Tag Archives: prototype

Radical’s Tim Bennison has confirmed that Prototype will have no multiplayer component, instead focusing solely on you, and you alone. Makes you feel special, don’t it?

“Prototype is 100 percent focused on a great single-player experience,” the game’s executive producer told VG247.

“The game is an origin story that weaves a government conspiracy around the main character of Alex Mercer, and we really need to get those elements perfect.”

Shying away from multiplayer has allowed the team to crank up the open-worlder’s combat to 11, Bennison said.

“The biggest benefit of focusing purely on single-player is the team’s ability to really maximize the over-the-top powers and abilities of Alex’s shape-shifting and combat skills.

“The first time a player throws a corrupt Blackwatch soldier into the blades of an attack chopper, we think they’ll have a big smile on their face,” he added.

There was some tooing and froing on the subject of whether or not multiplay was to be included last year.

The feature was confirmed as cut from the game in March, but then Bennison said in June that Radical was “evaluating” whether or not online play would make it.

Prototype – a PC, 360 and PS3 release – is one of three new IPs shipping from Activision this year, the other two being Raven’s Singularity and a Bizarre Creations racer.

It’s out on June 12.

Prototype will not release in the UK on June 9 with the rest of Europe, but will instead grace its shores on June 12.

Sorry kids.

Proof is in the press release posted below.

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Radical’s released new screens and a video of Prototype.

The pics show character portraits and a nice bit of gore, while the video posted here is an teaser trailer including cars being turned over and a crow pecking around on a dead body.

Activision announced earlier today that the game’s out June 5 and 9 in the EU and North America respectively, for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Activision confirmed today that Radical’s open-world, shape-shifting action game, Prototype, will ship on June 5 and 9 in Europe and North America respectively.

The title has passed inspection without any cuts from the BBFC for an 18 rating (thanks, deftangel), while the ESRB has handed it an M for Mature. Did we expect anything less?

The official website has also been updated with new information and content, including a partial video of the game’s introduction.

It’s out for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Press release is below.

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Radical’s released the next Prototype dev diary, this time focusing on plot. Watch it after the break.

The superly heroic open-world action affair looks fantastic, we reckon. Very palatable.

Want to see a mad mutant throw a car at a helicopter? Happy Saturday.

It’s out for PC, 360 and PS3 this summer.

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Activision put out a new Prototype trailer this evening, the first we’ve seen of the open-world actioner from some time.

It’s ten reasons you should be wanting it, basically. It looks as awful lot better than it used to, no question.

Watch it on IGN. The game’s out later this year.

Activision UK’s confirmed a “June-July timeframe” date for Prototytpe this afternoon, telling VG247 that the June date announced last week is for the US.

The Radical Entertainment open world action game got it’s American release info from a Comic Con promo last Wednesday.

Activision used Comic Con as a platform to push the title, dropping new screens, a new movie and tons of preview coverage: get it here.

Prototype puts players in the shoes of “lethal shape-shifter called Alex Mercer,” Radical’s Tim Bennison told us last year, as he charges all over New York ripping it to bits.

Prototype’s making the trip to Comic Con in New York this weekend, and Activision’s celebrating by releasing new media and letting the press actually play it.

The open-world actioner has had a bumpy ride through the transition from Sierra to Activision Blizzard, but is now on track for a June launch.

Here’s your lot:

• New screens (IGN)
• New movies (IGN)
• IGN hands-on
• Kotaku hands-on
• Joystiq hands-on

Activision’s inadvertently dated Prototype this afternoon, confirming the Radical actioner for a June release.

The info came in an email detailing the game as playable at the New York Comic Con this weekend.

“Hands-on – fans get their first chance to play the highly anticipated open-world/action thriller, PROTOTYPE, planned for release in June,” said the note, as reported by Joystiq.

Prototype was one of the few games to make the transition to Activision from Sierra, and has been heavily delayed from an originally intended summer 2008 release.

Just checking as to whether this is US-only.

Joystiq is reporting that thesix part graphic mini-series based on Radical’s open worlder is coming in April.

The comics were first announced in April last year and are to written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Jonah Hex), with illustrations by Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan).

The comics will be published be under DC’s Wildstorm label.

DC being true to form, each issue will have a variant cover by mega-artist Jim Lee, meaning you’ll most likely want to be 12 copies instead of six.

Prototype is out later this year.

More details through the link.

By Mike Bowden

After the break. Watch as protagonist Alex Mercer changes shape, leaps through the air, and comes crashing down with such an almighty thud that the shock waves uproot concrete and send cars flying through the air in this new footage of Radical Entertainment’s sandbox game, Prototype.

If that isn’t gaming at its finest, then we don’t know what is.

So this is what the clock was counting down to.

Anyway, watch after the break.

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The Prototype website‘s got a counter in it that finishes during CES. That’s it. This would appear to suggest there’s going to be some kind of reveal for the actioner at CES. Wouldn’t it?

Please stop PRing videogames, publishers. It’s Christmas. Just stop.

According to Joystiq’s crack team, the official website of Activision’s open-world Crackdown-killer, Prototype, sprung a little leak. Joystiq, then, being from the Internet, quickly smuggled a few new, possibly illicit screenshots and movies back to its den.

However, we have no way of confirming the slip-up, as Activision seems to have caulked it up pretty quickly – replacing the leaked assets with a countdown timer.

Odds are, Activision will attempt to re-gobble these mistakenly regurgitated movies and screenshots – which we’re designating as “the best things you’ll see all day” – before too long, so go check them out!

By Nathan Grayson

According to this Vancouver Sun piece, Radical Entertainment is to lay off 100 staff.

“Activision Blizzard is committed to making the best games possible and has elected at this time to reduce the number of titles that Radical is developing from four games to two,” Leah Rubin, Radical’s vice-president of human resources, said in an email. “Therefore, we will be proportionately reducing the size of our studio.”

Two of Radical’s projects – Crash’s next game and Prototype – were confirmed as going ahead with the Activision Blizzard merger recently, but it seems as though the firm’s Scarface sequel has been put out to dry, hence the redundancies.

More through the link.

Activision announced this morning that only five Vivendi IPs will make the transition into the newly formed Activision Blizzard, namely Crash Bandicoot, Ice Age, Spyro, Prototype and an as-yet unannounced property.

The publisher also confirmed is will “support” the existing VUG catalogue.

No mention was made in the release of Ghostbusters, Brutal Legend or World in Conflict, all of which are now assumed dead in the water.

“Four of the five properties that we are keeping will be wholly owned properties that further bolster our strong brand portfolio,” said Activision CEO Mike Griffith.

“We are very excited to add such recognizable and successful brands as Crash Bandicoot, Ice Age and Spyro, which reinforce our leadership position in movie-based and family entertainment video games.

“We have conducted a thorough review of Vivendi Games’ brand portfolio and are retaining those franchises and titles that are a strong fit with our long-term product strategy. We are reviewing our options regarding those titles that we will not be publishing.”

Press release after the link.

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There are 26 new Prototype screens on TalkPlayStation. They look as though they’ve been grabbed from a movie, or something. The free-roaming action banana’s out next year.

Prototype’s been under the news community’s watchful eye since Games Convention 2007. The Radical action game spiked interest at the German show with what looked to be a promising mix of super-mutant, gore and open world, leaving those privy to the showing with Prototype highly-placed on Christmas 2008 wish-lists.

This year hasn’t been quite so kind to the project, however. First came news in March that multiplayer had been axed, with confirmation of a slip into 2009 following in early May.

The game’s surface temperature may have dipped a little, but the core’s still hot. Prototype’s executive producer, Tim Bennison, took time out to detail what makes his title special, reveal that multiplay still may make it and explain why Alex Mercer’s bloody fight is one of the most progressive third-person free-roamers in development today.

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Sierra’s taken the decision to move Prototype into 2009, according to this IGN report.

“Sierra Entertainment and Radical Entertainment have made the decision to shift Prototype to launch in 2009,” said a publisher spokesperson.

“Since its announcement, Prototype has been regarded by many as groundbreaking and taking the open-world genre in new directions, and in the simplest explanation possible, we need more time to deliver the game the team initially set out to create.”

Better late than borked, so we applaud. Shame, though.

After the link. No one was lying when they said it was violent. The super-mutant action game’s looking toasty smart, especially if you’re into mental fighting and consuming corpses. Go see.

Catch up on all our coverage from the Sierra Spring Break 08 even last week right here.

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Sierra showed off its 2008 line-up in Mallorca, Spain last week – including Ghostbusters, Prototype, Legend of Sypro: Dawn of the Dragon, a new Crash game, World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, and more – and it really was news a-go-go. Mike’s fingers have been replaced with bloody stumps.

All our stories are listed below. The US sites posted impressions of most of these games this morning, as you can see here. Enjoy!

• Damon not in Bourne game due to refusal to make more films
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand isn’t set in desert
• Stay Puff’t confirmed for Ghostbusters, Infernal Engine looks amazing
• New Spyro voice talent revealed
• New World in Conflict maps in console versions – PC users have to pay
• Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon impressions
• No online co-op for main Ghostbusters campaign
• Bourne 360 demo on May 22
• Long lasting injuries to Bourne removed from game due to “design decision”
• Moby track replaced in Bourne due to Universal ties
• Wii lead SKU on new Crash title
• Fiddy locked at 30 frames a second, online co-op confirmed
• 50 Cent team took out “n-word,” although it may still be added
• Exclusive Ghostbusters DLC for both PS3 and 360
• Venkmann will have love interest in Ghostbusters
• PS3 exclusivity would have allowed double the amount of objects on-screen
• Prototype DLC only “for the right price”
• Prototype plot inspired by Old Boy
• Legend of Sypro: Dawn of the Dragon “last chapter of Spyro trilogy”
• No World in Conflict PC-360 online cross-play due to PC version being “geekier”
• World in Conflict to feature voice control on 360, 90% of accents recognised
• New Ghostbusters shots
• First Prototype gameplay footage released
• Not all of Ghostbusters game set in NYC – players to enter spirit world
• Bill Murray recording his Ghostbusters game lines this week