Better than IGN says, but not as good as some people seem to think.
Strengths: The ability to rampage through the city with abandon and have your attacks look amazing is one that will never get old. Alex is powerful and looks good running around kicking ass. The cut-scenes look nice and the character models are well implemented to the point you won't notice them. There is no end of things to throw at enemies or people to absorb if needed and the mechanic of absorbing someone to get more of the plot is unique. I also like being able to disguise myself. That is really cool. Flying, running up buildings and super jumps make playing as Alex very enjoyable. And to be frank that is why so many people have given this game great reviews. Alex is just so good to play that people have forgiven some obvious flaws.
Weaknesses: I will agree with IGN in regards to the lack of destructibility in the environment. Yes I know you can throw cars and make things explode, but I am talking about throwing things at buildings and seeing it make a dent or a hole in the side. Real destruction. The lack of this feature makes the city seem a little less real to me. I also am not a fan of the NPCs in the game. It feels as if they are there for the sole purpose of making the city seem populated, but they add nothing to the story and don't make the city feel more alive. I will say I have not notice the draw distance to be as bad as IGN says and I think that is because the PC is able to render this game better than a console. Having said that my final gripe is that this game is clearly a console port to the PC. Would it have hurt to add Physyx to the PC version.
In Between: Side missions, finding people to consume to get plot bits (aside from the novel idea) and the sound of this game are all decent, but not amazing.
This is a very ambitious game and I am glad to see it gets harder. I don't think it is fair to give a game lower reviews because it is not always easy and this game slowly ramps up the difficulty. It is not like Area 51 where it was very easy for most of the game and had a few nearly impossible (for me) areas to get past. Prototype has the needed elements to satisfy action junkies and be lots of fun to play, but lacks the polish in environment, sound, and supporting cast to push it to absolute greatness.