Digital Refrain

Illustration by Leif Seifert

by Leif Seifert

So about three years ago, this game called Prototype was released, right? And I was super pumped to play it because it looked crazy awesome with its super powers and its shape shifting and its free running, and I just couldn’t wait to play it! Then I did. And it was ok. Very VERY ok.

It felt like they hadn’t finished it on release day, so they just shipped out what they had and hoped for the best. It was a cool concept wrapped up in a very unpolished shell of a game that left me wanting. But now there’s a sequel, and we can find out if the first game was a major stepping stone for its successor, or if it was just the “prototype” (bad but necessary pun) for a game that’s finally met expectations three years behind schedule.

What The Game Does Right

Without a doubt, the most important aspect of a game like this is providing solid gameplay that is both fun and rewarding for the player. Capturing the feeling of playing as an iconic superhero has proven difficult for all but a few game developers that pull from the vast source material of comic books. Despite unfavorable odds, this is what Prototype 2 does best. Playing as James Heller is a blast through and through, thanks to navigation and combat controls which allow the player to player to feel superhuman while traipsing around the bustling streets of NYZ.

Right from the get go, the player is able to run, jump, and glide across the cities skyline in a fun and effective manner, while continuously acquiring new and more deadly powers over the course of the game. You’ll throw cars, smash tanks, shoot down helicopters, and wreck havoc in a manner fitting for such a lawless and recently endowed superhuman. Where most fail, Prototype 2 undoubtedly nails the physical aspects of what it means to be a super-powered vigilante.

What The Game Does Wrong

Aside from the main story quests, Prototype 2 offers very little in the way of putting your powers to use. Yes, there are the occasional blacknet missions or filed ops oppurtunities, but for the most part, you’re limited to executing story mission after story mission, which begins to feel repetitive. There’s very little variation in the objectives you’re tasked to complete over the course of the story. While not as much of a problem during the first playthrough, this lack of variety negates almost all replay value and leaves the whole experience feeling a bit lacking in the absence of any other modes beyond the single player campaign.

And while we’re on the topic of the “story-driven campaign”, it’s important to note that while cool at first, the game’s heavily stylized cut scenes, reminiscent of Sin City, quickly lose their appeal and make it difficult to discern what’s happening during these frequent interruptions from combat. This amounts to a decent but ultimately forgettable tale that does little to motivate the player towards the ultimate goal of  “murdering your maker”, as seen in the game’s tag line.

So Basically…

This game’s focus isn’t on telling a deep and immersive story that challenges the player’s aspiration of vengeance at the expense of others and ponders the struggle to preserve one’s humanity as one slowly drifts away from the bonds and connections that solidify humanity itself. No, it’s more concerned with fun gameplay and a protagonist who says, “I’M GONNA EAT YOU MUTHA F**KA!!!!!!”.

And you know what? That’s totally ok, because the game establishes itself as perfectly justified and determined in its clear approach. If you know what to expect, it won’t leave you disappointed.

Illustration by Leif Seifert

by Leif Seifert 

If you’ve played Minecraft on the computer, then you know what to expect from the game’s recent port to consoles: An unusually addicting game that’s a little too easy to sink dozens of hours into, as you, uh… build stuff? Despite lacking a clear focus or objective to complete, Minecraft is still one of the most creative, original, and fun games released over Xbox Live in recent memory, and considering some of its competition, that’s really saying something.

What The Game Does Right

All in all, the Minecraft experience remains intact, and true to form in its console debut. More than this however, the game also features some new gameplay mechanics that take an already enjoyable experience, and make it much better. These changes come predominantly in three forms. The first is the game’s new crafting system, which is significantly more streamlined and user-friendly, allowing for a more fluid experience that we can only hope will be bounced back to the PC version in the near future. The second improvement is the ability to play with friends over Xbox Live, which eliminates the hassle of trying to navigate servers, as was the case in the original game.

The final addition, and possibly the most significant one, is the ability to play the game locally via the four-player split-screen option. Though some might overlook this seemingly logical option, it’s hard to explain just how much the game improves when you and your friends are able to communicate directly, allowing for maximum creative potential (and an average of 30% more creeper fatalities)!

What The Game Does Wrong

While most of the game’s problems are currently unavoidable technical fixes that are necessary for the game to successfully run on the 360 hardware, these changes do negate some of the experience originally available on the PC version of the game. The world in which the player inhabits is no longer seemingly infinite, as very finite borders in the form of invisible walls exist, taking the game’s once grand scale and shrinking it down to a noticeably smaller one. Another downgrade from the original is the omission of some of the game’s more recently added features, such as the enchanting and leveling systems. While it may at first seem alarming, it is easily forgivable and ultimately does little to hurt the game’s overall experience, as is the case with the game’s now reduced map.

A more problematic issue with the game is the inability to co-own worlds with friends in multiplayer. What this means is that any world inhabited by more than one player requires the original creator of said world to be present in order for others to access it. This is really the one major downside of lacking a joint server, but it should be an easy enough fix in later updates of the game.

So Basically…

It’s Minecraft, it’s $20, and it’s on Xbox Live.  Now, go get this game, because every second you spend reading this article is another second you aren’t getting to enjoy Minecraft on the 360.