or How to Get Crazy Mutant Superpowers, the Unwilling Test Subject Way

This one almost slipped right by me, and now that I've checked it out, I can't believe I could have missed it. It's a new game called Prototype – it was just released today and Amazon will have it on Thursday, June 11. The game puts you inside a weird mutated human named Alex Mercer, who wakes up on an autopsy table and has to fight his way out of a military-industrial research lab and survive as the world's most wanted escapee.

Prototype is by Activision/Blizzard, and the first thing I thought when I saw the footage and who published it was – I hope this is the basis for their new upcoming MMO.

After an intense action sequence, the story begins with Alex having no idea what's going on, surprising himself with strange powers – like the ability to survive being shot to death – and fleeing on foot through streets and up the sides of skyscrapers. As it continues, Alex's instincts cause new powers to assert themselves in the heat of battle – powers like throwing cars at helicopter gunships, and consuming people so he can shape-shift as them, and learn what they know.

The art is gritty, the music and voice acting give it a dark and desperate mood, and, like it or not, the main character's filthy language helps draw you into the extreme situation he suddenly faces.

The load times are a bit long and the cityscape graphics a bit simple, but the end result is a cross between a conspiracy horror flick and a superhero origins story, with game play pacing almost as fast and smooth as a Sonic the Hedgehog game. Check out the trailer: