Have you a heartstring? Then the sequel to open world anti-hero game Prototype would like a chance to pull at it. It has a sad Johnny Cash song, it has a dead wife and it’s not afraid to use them. Now Prototype 2?s at the grimdark/pretty song juxtaposition marketing lark, and in this humble typist’s opinion getting it all kinds of wrong. You’ll see. Oh, you’ll see.

Crudity was always this thinly-veiled Incredible Hulk fantasy’s charm, but rather than embracing it wholly and making a virtue of it, it’s claiming profundity. Crudely. But not intentionally so. I’m sure there was all manner of thoughtful authorial intent behind it, but in practice the result comes across a bit FIRST GOOGLE HIT FOR ‘SAD SONG’ / POLAROID PHOTO OF VIRTUOUS, LOST FAMILY / FALLING AS METAPHOR FOR WHATEVER / AND NOW THE PEOPLE WILL CRY.

This is a game about smashing everything. This is a game about leaping over tall buildings with a single bound. Grow up! By which I mean ‘stop pretending to be grown-up and just enjoy being as puerile as all hell.’ And don’t make that splendid cover version of Hurt seem so trashy by association. So, whaddaya say we try this again, from the top?

That’s more like it, thanks. I’m quite looking forward to Prototype 2, in an ambient sort of way. The first game was a bit patchy to be sure, but disguising myself as an elderly lady then dropkicking helicopters was very much my idea of a good time. And. In. The. Game.