Prototype

Prototype is a game with many cool features. However, it lacks many of the finishing touches that make for a great and memorable game. To say the graphics and game engine need work is a massive understatement and many of the missions are cookie cutter in design without any real focus or attention to detail. Thankfully, Alex Mercer's absorbing and shape shifting powers manage to overcome many of the shortcomings of Prototype.

All in all, Prototype is one of the best games to release this generation and is definitely the best game to drop in 2009 (so far). Outside of the lackluster stealth and disguising mechanic, the brutal combat, huge open-world, varied challenges, and utterly satisfying gameplay makes this a must-have title for any serious gamer's collection. Get ready to put your life on hold!

There’s one caveat: the more powerful you become, the more likely you are to notice one of Prototype’s central flaws: the controls are great for blasting around like a high-speed madman, but they can be a tantrum-inducing bastard when you need them to be precise. If you’re trying to scale narrow surfaces (like the pinnacle of the Empire State Building, for example), you’ll need to take it extremely slow if you don’t want to leap out into space – and even then, Alex might inexplicably hurl himself off the building with no input from you.