets up high, the view is truly exhilarating. Although his relative size doesn't change as he absorbs more people, Alex does become more dense, so he'll start making larger craters when he jumps off the top of buildings to the streets below.

The variety and quality of animation is carried into combat as well, and it was difficult to recognize the same brutal death animation twice as Alex absorbed dozens of citizens. The vehicle takedowns also looked mighty impressive as Alex ripped off the hatch of a tank, jumped in, and sent blood flying into the air, or jumped straight in the air to jack a helicopter, jumping through the window and splattering the life fluids of the pilot and co-pilot on the window. Yes, Prototype will indeed be visceral.


http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/814/814137p3.html
 
Video is up on gametrailers aswell:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23761.html

Looks good, but it is yet another sandbox game (GTA IV, inFamous, The Getaway, Crackdown etc.). Just to clarify my point that its yet another sandbox game, I'm not really into the genre so I'm only going to buy one sandbox game this gen and this will have to be special to win against GTA IV.
 
DSWii60 said:
Video is up on gametrailers aswell:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23761.html

Looks good, but it is yet another sandbox game (GTA IV, inFamous, The Getaway, Crackdown etc.). Just to clarify my point that its yet another sandbox game, I'm not really into the genre so I'm only going to buy one sandbox game this gen and this will have to be special to win against GTA IV.

Er, one is relatively realistic, the others range from slightly superhuman-esque to balls out monster freak jumping and killing throughout metropolitan areas. The "sandbox" format seems to be literally the only thing Prototype has in common with GTA.

godhandiscen said:
The bullshots were too good to be true. IMO they were target renders, and this is obviously WIP.

Uh, these shots are of the same quality as the ones in GI. And if you'd read every preview that's been posted so far, you'd notice the complete lack of complaints regarding graphics.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
Er, one is relatively realistic, the others range from slightly superhuman-esque to balls out monster freak jumping and killing throughout metropolitan areas. The "sandbox" format seems to be literally the only thing Prototype has in common with GTA.

What I mean is that I'm only likely to buy one of this type of games this gen. I'm much more into platformers, and other genres so unless this is something amazing, I'll probably end up giving this one a miss.
 
The only thing I wonder about now is how extensively they will use the "morphing" dynamic, with respect to possible "missions" and such.

I mean, judging by the Game Informer preview and so forth, we'll be able to absorb various people and get their powers/abilities. Even innocent bystanders are fair game for you to go sop up like a biscuit. What I do ponder about though, is if you might be able to do some specific things that could really give the game some variety.

Let's say, for instance, you go ahead and absorb a cop. Not exactly some thing good for your in-game karma perhaps, but whatever, you're mostly an amoral guy who just wants to get stronger, so you can add more fuel to your ambition for "vengeance!". Now, suppose we were able to, by dissecting the cop's memories, able to see that the cop was working on what would have been the biggest drug bust of his career, and then have the option of taking it upon ourselves to "finish the job" for him, so that he ends up getting the credit any way? Of course, after that, the cop would happen to "mysteriously vanish" before he could get his promotion, but at least you would have the satisfaction of whupping more ass, and maybe even stand to absorb more people who can get you other useful tidbits of information, as well as possibly branching story paths that you may not be able to access on one playthrough.

My thing is, as long as Prototype seems to be mostly a "comic book super hero" type of party any way, they might as well go for broke with the notion, so that you can pretty much make your version of Mercer as much of a hero or anti-hero as you deem fit. Would you be the type of guy that would kill a (mostly) innocent hooker to gain her good looks, just to be able to get closer to a crime boss so you can kill him in cold blood? Go back to the house of the man you killed, so that you can go home and have some fun with his hot wife? Or maybe you'll do something that would one-up whatever that NPC would have been able to do by him/herself (such as some work-a-holic dad gets to finally take his son out to a Yankees game under your guise, when the guy would have never found the time to do so himself).

Those are the kinds of things that I would hope would get into this game, and would ideally give it a bit more in the way of depth. But above all, it should just further drive the point home that you're a super-powered bad-ass that not only holds peoples' lives in your hands in one way...you can screw with them in an entirely different way altogether. :D
 
Wait is this from the same guys of Hulk Ultimate Destruction?! That game kicked all kinds of ass! Seriously one of if not the best superhero game ever.
I'm hyped.
 
TreIII said:
The only thing I wonder about now is how extensively they will use the "morphing" dynamic, with respect to possible "missions" and such.

I mean, judging by the Game Informer preview and so forth, we'll be able to absorb various people and get their powers/abilities. Even innocent bystanders are fair game for you to go sop up like a biscuit. What I do ponder about though, is if you might be able to do some specific things that could really give the game some variety.

Let's say, for instance, you go ahead and absorb a cop. Not exactly some thing good for your in-game karma perhaps, but whatever, you're mostly an amoral guy who just wants to get stronger, so you can add more fuel to your ambition for "vengeance!". Now, suppose we were able to, by dissecting the cop's memories, able to see that the cop was working on what would have been the biggest drug bust of his career, and then have the option of taking it upon ourselves to "finish the job" for him, so that he ends up getting the credit any way? Of course, after that, the cop would happen to "mysteriously vanish" before he could get his promotion, but at least you would have the satisfaction of whupping more ass, and maybe even stand to absorb more people who can get you other useful tidbits of information, as well as possibly branching story paths that you may not be able to access on one playthrough.

My thing is, as long as Prototype seems to be mostly a "comic book super hero" type of party any way, they might as well go for broke with the notion, so that you can pretty much make your version of Mercer as much of a hero or anti-hero as you deem fit. Would you be the type of guy that would kill a (mostly) innocent hooker to gain her good looks, just to be able to get closer to a crime boss so you can kill him in cold blood? Go back to the house of the man you killed, so that you can go home and have some fun with his hot wife? Or maybe you'll do something that would one-up whatever that NPC would have been able to do by him/herself (such as some work-a-holic dad gets to finally take his son out to a Yankees game under your guise, when the guy would have never found the time to do so himself).

Those are the kinds of things that I would hope would get into this game, and would ideally give it a bit more in the way of depth. But above all, it should just further drive the point home that you're a super-powered bad-ass that not only holds peoples' lives in your hands in one way...you can screw with them in an entirely different way altogether. :D

And here I was thinking that asking for the ability to absorb and incorporate baboon powers into the prototype was asking for a lot. I like these ideas, but I dare say they might be a little bit beyond the depth of this game. Although, who knows? As much as I'd like to see this game sooner rather than later, I hope they are giving all the time they feel they need to make the best game possible.
 
My thinking was just that the whole morphing ability could tie into how games like GTA often had you wearing different hats as part of the free-roaming gameplay, only Prototype would do it with much more style. :D Any rudimentary sandbox game can send you on errands and fetch quests, but how many would allow you to approach an objective from as many possible ways as Prototype's "morphinomenal" (yeah, I went there! :lol :lol) talents could allow?

If it's not exactly possible for a freshman outing, then that's fine, I suppose, but I DEFINITELY would like to see it come into effect for a probable part 2. For them to opt to make this game, as opposed to another Hulk, I'm hoping that proves that they see the potential Prototype has, and be willing to commit to it for the long haul.

I'm happy to see Radical able to branch out and do their own thing, but they've spoiled me. Now, in my eyes, no officially licensed Super Hero action game can ever hope to match the awesomeness that was Hulk:UD.

On another note...who do you think was the voice of Mercer in the trailer? It sounded some what like Steve Blum (Zabuza and Orochimaru from Naruto, Vincent in recent FF7 stuff, Wolverine in the new Xmen stuff) but I couldn't be sure...
 
TreIII said:
My thinking was just that the whole morphing ability could tie into how games like GTA often had you wearing different hats as part of the free-roaming gameplay, only Prototype would do it with much more style. :D Any rudimentary sandbox game can send you on errands and fetch quests, but how many would allow you to approach an objective from as many possible ways as Prototype's "morphinomenal" (yeah, I went there! :lol :lol) talents could allow?

If it's not exactly possible for a freshman outing, then that's fine, I suppose, but I DEFINITELY would like to see it come into effect for a probable part 2. For them to opt to make this game, as opposed to another Hulk, I'm hoping that proves that they see the potential Prototype has, and be willing to commit to it for the long haul.

I'm happy to see Radical able to branch out and do their own thing, but they've spoiled me. Now, in my eyes, no officially licensed Super Hero action game can ever hope to match the awesomeness that was Hulk:UD.

On another note...who do you think was the voice of Mercer in the trailer? It sounded some what like Steve Blum (Zabuza and Orochimaru from Naruto, Vincent in recent FF7 stuff, Wolverine in the new Xmen stuff) but I couldn't be sure...

One of the previews (IGN or GS) mentions possible sequels. Now on one hand that bugs me; finish the game, pack as much into it as possible and then talk about sequels, you know. But on the other hand, it does show that Radical has a bigger picture for Prototype than just what fits in this game. I just hope they don't use that internally as an excuse to leave things out of the game.

As for going with this instead of Hulk, I'd imagine that for all the cool of Hulk, the dude still comes with plenty of limitations. He can wall run with the best of them, but I'm not sure about the nimble, acrobatic aspect.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
One of the previews (IGN or GS) mentions possible sequels. Now on one hand that bugs me; finish the game, pack as much into it as possible and then talk about sequels, you know. But on the other hand, it does show that Radical has a bigger picture for Prototype than just what fits in this game. I just hope they don't use that internally as an excuse to leave things out of the game.

Agreed. But again, I'm just being realistic. For this game to try and come out around this time next year or later, I can only imagine them being able to cram in so much content-wise. But if they are indeed in this for the long haul, then sure, let 'em stretch it out at least a bit. This game will be the one that lays the basic ground-work, and by a potential sequel, we can really see them go buck-wild with everything under the sun.

As for going with this instead of Hulk, I'd imagine that for all the cool of Hulk, the dude still comes with plenty of limitations. He can wall run with the best of them, but I'm not sure about the nimble, acrobatic aspect.

Well, that much should go without saying...it's just that, like I said, Hulk: UD pretty much spoiled me, such that I think it will be a while before we see a new "standard" for how superhero action games should be done. And if the likes of FF4-2: The Game are any indicator, there's still plenty of shovelware to be had too...

Also, I think it's a shame that we'll probably never see a game that utilizes that whole "Planet Hulk" arc justice. It was an awesome storyline, and one that think could have been well adapted to a game, with Radical at the helm again.

But ah well...the "king" (Hulk:UD) is dead. Long live the king (Prototype).
 
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