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Prototype

(2009, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated M, Play it on: Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Very violent and profane action game with extreme gore.

Why We Rated This not for kids

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Our hero is amoral. He doesn’t seem to care who gets injured or how badly, just as long as he can get one step closer to finding out what happened to him and how to get revenge. 
  • Violence:

    Extraordinarily gory. The guns and rocket launchers, which are everywhere, are perhaps the least violent part of the game. Far more disturbing are the claws that our hero grows from his hands and proceeds to use to shred people into ragged, spurting bits. He can also cause spikes to explode from the ground, impaling foes, and send out tentacles from his body to skewer multiple enemies. Every character on screen is a potential target, including pedestrians (there’s even a civilian body count report at the end of each mission).
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Extreme profanity, including not just frequent occurrences of words like "f-ck" and "sh-t," but several surprisingly creative variants. Virtually every cut scene features multiple instances of words these words.
  • Consumerism:

    Most of the in-game advertising is for fake products and services, though we did notice the occasional real-world brand on some billboards, such as DC Comics, which is producing a graphic novel based on the game.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Prototype was written by Chad Sapieha

Parents need to know that this game is absolutely not intended for children. It is exceptionally gory, thanks to the protagonist's ability to grow claws and use them to slice through enemies. Streets often become painted in blood and littered with body parts. It's also extremely profane. Topping things off, our hero is morally vacuous. His only interest appears to be revenge, and he doesn't care who he has to hurt to get it -- including innocent bystanders. Even something as mundane as walking down the street often becomes an unavoidable exercise in aggression as our avatar automatically shoves everyone out of his way.

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  • Families can talk about violence in games. When is it appropriate? When is it not? Is it more or less offensive if it appears sensational and without purpose? Do you prefer it when violent games offer some sort of morality meter, so that players are encouraged to avoid civilian casualties? Do you believe the type and extent of violence in this game is warranted within its narrative context?
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More on Prototype

What’s the Story?

PROTOTYPE is an open world action game designed for adult consumption. As Alex Mercer, a man who wakes up in a Manhattan morgue with super-human powers and a hunger for revenge, players lay waste to New York, killing scores of military personnel and pedestrians in horrific ways that often involve impalement or dismemberment. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire, sometimes dying in greater numbers than Mercer's legitimate enemies.

For adults able to stomach the gore and questionable morality, there's plenty to do. Players will spend much of their time leaping from rooftop to rooftop, "consuming" enemies to gain memories of Mercer's missing past. You can also search out side quests, such as checkpoint races, and learn new abilities, like how to glide and generate a shield. Completing everything in the game takes dozens of hours.

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Is It Any Good?

Though not exactly original -- there are lots of adventure games that allow players to freely explore massive cities -- Prototype is nonetheless well constructed and surprisingly easy to play. Players can move through the streets unhindered, automatically leaping over obstacles such as cars and running up the sides of buildings in spectacular fashion. And while Mercer has enough different moves to make controlling him a bit more complex than the average action game, they are introduced slowly, giving players time to master his claws, kicks, dodges, and leaps.

Prototype does, however, begin to drag after a while. The missions tend to fall into a few different categories and eventually become repetitive and predictable. Plus, there's something distasteful in the fact that even careful players will accidentally kill hundreds of pedestrians along the way. The narrative could have been much more powerful had players been given the option to try to make Mercer a little less amoral; You ought to have greater control over whether or not you injure innocents. Still, its scope is remarkable, and its action leaves an impression. Worth a look for mature gamers with a taste for the genre.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 6/9/2009, price $49.99-$59.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language)

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See all 31 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models
    • Safety is an issue

    Ok for adults, not for kids or teens.

    This violent and explicit game allows you to play as a super villan and brutaly kill anyone you want including horribly disfigured zombies. the plot is interesting and the voice acting is great. Prototype is defintley one of my favorites and I recommend it to all adults.

  2. I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    perfect for teens!!

    Its an ok game for kids to play the only problem is the extreme gore

  3. I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    great game! But bloody and explict.

    Great game, but the frequent, strong language and the extreme blood and gore make the game only for adults.

  4. I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models
    • Safety isn't an issue

    AMAZING

    All Your Kids Will LOVE This GAme

  5. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    good game very very very extremely violent swearing is used wit f@ck sh@t

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