Prototype

Buy this game. Buy it now!

Most raw fun I've had in a while. The writing/presentation is facepalm worthy in parts, the physics leave a little to be desired, and the textures/poly-count seem a little feeble sometimes.

All that aside I'm having an obscene amount of fun.

Typical free-roam game along the lines of Spiderman/Crackdown/Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. The catch is that instead of a hero, you play an amoral shape-shifting mutant that can

• Turn his arm into a sword and fucking cut people in half

• Turn his arm into a whip and fucking slingshot himself onto a helicopter and hijack it

• Turn his arms into giant claws, burrow them underground, and rape face Sunken Colony style

• Do some crazy-ass parkour Assassin's Creed style with a "I can run straight up walls" twist

• Cover himself in plate armor

• "Consume" people to take on their memories and appearance

• Masquerade as members of the military

• Fucking cut people in half

The game is amazingly violent and mindless at times, but the story is mildly interesting. You can delve into it more deeply by devouring key NPCs around New York that have knowledge of what's going on (you get their memories in cool fragmented cutscenes that make more sense as you gather more of them). This feature is called the "Web of Intrigue" and is actually pretty nifty. You can consume special soldiers to learn how to use military equipment (weapons, artillery, vehicles) and become more adept with them later.

There's an interesting skill tree based around six different weapon modes that you can swap between immediately on-the-fly. Additionally, you can pick up military gear, man military vehicles, or throw just about anything. You can also grab humanoids and eat them to gain their disguise and HP to dispose of enemies.

The game is "flawed" in my opinion in much the same sense that Assassin's Creed is - some disappointing missed potential wrapped up in a solid game. The base game itself though, I feel, came out as more fun in spite of its flaws (though I love Assassin's Creed). I eagerly look forward to a sequel that addresses the community's complaints/suggestions.

EDIT: A nice topical overview of gameplay clips