Prototype "completely different" from inFamous, 'space for both'

Radical Entertainment, creator of Prototype, doesn’t believe there’s a rivalry between their viral-based ‘hero’ and Suck Punch’s electrically charged inFamous.

Prototype offers ”something completely different” from Infamous, says Radical’s Matt Armstrong. They’ve taken stock of ”all the feedback” from fans.

While this week Prototype 2 will be strutting its tendril gameplay at E3 2011, inFamous 2 gets to show off as well but also releases this week exclusively on PS3.

”The first InFamous was really cool and the second one seems to be shaping up really well, but we offer something completely different and there’s space in the market for both games,” said design director Matt Armstrong.

The original Prototype cleared 2 million copies however Radical accept it ”polarised people” and that the team had taken ”stock of all the feedback. The things reviewers saw were the same things we saw.” One such ‘polarising’ niggle was that for all the power Alex Mercer commanded, he was taking orders from his normal, non-powered sister.

”We had a main character in Alex Mercer who wasn’t always as aligned with his powers as we’d hoped,” said Armstrong. ”We had a story that was very involved and convoluted and difficult to follow.” Certain NPCs in Radical’s New York City would give Mercer a glimpse into the larger conspiracy surrounding the Blacklight virus, of which he was infected.

Prototype 2 casts Mercer as the bad guy with us now playing the role of James Heller, a former soldier who Mercer infected with Blacklight. The game engine is all-new and Radical has added ‘Lairs’ which act as combat arenas. Then there are tendrils to play with.

”Tendrils is what’s exciting about the game,” said Armstrong. ”The emergent properties of it – the way you can string so many things up and either have them pulled apart or slam into each other.” These tendrils are evident in the new E3 2011 trailer for Prototype 2.

”There’s something very special about this game and this time around we’re coming out with something that’s a big expansion of all the things that were good about the first game, while simultaneously addressing all the things we were never really happy about.”

Prototype 2 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in 2012.