Prototype 2

Overview

Prototype 2 is a 2012 single-player action-adventure game and the sequel to Prototype (2009). It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Activision. It came out on Xbox 360 and PS3 in April 2012, on Windows in July 2012, and on PS4 and Xbox One in 2015.

The sequel shifts the focus to a new hero, James Heller, a former US Marine sergeant who wants revenge on Alex Mercer. Heller is infected with a strain that lets him keep his humanity while giving him powers like Mercer's, including shapeshifting and consuming people.

It is a third-person open-world game set in a Manhattan split into zones after the outbreak, called New York Zero. Consuming people is more tactical than before. Heller can rip a Gatling cannon off a tank, turn humans into Bio-Bombs and, in the main version, control a pack of Brawlers. He can also glide, dodge and run up walls, and his tendrils let him smash objects together or dismember enemies. Side missions are picked at Blacknet terminals.

A year after the first game, Heller returns from Iraq to find his wife and daughter declared dead and rejoins the military to fight the new Blacklight outbreak. He is infected in a fight with Mercer, experimented on by Gentek and Blackwatch, and learns his daughter Maya is alive. The story ends with Heller facing Mercer.

Development took about three years. The game was first shown at the Spike 2010 VGA Awards in December 2010. First-run and pre-order copies came as the Radnet Edition with 55 pieces of extra content, released weekly from April 24 to June 7, 2012.

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Action-adventure, Open world

Developer

Radical Entertainment

Publisher

Activision

Series

Prototype

Engine

Titanium 2.0

Composers

Scott R. Morgan

Designers

Matthew Armstrong

Writers

Dan Jolley

Producers

Kenneth Rosman

Directors

Tom Legal

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Achievements

Achievements43 (1,000G)

Total

43

Gamerscore

1000

• It's an Epidemic Completed MEET YOUR MAKER, Mercer infected Heller. 10G 99.9% of players
• I Want Some More Completed RESURRECTION, Heller Consumed another's memory for the first time. 10G 98.7% of players
• Religious Experience Heller met Father Guerra. 10G 97.4% of players
• This is a Knife First Prototype Power acquired. 20G 92.3% of players
• Project Closed Completed a //BLACKNET mission. 20G 86.97% of players
• The Mad Scientist Completed NATURAL SELECTION, Heller killed Dr. Koenig. 30G 73.41% of players
• Something to Live For Completed FALL FROM GRACE, Heller discovered Maya is alive. 30G 65.76% of players
• What a B**** Completed LABOR OF LOVE, Galloway kidnapped Maya. 30G 61.27% of players
• Murder your Maker? Heller Consumed Mercer. 100G 60.62% of players
• Follow Your Nose Found all BlackBoxes. 30G 35.13% of players
• Up to No Good Defeated all Field Ops teams. 30G 34.54% of players
• Strike, You're Out. Destroyed a Strike Team in 15 seconds or less. 10G 42.19% of players
• Compulsive Eater 5 consumes in 10 seconds or less. 10G 75.33% of players
• Do the Evolution Acquired 5 Mutations. 20G 64.57% of players
• Just a Flesh Wound Dismembered a Brawler. 10G 90.43% of players
• All Together Now 10 or more kills with a single Black Hole attack. 20G 44.73% of players
• Back Atcha! Deflected 5 missiles at enemies using Shield Block. 20G 68.02% of players
• Two for the Price of One Simultaneously killed 2 Brawlers using a single Devastator. 20G 51.35% of players
• Lair to Rest Destroyed a single Lair. 15G 68.38% of players
• Hijack Be Nimble Stealth hijacked 5 tanks or APCs. 15G 41.55% of players
• Road Rage Destroyed 10 Blackwatch tanks, APCs or helicopters using a single hijacked tank or APC. 20G 30.31% of players
• Who Watches the Watchers? Consumed 10 //BLACKNET targets. 20G 62.28% of players
• Hard to Please Acquired a Mutation in each of the 5 categories. 20G 57.95% of players
• The Floor is Lava Traveled a half mile using only Wall Run, Glide, Jump and Air Dash. 15G 37.33% of players
• Cannonball! 20 or more kills with a single Hammerfist dive attack. 10G 51.75% of players
• You're the Bomb 10 or more kills using a single Bio-Bomb. 10G 44.99% of players
• Sic 'em! Destroyed 5 helicopters using Pack Leader. 20G 33.67% of players
• Over-Equipped Weaponized 10 vehicles. 20G 63.14% of players
• The Best Offense Countered enemy attacks 20 times using Shield. 20G 59.04% of players
• Arcade Action Karate kicked a helicopter. 10G 64.77% of players
• I Caught a Big One! Mounted a helicopter using Whipfist. 10G 50.11% of players
• Anger Management Destroyed 5 vehicles using a Finisher. 20G 51.46% of players
• So Above It All Spent at least 25 consecutive seconds in the air. 20G 33.13% of players
• Vitamin B-rains Acquired 10 upgrades through Consumes. 10G 71.03% of players
• Eating Your Way to the Top Acquired 30 upgrades through Consumes. 30G 57.13% of players
• Finally Full Acquired all 46 upgrades through Consumes. 50G 35.69% of players
• Icarus Reached the highest point in the world. 15G 52.99% of players
• Spindler's Search Destroyed all Lairs. 40G 35.96% of players
• //BLACKNET Hacker Completed all //BLACKNET dossiers. 40G 46.13% of players
• One by One Stealth Consumed 50 Blackwatch troopers. 20G 60.05% of players
• Wanted Man Triggered 50 alerts. 20G 80.66% of players
• All Growed Up Fully upgraded Heller. 50G 21.04% of players
• Master Prototype Completed the game on HARD difficulty. 50G 22.99% of players

DLC

The Radnet content was released weekly for the first six weeks and came free with first-run and pre-order copies.

Items

Name	Date	Adds
Radnet Edition content	2012-04-24	55 pieces of add-on content released weekly until June 7, 2012: events outside the main story, challenges, avatar items and videos. Unlocking rewards needed at least a bronze medal in events.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	Xbox 360	74	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
Destructoid	8	10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	8.5	10
Eurogamer	7	10
Game Informer	8.5	10
GameSpot	7.5	10
GameTrailers	7.2	10
IGN	7	10
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	8	10
Polygon	7	10
Giant Bomb	3	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Director	Tom Legal
Producer	Kenneth Rosman
Designer	Matthew Armstrong
Programmer	Bryan Brandt
Artist	Christopher Sjoholm
Writer	Dan Jolley
Composer	Scott R. Morgan

Notes for collectors

• First-run and pre-order copies were the Radnet Edition, with 55 extra pieces of content.
• It was the best-selling game in the US in April 2012.
• A Dark Horse comic miniseries in three volumes bridges the first game and this one.
• It's an Epidemic, I Want Some More and Religious Experience come from early story beats and are held by over 97 percent of players.
• Master Prototype, for finishing the game on Hard, is worth 50 gamerscore and is held by about 23 percent of players.

Credits

Region

US

Time to beat

about 10 hours