Prototype Official Guide / Primer / Blog 01/06
Part 01: ADAPT and OVERCOME: General Training Primer
One of the first gameplay revelations to discover: You'll be spending just as much time moving vertically as horizontally. Alex Mercer gazes over a maze of concrete canyons above Times Square.
The action also occurs on the mean streets of Manhattan. Certain zones are filled with the shambling Infected; recent victims of a contagion afflicting all of New York City.
A not-so wise guy shoves Alex, and pays for his lack of respect. Alex feeds off humans, the Infected, and uses this Consume poIr to don the disguise of his last victim. After a punch through the heart, naturally.
After working on the Scarface Strategy Guide with Developers Radical Entertainment, it was a real thrill to team up and write the official guide to their latest game. Created over a two-month period, where I trekked over every inch of Manhattan Island, I’ve created a monstrously detailed guide to Prototype, printed on thick glossy paper, and with the regulation depth and ease-of-use that Prima guides are known for. Over my next six Blog posts, I’ll work my way through the various chapters in the guide, so you know what to expect. I’ve chosen some amusing (and usually violent) in-game screenshots (which appear in the guide along with hundreds of other pictures) to compliment my ramblings.
The Training section of the Prototype Guide isn’t a rehash of the instruction manual. Far from it, in fact. After showcasing the different Menu options, I charged straight into the action, explaining the Heads-up Display features so you know exactly what all the icons are on your screen, and how useful they can be when you’re searching for foes, or under attack. Every single major activity is covered, including ones you earn as you progress through the game. After that, I went for a spot of sightseeing around the city, detailing all the different ways you can approach the game. This includes advice on Missions, freeform exploration, Bases and Hives, Combat (both on-foot and vehicles), and specific gameplay features too cool to reveal just now.
As you may have gathered, combat plays an overriding (and extremely messy) role in your adventure, and it’s worth knowing exactly how to advance your skills. Fortunately, I revealed how to increase your Evolution Points – the unit of currency with which you can upgrade your poIrs. Every single method of accruing points is shown, from Killing, Consuming, Culling, completing Events, and finishing Missions. There’s a load of useful information on maintaining your Health, too; whether you’re clamped to a thrashing beast, consuming it in a mass of black tendrils, or barraging through crowds of the Infected using your prehensile shield. It’s all in there!
Finally, as a prelude to the second chapter (which showcases your Upgrades), the guide gives you a frame-by-frame account of the dozens of combat attacks and general maneuvers you can try. Need to know how to climb and jump from a wall, or throw vehicles? Want to see the various disgusting and grotesque ways to Consume a human? Need to perfect the dozens of punch and kick combo chains? Well, you’ve come to the correct chapter. To finally wrap up the Training, I listed over 20 Prototips; general advice for making your chaotic stay in New York City that much more violently enjoyable. And this is only 14 pages of the way through this 256-page guide….
Check out Blog 02, which shows off every single Upgrade (and there are dozens) that Alex Mercer can take advantage of. Need to know how to dismember a dozen Infected with a single strike? Want to know how to take down a Tank? Check back here for the information.
Purchase The Prototype: Prima Official Game Guide from here.
