inFamous VS Prototype

(all pics are of inFamous as I reviewed prototype already)

Ok so both are superhero styled games with the sandbox thing going for them (open world like GTA) however infamous is only available on the ps3 while prototype is available on both systems so I ended up buying both games for the ps3. Both games came out around the same time as each other & I originally planned on reviewing both separately but having played right through each game I thought I’d review them both at the same time so I could point out the differences & features available in each.

So first I’ll talk about the games stories. Infamous has a really good story with plenty of twists & turns that will make you want to play through to the very end - also in true superhero style the story is told through a series of comic book like videos which are really fun to watch & vary depending on how you choose to play the game. Prototype on the other hand is told through video clips but its not so straight forward & you have to absorb key characters to really figure out what’s going on, this is done through a unique feature known as the web of intrigue. The web is quite interesting at first but as the game goes on it gets slightly repetitive & sometimes when you find the key character they get killed by the games AI before you can get to them.

The main character in infamous is cole, a delivery boy who is tasked with the job of delivering a strange package, it all goes wrong when the package explodes decimating half the city but giving cole superhuman powers which he can use for either good or evil. In prototype you control the character of alex mercer who wakes up in a morgue with a serious case of amnesia, after escaping the morgue he finds the city is not like it used to be nor is he. My personal opinion is that alex is more of an antihero than a hero, his powers are brutal & he goes through half a city of innocent people to get what he wants often leaving behind a bloody mess. It is hard to really figure out what’s going on in the story but in a way I kind of liked that because it lets your imagination fill in the blanks.

In infamous cole is given the power to control & bend electricity to his will & while at first I thought that would be boring it was actually quite fun. You start off slow with low level powers that really don’t do much but as you progress you earn experience points & these points are used to buy all kinds of upgrades like electric grenades & my personal favourite the ability to summon lightning itself (like storm in x-men). Alex in prototype has a whole range of powers that I have to admit are more fun that coles. Alex has the ability to run up buildings/glide/jump huge distances/absorb people completely so as to steal their identity/hijack military vehicles like helicopters & tanks, & of course he can shape shift his body into various stabbing weapons/blades & even hardened armour to repeal attacks from both the many creatures in the game & the military. Prototype wins when it comes to powers.

The environments in each game are strictly cities so its lots of tall buildings, monuments & the odd central park inspired greenery. Prototype fails here, its city is fairly flat/the buildings are all very similar/there seems to be no real flow to the environment & it only really feels like its there for you to run through while you battle the many groups of creatures. The environments in infamous are really something else & though you cant enter the buildings you can scale pretty much every inch of them, there is tons of variety to the buildings & the whole map is divided up into a series of islands with their own group of unique enemies running around causing trouble.

The enemies in infamous are fun to battle & there are many kinds of them with their own interesting background. The first group you meet are known as the reapers, they used to be junkies that lurked in the shadows but now that the city is up for grabs they are out in force carrying assault rifles. There are a number of bosses that play an important role in the story & each one poses a different challenge that definitely requires you to upgrade your powers to get further. In prototype the main enemy is the city itself, a viral outbreak turns the citizens into zombie like creatures (28 days later anyone?) there are a few bosses thrown in there too that take a fair pounding before you finally defeat them, one in particular took over an hour to beat. Whereas in infamous you are tackling small enough crowds of enemies prototype is packed with them & I mean seriously packed. There can be hundreds of characters on screen at once which should be a god thing but its not, the AI is sluggish & most of the on screen characters end up being cannon fodder. At times when I was battling it out with multiple creatures at once I found myself getting flung around the screen over & over again ..rather annoyingly.

Each game has its own selection of extra features to it that offer a longer lifespan to the game. In infamous they include taking over territory/beating timers by getting from one side of the city to the next within a time limit/collecting up glass shards that unleash your powers even more & a series of dead drops that are found through satellite dishes around the environment.. The mini games were fun but they were not that fun. Prototype wins here because it has a large variety of mini games to play that include attacking military installations by consuming key personal to gain access/wiping out a number of infected/shooting down helicopters/collecting orbs which are scattered all over the city & a number of other activities.

Well graphics wise infamous wins hands down, the visuals are stunning & might be some of the best I have seen in any ps3 game to date. The lighting is fantastic & really makes the city look alive & vibrant. The lighting really stands out when cole is under the sewers & his powers are causing the walls etc to light up, it looks stunning. As for prototype.. Well, the graphics are rather poor & flat which is a pity because the game really would look better if more time was given to the lighting & environment.. However the obvious reason for this is because most of the processing power is gone into generating vast armies of infected creatures rampaging all over the screen & they do this quite well so it levels out.

I started playing prototype first & put hours/days into clearing the main game more than once, then there was the many challenges & trophies/achievements to unlock. I really did enjoy playing prototype & apart from the confusing story & slightly repetitive missions it was a blast that provided hours of entertainment. It did take a lot of work to unlock all the major powers & upgrades but it was worth it in the end & I definitely got a lot of life out of it & many many sleepless nights of hardcore gaming. The main thing infamous had going for it apart from superior graphics was the karma feature of the game. This simply allows you to play the game in a way that you see fit, if you want to be good & help out the citizens of the crumbling city you can.. On the other hand if you want to be evil & use your powers for bad then you can too. I finished the game on both good & evil endings & as you play through there are actually quite a lot of different outcomes to the game which I found pushed me further to get each desired ending along with the many achievements.

So which is better? Well to be honest they both are good games, infamous was solid/looked a treat/played a treat & immersed me fully into the role of cole ..prototype on the other hand was a whole heap of fun which didn’t require too much thought but also provided truckloads of random action & game play so while the graphics were nothing special I constantly found myself forgetting that & being drawn into just running around causing mayhem & havoc. If you do have a ps3 then I highly recommend getting infamous, if you have an xbox then its worth checking out prototype.. But maybe get it second hand or even rent it but do give it a chance. I’m giving infamous a well deserved 9 out of 10 & prototype a 7 out of 10. I’ll be reviewing batman arkham asylum next!