Prototype 2 (stylized as [PROTOTYPE2]) is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision, and the sequel to 2009's Prototype. First announced at the 2010 Spike VGA Awards, it was released in April 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in July 2012 for Microsoft Windows. In July 2015, the game was re-released alongside its predecessor as the Prototype Biohazard Bundle for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Separate versions of the two games became available in August 2015.
Prototype 2 shifts the focus towards a new protagonist, former U.S. Marine Sergeant James Heller, who seeks revenge on Alex Mercer, the protagonist of the original Prototype, after the death of his family during a new outbreak of the Blacklight virus in Manhattan, which was started by Mercer. Heller is infected with a strain of the virus that allows him to keep his humanity while granting him powers similar to Mercer's, including shapeshifting and consuming people, which he uses in his mission to stop Mercer and the Blacklight outbreak.
Upon release, Prototype 2 received generally positive reviews for the PlayStation 3 and Windows versions, and mixed reviews for the Xbox 360 version. Most critics praised it for its entertaining gameplay and improvements over its predecessor in certain areas, although the game's repetitive nature and the main storyline attracted criticism. While the game was a top seller at the time of release, its dwindling sales eventually resulted in the downsizing of Radical Entertainment. A tie-in comic book miniseries, which bridges the gap between the two Prototype games, was published by Dark Horse Comics.
Gameplay Similarly to its predecessor, Prototype 2 is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective and set in an open world based on modern-day Manhattan. Like Alex Mercer in the first game, the player character, James Heller, can shapeshift and assume other people's identities and memories by consuming them, although in the sequel this has become more tactical. Due to Blackwatch's actions in the Yellow Zone, if the player assumes the role of a soldier, people will react to him in a way that shows that they want nothing to do with him. To make sure that enemies do not overwhelm the player, a dodging system and new, more realistic AI were introduced. Heller is able to use weapons in the game, such as ripping the Gatling cannon off a tank and using it against enemies. He can also sneak up on unsuspecting human enemies and inject them with the Blacklight virus, turning them into a "BioBomb". Heller also possesses superhuman strength and agility, near-invulnerability to harm, near-flight leaping and gliding, infinite stamina, increased speed, and a sonar sense. The sonar includes a new pulse ability that highlights the key features of an environment to make it easier for the player to find someone, instead of looking in a large crowd for a person with an icon above their head. Before release, the developers stated that the powers in Prototype 2 would be more meaningful than in the first game, appearing as mutations and upgrades that let players decide how they want to play as Heller.
To give players more power in the game, the developers have added tendrils which sprout from Heller's arms and can be used for a variety of purposes, like smashing objects into other objects, such as a car into a tank, utilising the 'Black Hole' attack. Players are also able to dismember enemies, a force that becomes more useful as the game progresses. There are many more ways to kill enemies, ranging from throwing a car at a group of soldiers, hacking off a mutant's head or using powers. Consuming people has not changed since the original Prototype, with the exception of some enemies, which are consumed upon grabbing them (e.g. Supersoldiers, Brawlers). Heller can additionally control a pack of Brawlers (similar to Prototypes Hunters) to attack anything he desires (note: this power is limited to main variant of Brawler). In the game, players can no longer find 'Events' throughout NYZ (New York Zero, the name given to New York after the Blacklight outbreak), instead starting side-missions by hacking into Blacknet, Blackwatch's system that details military operations in the three areas of NYZ. Heller can choose from a small list of missions at each terminal, allowing him to find operations that he can disrupt or take control of for his own purposes and find important people that will allow him to learn more about what he has become because of the Blacklight virus. It will also help him find out more about Alex Mercer and how he is connected to his family's death. The missions that are selectable can be sidequests or extensions to one of the main quests.
Plot The story of Prototype 2 begins in 2009, one year after the events of the first game, when U.S. Marine Sergeant James Heller, returning from a tour in Iraq, discovers his wife and daughter to be declared dead, causing him to rejoin the military in the fight for NYZ against the Blacklight virus. Heller finds out that Alex Mercer, who stopped the original Blacklight infection in 2008, is behind the new outbreak, having lost his faith in humanity and wishing to wipe it out to usher in a new golden age. Heller pursues vengeance against Mercer for the death of his family, but during a confrontation between the two, Heller is infected with Mercer's strain of Blacklight that imbues him with superhuman abilities, and blacks out. He later awakens in a Yellow Zone lab where Gentek scientist Dr. Anton Koenig and Blackwatch Col. Douglas Rooks are experimenting on him. Heller escapes and is confronted by Mercer, who claims that the former should take his revenge on Gentek and Blackwatch, since they are responsible for recreating and cultivating the Blacklight virus. Revealing his plans to take down Gentek and Blackwatch, Mercer offers a truce to Heller. Unsure of Mercer's intentions, Heller goes to his local pastor, Father Luis Guerra, for advice and help.
Using information supplied by Guerra, Heller hacks into Blacknet Terminals to find out about and sabotage their operations. Gradually consuming his way through Blackwatch, Heller eventually finds and confronts Koenig, who claims to be on his side and reveals Blackwatch's super-soldier program, codenamed "Project: Orion". Heller prevents the project's progress by killing a super-soldier who was injected with his DNA, as well as the DNA of the special infected type known as a "Hydra". After consuming one of the head scientists, Heller discovers that Koenig was observing him in order to find his weaknesses. Enraged at Koenig's betrayal, Heller tracks him down, and discovers that he has powers similar to his and Mercer's, and is one of several "Evolved" agents planted in Gentek and Blackwatch by Mercer. After defeating and consuming Koenig, Mercer reveals to Heller that he intends to recruit him in an attempt to control NYZ. His doubts growing, Guerra then shows Heller a video tape of Mercer releasing the virus for the second time in Penn Station.
Enraged at Mercer's deception, Heller sets off to the Green Zone to hunt down Mercer's henchmen, including an Evolved agent in Gentek named Sabrina Galloway; upon confronting Galloway, however, Heller reluctantly teams up with her when she reveals she can help him take down Mercer. With Galloway's help, Heller finds that Mercer plans to infect the entire world through "Whitelight", a contaminated vaccine released by Gentek that accelerates the infection.
Frustrated with Heller sabotaging his plans, Mercer confronts him. The two fight, and Mercer easily overpowers Heller. However, Mercer is unable to consume Heller due to his 'annoyingly resistant DNA', solidifying Heller's status as a virus-human hybrid. Mercer flees, and Heller receives a call from Guerra, who informs him that a horde of infected have amassed outside his apartment. Heller rushes to save Guerra, only to find him already dead. Heller uses Guerra's phone to reach Athena, Guerra's contact, who is revealed to be Mercer's sister Dana. Dana explains that Heller's daughter, Maya, is still alive, prompting Heller to head for the Red Zone to save her. After Heller prevents Blackwatch's second attempt to level Manhattan, Rooks takes Maya hostage in the Gentek Headquarters. Heller storms the base and confronts Rooks, who reveals that he also has a daughter and grants Heller free passage to leave NYZ.
Before Heller can take Maya, Galloway arrives and kidnaps her, having joined forces with Mercer once more. Upon confronting Mercer, he reveals that he plans to solve international conflicts and world problems by infecting the entire human race, effectively creating a superorganism, with Maya's unique DNA acting as the catalyst. After Mercer absorbs Galloway and the remaining Evolved, the two fight once more. Heller defeats Mercer, and consumes him. Subsequently, Heller wipes out the infected in NYZ along with most of the Blacklight virus; using Mercer's absorbed memories, Heller then locates and frees Maya and Dana from a vault. The game ends with the three overlooking New York, before Dana questions what to do next.
Development Development of the game started soon after the success of the first game and was in development for three years. The game was first shown at the Spike 2010 VGA Awards in December. The game was revealed to be the main focus of the April 2011 EGM Issue. It was displayed in EGM and EGMI in 2011 revealing many new details about the game's plot, characters and gameplay. The game's graphics have been completely updated with buildings being much more detailed and deformation of vehicles, mutants and humans being much more visual. The game was also partially written by Dan Jolley.
Prototype 2 was built using the Titanium 2.0 game engine.
Radnet Prior to the game's launch, Radical Entertainment announced Radnet for Prototype 2 users who would either pre-order the game or buy a new copy. Radnet offers the player weekly in game abilities, events, challenges and avatar items. Upon the launch of the game, first-run copies and pre-ordered copies of the game would include 55 pieces of additional add-on downloadable content (DLC) at no extra cost. Included in the pre-order/launch content was in-game events, additional and optional challenges, avatar items for the Xbox 360 and themes for the PlayStation 3 and behind the scenes videos. In order to make Radnet coherent to players, Activision announced that the events playable in Radnet would be outside of the game's main storyline.
The 55 pieces of DLC would be launched by Radical weekly from April 24 until June 7, with content available forever once unlocked. To earn the rewards given for an event or a challenge for a given week of DLC, players had to achieve at least a bronze medal in events and a minimal score threshold in challenges. To make Radnet more accessible, content will be available to all profiles on the console where Radnet was unlocked.
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