This game is ridiculously fun while it lasts. The combat is a lot easier to get a handle on than the original, in no small part due to the tutorial bits you are given whenever you gain a new power. The revamped powers all have their niche, the changes to the consume mechanics were nice (stealth consuming is a lot easier now), the hunting feature is cool, and the new additions (tendrils, biobomb) are all very cool. Moreso than the original, you feel like an unstoppable abomination of science tearing his way through all that opposes you. Blacknet makes hunting down targets a bit easier than just randomly running around Manhattan, hoping for the "Consume this guy" icon to appear on the minimap. Adding the evolved to Blacknet targets was also a cool twist, by the Red Zone, you're never sure if you're chasing a normal human or a shapeshifting monstrosity.
However, I burned through it very quickly. I completed the game twice and unlocked all achievements in short order. I wasn't in marathon gaming sessions and my attention was divided, but still, I ran out of things to amuse myself with faster than I did with the original, or any other sandbox game I've owned for that matter. Aside from upping the difficultly to Insane (and the Radnet challenges), there's not a lot that makes me want to return to NYZ. Speaking of difficulty, the game really is rather easy; in my first playthough, by the middle of the Green Zone, the only things that ever posed a threat were Juggernauts. The Brawlers, Orions, and Evolved were fairly easy to deal with, and the military went from a minimal threat to a complete joke by the time you set foot in the Red Zone. Even the much hyped Heller vs Mercer battle was too easy. It looked cool as Hell, but it's awesomeness was undercut by the fact that it wasn't particularly challenging.
That said, the gameplay of P2 is rather solid; even if the replayability is limited, it's still a blast to play. As a fairly big fan of the original, I could go on a tangent about the story, but it's easier to just say that though I liked Heller, I liked the original's story and Mercer too, and felt the game dropped the ball in how it continued the plot. All in all, I don't regret purchasing Prototype 2, it is fun; but at the same time, it's got it's fair share of down sides.
A Mixed Bag
This game is ridiculously fun while it lasts. The combat is a lot easier to get a handle on than the original, in no small part due to the tutorial bits you are given whenever you gain a new power. The revamped powers all have their niche, the changes to the consume mechanics were nice (stealth consuming is a lot easier now), the hunting feature is cool, and the new additions (tendrils, biobomb) are all very cool. Moreso than the original, you feel like an unstoppable abomination of science tearing his way through all that opposes you. Blacknet makes hunting down targets a bit easier than just randomly running around Manhattan, hoping for the "Consume this guy" icon to appear on the minimap. Adding the evolved to Blacknet targets was also a cool twist, by the Red Zone, you're never sure if you're chasing a normal human or a shapeshifting monstrosity.
However, I burned through it very quickly. I completed the game twice and unlocked all achievements in short order. I wasn't in marathon gaming sessions and my attention was divided, but still, I ran out of things to amuse myself with faster than I did with the original, or any other sandbox game I've owned for that matter. Aside from upping the difficultly to Insane (and the Radnet challenges), there's not a lot that makes me want to return to NYZ. Speaking of difficulty, the game really is rather easy; in my first playthough, by the middle of the Green Zone, the only things that ever posed a threat were Juggernauts. The Brawlers, Orions, and Evolved were fairly easy to deal with, and the military went from a minimal threat to a complete joke by the time you set foot in the Red Zone. Even the much hyped Heller vs Mercer battle was too easy. It looked cool as Hell, but it's awesomeness was undercut by the fact that it wasn't particularly challenging.
That said, the gameplay of P2 is rather solid; even if the replayability is limited, it's still a blast to play. As a fairly big fan of the original, I could go on a tangent about the story, but it's easier to just say that though I liked Heller, I liked the original's story and Mercer too, and felt the game dropped the ball in how it continued the plot. All in all, I don't regret purchasing Prototype 2, it is fun; but at the same time, it's got it's fair share of down sides.