Prototype™

An old classic which I vastly prefer over its more (in)famous competitor and even its sequel, Prototype is THE sandbox superhero game for me. You play as a cross between Marvel's the Hulk and John Carpenter's the Thing, with all the insanity that this implies; you throw cars at your pseudo-military hunters, turn your arms into blades and/or tentacles to slice them up then run down ten blocks at mach speed and turn into a guy by ripping him in half and absorbing his biomass to evade the consequences of your actions - in short, it's an absolute blast. Each of the powers come with unique moves and combos, which really help distinguish them; some are unfortunately vastly superior to others for story missions, but for every other occasion they're all so completely overpowered it really just comes down to which ones you think are more fun. The main narrative is serviceable with a few memorable moments, never veering so far into nonsense that it becomes farcical; it goes all-in on the edge, but if you ironically or unironically think Shadow the hedgehog is the ♥♥♥♥ then you'll love Alex Mercer. Where the writing truly shines is the conspiracy mechanic: there are over a hundred NPCs scattered across the city with memories you can absorb to uncover the web of intrigue that led to your creation, each of them unlocking a node; the information you discover ranges from grimdark to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, adding a great depth to a world that otherwise is sorely lacking in variety. The way you can infiltrate enemy bases to find your targets, or hunt them down while they walk across the city, stalking them whilst disguised as a harmless old lady until you can finally corner them alone in a dark alleyway really makes you feel like the city's apex predator in a way no other game has truly captured for me. Unfortunately, it's not all crimson sunshine and blood roses; the story missions are janky, often repetitive and sorely lacking in enemy variety - which in fairness will only be a problem if you can actually run this thing. The game is very old at this point, and with the IP dead in the water you'll have to jump through some major hoops to get it working but trust me - it'll be worth it if you can.