Some prefer to go with the monsters, especially if they got the big win in a viral lottery that arbitrarily converts people into zombie-like Infected, beastish mutants, and “Evolved” with superhuman abilities. Obviously this fatal virus called “Blacklight” is of interest to both non-official bio-weapon programs and private genetic research corporations, the outcome of what being not necessarily beneficial to the entire population. Quite the contrary: the situation we face two years after ex-Gentek employee Alex Mercer released a stolen Blacklight vial on Manhattan's population while contracting it himself equals almost a small-scale Civil War, where heavily armed paramilitary Blackwatch forces control NY Zero's infected and uninfected population alike, while performing minor experiments like unleashing mutant Brawler specimens in the name of their “Orion” supersoldier project.
Infamous Mercer has certainly become the principal persona non grata, blaming the recurrence of a virus that had its first outbreak in Hope, Idaho, in 1969 on him, yet what game is being played is not always clear in a context in which the interested parties seem to see only the individual benefits of reckless repressive power (Blackwatch), genetic engineering (Gentek), and superhuman abilities (Mercer and the other Evolved): do they really want to get rid of the beastifying Mercer virus? And doesn't Mercer also play Gentek's game with his plans to spread the virus infection on the entire human race via their contraindicative “Whitelight” vaccine, as a supremacist way to resolve the World's problems? “We're not playing God, we're just doing His work.”
“Trust Gentek, not the rumors:” it is difficult to find anybody to sympathize with in the disturbing dystopian setting we experience in Prototype 2, not to mention playable character James Heller himself. “Consuming” hundreds of more or less innocent people while chasing his “maker” and nemesis Alex Mercer after whose deceit, Heller seems susceptible to everyone's suggestions, including a clergyman (Father Luis Guerra), evolved Gentek personnel (Dr. Koenig, Sabrina Galloway), Blackwatch forces (whom he successively impersonates upon consumption), even Mercer's proper sister, the gentle Dana. Of course one can explain his actions with Heller's personal background (“You take my DNA, I take yours”), presumably having lost his beloved wife and daughter due to the Mercer virus while abroad in Iraq, but as so often the end also justifies the means here which become all too tempting thanks to the devastating superpowers we are enabled to wield.
Apart from the unsettling story background (that even got its own comic series) Heller's fortuitously inherited superhuman abilities are doubtlessly what give the game its biggest appeal; similar to the first Prototype our new protagonist can “consume” people, including the Infected, to gain their memories, appearance, and skills, in addition to instant health and mass. In case of the heavier individuals—Brawlers, Orion supersoldiers, the Evolved—this might require reducing their health to near death first. As set by the storyline, consecutively consuming specified Blackwatch troopers and Gentek scientists permits Heller to receive their phone calls, open sealed doors, and use private terminals to thus “stealthily” gain access to otherwise inaccessible enemy facilities. Shapeshifting—changing to the last consumed person's appearance, even while airborne—thus comes in handy when having to escape a Blackwatch alert, whereas consuming individuals marked by a blue or yellow arm, head, or DNA icon does also contribute to Heller's evolution. Monstrous strength, quick regeneration, and gravity-defying movement and speed are some of the superhuman traits that Heller shares with Mercer and the other Evolved, in addition to successively acquired weapon-like powers like Claws, Blade, Tendrils, Hammerfists, Whipfist, but of course our [PROTOTYPE2] has to be the sum of all theirs in order to be able to finish the story.
Fortunately, besides the linear storyline the game offers many possibilities to make use of Heller's destructive powers, while roaming through NYZ's Yellow, Green, and Red Zones, respectively defining the extent of the Blackwatch-controlled virus outbreak (“The grass is greener in the Green Zone”). And it is recommendable to freely explore the otherwise quite dull and depressing areas, in order to retrieve some of the 45 BlackBoxes, wipe out the 28 Field Ops teams, and extirpate the 9 Lairs, all of which provide further mutational upgrades to Heller's basic genetic makeup (46 in total). Additionally, the 12 //Blacknet missions accessible via hacked terminals upon consuming and viewing the memories of Blackwatch soldiers marked by a yellow head icon award mutations to perk up the five different categories: Offensive (doing more damage), Defensive (more health, damage protection), Locomotion (increased running, jumping, dashing, gliding), Predator (more mass/health through consuming), Power Specialist (Claws, Blade, Tendrils, Hammerfists, Whipfist upgrades). Not enough with this, as the story progresses Heller gets other helpful abilities such as the Devastator shockwave, Shield block, Bio-Bomb, and notably Pack Leader, enabling him to summon up to four minion Brawlers to aid (after upgrading his mass).
[PROTOTYPE2] James Heller is definitely overpowered, so playing the story missions with nothing but the consecutively unlocked powers, mutations, and skills doesn't require too much effort on normal difficulty, yet adding to maximum health and speed, reducing inflicted damage and aroused alerts is useful when freely roaming through the different zones. While Heller's powers represent his principal weaponry, making generous use of the Blackwatch forces' weapons—from profane rifles and grenade and rocket launchers to big Gatling guns ripped from armored vehicles—often is useful if not necessary for certain story missions in order to take out APCs, helicopters, Fuel tanks, and Hydras, until we get empowered to weaponize, hijack, or finish those vehicles instantly.
However, given the often rather gloomy visuals and frequently somewhat clumsy controls, the acquisition of specific objects or targets can become tricky in densely packed combat scenes, and the camera doesn't really prove helpful here, either. So pressing the B button one might be seizing a nearby barrel instead of the human target, thus alerting everyone, or picking up some other guy than the one one wanted to consume, or else unleashing one's powerful smash on another than the actually desired spot.
Generally, both main and side missions offer additional bonuses for requirements that are usually easy to fulfill, for instance, kill X Infected in Y ways; however, the stealth option, though easygoing thanks to shapeshifting, often involuntarily adds a comical note: a grabbed target cannot immediately be consumed while under observation by a nearby colleague, so one has to take out the observing fellow first, who again might be seen from a third spot, and so on. While first indignant the elite troopers calm down quickly when stepping aside in order to then consume the whole team one by one, in the required order—unbeknownst to the actual target that in the end remains alone to be swallowed: mission accomplished.
Most of the time NYZ's inhabitants that tend to be massively on the streets won't feel suspicious of Heller vertically running up skyscrapers or jump-gliding through the air, let alone the common Infected, and even less so when wearing the previously consumed soldier's or scientist's guise rather than Heller's own casual outfit. Trickier are Blackwatch's Viral Detectors that raise an alarm whenever Heller stays too long in their range (the meter turning first yellow, then red), rather annoying and unnecessary alerts above all during freeplay from which easiest to escape by just run-dashing away while switching appearance when prompted, and preferably while yet out of sight; some evolutionary shapeshifting upgrades may help reducing suspicion and delaying strike teams further on.
One of Prototype 2's true advantages is that the optional missions can be done after finishing the main story ones, which is useful to search the Collectibles in all the zones, complete the //Blacknet missions, and try some of Radnet's events (Collateral damage, Incineration, Massacre...) that permit to unlock together with Rewards and Challenges Radical's (originally) 55 pieces of free additional content, including bonus mutations and X360 Avatar items.
Yet in spite of Heller's superhuman abilities and the numerous side activities, sounding out and consuming VIPs ("guess who's coming"), fighting off Blackwatch troops and Brawlers might soon get quite a bit repetitive so that halfway through the story one strives above all to knowing how it may end. Alas, the mind-numbing last bossfight and unconvincing “happy” ending is not really an apogee and choosing to continue exploration one might barely notice things having changed for NYZ's dull streets are still crawling with Infected.
Given the interesting background story and Heller's delightfully overpowered skills, Prototype 2 could have been a great game when better executed, with refined controls and neater in-game graphics, whereas the cinematic cutscene visuals are well matching the futuristic setting: "Welcome to the top of the Food Chain!"