No matter how deeply they may be buried, even the most tortured antihero usually possesses some redeeming qualities. Not Alex Mercer. He pursues his quest for answers and vengeance with wanton disregard for humanity against the backdrop of a New York City torn apart by the violent struggle to stop an aggressive plague-like viral outbreak. In any other story this could make it nearly impossible to connect with him as the main character. For Prototype it works well. His ability to completely ignore the collateral damage caused by his actions unhitches the moral reins, allowing players to fully exercise the breadth of powers and abilities at his disposal without a second thought. If only the game itself were equally accommodating.

Prototype begins with Alex awaking on a slab at the morgue moments before being cut into for an autopsy. As he makes his escape through the ensuing chaos, he learns that his newfound resiliency is only the beginning of the changes happening to him. His physical abilities go well beyond an ordinary man’s. He can leap stories into the air, run at great speed, vault and bound over any obstacle in his path, and even run right up the face of a building. He’s also become a shapeshifter, able to absorb anyone and perfectly become them, clothing and all. These transformation powers pack a lethal side as well — he can transform his body into a weapon, turning his hands into razor-sharp claws, for instance.

Unlocking and improving these traits gives Prototype the sort of character development system usually reserved for a role-playing game. Even with the generous rate at which the game doles out experience points to fund upgrades, it will take a good while to amass enough to get everything. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Microsoft’s Shane Kim told us that the launch of the 360’s motion-controlled camera system - Project Natal - would be as big as a console launch. Maybe he was onto something with that.

Because 1UP are reporting a rumour that while Natal will be released next year for existing 360 consoles, it will also be released next year as a standard inclusion with a new Xbox console, due out in the Fall.

This console won’t be as “new” as we’re accustomed to with Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure anyone explicitly said it would have online multiplayer, but I’m also not sure anyone explicitly said Ghostbusters for the PC wouldn’t. Some are saying explicit things about the game’s authentication requirement, too.

Ghostbusters enthusiast site Ecto-Web did a compare of the system requirements and, while noting an Internet connection is needed to authenticate the game, it has no point after that. Says Ecto-Web:

Which of the three realistic versions is getting the shaft? If you said, “PC“, you’re a winner! Compare the feature list of the PC with that of the PS3 and Xbox 360 and you’ll notice that the PC does NOT have: Online multiplayer co-op (or any online activities at Read the rest of this entry »

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The technical director for Criterion (Burnout Paradise) wants to put a stop to a persistent cliché in development: The idea that some game or project is maxing out a console’s capabilities.

Such a claim is “proof that you’re not the best,” Richard Parr said to Eurogamer. “It means you’re out of ideas.”

The line of reasoning - those who are truly pushing the boundaries of game development are discovering more and Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, for some reason the latest episode of Qore is live and features host Veronica Belmont speaking in the past tense about E3 and getting a private demo of the PSP Go from SCEA Director of Hardware John Koller. Want the deets? Well, imagine a smaller PSP-3000 where you slide the top portion up to reveal the D-Pad, Select button, Start button, and traditional face buttons. The screen is going to be 3.8 inches, the unit is 44 percent lighter than the PSP-3000, there’s no UMD drive, Read the rest of this entry »

The new PSP Go, leaked just before E3 thanks to the June issue of Sony’s own Qore, is tiny little thing. Bigger than an iPhone—but not by much—and slimmer than the original PSP.

When placed side-by-side against some of the current portable gaming competition, the PSP Go illustrates just how different it is from its peers and predecessor. The screen ratio looks similar to older PSP models, but is considerably smaller in Read the rest of this entry »

Bowser recently went into town to speak his mind about the dangers of unchecked power in the executive branch. Funny that a monarch would feel that way, but it’s a free country, brah. More pics on the jump.

We got the link to this Flickr set, uploaded yesterday, but no explanation other than the location of the protest: Read the rest of this entry »

It’s official. Activision is headed to E3 and it’s bringing with it a bunch of games, including the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2 and the nervously anticipated Tony Hawk: Ride.

It’s a blend of sequels, spin-offs and original product, as new properties like Bizarre Creations’ Blur and Raven Software’s Singularity compete for attention against Guitar Hero 5 and DJ Hero. There are even a handful of licensed properties that will get some screen time.

Although the info comes from Activision Blizzard corporate, there’s no announced last-minute representation from the Blizzard side. We may just have to see StarCraft II and Diablo III at Read the rest of this entry »

The amount of users downloading The Sims 3 from torrent sites indicates that the title’s long-term piracy rate could top that of Spore, the most pirated title of 2008.

The EA PC title, which isn’t due for release until June 2 in the States, was leaked to torrent sites two weeks ahead of its planned launch. And according to BigChampagne, a company that monitors file sharing, Read the rest of this entry »

Some people say that the demand from video games has leveled off says Square Enix honcho Yoichi Wada. What to do, what to do.

The reason for this, he continues, is that the customer base has been increasing. “I think some people say it’s leveled off,” Wada explains, “because they believe this growth has almost reached its limit.”

For Square Enix, this is the foundation for the “second stage of growth” as this proves video games are an Read the rest of this entry »