inFamous and PROTOTYPE go head to head

From PS3 Attitude: "inFamous and PROTOTYPE - two titles headed for your PS3 in 2009, and both are looking scarily similar to each other.

Let's take a look at the similarities and the potential differences in both games.

We'll get the silly one out of the way first..."

[Silogon]

Atleast Prototype has a decent looking main character. The bad of this is that Infamous now isn't so original cause Prototype is doing the same thing "ha"

What a way to waste revenue. As I said, Sucker Punch should've gave us the option to make our hero, our costumes, if we wanted to wear a mask or not, a cape or not, whatever. They should've blown this game out with user generated content and let us truly be a hero or a villain.

That would have gave the game an identy. now it's just a victim of it's own work. If I was Sony it'd be back to the drawing board with this pile of junk bunk.

[Silogon]

So to my disagree committee.

You don't want user generated content here? Making your own hero wouldn't have been great? Making the way he looks and what he wears, that wouldn't have been a good idea, huh?

Please, you all are amaze me at your bias nature.

[cellypower]

I agree silogon I think there should be more customization in the game like creating your own character and stuff like that.Hopefully they will make the online like that.

[The Wood]

'What a way to waste revenue' and 'If I was Sony it'd be back to the drawing board with this pile of junk bunk' when we've not played it may lead some to disagree with ya.

[Daver]

i didnt disagree with you but i dont want the option to make my hero, its a useless option

Even if the 2 games are similar in a way they are gonna be different as a whole

[mistertwoturbo]

Given that we haven't seen too much on both titles, it's too early to say what each one will deliver. From the concepts, Prototype looks to be more mature oriented with gore, while Infamous is going for a more superhero approach.

It'd be BIAS to ignore either title. Hopefully since Infamous is a PS3 exclusive, they'll prioritize getting a solid frame rate and push the console harder. Then again, it's Sucker Punch's first gen PS3 title so it might not be as good as it's potential.

Who knows, maybe the more information comes out the two titles will distance themselves from looking too similar.

[scheme_a]

While I agree that character customization would be nice, that means absolutely nothing in terms of gameplay. it merely adds to whatever they have.
If they want to be different from Prototype, they have to do something original in the game system and not feature like custom character.

Even though they look very similar on paper, that still doesn't mean they play exactly the same.

Therefore, calling it

"If I was Sony it'd be back to the drawing board with this pile of junk bunk."

even before actually playing it is nothing short of trolling.

[ban fans]

I don't think I would want them to turn Infamous into a straight out comic book style super hero/super villain type of game. I think that would take away from the game making it some what "hokey". I also disagree that either company is wasting their time. In my opinion, the more the merrier! Let me put it this way, if every company looked around at its peers and said, "Oh, crap! They started making a futuristic FPS before us? Oh well, let's scrap the one we had in the works!" we would miss out on some really stellar games. Personally, and I think a lot of people would agree, that if both games turn out awesome, I will buy both. After all, these games are both aimed at mature audiences who have jobs and responsibilities. We make the money, so why not get both of them!

[The Wood]

cynical, yep. Some people will hate for hating sake whereas i feel Silogon just wanted the game to fulfil his personal criteria and voiced that. A bit too early to be disappointed imo.

[hazeblaze]

Naw, I like Sucker Punch's vision for the main character better. Having him in a cape & spandex would have made it more cheesy. He's set in a real world city... he's supposed to be like the ppl around him.

Personally, I'm looking forward to inFamous more than Prototype... it's more my type of game. Hopefully both games will be good though.

Aside from the fact that they are both hero/villain sandbox games, they really don't look similar at all in art design or gameplay concept.

[thewhoopimen]

My bet's on Sucker Punch's Infamous. They've got full access to SCE's database of info from Guerilla's lighting models, to Insomniac's SPE utilization and framerate optimization, to Naughty Dog's animation blending. Plus they have Sony's budget to work with, which is probably 10X what Radical Entertainment gets to work with. Plus they have SCE's outcall software engineer team to provide consultation and optimization. Even with a more limited choice palette from Sucker Punch, Infamous effects will look more amazing with said limited palette vs having too wide a choice. Having a limited platform means they can focus on polishing one console instead of trying to optimize for every Tom, D1ck, and Harry.

[Closing]

There you go again. I wasn't aware that Sony was developing this game...

[Lifendz]

on all these article just to flame them? Do you cruise the pending articles looking for PS3 news and purposely post first to start a flame war? Considering where we're at with consoles, they could always patch in the option to customize your character. Moreover, the game is not out yet. Who's to say that won't be in the game?

[MikeGdaGod]

all i know is the video i've seen of PROTOTYPE looked absolutely horrible and GameInformer says inFamous looks good.

from what i've seen it looks like the PROTOTYPE devs need to go back to the drawing board. and i think that exactly what they're doing.

[MikeGdaGod]

all i know is the video i've seen of PROTOTYPE looked absolutely horrible and GameInformer says inFamous looks good.

from what i've seen it looks like the PROTOTYPE devs need to go back to the drawing board. and i think that exactly what they're doing.

EDIT: my fault, double post

[MikeGdaGod]

all i know is the video i've seen of PROTOTYPE looked absolutely horrible and GameInformer says inFamous looks good.

from what i've seen it looks like the PROTOTYPE devs need to go back to the drawing board. and i think that exactly what they're doing

EDIT: d@mn triple post

[jackel 92]

but we still no relatively nothing about infamous so how can we say they are the same.

its like saying all shooters are the same.

[pixelsword]

... while I would like customization, I think I can sum this up in terms of reality:

superhero with a cape = kicked @$$.

I don't care how powerful you claim to be, if you step-up to the average New Yorker with a cape, chances are he'll wipe your tail with it before wrapping it around your neck and kick-starting you down the street.

Halloweens in Brooklyn are a bloodbath. :D

All kidding aside:

The first superhero that had fashion sense was Blade. Then (if you can call him a superhero) Neo, using the same formula. When X-men came out, they saw show stupid those old-style superhero costumes looked (based on wrestler costumes) and went the route of leather like the rest of those.

The only superhero costume that doesn't look stupid is Spider-Man's... and maybe Robo-Cop, if you consider him a superhero.

The only superhero costume that doesn't look stupid with a cape is Bat-man's, but even he's not flaunting it, since he stays in the dark most of the time.

[Cajun Chicken]

WTF, did you just time travel or something?

[pixelsword]

I think I needed a nap that day.

[The Wood]

some will prefer infamous and some prototype

luckily ill get both if they're both any good.

These two titles may be more important than people recognise at the moment and may even go as far as to prove or not whether hdd and a larger media as standard affect the size and performance of sandbox games. I understand that both games are by different devs but there may be some tale tale signs that either quash these theories or prove them to be true.

[butterfinger]

good point about the possible importance of these two titles. As for your first sentence; PS3 fans will like inFAMOUS and 360 fans will like Prototype and N4G will be full of wise men that know which version of Prototype is superior just by looking at screenshots. lol. Jk, well, kinda...

[Domenikos]

xBox fans bashing Infamous....

PS3 fans wagging their chins and arguing... we have both.

I have high expectations on both games, they just look funny as hell.

[Chubear]

I don't think you're thinking much about your comment. Infamous is an exclusive title while Prototype is mulitplat. They both display "similar" genre & sub-genre qualities but the difference here is

Xbox fanbase can only play one while the PS3 fanbase can play and enjoy both. Two titles for the PS3 fanbase and only one for the 360, it's really not a matter of the PS3 fanbase not supporting Prototype at all. They may support Infamous more but they'll still play Prototype.

[The Wood]

i was saying that without saying that. butterfinger pretty much said what i felt

my mistake, your reply was to butterfingers

[butterfinger]

I thought my comment out very clearly. My mistake is that I said fans instead of fanboys.

[pixelsword]

Given that they both are going to be almost the same type of game, this will be a technological showdown in terms of size, space, complexity, interaction, storyline, and which console and developer can pull of this sort of game well.

[Cajun Chicken]

?

My brain hurts.

[meepmoopmeep]

i'm most likely getting both. hope they both turn out stellar.

[kingme71]

What's troubling for Prototype (or I guess we have to call it PROTOTYPE now) is that it got about a 9 month delay when it was set to release this year. That might be a bad sign. They might have had to go back to the drawing board on it or it could just be taking longer to complete then expected... who knows.

Another 3rd title that looks to be similar is Bionic Commando. Obviously, the arm is a totally different mechansim but looks like an open world sand box game played out in a city.

In a perfect world, all 3 would be successful titles.

[ban fans]

My only question is, does any game come out on time anymore? Especially original titles.

As far as comparing these games, it seems to me the gameplay mechanics and the "power-palette" as the article put it (quite catchy) are different enough to separate these titles. Infamous has you controlling electricity in various ways, Prototype has the whole "infected with a alien virus to create super powers" thing going on, and Bionic Commando, of course, has the arm. Very different ways of doing things.

I have high hopes for all these titles. Great time to be a gamer!

[kingme71]

Thanks man!

Yeah, that's true, game world is fraught with delays.

I'll pick up all 3 if they come out worthwhile.

From the looks of the last half of '08 and into '09, I'm going to have to convince the wife we don't need a new couch so I can spend more on games. Of course when she finds out where the couch money went, I'll probably be sitting on the floor... of the doghouse.

[jkhan]

Any comparison between the two games are totally stupid. Why? Because we haven't seen any gameplay footage of Infamous. Both have intriguing premises, but thats not to say we have seen some pretty awesome story premises and totally bad narrative structures. How the games will fit in an Open-World genre? Well we will have to wait till E3.

[cliffbo]

Infamous is a MMO game, while Prototype is a GTA-clone-fighter... that's the difference. and SuckerPunch made arguably the best platformer on the PS2. i'll take Infamous, thankyou, 360 owners can have the compromise

[meepmoopmeep]

huh? inFAMOUS is MMO?

[ChampIDC]

I don't believe it is...

[jkhan]

MMO? Do you know what Infamous is apart from it being a ps3 exclusive?

[kingme71]

I have to think you are confusing it with the Agency?

[Figboy]

but, working at Vivendi, i've seen a LOT of Prototype (well, before they freaked out when GTAIV released and pulled the plug on it for a while), and i can say that Infamous looks WAAAAY better than Prototype.

i won't go into too much detail, to honor my NDA, but needless to say that Prototype needed to be delayed regardless of GTAIV's release.

combat: clunky
graphics: so-so
shape-shifting powers: cool, but gimmicky after a while (i mean, the novelty of shape-shifting wears off pretty fast)

it quite literally was Spider-Man, down to the fact that the only interesting thing to do in the game is locomotion (the swing engine in the Spider-Man games), and i never saw much variety in "missions" in Prototype.

i think the Prototype character LOOKS cool (Altair called, he wants his look back) compared to Infamous, but i think, just from the trailer and screens i've seen, that Infamous packs more punch.

as for the game, yeah, both games are SOOO original, because we've never seen a super hero plopped into an open world environment before. at least Infamous has some sort of narrative going on.

also:

Prototype: shapeshifting, wall-crawling super-hero.
Infamous: electricity manipulating, wall-crawling super-hero.

seriously, outside of the wall-crawling (which is really wall-hopping in Prototype), the games are different.

Prototype: set in the oh so familiar city of New York (it's the new WWII when it comes to games locations. yawn)

Infamous: set in the fictional city of Empire City, which at least promises we won't be seeing blatant copies of the Empire State building, Chrysler building, Statue of Liberty, and Central Park. AGAIN.

i'm still looking forward to Prototype, and naturally, i'm disappointed that Infamous won't make it's original 2008 release, but i'm baffled by this current gamer mentality that there can only be ONE type of game per genre. this isn't Highlander, you know.

i mean, people argued about Uncharted "vs" Tomb Raider, when, in my book, the MORE pulp-action/adventure games there are out there, the better. breaks the monotony of all the FPS releases set in war torn countries out there.

why does there have to be just ONE open-world superhero game out there? especially when most of them are mediocre, Activision produced Marvel titles (and those characters deserve WAY better than what Activision has been doing with them)?

i LOVE super-heroes, and i've been waiting for a developer to do them justice in a comic book.

outside of the powers, what makes a super-hero compelling is his or her CHARACTER. who they are.

personally, i think Infamous has Prototype beat in that regard also.

Prototype: the story of a "science experiment gone wrong." the main character escapes from a facility blessed with crazy powers. is pursued by the government.

Infamous: the story of an "everyman" who finds himself blessed with crazy powers. due to a sleezy journalist, who shows him at the center of an explosion that nearly rips apart the entire city, the public fears and hates him.

being a Spider-Man fan, i prefer the everyman approach, as opposed to the "bad science" approach. i can't relate to a genetic experiment, where-as i can relate to an average joe in extraordinary circumstances.

that's just my take, that is. i personally welcome BOTH games to the super-hero genre, and am looking forward to both, but i hope they don't release at the same time. if they do, and i have to choose just ONE, Infamous is my title. it just looks more polished.

[meepmoopmeep]

i'm a big spiderman fan myself.

i agree though, prototype's story is way too cliche.
experiment gone wrong.
hero has amnesia.

still looks good and hope it turns out good.
i should be getting both.

[kingme71]

Interesting. So, that is why they delayed Prototype then? I wondered why because they had alot of footage out there and even showed it off on XPlay like it was right around the corner, then boom a huge delay.

What are they planning on doing to improve it? Are they trying to make it more varied or add more elements? I'm all for delays if it works out in the end. I just hope it isn't a bunch of people trying to hold up a wet, mud wall and asking for more time so they can get more mud.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

Infamous has a better chance at creating a better world with 50GB of data to play around with. Prototype is on the XBOX 360, PC and PlayStation 3 so they only have 8.54GB of data to play around with. Just do the match Infamous is the type of game that Sony wants on their console to show everyone what you can do with the space.

Grand Theft Auto IV (GTAIV) takes up 8.54GB (most: 17.08GB) which is a full DVD disc on the XBOX 360. The PlayStation 3 Blu-ray has 25GB on the first layer so yet again just do the math. With that said Prototype can't be any bigger than GTAIV.

With the article we just know more about Prototype than Infamous besides that their point system is pointless.

[kingme71]

"besides that their point system is pointless."

Nice, bubble worthy double meaning.

[Dmack79]

If there were a fighting game that had Sandbox game characters like these guys then I would buy it immediately! I'm still gonna purchase inFamous before Prototype. I love the lightning....

[HiddenLynx]

PROTOTYPE looks just like a free roam whilts inFamous looks like it has rpg elimants i bit like Fable where you get to choice a light or dark path.

[theKiller]

by release inFamous weeks or months before prototype!!

[uie4rhig]

you know i've got the feeling that one of them (and i mean ONLY one) is gonna be another HAZE! dunno why ..

[ip-student]

Sandbox games are tricky to pull off - GTA4 provided more story and a lot of people didn't like the loss of freedom to screw around with everything like you could in past titles. Personally I liked the story better but to each his own. grade A

Crackdown - little story but a fun mechanic of running around and getting orbs by jumping on buildings, nice variety in guns (although really only used about 4 or 5) - doing races, etc. grade B+ (not much variety but still fun)

Just Cause - cool idea (agent busting drug lords - cool moves) tried it and didn't like the controls, graphics were only okay - grade C.

So the idea and story are only part of a sandbox game, the implementation and to some extent, variety, are key. In that regard it is way to early to judge either of these titles - once people have had a chance to spend 10 hours with them we should have a much better idea.

[project76dodo]

both of these games dont intrest me
especially prototype
seems like you cant just walk around smashing in peace
from all the videos just has to much crap chasing you

infamous id prob buy out of the two
im just not feeling the lightning bolt thing
i actually would enjoy some real gunplay

but really whats with these new "wake up with powers and you dont know how"
games
thats pretty dumb

[Angelitos]

Infamous is the game to get as it's the first open world game to use the bluray advantage, while Prototype is limited to a dvd.

[jackel 92]

yup DVD sucks (or at least outdated) so one can only hope infamous is bigger.

[Closing]

I'm more interested in Prototype because I like its style a lot better from what was shown, and mainly because I've seen practically nothing of Infamous, and the old video I did see didn't interest me in the slightest. Obviously the possibilities of a 50GB bluray help a lot in a game like this, but it's up to the devs to fill that space with worthwhile content. In the end both seem like rentals at best right now.

[xionpunk]

I want both, especially prototype...that game looks twisted.

[steck67]

Im more interested in Infamous than Prototype because Infamous looks to have more creativtivy and variety while Prototype really doesnt.

[DFresh]

Both games look really good.
I'll just have to wait for some more game play videos and so forth to get the full experience as these two games get closer to launch.
I think we might see some really cool things about these games at E3 2008.