Top 9 of ‘09: #6 – Prototype

For the next 6 days, we at Gamer 2.0 will continue counting down the 9 games we’re most interested going into 2009. We aren’t saying these will be the best games, we’re saying we’re watching these 9 the closest. Our countdown will end with our #1 game on New Years Eve, just in time to ring in another new year of gaming.

Here’s a quick recap:

• #9 – Metal Gear Solid Touch
• #8 – Ghostbusters
• #7 – Resident Evil 5

And #6 is…

#6 – Prototype

Anthony Perez
Publisher

I really hope Prototype pulls off everything it wants to do. It has a beautifully recreated New York City, and it’s about time that a game developer has taken on NYC as the playground of a game. Grand Theft Auto spoofed it, and True Crime never deserved to use it. The action looks insane, and very reminiscent of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

That bodes well for everyone, since that’s the last game from Radical Entertainment worth noting. See: Scarface & Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant. Though they were probably different teams within the company since Prototype is looking a lot like Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

Filippo Dinolfo
Associate Editor

This is one game that has had me intrigued since its unveiling. It’s almost like a cross betweeen Crackdown and X-Men. I’ve never been a huge fan of open world games, but Crackdown was one game I was really able to get into. If Prototype can pull of the same trick, I’ll be really happy with it.

Jacob Stutsman
Staff Writer

It’s hard to imagine the kind of effort it takes to bring to life the basic reality we take for granted until you’ve seen Prototype. Many videogames have modeled large cities before, but Prototype promises something beyond the mere taste of it and the feel of it in your lungs.

Becoming part of this moving mass is a sort of metaphor for the very mechanics of the game, in a strange way. The player can assume identities and turn into the people he sees. Radical will have the challenge of honoring the player’s space and ability while tempering the confusion that such a large, open-ended city can elicit, but it promises greater riches for success.

Chris Selogy
Senior Editor

It’s nice to see what Radical Entertainment can do with all that they learned in making the successful Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and bringing their own crazy superhero creation into a similar style of sandbox game. While it may not be high on my own list, I can see what others find so fascinating about the game, so I hope it lives up to the potential and is worth the extra time spent on its development.

Josh Schwartzman
Staff Writer

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to soar over cityscapes as a completely different person and hopefully Prototype fulfills my wildest inhibitions. While Crackdown gave you super-human powers and pitted you in a fictitious city, Prototype throws you in a realistically created New York City, complete with the ability to steal your enemies’ appearance, skills, and powers. It will be interesting to see just how well balanced the gameplay will fare, but hopes are high that Free Radical can create a similarly enjoyable sandbox game as Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

Edward Love
Staff Writer

While I would have preferred Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena to sit in this position, it’s hard to ignore the promise Prototype shows. With shapeshifting abilities and a apocalyptic NYC at the fore, there’s every reason for this to succeed.

Alex Marra
SmashPad Blogger

I’m probably not in the majority with this, but I’m just not hyped up for this game at all. I don’t know why, as it sounds great on paper – stealing people’s body’s, gaining their memories, utilizing their powers. It’s great…it’s just that I don’t care. I love the concept, I love the developer, I like the theme, but I just don’t have any interest in it and I don’t know why.

Related posts:

1. Radical Entertainment’s Prototype Christmas Card
2. Top 9 of ‘09: #3 – BioShock 2
3. Top 9 of ‘09: #4 – Brutal Legend
4. Top 9 of ‘09: #8 – Ghostbusters
5. Top 9 of ‘09: #2 – Alan Wake