6. Consuming people gets the job done
You can’t solve all your problems with guns or fists to the face. Both GTA IV and Prototype will feature problems that require a bit more finesse. But while GTA IV will have you filling out resumes at internet cafes for the game’s more subtle missions, Prototype charges you with consuming people.

When you consume someone, Mercer absorbs that person’s abilities and memories. Consume a high-level officer, and you could wreak havoc on a military controlled checkpoint by issuing phony orders. Consume an important character and their memories may fill in pieces to the puzzle behind Mercer’s mysterious past.

It’s not a pretty sight. After Mercer destroys his victim, he dissolves them into a bloody mess of muscle tissue and veins before sucking the gory goop back into his body.

7. The infected are scarier than mobsters
Mobsters are scary. In GTA IV’s crime-ridden streets, you’re always moments away from getting “whacked,” “snuffed,” or “taken care of.” But if you think you’d stand a chance against Prototype’s frenzied infected with anything less than Mercer’s superhuman powers, then “fuhgetaboutit.”

During a brief demo, we saw Mercer fleeing from a group of infected – who look like a cross between an ape, a boar, and your high school gym teacher. The infected are frightening and much more than any wise guy could hope to handle on his own.

8. New York won’t just have character, it will be a character
GTA IV’s representation of New York looks amazing. But Prototype’s developers aren’t settling for a realistic recreation of the Big Apple. They want Prototype’s New York to be a living breathing character that will evolve over the course of the game.

Expect the territories to change hands between the military and the infected as you use Mercer to play both sides against each other. These conflicts will leave their mark, so expect the character of New York to show severe scars of battle over time.