Prototype 2 was a victim of its own hype machine. Considering that Activision was the publisher, it’s no surprise that a marketing machete was cutting a swath through consumerville on its way to publishing. However, Prototype 2 actually manages to deliver on a lot of the promises and provides a fairly entertaining experience.

For those that don’t know, Prototype 2, developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision, is an open world action game that takes place in what was New York City, 14 months after the original game in the series which saw the city crumble into a wasteland due to a massive viral outbreak that turned people into hideously deformed creatures.

The game builds on that initial installation by having you confront Alex Mercer, the man said to be responsible for the outbreak, right from the get go. That sort of shifts you out of the total cliche revenge kick for killing your family but really only does so by making you question who’s responsible for it all. So yeah, the story isn’t all that engrossing and far from original but I won’t spoil it for you either way.

The gameplay is beefed up in this iteration and you, as James Heller, have a lot of cool mutations that help you do some serious damage to your enemies and the surrouding environments. As you play the RPG elements come into focus and you can guide your evolutionary path be choosing from a range of powers, mutations and weapons.

Some of the major weapons you acquire over time include Tendrils which reminded me a lot of The Darkness. You also get massive claws, hammers, oversized fists and blades that each offer some unique attacks and ways to take out those who stand in your way.