Game Designers, Heed my Words

This was prompted by playing Prototype, but I also recall it coming up in Star Wars: Force Unleashed and I have felt it playing through demos before...  Don't start a game with a fully powered-up superhero character and then take those powers away or go back in time to square one when you don't have those powers.  It's a tease, and it makes the beginning of the game not as fun because you wish you had all the things you did at the very start.  It's a mistake, plain and simple.  If you want to show me all the things I might be able to do later, that's fine.  It would give me something to look forward to.  But to start by doing cool things and then to go back so far that you're only slightly above average is lame.

Besides that, Prototype has interesting elements to drive the story along.  It certainly qualifies in the genre of open-world superhero games ala crackdown.  I feel pretty super doing the things they designed for the character, and once you have your legs you can definitely pull off some exhilarating moves.  I've heard the main criticisms heaped on the game is that it lacks variety.  It actually seems like that's a common theme for open-world games and I think that all reflects the gamer instinct to hone in on a strength and master it.  The reality is that Prototype can let you do whatever it is that you're interested in, whether it's finding hidden orbs, attacking military bases, attacking infected hives, or progressing in the story.  If you just want to cause chaos you can do that too.  If it feels repetitive that's because you're doing it the same each time, and maybe that's the games fault and maybe that's yours.  Who am I to say?