It’s becoming a bit of a trend for developers to release the opening cinematics to their games before their games release, and now I know why. Before watching this, I wasn’t that interested in Prototype, but if it’s anything like this, then this is a day one purchase for me.

The sequence follows Alex Mercer, the game’s protagonist, as he rampages through New York City, trying to deal with the mutative virus that allows him to shape-shift and absorb others. When announced, it sounded a lot like Spiderman 3, but this trailer gives me hope. It’s violent and gory, but I’m also really interested in what happens next in the sequence of events. I guess I’ll have to wait until June 9th to find out.

Shacknews reports that Prototype, the fantastic looking superhero-’em-up from Radical Entertainment, has finally been given a release date. The game will arrive in North America on June 9 and, in a shock turn of events, June 5 in Europe. It might only be four days earlier, but it’s coming out in Europe earlier nonetheless. I reckon that’s cause for celebration, so those of you who own party hats, now is the time to put them on.

Here’s a new trailer for Activision and Radical Entertainment’s upcoming title Prototype for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Check out the trailer find out what are the top 10 reasons (according to Activision and Radical) to buy Prototype when it comes out this June.

I got to admit I haven’t really been paying much attention to this game, but after checking out this trailer, it’s really got my attention now. The game looks tight and is something far from a typical shooting game, so it should be fun to play this summer.

Prototype was a hotly anticipated open-world action game that was originally supposed to release last year. After an impressive showing at GDC, Prototype continued to dazzle the media until one day it slipped to a 2009 release and then disappeared off the radar.

Not any more. Prototype is back, and before its big re-reveal at the CES in Vegas, they’re going to give us a little teaser.

If you head over to the Prototype website, you’ll find a countdown timer. Counting down to what? Good question, but I would guess it’s counting down to the Consumer Electronics Show that starts tomorrow, January 8th. That’s when we’re presuming Prototype will be officially shown to the world in its latest form.

Not content to wait a whole extra day, G4 snatched up an exclusive trailer that will air tonight on X-Play. While I’m sure it will be awesome, I really just want to see the game in action and maybe get my hands on it. Too bad we aren’t going to CES this year…

Regardless, you can tune in to G4 tonight and check out X-Play for the new trailer. Hopefully it comes with a release date announcement as well.

Looking forward to shape-shifting? Grinding someone’s face into the sidewalk as you surf their body? Spearing poor individuals with spikes? Well, tough luck– Sierra Entertainment has announced that Prototype will slip its 2008 release date and launch in 2009 instead.

Sierra told Team Xbox in a statement:

“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. Both Sierra and Radical are fully aware and appreciative of the multiple ‘Most Anticipated Games of 2008’ accolades and continued enthusiasm by all, however, date changes are common in this industry, especially for publishers and developers committed to launching great games. Further details on Prototype’s 2009 launch timing will be revealed at a later date.”

Prototype’s multiplayer component has never been scrapped nor confirmed, perhaps the delay will give Sierra time to make it something meaningful and include it when the game ships.

“As we’ve stated previously, Prototype’s multiplayer development was never ‘off the table’ but rather under evaluation and on hold. Now, with the updated 2009 timing, Prototype multiplayer is still on the table for evaluation, and further details will be revealed down the line.”

Source: Team Xbox

I can imagine being a little disconcerted, waking up with creepy super powers that you’re not quite sure how you got. I suppose I can also imagine being a little pissed, which is how the main character Alex Mercer feels about the whole thing.

Since our last look at Prototype during this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, the co-op mode has sadly been cut, but hopefully it just means the game will be that much more polished when it ships later this year. Jump the cut to hear about features you will get to see…

At Sierra’s spring event we saw shape-shifting powers different from the ones usually shown off, like a snarly whip fist. Go ahead and whip the Infected right in half–that’ll show ‘em. This game is rated M and it knows it.

Another of these mutations, which you unlock throughout the game with evolution points, gives Alex blades for hands, which of course, means another pile of body parts.

Alex has also scored some new moves that aren’t specifically tied to a monstrous change in appearance. In one, you stomp an enemy and literally surf on the body until friction prevails, at which point you can jump off and make a targeted kick at a new victim. Another recently added feature is the “flying squirrel move” used for gliding in the air, giving you extra control when you get knocked off a building, or keeping you from being completely knocked off in the first place.

The demo took place partly during a mission to destroy rooftop “sniffers,” which are out sniffing for you. Seemed like a fairly typical “kill x” mission, to be honest, but there will also be parts where you’re infiltrating military bases in disguise, so variety seems insured.

“Disguise” in this case, means appearing to be your latest absorption victim, whether a marine or a pedestrian, via more creepy shape-shifting. It originally sounded like you would be able to carry at least a number of these bodies to select from, but the process has been streamlined to just include one.

If you do blow your cover, you can either duck out of sight and swallow another person whole with your sinister black tendrils, or, more comically, point to the next marine (in the demo’s case) over and convince everyone that he’s the Prototype. They’ll shoot him to pieces!

There are definite areas of spit-shine needed, even though the Parkour twists and vaults still impress us. Unfortunately no hands-on as of yet, but we’re interested enough in the game that not playing it makes us antsy– a good sign.

Prototype is what Crackdown would be if you were a bad-ass instead of a superhero. Crunching cars beneath your feet, running up buildings, literally smashing peoples’ heads into the ground, and absorbing dead bodies into your own — just some of the things you will be doing as Prototype’s main anti-hero, Alex Mercer.

During GDC, we were presented with a brief explanation of the background and inspiration for Radical’s new game. Essentially, when players are given an open world to do whatever they want, they always behave badly. Radical have embraced that fundamental human desire to be naughty and designed a game that is gritty, disgusting, and fucking awesome.

As you can tell from this slide, the basic structure of the game is to “Kill guys and take their stuff”. It’s much more than that, though. There’s a war going on between the Infected and the Military, and you’re in the middle. You can play the two against each other, or help one side fight the other — whatever it takes to accomplish your goals.

Alex has no idea who he is (except that his name is Alex Mercer, apparently) and absorbs peoples’ brains to help himself figure it all out. He accomplishes that in many ways, all of which involve killing people in super-awesome expressions of love. We witnessed a man’s head getting forcibly squished into his own chest cavity, but we also saw such classics as the basic head-exploding curb stomp. Awwww, how cute…

Once people are absorbed, Alex’s biomass increases. This effectively let’s him smash things easier and grow huge claws and so forth. You can also assume the identity of the absorbed people to blend in easier or open special abilities. For example, assuming the identity of a high-ranking military official let’s the player call in air strikes!

Alex can also steal vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. Both hijacking maneuvers include spectacular gore-splosions, but Alex somehow manages to keep his white hoodie nice and clean. Of course, you can just avoid direct contact by tossing the tank at the helicopter, destroying them both.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Eric Holmes and Tim Bennison may have a little Prototype in themselves.

After the presentation, one of the Radical guys just sat there and played the game for 15 minutes while we all watched. It looked amazing, and they claim the graphics are far from complete. I asked about a release date, and they say they are really hoping for this year, but there is no official release scheduled.

Oh, they also let slip that there will be a full-blown cooperative mode, as well as the possibility of “other multiplayer modes” that they aren’t ready to discuss. Stay tuned and we will give you all the information as we get it.

Have you had enough of First Person Shooters? It was such a dominant genre this year that it seemed to define what it meant to be “next-gen.” We’re not quite out of the woods yet, but 2008 promises to bring us a more diverse line-up. What games or concepts will characterize the industry as we move into the second generation proper?

It wasn’t that long ago when I considered writing an editorial complaining about the lack of variety in games this generation. Some developers will always be making software outside the norm, so it would’ve been by no means absolute if I’d said “can’t you guys come up with anything else?!”

Let’s face it, First Person Shooters get a lot of attention in a lot of different ways and few games have been fawned over as much lately as HALO 3, Orange Box (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2), Crysis, or Call of Duty 4. Then there’s Unreal Tournament III, Resistance, Timeshift, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Red Steel, Shadowrun, Soldier of Fortune Payback, Blacksite: Area 51, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Even, in many ways, the inimitable Bioshock qualifies. Not all are good, but some are great, maybe even “best game ever” material.

So why did we see so many this past year (and before you ask, yes, I’m aware some were technically released in 2006)? Part of the answer might be found in the types of technology they’re pushing, making them great showcases for what new gaming platforms can do.

There were also some hotly anticipated sequels released, with HALO 3 in particular having the “biggest day in entertainment sales ever.” Multiplayer features have also been a big draw, keeping players hooked for the long haul. And, of course, there’s also the socio-political pressure that’s been put on the genre since day one (though, ironically enough, most of the attention has been focused on Manhunt 2, which isn’t a shooter at all).

Taking all of that into account, maybe it was just a perfect storm of sorts — one grand coincidence created by the combination of a strict holiday deadline and finally-finished development times.

But 2008 looks remarkably different with fewer First Person Shooters on the docket. Thinking of the top of my head, only three stand out – Ubisoft’s delayed HAZE, hype-machine Killzone 2, and, well, Duke Nukem Forever (good one, Broussard!). There will unquestionably be others, but it looks like my original fears were unwarranted. I’ll no longer need to be writing that article.

So, with the FPS taking some much needed time off, what other genre will we be sick and tired of by the end of next year?

2008: Year of the Free-Roamer?

It’s a no-brainer that Grand Theft Auto IV is going to rule the gaming scene. Whether it comes out in the Spring (as planned), or in the Fall (as expected), it will serve as the anchor for free-roaming sandbox games to sail into port. Like a ship-load of liquored-up seamen on shore leave, though, we should probably hope they don’t overstay their welcome.

Remember what happened last time? Free-roaming elements shoehorned into every orifice of a game which otherwise might’ve been good, checkpoint races that take you from zero to frustrating inanity in four seconds flat? A redux of this kind of game design without appropriate context built around it would be unfortunate for an industry that really needs to start finding new ideas.

That said, I’ve got a feeling that we’re in for a few tasty treats. Last year’s GTA clone du jour, Saints Row, should be having another go-around. Up against the king itself, this time, the court jester’s got to become the assassin. Or at least some sort of bizzaro-world, evil twin assassin, considering that the more Volition tries to differentiate itself from its inspiration, the closer it seems to come to it.

“Saints Row has a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge, and redemption against the city that left him for dead, although we’ve blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original.”

That’s from the official announcement press release. Bittersweet story of revenge with cheeky, culture-skewering laughs thrown in to balance out (or sometimes compliment) the wanton bloodshed? Sounds like a crib notes version of Grand Theft Auto to me.

If Volition’s up to the task and rolls out a quality product, though, I don’t think anybody’s willing to complain.

Speaking of inspiration, ‘08 should see at least two from the school of Crackdown (and hopefully expanding on its great, but underdeveloped concepts). Prototype comes from the makers of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, another last-gen free-roamer, and from the recent footage shown at the Spike Video Game Awards, it looks like your character’s super-destructive powers improve the more you use them.

Sucker Punch’s Infamous, of which we’ve seen nothing since E3, also looks to hit next year. Featuring a similarly-endowed avatar, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Prototype, but from what we can glean, it leans more towards a super-hero morality tale. The early trailer seemed to imply that you would do more than just play around in a sandbox, you’d shape it, and that you might have the delightfully villainous ability to destroy man in the process.

Assuming other titles like L.A. Noire and Mercenaries 2 also show up in ‘08, sandbox games look poised to, er, rule the sandbox once again.

2008: Year of Game 2.0?

Game 2.0’s a fancy term, but it’s not at all a new concept. The idea that a someone could effectively change, hack, or recombine elements of a game has bred a healthy, if somewhat exclusive modding community. I say “exclusive” because of the technical know-how often needed to produce any worthy results, let alone something other people would actually enjoy fooling around with.

Game 2.0 aims to bring those capabilities down to the average human being, just as Prometheus did with fire. Hopefully no vengeful gods are angered in the process.

Leading the charge is Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet, now firmly locked as a 2008 title. Voraciously cute and brimming with creativity, it puts almost all of the game’s development possibilities in the player’s hands. Levels are completely customizable. If you can do it with physics, you can probably do it in LBP. Likewise, being able to import various stamps and graphics allows you to add your own, unique look to creations.

Often times, though, we don’t know a whole lot about a game’s customization features until later on its development cycle when it becomes a fully fleshed-out concept. It’s tough to say what may or may not come out way in 2008, but this year’s offerings gave us a tease.

HALO 3’s Forge was a great way to appeal to casual modders, stripping away the need to meddle around in screens of code for half a year before quitting, resurrecting your project two weeks later, and then another two weeks later finally telling the whole affair to sod off for good. Plus, we get some really neat things out of it, like Rit Dye’s self-portrait.

And that’s really the spirit of Game 2.0, isn’t it? Flexing your creative muscle and accomplishing things even the original developers would never have conceived?

Some of the other things that have impressed me lately are custom paint jobs. Forza 2’s liveries were a huge hit. Using up to a thousand different shapes, modified for size and color, players have concocted some truly elaborate skins for their cars.

With features like this, Forza becomes just as much a canvas for budding artists as it does a game for car enthusiasts.

Rock Band’s character customization has a similar, if slightly less elaborate, system for creating tattoos to slap on your avatar. Even I was able to construct a basic Pokeball, clearly making my rocker the coolest dude in town.

Ah, and then there’s the unique art of making a complete fool of yourself. Perhaps latching more onto the “unfortunate internet celebrity” bandwagon instead of the “express yourself” bandwagon, Sony’s SingStar lets you record videos of yourself singing like banshee and shuffling back-and-forth as awkwardly as possible in your very own living room! Though it hasn’t hit the US yet (licensing issues, to be sure), the game is beginning to leak out around Europe, and the results couldn’t be more embarassing.

In 2008, modders will continue to mod, but you don’t need to be a coding whiz to participate in the creation of something new. The concept of Game 2.0 is just beginning to hit its stride, dragging every undiscovered genius along with it.

2008: Year of the Downloadable Content?

Not all predictions are hopeful. The DLC model has introduced us to the concept of microtransactions, and we’re bound to see more in the coming years, both good and bad. For every The Godfather cheat in the world, you’ve also got new songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

But if we’re talking about digital distribution in general, then we’re getting some pretty keen stuff through the same channels – fully, downloadable games, many of the “independent developer” persuasion. Highlights of 2007? Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust HD, Gripshift, Warhawk, PixelJunk Racers, High Velocity Bowling, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Bomberman, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and others. That’s some serious pedigree right there.

Nintendo’s entering the fray next year with WiiWare (Virtual Console aside, of course), which should only push the phenomenon further.

There’s also the hope that we’ll see bigger titles available online, like the aforementioned Warhawk. Older titles are great (VC, Xbox Originals, PS Classics), but new games are even better. Since we know this is the direction that the industry is moving towards in the future (how can we forget about the crazy success of Steam?), I don’t think it would be far-fetched to say we’ll see a lot of DLC in 2008.

2008: What It Probably Won’t Be

Perhaps the most ideal year will be one in which no particular genre or concept will dominate. We’ll all live together in harmony and skip down Candy Cane Lane as unicorns soar overhead dropping rainbow-colored gumdrops straight into our mouths. Then one bold individual will realize that our utopia is a sham and that human nature always has a way of breaking out of its shackles. We’ll suffer through the Great Fluffy Bunny War for a few years before society can be rebuilt, and then a clever author will write a best-selling book about the whole affair.

Or maybe I’m thinking of 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends. Oh well, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.

Something we can’t deny, though, is the entertainment industry’s penchant for taking a good idea and driving it into the ground. That’s the one constant we can depend on.

That said, 2008 probably won’t be the Year of the RPG (FFXIII won’t hit until 2009, or later), it probably won’t be the Year of Waggle (it’s either outlived its welcome or already become so ingrained in our collective gaming consciousness that we won’t think about it so much anymore), and it probably won’t be the Year of Sports Games (bold prediction, I know!).

And, thank the gods, it probably won’t be the Year of the FPS again!

For what it’s worth, I’m banking on my very first pick (Year of the Free-Roamer) to be the right one. What about you, dear readers? What do you think will define the world of gaming in 2008?

Alex Mercer is the new Anti-Hero, in Radical Entertainment’s new Xbox 360 title “Prototype.” The game begins as Alex awakes on a New York street with a major case of amnesia. If that wasn’t problem enough a virus has broken out, and weird animal-like mutants terrorize the streets. Soon you find out that Alex is not a normal New Yorker, as he tears through the city, ripping apart enemies, and “devouring” innocent civilians to fuel his new destructive powers.

Alex’s abilities consist of morphing his hands into razor sharp talons, viciously impaling people, dismembering them, and ripping their throats out. If that’s not gruesome enough the camera pulls in close for dramatic effect during the killing blows. Another of Alex’s attacks is slamming his fist into the ground causing massive spikes to emerge several yards away.

He also has defensive powers such as creating a shield using his arm, and covering his body with armor like scales. It’s not all spikes and armor, Alex can absorb a person, take their memories and appearance (sick!). The absorption process is said to be equally gruesome.

“Prototype” offers a huge city as a playground, the “Big Apple,” which the Military breaks into the zones, those who have fallen victim to the viral outbreak, and those who will fall victim to Alex.

Screen shoots, concept art and more information can be found at the official website www.prototypegame.com

To be released for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC June 15th 2008.