Prototype 2 thoughts

So Prototype 2... yeah..

I played it. I tried playing through it again..but ...yeah..

Ok so the game it self wasn't bad but it was way too easy. I played on Normal difficulty on the first play through (not Easy) and I only died once or twice. Sure I got mission failures, but only died once. I'm guessing Radical wanted the game to be a power tripping fantasy and made it easy to do the missions to get that power feeling. It was nice the first play through but after that I didn't feel like picking it up again.

The story had it's interesting moments. Discovering Alex's plans was a cool shocker and I kind of expected it but didn't think it would happen. What really disappointed me about the game was some questions didn't get answered. Piarah for one. I was REALLY hoping for Piarah to be a boss or have some appearance...oh well maybe the next one.

The graphics in the game are amazing. They are a HUGE improvement from the first. The zones are very detailed with pedestrians huddling around fires, having conversations, protesting Blackwatch...the zones feel very alive. The weather effects are very cool but what I didn't like was how you cant start a mission while it's sunny and once the mission starts, it's cloudy and raining.

Combat is improved ten fold. Maybe more. Instead of getting stun locked by a Hunter in P1 and losing half your health, you can actually dodge attacks much better. Using two buttons to switch between powers was very handy in many situations. I think the tendrils power could have had better range though. Then again I didn't fully level up Heller.

What was the deal with no armor in the game? Sure the shields are cool and very useful, but why no armor? I heard it was included as DLC... Really??? You have got to be kidding me. I just paid $60 for this game and I have to pay more for armor? Anyways..

Yeah, Heller levels up now. EP is used like experience points to level up Heller and get improved weapons and abilities. The way to get new powers is better then the first game where you just buy them. Now, you have to find them and consume the thing that has that power. But you start with some basic things that you had to buy before such as glide and air dash.

By the way, they switched the button for air dash. It's now the A/X button. Plus jump is different. You can't hold it down and charge up a jump. Now you press it, James jumps and depending how long you hold it will determine the height/distance. It definitely takes some getting used to.

So there are collectables that you can find and they can be used to upgrade your powers. Finding hives (which by the way are not as prominent and they were in P1) is more of a task but the reward is worth it. Hacking into Blacknet to do side missions, that I found to be enjoyable, can give you chances to level up. Once you find once of the Blacknet terminals, if you have the password you can start the mission. If you don't, you have to find it. But that's where the infected sonar power comes in the play. You can hunt targets now and are much less of a hassle to find.

James Heller is a interesting character I guess I'll call him. It's a nice change that he doesn't take orders from his sister but instead a priest. Uh yeah ok. I don't want to spoil anything but yeah..

Heller is more embraced with his powers and doesn't really care about his actions. He will attack a Blackwatch base head on just because he can. I think James is a good character. It was nice having a character that didn't feel like he had limits. I felt like I could do what I wanted when I wanted. I'm sure Radical wanted it that way.

Ok, this is a large wall of text and no one will read it but I just wanted to post my thoughts on this game I have been following for a long time now.

Yeah, I'm still alive

It's been a while I know. But a lot has happened since I last posted.

 For one thing, I moved away from California up to Oregon almost a year now. I still have all my R/C stuff (with a new addition) and I finally got to play Prototype 2.

 I'm not sure if anyone even reads this blog anymore but I figured I'd post anyways.

 So now I have a job that keeps me busy and I have an apartment to pay for my responsibilities went way up and cant do all the fun things I once did. R/C drifting for one thing. Just today I visited the Hyper Drift and DRCentral forum to see whats happening. Hyper is going strong and DRC is dead. Maybe it's a sign that 50/50 drifting is finally done?

Wait what are you talking about???

I've always saw the two forums as representations of drift styles. Hyper is all counter steer and anything new in the industry. Soon they will be doing RWD R/C drift. And DRC is what we have been doing since R/C drift first showed up. 50/50 is what always worked and is what we have always done and didn't bother with CS. With recent events at FPR with the (what now I know was temporary) shutdown of the drift track and certain TDC members getting banned from FPR, I think this symbolizes the death of 50/50 drifting in San Jose.

Yeah, there are still people who do 50/50 drifting but I'm talking about competition and sessions. Seems like all competitions are all CS and no one does 50/50. That's fine. I'm not arguing that its a bad thing.

I've been out of the R/C scene ever since I moved away. I drifted only once on a track in Oregon and it was lame to be honest. The only track is a carpet track that is mostly used for Slash racing. That was the one time until I got to go back to San Jose for a visit and drift and FPR one last time. It was good to see everyone again. I was actually very depressed about leaving. I really really miss the R/C that San Jose has. Even though drifting is dying from what I can tell, it's still loads better then what we have in Oregon.