00:18Il 3 2011 di Los Angeles, siamo qui allo stand di Activision per fare due chiacchiere in merito a Prototype.
00:26Siamo qui con lo studio Head of Communication, ovviamente di Radical Entertainment, a cui appunto chiederemo qualcosa di più per
00:31sapere qualche dettaglio ulteriore del gioco.
00:34So, hi!
00:34Hey, how are you doing?
00:35Looking back at the first prototype, what do you think didn't work and what was very successful?
00:41Yeah, I think for us we had a fantastic level of data when we launched the first game.
00:47I mean, we sold over 2 million units, we had a lot of fans and they're very passionate and they
00:52gave us a lot of great feedback.
00:53So, some of the things we were really keen to bring into the second game and to make it even
00:58better as a game.
01:00We wanted to have a really rich, compelling storyline that you could understand.
01:05We wanted to have a character who you could believe in, who you could get behind and support and understand
01:11the character's motivations, which is James Heller.
01:13And we thought it was a really interesting idea that now that you've built up Alex Mercer, who was the
01:20star of Prototype 1, to a very powerful level.
01:23Well, at that point we thought it might be really cool and interesting to then see if you can take
01:29him down.
01:30You know, because prototypes don't normally fight other prototypes.
01:33And so that sort of gigantic battle is for us a really interesting, cool idea.
01:39Yes, now just speaking about the sequel, tell us everything starting from the plot.
01:45How the game connects to the first prototype?
01:47Right, so Prototype 2 is the story of Sergeant James Heller.
01:51And it's 14 months after the initial outbreak of the virus in New York City.
01:57He blames Alex Mercer correctly for beginning the virus spreading across the city.
02:04And that virus and that outbreak actually killed James Heller's wife and his daughter.
02:10And so James Heller, you know, he's lost his city, he's lost his family, and mostly a reason to live.
02:16And so there's a gigantic passion and a motivation for James Heller to avenge his family's death.
02:22And so that sets up the general premise of Heller vs. Mercer.
02:27And from a gameplay perspective, which are the main features of the game of this sequel?
02:31Oh, how long have you got?
02:33We've got a lot.
02:34Our key thing is we want to bring back some of the most cool and awesome over-the-top powers
02:39from Prototype 1.
02:41Because Alex Mercer infects James Heller and actually gives him some of his powers.
02:46But we also want to bring new cool stuff.
02:48You know, what is the new equivalent of karate kicking a helicopter, which actually is uppercutting.
02:55But we've got cool new powers like the tendril ability.
02:58So your arms turn into these really cool tendrils.
03:01And you can actually use it to string up giant enemies, even pull them apart.
03:06You can send cars flying into the air and you can really make your mark on the city.
03:11We have cool moves like the bio-bomb, where you can infect a soldier, basically turning the soldier into a
03:17human-living bomb.
03:19You can then pick him up, throw him, and it causes a gigantic explosion.
03:24And so you can then use that to cause distractions.
03:27So you can basically throw him there, so you can go across over here.
03:30So we're trying to introduce a lot of new cool tactics and better combat.
03:36A much more fairer combat system.
03:38So you aren't always being attacked, say, in the back by a missile that you could not see.
03:43There's a lot of really cool improvements that we know we want to bring,
03:47so we can remove the barriers to fun, have an excellent story,
03:51and have a really over-the-top shape-shifting character in James Heller.
03:54Yeah, and just about the combat system, I've seen that the combat is much more intense in terms of camera
04:01movements, zoom, running, and so on.
04:03But I've seen that also it uses many more quick-time events, the right button.
04:07Don't you think it's a risky decision because it could interrupt the flow of action, all this press the button?
04:15It's always a very careful balance, and we often have debates, and we have a very healthy discussion at Radical,
04:21going every day about what is the right level, and we're making sure this time we have a lot of
04:26polished time.
04:28Last time on Prototype 1, we didn't have so much time for polishing,
04:31and so I think that question is a really good question.
04:34How much should we be doing camera movements in celebration versus keeping a regular flow?
04:39And I think we're going to find the right sweet spot over the next few months.
04:43Yeah, I'm one of the people who thinks that Alex was a good protagonist for a game.
04:49Right.
04:50So do we.
04:51Yeah, so why have you chosen to change a protagonist?
04:54It's something very risky, I think, for a sequel.
04:57Yeah, I mean, we like to take risks, you know, we like to do new directions.
05:02I think for a number of reasons.
05:04I think number one, like I was saying before, I think in Prototype 1,
05:08and you took Alex Mercer to a very powerful end position.
05:12I mean, he was so powerful.
05:14Where do you go from there?
05:16I mean, maybe he eats planets, you know, like we couldn't do that.
05:20And so we thought what's really interesting is, I mean, now that you've almost built the devil,
05:25let's see if you can take the devil down with a new character
05:29who has a motivation that you can really get behind.
05:32You know, Alex Mercer was an antihero, and he was a very gray character.
05:36And obviously some people loved him, some hated him.
05:40And, you know, obviously that makes him really cool.
05:42And so we also realize that fans love certain of the key powers from Alex Mercer.
05:47So all the cool stuff is coming back in a bigger way.
05:50And, you know, I think the showdown, the fight that happens is going to be pretty epic when these two
05:55meet.
05:55And FCM, you have done the same with the power system.
05:58I mean, you changed completely.
06:00Could you just explain us a little?
06:02Yeah, so we've got all kinds of new ways that the player can customize James Heller.
06:07Because we want players to feel like their prototype is a very unique prototype compared to their friend.
06:13And so we have a number of systems.
06:14One of those is called the mutation system.
06:17So they're similar to, like, perks.
06:18And so as you complete Blackwatch case files of side quests, you'll be awarded various mutations.
06:26And so you have a limited number of slots.
06:28And so it's up to the player to mix and match these mutations in interesting combinations to see what feels
06:34right for their playing style.
06:35So that's one new system.
06:37And then the second system is you can also upgrade your favorite arm powers.
06:42And as you do that, you'll actually see them change and morph and get cooler and bigger.
06:47And so we really want players to feel like if they love blades, they can eventually have a really awesome,
06:53huge blade.
06:54And that's just part of the new cool stuff coming in the game.
06:57Yes, the sequel will be only a single-player game like the Periquel.
07:01Correct.
07:02We made a conscious decision when thinking about maybe multiplayer.
07:07We were thinking, well, do we want to split the team's attention down the middle and divert them
07:13and do a kind of okay single-player, okay multiplayer, or keep them together and make an amazing single-player.
07:19And that was a very easy decision.
07:21You know, it was very easy.
07:22When it would be out and on which platform?
07:25Yeah, the game is out in 2012.
07:26We have not got a release month set yet.
07:29It's on PC, PS3, Xbox 360.
07:32And yeah, we cannot wait for your gamers to see it very soon.
07:35Thank you very much.
07:36Thank you very much.
07:37It's been a pleasure.
07:38Wonderful.
07:38Thank you so much.
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