Prototype 2 dev rejects InFamous rivalry

By Johnny Minkley Published 6 June, 2011

“We offer something completely different”

They're both open-world action titles with super-powered protagonists – but Radical Entertainment insists Prototype 2 is "completely different" to Sucker Punch's InFamous 2, which launches this week.

Speaking to Eurogamer at a recent E3 preview event, design director Matt Armstrong said: "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".

The original Prototype achieved significant success, shifting over 2 million copies worldwide. Despite this, Amstrong acknowledged that "it polarised people" and said the studio had taken "stock of all the feedback. The things reviewers saw were the same things we saw".

The big change is the lead, James Heller. "We had a main character in Alex Mercer who wasn't always as aligned with his powers as we'd hoped," admitted Armstrong. "We had a story that was very involved and convoluted and difficult to follow".

Improvements for the sequel include an all-new rendering engine, the addition of "Lairs" – which function as combat arenas – and tendrils, which Heller is able to fire and attach to objects.

"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.

"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."

Radical has just released an E3 trailer showing Heller's tendrils in action, which you can watch below.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Johnny Minkley is a veteran games writer and broadcaster, former editor of Eurogamer TV, VP of gaming charity SpecialEffect, and hopeless social media addict.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • cajunities #1 12 months ago

    Can not WAIT for this sequel. The first had it's awesome points, but if they can polish up some areas [like Assasins 1 to 2] then it should be a freakin beast!

  • goatjugsoup #2 12 months ago

    I have played both the first one and the first infamous and yeah I would agree they aren't that similar but the problem is that judging from trailers and stuff before actually playing them gave me the impression they were which is whats gonna happen again most likely (meaning they will have a rivalry)
    Anyways looking forward to both infamous 2 and prototype 2

  • captain_Carl #3 12 months ago

    He's right. InFamous is good, Prototype isn't.

    (Saying this after beating both games numerous times and having platinum trophy in both)
    Edited by captain_Carl at 06/06/11 @ 00:56

  • shadowdogg #4 12 months ago

    Pretty similar though...

  • ucankurbaga #5 12 months ago

    Played both, loved prototype more. Can't wait for sequel.

    Besides give me 10 similar games like Infamous& Prototype I play them all. I love the super hero sandbox type of games...

  • Zaxlor #6 12 months ago

    Since the InFamous 2 trailer seems to be playing before any video loads lately (Kinda funny it's before the Prototype one), it shits all over Prototype 2.

    Nothing from the Prototype video, looks really very interesting or fun. Guns, some weird millitary, helicopters exploding...very boring. Compared to InFamous 2, with the new elemental attacks and the much better monster design, I can't wait till InFamous comes out

  • Mister-Wario #7 12 months ago

    Well, at least they're not slagging off their competitors.

  • Spence1115 #8 12 months ago

    Reminds me of when Yahtzee made this point, so he challenged the creators to compete for who was better, by creating an image of the other games hero in womens clothing. Both Sucker Punch and Radical did so, with Sucker Punch winning.

    I think they put Alex on a unicorn as well. I love that they were willing to take part like that.

    Oh, and inFamous was definitely better than Prototype. I never bothered completing Prototype, bored me about half way through. Can't want for inFamous 2!

    EDIT: I mean the story bored me. The gameplay was solid, so with the right story then yeah, this could be good, and I'm keeping an eye on it.
    Edited by Spence1115 at 06/06/11 @ 03:27

  • somosluz #9 12 months ago

    Prototype was quite clearly a sequel to Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. (Check out the controller mapping if you don't believe me.) I would definitely buy another Ultimate Destruction game.

  • saburwulf #10 12 months ago

    the sandbox on infamous was way too small and the electric power was cheesy now prototype on the other hand was boring b/c of the gameplay was cut down pc to xbox and the graphics were too but had more fun with prototype Mercer is a beast and the enviroment is vast. flying elbow drops ftw.

  • Haloboy #11 12 months ago

    I never understood how anyone could say Infamous completely mauled Prototype when Prototype was superior in both scale and the protagonists powers. From the very first moment I jumped off a skyscraper and landed in a bustling street with cars and bodies flying in all directions, I was in love. Yes it did tend to get repetitive but with more new abilities came new ways of creating spellbinding hectic fun. And every new ability seemed to top the last. It was the most thrilling and epic action game experience ever for me having not played the Hulk game it was born of.

    Prototype 2 looks like an improvement in all the right places and that's all many of us who enjoyed the first will ever ask of it. Believe me when I say this is the game I want more than any in 2012.

  • Quixz #12 12 months ago

    Prototype Wins!.. I may have to give money to Activision after all LOL

  • Nithron #13 12 months ago

    I really enjoyed Prototype. Apart from the gameplay generally being fun, I found the protagonist to be unintentionally hilarious. It is literally impossible to play the game without constantly killing everyone around you, civilian, zombie, or otherwise - and yet he comes out with such gems as "I hope i'm doing the right thing", before drop-kicking through a helicopter windshield and actually eating the former pilot.

  • TudeScud #14 12 months ago

    Considering both games derive from the SpiderMan 2-game-school they're obviously similar. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say Alec is Carnage without the webslinging ability.

    I thought Prototype had a good start, but it definitely gets old. Certain main mission objectives feel fairly unimaginative, a lot of 'cheap' move sets, both from yourself and enemies. Also it became a bit bothersome that simply picking up a machine gun or hijacking a tank were your best options. New York definitely is featured too frequently in games for my taste as well.

    I don't mean to be too negative, as I certainly had fun, but my frustrations with the game piled up pretty high at the end. That and the encouragement from the human entities to curse left a sour taste in my mouth, sorry to say.

  • Sharzam #15 12 months ago

    Prototype was an ok game but got far to repetive as there were only a few different things to do the draw came from the powers so once you have the good ones the draw just isnt there. I have not played much of infamous but from what i have seen its more like crackdown in its aproach with its collecting stuff so atleast when not on a mission you have some things to hunt for.

  • Beano #16 12 months ago

    “We offer something completely different”

    So true. Infamous was great, Prototype was not. Completely different.

  • Btalbot #17 12 months ago

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  • PixelPirate #18 12 months ago

    Prototype was utterly bobbins beyond belief.

    Its the first game this gen i felt was utterly unplayable, not to mention the story was terrible.

    I actually took it back to the shop in the end i just couldnt bear it so much (and thats a rare thing for me).

    Never understood why it got ranked alongside inFamous, which was clearly the better game in every way.

  • freethinker101 #19 12 months ago

    I found Infamous a bit small and repetitive, with little replay value. Prototype was bigger, and more but suffered the same issues. Although in retrospect I found Prototype more challenging.

  • Vortextk #20 12 months ago

    Rivarly between the two games was pretty funny, people couldn't just let it go. I liked both, infamous for the setting, story and characters(though the action was good) and prototype for the ability to basically turn into god(and kind of a neat story twist, though I don't think many cared).

    Super looking forward to this as I am for sometime getting infamous 2. Hilarious that right now the trailer for infamous 2 is the ad that's playing before videos right now.

  • Psihomodo #21 12 months ago

    The first one on PC was a generic sandbox game with little depth and connection to the story. And the controls were ass. Now if they can make it tighter this time and make me care about the story and what I am doing, and take advantage of mouse in a sandbox environment that you jump all over, then it could be worth the look.

    If I were them, I would add ability to drive cars and some light guns, to give more variety in gameplay because it gets boring after a few hours.

  • Gearskin #22 12 months ago

    "My name is Alex Mercer... I'm the reason for all of this... They call me a monster, a killer, a terrorist... I'm all of these things"

  • nuanimal #23 12 months ago

    Tendrils (or tentacles)

    Great way to appeal to the Japanese market.

  • nuanimal #24 12 months ago

    Looking at the comments - is this the inFamous/Prototype Marmite thread?

  • 5h1nj1 #25 12 months ago

    "Completely different" is a little bit of an overstatement, isn't it? :D
    But you have some points for trying, marketing guys...