Prototype 2: The Real Reason Radical Dropped Alex Mercer

Wait a second, those are fake arms!

The original Prototype had a number of problems, chief among them was its main protagonist, Alex Mercer.

Not the most likable chap in the world, his only redeemable feature was the fact that he was an awesome killing machine that enabled players to do exactly what they wanted to the city of New York.

With its sequel, though, Radical Entertainment has its sights set on continuing the Prototype narrative in more interesting ways than allowing you to make things go bang.

We caught up with Radical’s design director, Matt Armstrong, to find out how the sequel was talking its lead character…

360 Magazine: Why follow Prototype up with a sequel featuring a different protagonist, Heller, rather than continue with the story of Alex Mercer?

Matt Armsrong: From a creative point of view, one of the most exciting things about the world of Prototype is its flexibility.

There’s something really intriguing about being able to take a drop of the virus and unleash it into a brand new place on a brand new protagonist with brand new effects and then watch as they use their newfound powers and abilities to resolve their own goals and agendas in their own unique ways. The range of stories we can tell is pretty much infinite.

Heller is a great example of these endless possibilities. The idea that Heller is effectively a victim of a player’s actions from the first game is a unique twist that has really got the fans talking.

360:  How much freedom is there to move between the three zones?

MA: The three Zones are unlocked in a linear order as you progress through the game’s story, but once they’re opened up the player has complete flexibility to travel between them at will.

360: Is Heller motivated purely by revenge? Who would you say he hates more: the military or Mercer?

MA: When we first meet Heller, his only goal is to help the military eradicate the virus that killed his wife and daughter or die trying.

It’s only when he spots Alex Mercer that he sees his opportunity for revenge against the man that unleashed the virus and begins his obsessive quest for revenge. That being the case, it’s definitely true to say that he hates Mercer far more than the military.

360: How does combat differ between battling the infected and fighting the military?

MA: The biggest difference is weapons and tactics. The infected tend to be very primal in their desire to kill and tenaciously remorseless in their attacks. This results in a lot of close range combat against enemies that love to go toe-to-toe against you with fists and claws.

The military, on the other hand, are a little more practical and cautious in their approach, preferring to use high-tech weaponry from stand-off ranges.

360:  How much difference is there between the power of Heller, pre-infection, immediately post-infection and a fully upgraded Blacklight infected?

The short answer is “an immense difference”. At the start of the game, Heller is an experienced soldier with excellent combat skills, but he’s still just an ordinary, uninfected human in a world of savage, virus-riddled monsters.

Once he becomes infected, he immediately begins to demonstrate the kinds of over-the-top powers and abilities that are so iconic to Prototype, e.g. extreme parkour and the ability to shapeshift his body into a wide variety of weapons and forms.

By the time we reach the end of the game and a fully upgraded Heller, he’s a pretty much unstoppable Swiss army knife of carnage, death and destruction.

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