Prototype 2 was one of the games being showcased at the Activision Blizzard stand at gamescom 2011. It’s just one title in an impressive line-up for the publisher, and we attended a presentation for the game earlier today to find out a little bit more about what we can expect from Prototype 2 when it releases in April next year.

Prototype 2 sees James Heller, the newly infected protagonist, setting off across the wastelands of post-viral New York Zero to find and kill Alex Mercer, the original game’s anti-hero.

After watching a gameplay trailer which showed the history of the Prototype universe and the Blacklight virus (which you can watch below), we went straight into a live demo of the game. Although the gameplay shown was still alpha it’s still looking mighty. The demo showed never-before-seen footage of the yellow zone, an area that’s overcrowded with the infected and one that Gentek uses to experiment on the population. Ken Rossman (pictured below), the studio head at Radical Entertainment, explained that they wanted the different zones to feel very different, to make the world more believable and alive, increasing the ambience level for gamers.

Blackwater rules this yellow zone with an iron fist, which is conveyed by the citizens shying away from Heller when he was strolling through the streets disguised as the Blackwatch. Instead of just picking people up and having to kill them, you now have the choice to put them back down again. According to Rossman this new choice was introduced because some players did not feel comfortable with having to kill indiscriminately in Prototype 1. When you’re the Blackwatch you really get the sense of the people being aware of you, something that the developers focused on this time round.

The hunting mechanic was demonstrated during the demo, taking it one step further and using it as an awareness system as well. This puts more thought into the gameplay, rather than players just running in, grabbing and killing. For instance, Heller, disguised as Blackwatch, uses the awareness ability to keep track of who is watching him. As soon as the awareness of him has passed he consumes a scientist without breaking his disguise.

Of course if you’d rather try a more direct approach you can ditch the stealth mode, shift to Heller and create havoc in the streets below. We saw Heller take over a helicopter and shoot up the street below. According to Rossman hijacking vehicles was very popular in Prototype 1 and it’s very much in Prototype 2, with players being able to hijack military vehicles, tanks and APC’s. Heller tore the zone up, using the new Prototype 2 feature of having two powers activated at once rather than having to use the power wheel to switch between powers during gameplay that we experienced in the first title.

Heller ripped off the turret of the tank in a new Turret Barrel finisher move and destroyed the area, killing Blackwatch guards as he went, before running straight up the side of a building. He used the ground strike power to take out his enemies as well as his shield as a new tactical position to deflect missiles and use them against the enemy. These new moves all showed that there is more strategy and tactics in Prototype 2.

We then got up close and personal with Blacknet, where Heller can hack into Blackwatch hardpoint terminals and find out what his opposition is up to, before heading out to hunt them down. After identifying his targets using this system he hunts them down, after which he is awarded with the option to acquire various mutation skills. To hunt his target Heller sends a pulse out, a sonar signal that pings off the target. As it meets the target colour returns to the world, clearly showing the player where to go.

Once Heller locates the target he can kill and consume them, activating the web of intrigue. This is part of Blacknet now, no longer just an interface and helps to communicate the backstory and conspiracy. Now the mutation system will become available, allowing players to choose between different mutation abilities, including offensive, defensive and locomotive.

Rossman ended the presentation by highlighting the changes that are being implemented in Prototype 2. First up the game is more tactical and also gives the player more choice, bringing more heart to the player - Heller is motivated and wants revenge for the death of his family, rather than Alex Mercer who just seemed to be on a killing spree. The game will still feature the ability to weaponise vehicles (each military vehicle has a secondary weapon), and the game features new moves for Heller.

Rossman concluded that Prototype 2 is all about making you feel like a badass. I couldn’t agree more, and I’m pretty sure that you’ll enjoy being a badass and experiencing this shape-shifting action when Prototype 2 releases on the 24th of April for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Gamescom Blackwatch Trailer

Gamescom Teaser Trailer

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