NYCC: Hands on at Activision with ‘Prototype 2’ and ‘Goldeneye 007: Reloaded’

New York Comic Con was a huge showcase for the folks at Activision. In addition to the Spider-Man photo booth where people could green screen themselves webslinging through the city, the other side of the Activision booth had part of a full size helicopter people could pose next to. Why a helicopter you ask? Well, remember that question asked about “What is cooler than drop kicking a helicopter?” that was posed for a little game called Prototype? One of the showcase pieces given its first hands on to the public was Prototype 2 on the XBox 360.

During our playthrough we played both a story mission and a challenge mission of the game. Much like the original Prototype, Prototype 2 has impressive visuals and fantastic animation. One thing that quickly stood out though is the change in the field of view.

The player model for James Heller is smaller on the screen which allows players to see furher into the distance, more of what is in front of him and more importantly, more of what is on the side and behind him. This quickly changes up the gameplay as a player can relax a little more without the constant fear from the original of a rocket launcher off screen delivering a killing blow from out of nowhere.

The combat of Prototype 2 seems fairly consistent to the first meaning it is both brutal and fun. This game gives new meaning to collateral damage as players may be aiming at the Blackwatch soldiers but end up tearing through hordes of innocent New Yorkers in the process. Some of the classic powers return as well as updates on the tendrils which in effect turns a target into a magnet for every destructible item close by to come flying at it as seen in the game’s most recent trailer.

The gameplay of Prototype 2 doesn’t feel as punishing as the original either. Because of AI changes and a lack of off screen attacks, players feel more in control of their experience and not angered by off screen attacks that kill them without any fair warning. We are looking forward to getting more time with Prototype 2 as its release date approaches for the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also on hand was the multiplayer for Goldeneye 007: Reloaded, playable at the con on the XBox 360. The level we got to play in was the multiplayer construction yard we saw original over a year ago in the Wii version of Goldeneye 007 at Comic Con. The most drastic difference is obviously the updated visuals. Though it is the same design in terms of layout, by no means does the level look the same. The difference between the Wii and XBox visuals is drastic and impressive.

As far as gameplay, there is still the classic split screen love that made the original Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 so great. Sitting around a television with three total strangers, it was a truly fun experience that is sometimes lost now with titles that only feature online multiplayer. There is also a silliness to the Goldeneye franchise like seeing Oddjob running around a level that provides laughs that people don’t get to experience during super serious titles like Call of Duty. We are keeping our ears to the ground on Goldeneye 007: Reloaded and will make sure to get you a review of it as soon as we can.