Prototype 2 Preview

Sporting a brand new character and a re-designed city, Activision and Radical Entertainment’s Prototype 2 prepares the gaming world for a brand new carnage-filled, open-world bloodbath. The original game gave players a massive re-creation of New York City to explore, save and/or destroy. This new game offers players more powers, a re-designed city, and thousands of mutation combinations to dish out destruction that’s signature to the Prototype franchise.

Alex Mercer, the original protagonist (and the one responsible for the virus spreading and the destruction of New York) disappears, leaving behind him a trail of dead bodies, decimated environments, and thousands of infected; including the sequel’s new hero, Sgt. James Heller.

Hit the jump to find out more about Activision’s Prototype 2.

Set 14 months after the first game, Heller (the new protagonist) takes up every dangerous mission he can get from the US Army. Heller is a man with nothing to lose as his wife and child were victims of Mercer’s blacklight virus. New York has been deemed uninhabitable and re-named NYZ. During one of their more suicidal missions, his entire unit gets massacred by Mercer and Heller infected by the anti-hero himself.

Now imbued with many of Mercer’s powers (and his own brand new powers) Heller goes on the hunt for Alex Mercer for revenge, unknowingly becoming a pawn in Mercer’s sinister plan.

Some of Prototype 2′s key features include:

• Brand New Abilities/Powers – Heller can shape-shift weapons like the tendrils, claws, hammer, whip fist, and the fan favorite blade arm. He can consume people just like Mercer, glide through the skies, and run up walls just like the blacklight originator.

• Customizable Power Combinations – Think of it like a power and ability loadout. Infected Lairs within the NYZ hold powerful genetic upgrades for Heller. As well, once players get access to BlackNet (BlackWatch’s encrypted network) they can get information on high value targets that (when consumed by Heller) imbue him with customizable mutations that players can mix and match to his liking.

• Re-Designed NYZ – This isn’t the New York City you know. This is a brand new player in the Prototype Saga. Players are free to traverse the open-world city that’s divided into three unique zones; The militarized Green Zone,  the refugee and shanty town called the Yellow Zone, and the virus-stricken and mutant overrun Red Zone. Radical Entertainmennt has said that this re-design enhances Prototype 2′s signature gameplay as well as act as a mechanism to help tell the game’s narrative.

This new “hunter becomes the hunted” idea for Prototype really got my attention. Being as I loved the first one and got quite attached to and maxed out Alex Mercer, it took me a while to digest the fact that in the second game, Heller will be hunting Mercer down for the bad things that he (I as Mercer) committed during the course of the first game.

As Mercer infects Heller to become a pawn in his grand scheme, he never counted on this new Prototype to become a thorn in his side and interfere with his plans.

Prototype 2 is coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on April 24, 2012.