Offensive done!
Hi there and welcome to Round 2 of the Back for Blood Tournament, The Sci-Fi championship ! If you are wondering why I am using orange, well its Halloween! The night of ghouls,goblins and all sorts of scary things! Scary things such as Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades and whose Zerg swarm cleansed entire planets of human life. And Alex Mercer, the biological super-weapon who unleashed a plague that wiped out New York City.
Anyway, this battle will determine which of our Sci-Fi champions is Deadliest!
In one corner we have the formidable Sarah Kerrigan, aka the Queen of Blades, represented in this match by her favorite Green and Purple. In her past, she was once a Terran assassin, who, after being betrayed by the man she served, became the ruthless Queen of Blades persona. Leading the Zerg Swarm, she eventually came to dominate her entire sector through a combination of guile and ruthlessness, spreading fear into the hearts of even the brave and stoic Protoss. Recently, she beat the Chosen One of the force, the budding Darth Vader (aka Anakin Skywalker), in a heated duel on the planet of Mustafar. Since then she has set her sights on other targets.
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| The Queen of the Blades new look |
VS.
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| Alex Mercer, the ultimate evil scientist |
The question this battle will seek to determine is, will that day occur in the near future, or farther along in another fight?
This battle will pit two different biological and supernatural weapons against each other. Two very callous and domineering personalities from across the galaxy, in a fight to determine WHO IS THE DEADLIEST SCI-FI WARRIOR!
(Happy Halloween everyone!)
Grading Scale:
*new category and thus explanation needed
Super Long Range: /40 : This category will pit Kerrigan's long range sniper rifle against Alex's own mini-arsenal of tricks and weapons.
Long Range: /50
Mid Range: /40
Close Range: /30
*Special: Biomass Powers vs. Psionic Powers (Aggressive) :/80
Pretty self explanatory, this will compare and contrast the Psionic Powers vs. the Biomass powers of Alex.
*Expansion powers and allies : /40 (10)
This will measure both the allies and the expansion powers of these two weapons of mass destruction. By expansion, I mean the known powers included in Heart of the Swarm and Prototype 2. For all of you Dante Alighieri and Anakin Skywalker fans who thought their favorite should have won, this category will probably be the nail in your side's coffins :) (particularly the latter, as not to many people seemed to contest Alex winning) .
*Default Armor: /15
What the warriors come to battle wearing.
*Other defenses: /40
Other forms of defense that will appear in the battle, such as burrow and armor form
Mobility: /20
Regeneration: /30
Miscellaneous Powers: /20
Tactics: /30
Motivation: /20
Training/experience: /40
*Past Opponents (Future opponents) : /30 (5)
A new category for me (credit to Vercingetorix), this category will compare the enemies of both warriors to see how they stack up. At the end, one opponent from each side will be selected to for the opposite side as a sort of warm-up fight, a preclude to the main bout.
*Last victory: /5
This is an out of cannon category, and will compare Sarah's and Alex's recent victories over Anakin and Dante respectively. Though it won't be comparing Anakin directly against Dante (I have a whole match for that lol) it will be comparing what they would have learned from that fight. If either side JUST wins by the edges/points given in this category, then I will call it a draw. Only cannon material can be used to give a win.
Martial Arts/fighting style: /20
*Psychology: /20
Both of these two baddies will be put on the couch to determine A. what the hell's wrong with them and B. how is it going to impact the fight.
Known Weakness: -/20
Well, with that said let's start the show...
Sarah Kerrigan:
(Get Ready for a LOT of Starcraft music!)
(Suggested Reading Music: 4/6 of the Zerg Theme songs. Pause this when you reach another video)
Super Long Range: C-10 MK. VI
In a past life, this weapon would have been Kerrigan's best friend, and its not hard to see why. Unlike previous rounds which relied on high explosive rounds, the bullets that this gun fires are charged with energy, and could actually destroy Siege Tanks from the inside. It had a collapsible stock and a scope which allowed for enhanced zoom. It is also equipped with a flashlight, EMP rounds, and a low frequency targeting laster that can be used to guide nukes down to their location.
The C-10 was deemed to be unwieldy by normal Terran; fortunately Kerrigan is not a normal human (even pre-infestation). A trained ghost could use this as a anti-personal weapon to take out a target from a mile away, and should the ghost find herself surrounded she could switch it to full auto, making mince meat of everything around the operative.
The C-10 has a couple of notable advantages here, the first and foremost being its huge amount of range, which far out-ranges anything Alex could pick up. She also utilizes this category far more then Alex does, which will give her a experience edge. Alex really doesn't have any experience against the sniper, especially one whose rounds are charged to do even more damage then standard explosives. Thus in this battle I think that Kerrigan's high powered would be able to do a great deal of damage against even Alex and his fast acting regeneration.
Still there are few disadvantages, one of the more prominent ones will be the difficulty of this rifle in hitting the fast moving Alex. Alex via his insane agility with surely prove a hard target for even the most trained sniper. Another factor is the armor of Alex, which, although it won't negate completely, will lower the damage greatly.
(Pre-Infested Kerrigan's last stand after she was betrayed by her boss, Acturus Mengsk. In this video she uses her sniper rifle to brutally dispatch many Zerglings and Hydralisks before succumbing to despair. Also note her cloaking in the beginning.)
Long-Range: Psi Blast
When an enemy is out of her reach of her wings or hovering in the air above her, she will deploy a sudden burst of Psionic energy known as the "Psi Blast" . Summoning forth a large amount of psionic energy , she blasts it towards her enemy, ignoring their shields and armor and shredding their flesh. This attack also seems harder to dodge then her others and can be cast at a fairly rapid rate.
(Kerrigan being used in Starcraft editor to kill marines)
In the campaign, the Psi blast is capable of one shotting all Terran infantry, even upgraded, as well being quite damaging to vehicles such as tanks. Just as it was damaging against Anakin in their fight, in this battle I feel that it will cause Alex a great deal of grief, as even his superhuman agility will have difficulty dodging the blasts. In my mind I see this as being one of Kerrigan's more powerful attacks, though there are two glaring factors that may limit its effectiveness. The armor of Alex may provide him some resistance(but not much, as the Terran infantry are covered in steel!) , while Kerrigan'a passion for close range may lead to this being used less. She is not stupid and won't forgo this attack completely for close combat , its just that she might not utilize it for as long as she should.
(Warning: Last Mission of Starcraft 2. Psi Blast can be seen around 6:30 and 10:20 in)
Mid Range: "Wings"
In order to account for the vast amount of melee weapons in this match, I am splitting what would have been the close range section into two parts. For close range Sarah uses no weapon that aren't attached to her, relying instead on her own formidable natural arsenal, the most prominent of which are her skeletal "Wings" . They resemble that of a bird's but without the feathers, skin or membrane. They have been hardened over time, and are as sharp as any carbon steel sword. Each wing has three blades sprouting from it, and there are two wings which are both about as long as Kerrigan herself and connect at her lower back. In battle she is known to have use these deadly instruments to skewer and even rip opponents apart.
These six-deadly blades have the range of six long spears, and could easily mean six deadly piercings into the opponent's body. Even Alex would have some difficulty in regenerating from such wounds, and the Queen of Blades could easily pull him apart when he attempts to do so. The Zerg Queen has proven in the past to be quite versatile with this rather odd biological weapon, able to disarm other warriors with ease. Still, the wings can be broken in battle, and though she'll regenerate them pretty quickly an enterprising Alex may be able to inflict the final blow before this could occur.
Close Range: Claws, Martial Arts
Following up with her wings is her talon-like claws; ten deadly six inch instruments of death. While the wings would naturally get first use she is capable of using these to render flesh from bone or rip out throats , though they are still nimble enough to be used on a computer keyboard, and shouldn't have a problem wielding a gun. Kerrigan loves to get up close and personal, and she has been observed absent-mind-idly licking her (bloody) fingers in anticipation for the coming fight.
(Kerrigan using her Wings and Claws, as well as her long range attack, to destroy her Protoss enemies. Protoss are naturally heavily armored and equipped with shields , so her two-shotting them shows how much damage she is capable of doing).
As I will detail in the martial arts section, Kerrigan has had years of training that make her martial art skill impeccable; in a noteworthy incident she killed a Terran officer with a powerful blow to the neck with her leg. Spikes protrude from much of her body, and under the right circumstances these could become emergency weapons. Both of these are minor advantages compared to the rest of her body, but advantages none-of-the-less as the image of Zeratul in pain on my previous Sarah Kerrigan bio will attest to.
When coupled with her psionic speed and years of close combat training these weapons are fast and undeniably lethal. Her Zerg regeneration has evolved to the point where she can regrow lost limbs in mere seconds, and so it will be impossible for Mercer to permanently disarm her short of killing her(which he won't have any moral qualms with doing). She is a very experienced fighter, leading her troops into battle from the front and was a noted knife fighter even before infestation, carrying one on her person at all times. While in the games this is a bit understated, in the novels she is also an accomplished duelist, taking on Jim Raynor and the two Protoss Zeratul and Tassadar at once and winning. She is also has the option of attacking with her wings and claws at once, though Alex's extreme agility will help him greatly in dodging. In the Starcraft universe, there are perhaps no better melee fighters then Kerrigan, though she does have some notable weaknesses... .
(Zeratul's confrontation with Kerrigan. Note the use of Psionic powers and her quick regeneration)
Her blood-lust could be her own undoing in this fight, as she prefers melee combat above all other forms and won't hesitate to charge right in should the opportunity present itself, possibly forgoing her incredibly powerful psionic powers. While her arsenal is formidable and regenerative, I can see them getting severed or smashed by Mercer's claws and Musclemass respectively.
(Final Starcraft 2 Zerg music Pack. Now onto Starcraft 1!)
Special :Psionic Powers (Offensive only):
Psychic Attack:
One of her most powerful attacks, and ironically the first one ever used, the Psychic attack directly the brain of the target. Kerrigan first used this technique accidentely on her mother and father, crippling the latter and causing the former's head to "just come apart". Years later as an adult, , Kerrigan used this power to brutally execute her childhood tormentor Lieutenant Rumm, a fitting end to the man who had tried to bully her into giving a live demonstration of this power(well he got his wish ) . Arguably her greatest anti-personal attack.
Unlike in her fight with Anakin, Alex Mercer doesn't really have any defense against this power, and would have to suffer its full effects, though he may be capable of doing so. Seeing as this is the man who once survived a shot to the face, I think he may have a great deal, but not TOTAL resistance towards. Presuming that he can't absorb anything near him to regain health, an exploded brain will end this fight in Kerrigan's favor.
Telekinesis:
Telekinesis, or the ability to move objects with one's mind, is a power available only to the highest level psionics (8+) in Terran society. The power goes beyond throwing around simple objects though, as both Kerrigan and another ghost named Nova proved. In the final mission titled "All In" Kerrigan was actually able to lift Battle-cruisers up and implode them, while simultaneously showering marines with Psionic blasts. The ghost Nova, though two points lower on the Psionic scale then Kerrigan, was able to take down a skyscraper in a fit of rage, killing hundreds of people. Kerrigan can also use her Telekinesis to disable guns from the inside, as she did with Rumm as a child.
This power will have many uses in this battle, from deactivating guns to throwing shit to even wrenching objects from Alex's hands. In this battle I see Telekinesis as being a significant advantage for Kerrigan, as she will be able to throw men and objects around with ease. This power will drastically reduce the effectiveness of Mercer's Super Long Range.
Psionic Bolt:
The Psionic bolt is a concentrated blast of Psionic energy directed at a single target; Kerrigan used this against Zeratul in his epic duel with him. While in the cinematic it just stopped him mid air, in the books and game enough bolts or a powerful enough bolt could be fatal.
While powerful and able to completely stop someone in its tracks this power does have two significant drawbacks; its lack of initial lethality and its singular use, meaning it can only be used against one person at once.
Ensnare:
For fast-moving enemies, there is no spell that works better then "ensnare" . The caster shoots forth a slimy green substance, which halves movement speed and reduces attack speed. Ensnare will also reveal any cloaked units caught in the spells effects. Utilized by Kerrigan in the first game, she is likely to have retained knowledge of this highly useful spell. Cannot kill on its own.
As mentioned above the only real weakness for this spell is that it cannot kill by itself. This spell is designed to set up the enemy for a secondary finishing blow. For example if Alex were to be covered by this slime then he will find himself extremely vulnerable to a psi or razor storm, which he wouldn't be able to get out of the way of. To give some credit to Alex, it will take a bit longer then normal for even a Psionic or Razor storm to tear him into pieces.
(Ensnare spell can be seen around 20 seconds in)
Implosion:
One of Kerrigan's more powerful spells, the implosion spell Creates a localized gravity well that telekinetic-ally crushes and quickly kills the target. One of Kerrigan's most powerful spells, she can use this to crush enemy vehicles, all the way up to the enormous Battle cruiser.
The problem with this power is that it's only meant for mechanical units, and is useless against biological. I am sure she could destroy guns with this power and any Blackwatch vehicles, but other then that I can't see it being able to directly combat Mercer.
(Video for Implode will be shown in the next section)
Razor Storm:
One of Kerrigan's two most powerful abilities, the Razor Storm summons forth a mass amount of energy barbs, and then unleashes them over a wide area. Flying in a crazy-eight pattern (thanks for this description Master of the Boot!) , the barbs proceed to tear apart whatever is in the area of effect. The barbs have the ability to ignore armor, so storm-trooper armor is useless against such an attack. In the campaign this power can even utterly destroy buildings.
The only way to avoid dying from this attack is to immediately move out of the area affected, something Alex Mercer will want to do ASAP as soon as she casts this power, as not even his heavy armor will protect him.
*NEW* Expansion Abilities:
(Echoes of War theme)
While the first game of the Starcraft series , Wings of Liberty, focused on Jim Raynor, the second game focuses on the now de-infested Queen of Blades. Of course the immediate question that comes to mind is; if she is de-infested, how is it possible that she retains her wings AND gets her powers?
From what I have been able to find, it seems that the Queen will eventually evolve her formidable natural blades back, eventually. Blizzard has both hinted that she would, and in a leaked video has apparently grown them back. I must stress that the scene was leaked in its earliest stages, and will probably not be happening in the game (or at least in that manor), but shows that Blizzard eventually has her grow her fearsome Queen of Blades form back (though presumably making her less psychotic in the process).
*Possible Spoilers*
(Note: Blizzard said they made this simply as a test video, and will not be the ending or even a scene in the game, which I am happy to hear as it was a bit corny in my opinion. Also missing was Kerrigan's voice actor. Still this shows that clearly, the guys at Blizzard intend on her to get her old form back at some point)
Well with that done, lets go into the actual abilities.
Spawn Broodlings:
This power has automatically kills whatever unit Sarah hits with the spells (with the exception of heroic units, which Alex will fall under) and spawns five broodlings from the corpse. These little guys are one of the fastest units in the game, and attack two deadly claws, two pincers, and a nasty pair of canines. These little guys attack with numbers, overwhelming their foes, which they need to do fairly quickly as they die within seconds of being spawned.
(Happy Halloween everyone!)
Grading Scale:
*new category and thus explanation needed
Super Long Range: /40 : This category will pit Kerrigan's long range sniper rifle against Alex's own mini-arsenal of tricks and weapons.
Long Range: /50
Mid Range: /40
Close Range: /30
*Special: Biomass Powers vs. Psionic Powers (Aggressive) :/80
Pretty self explanatory, this will compare and contrast the Psionic Powers vs. the Biomass powers of Alex.
*Expansion powers and allies : /40 (10)
This will measure both the allies and the expansion powers of these two weapons of mass destruction. By expansion, I mean the known powers included in Heart of the Swarm and Prototype 2. For all of you Dante Alighieri and Anakin Skywalker fans who thought their favorite should have won, this category will probably be the nail in your side's coffins :) (particularly the latter, as not to many people seemed to contest Alex winning) .
*Default Armor: /15
What the warriors come to battle wearing.
*Other defenses: /40
Other forms of defense that will appear in the battle, such as burrow and armor form
Mobility: /20
Regeneration: /30
Miscellaneous Powers: /20
Tactics: /30
Motivation: /20
Training/experience: /40
*Past Opponents (Future opponents) : /30 (5)
A new category for me (credit to Vercingetorix), this category will compare the enemies of both warriors to see how they stack up. At the end, one opponent from each side will be selected to for the opposite side as a sort of warm-up fight, a preclude to the main bout.
*Last victory: /5
This is an out of cannon category, and will compare Sarah's and Alex's recent victories over Anakin and Dante respectively. Though it won't be comparing Anakin directly against Dante (I have a whole match for that lol) it will be comparing what they would have learned from that fight. If either side JUST wins by the edges/points given in this category, then I will call it a draw. Only cannon material can be used to give a win.
Martial Arts/fighting style: /20
*Psychology: /20
Both of these two baddies will be put on the couch to determine A. what the hell's wrong with them and B. how is it going to impact the fight.
Known Weakness: -/20
Well, with that said let's start the show...
Sarah Kerrigan:
Brief History (up to Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty):
Sarah Louise Kerrigan was born on the planet of Tarkossia in the year of 2473. At the tender age of eight she demonstrated her extreme psionic power, in a tragic accident that left her mother dead (in the words of her father "her head just came apart") and crippling the brain of her father, Patrick Kerrigan. She was swiftly seized by agents of the government in power at the time, the Confederates, and forcibly conscripted into the Ghost Program, which was a government-sanctioned assassin's school for Psionics. There she scored so highly on the evaluation tests that they actually had to readjust the "Psi scale" for her (on a scale that ended at "10" she was designated a "12" ). Ghost instructor Rumm took her as his prime protégée , which was the worst thing that could have been done to a young, traumatized Kerrigan.
Lieutenant Rumm was an exceptionally cruel man, and he soon took to drastic measures to force the reluctant Kerrigan to demonstrate her psionic powers to his superiors. At first he injected a kitten with a tumor inducing virus, and ordered Kerrigan to either destroy the tumor or kill the kitten with her powers. She refused, although later that night he found that his pistol that he had been threatening the kitten with had been destroyed from the inside. He could not prove to his superiors that this was the result of her powers or the result of improper gun maintenance, though he always knew the answer...
Getting desperate now, Rumm repeated his earlier experiment; except this time instead of using a kitten he used her father, Pat Kennedy. Angrily Sarah lashed out at her captors; saying that she would use her powers, but only to kill herself and her father so that the confederacy could never use either of them again. Rumm quickly knocked her unconscious and embedded within her a experimental neural-adjuster, which he initially did not want to do. With the implant she was now fanatically loyal to the Confederate cause.
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Sarah as a Ghost
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Exact details of her early training are sketchy at best, and this author has been forced to rely on a more generalized account, supplied from other ghosts such as Nova(which will be described in Sarah's training section). Upon completing her training, Sarah was designated as Ghost no. 24 and assigned to assassinate various enemies of the Confederacy, including Angus Mengsk and most of his family. She was selected to participate in the "Xenomorph (i.e. early zerg contact) " experiments on Vyctor 5, where it was found she was able to successfully communicate and control them. There she was kidnapper (or "rescued" ) by Acturus Mengsk's soldiers, who removed her neural inhibitor. She helped him kill the ghosts that killed his family(although Acturus made a show of forgiving her), infiltrated and destroyed numerous Confederate bases, and formed an incredible partnership with Jim Raynor, the latter of whom she developed feelings for. Yet Acturus was not the populist hero she had come to believe him to be, and was really as power-crazed as any other dictator in history...
With the Confederacy crippled by blows from all sides (the Zerg swarm, Protoss and Acturus had all been disemboweling it in a massive free-for-all) Acturus planned to deploy his coup-de-grace, and seize control of humanity. He ordered Kerrigan to deploy a psi em-miter on Tarsonis, the capital of the Confederacy. This device was designed to lure in Zerg in the same manner that chum would with sharks. Despite her serious misgivings, Kerrigan did as she was told, fighting off the both the remaining Confederate forces AND the Protoss commander Tassadar, who had been moved out of compassion to try to save the inhabitants of that planet instead of glassing it as was the official Protoss policy. In the end she succeeded, and the remnants of the Confederate government were destroyed. Mengsk, satisfied and desiring revenge on one last person, left her to die to the swarm.
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Infested Kerrigan in all of her glory
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Enter the Overmind. The big brain behind all of the Zerg's movements saw Kerrigan's potential, both as a weapon and as a eventual successor. He infested her and she became his greatest weapon, though a self-serving one. She was obsessed with maximizing her full potential (as was the Overmind, though none save him knew this) and she began acquiring Protoss powers such as the Psi storm, while retaining Zerg and Terran ones as well. When the Overmind was destroyed by Tassadar in a suicidal attack, she assumed control of her own brood and through trickery and ruthlessness wiped out all possible rivals, such as the cerebrates (lieutenants of the Zerg swarm). In the process she made many enemies, as she would routinely betray her allies, and as a result almost every major power in her sector ganged up on her giant one giant, climatic battle. Demonstrating her superior tactical mind, Kerrigan managed to defeat all of them, completely destroying the United Earth Directorate and scattering the rest, including the Protoss and Mengsk's new Dominion.
Downfall:
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| Sarah's lover and eventual downfall, Jim Raynor |
The following years were spent perfecting her form and the power of her swarm. For four years an uneasy peace covered the sector, although this would prove to be short lived... Four years later war would again erupt and Kerrigan would find herself in a race with her old friend/lover Raynor to collect pieces for a mysterious and dangerous artifact. This artifact was a super-weapon, capable of destroying whole hordes of them in a single blast of energy. After losing this race she soon found herself besieged by a force led by Valerian Mengsk (son of Jim's arch-rival Acturus) , Horace Warfield and Jim Raynor. Despite some not to subtle animosity between the three, they were able to work together to defeat her using the Zerg vanquishing power of the artifact, which de-infested her albeit at the cost of heavy causalities for all parties. Raynor wasn't going to let her die however(both for personal and galactic reasons) , and defeated an assassination attempt instituted by a pawn of Mengsk.
(Warning: Spoiler Alert!)
This wasn't the end for Kerrigan however, and within a few months she would rise to become even more powerful then before....
This wasn't the end for Kerrigan however, and within a few months she would rise to become even more powerful then before....
Full biography here
Greatest Battle: The Battle over Char(Omega)
"At this point, I'm pretty much the Queen Bitch of the Universe. And not all of your little soldiers or space ships will stand in my way again."
-Sarah Kerrigan upon discovering the vast array of armies stacked up against her
Sarah had made a lot of enemies by the close of the Brood War through her manipulations, tendency to betray allies, and sheer amount of power she controlled. Eventually the threat of her overwhelmed all other grievances and three most powerful factions in the sector all put aside their differences to gang up on here. The Terran Dominion, United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Force remnants (she had spent the good part of the previous year butchering this organization), and the Protoss all descended upon an orbital station above Char, separating Kerrigan from all but one of her broods.
The first faction, led by her old boss Acturus, possessed Siege tanks and ghosts quipped with nukes. The second faction used the remains of its power fleet against her, including gigantic Battle-cruisers and cloaked Wraiths. Finally the Protoss brought devastating psionic attacks to the battle, as well as cloaked Dark Templars and their own powerful fleet.
After a long and difficult battle in which she was vastly outnumbered and out-gunned she defeated all three factions, becoming the most powerful force in the galaxy and eradicating the UED, as well as crippling the other two. Yet even while basking in the triumph of her greatest victory she couldn't help but feel there was an even greater threat on the horizon....
( The ending cinematic of Brood War, as narrated by Sarah Kerrigan.)
Greatest Battle: The Battle over Char(Omega)
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| Fought on Orbital Platforms such as these |
-Sarah Kerrigan upon discovering the vast array of armies stacked up against her
Sarah had made a lot of enemies by the close of the Brood War through her manipulations, tendency to betray allies, and sheer amount of power she controlled. Eventually the threat of her overwhelmed all other grievances and three most powerful factions in the sector all put aside their differences to gang up on here. The Terran Dominion, United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Force remnants (she had spent the good part of the previous year butchering this organization), and the Protoss all descended upon an orbital station above Char, separating Kerrigan from all but one of her broods.
The first faction, led by her old boss Acturus, possessed Siege tanks and ghosts quipped with nukes. The second faction used the remains of its power fleet against her, including gigantic Battle-cruisers and cloaked Wraiths. Finally the Protoss brought devastating psionic attacks to the battle, as well as cloaked Dark Templars and their own powerful fleet.
After a long and difficult battle in which she was vastly outnumbered and out-gunned she defeated all three factions, becoming the most powerful force in the galaxy and eradicating the UED, as well as crippling the other two. Yet even while basking in the triumph of her greatest victory she couldn't help but feel there was an even greater threat on the horizon....
Offensive Categories:
Super Long Range: C-10 MK. VI
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| The weapon of choice for Pre-infested Kerrigan |
The C-10 was deemed to be unwieldy by normal Terran; fortunately Kerrigan is not a normal human (even pre-infestation). A trained ghost could use this as a anti-personal weapon to take out a target from a mile away, and should the ghost find herself surrounded she could switch it to full auto, making mince meat of everything around the operative.
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| Sarah Opening fire on some charging Protoss Zealots |
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| Kerrigan completely changes appearance many times in her life. This is her original ghost form. |
Still there are few disadvantages, one of the more prominent ones will be the difficulty of this rifle in hitting the fast moving Alex. Alex via his insane agility with surely prove a hard target for even the most trained sniper. Another factor is the armor of Alex, which, although it won't negate completely, will lower the damage greatly.
Long-Range: Psi Blast
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| Kerrigan about to launch a powerful Psionic Blast. |
When an enemy is out of her reach of her wings or hovering in the air above her, she will deploy a sudden burst of Psionic energy known as the "Psi Blast" . Summoning forth a large amount of psionic energy , she blasts it towards her enemy, ignoring their shields and armor and shredding their flesh. This attack also seems harder to dodge then her others and can be cast at a fairly rapid rate.
Mid Range: "Wings"
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| Concept Art of the Wings |
In order to account for the vast amount of melee weapons in this match, I am splitting what would have been the close range section into two parts. For close range Sarah uses no weapon that aren't attached to her, relying instead on her own formidable natural arsenal, the most prominent of which are her skeletal "Wings" . They resemble that of a bird's but without the feathers, skin or membrane. They have been hardened over time, and are as sharp as any carbon steel sword. Each wing has three blades sprouting from it, and there are two wings which are both about as long as Kerrigan herself and connect at her lower back. In battle she is known to have use these deadly instruments to skewer and even rip opponents apart.
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| The Queen of Blades and her natural blades. |
Close Range: Claws, Martial Arts
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| Sarah reaching out to the viewer with her wicked claws. |
Following up with her wings is her talon-like claws; ten deadly six inch instruments of death. While the wings would naturally get first use she is capable of using these to render flesh from bone or rip out throats , though they are still nimble enough to be used on a computer keyboard, and shouldn't have a problem wielding a gun. Kerrigan loves to get up close and personal, and she has been observed absent-mind-idly licking her (bloody) fingers in anticipation for the coming fight.
As I will detail in the martial arts section, Kerrigan has had years of training that make her martial art skill impeccable; in a noteworthy incident she killed a Terran officer with a powerful blow to the neck with her leg. Spikes protrude from much of her body, and under the right circumstances these could become emergency weapons. Both of these are minor advantages compared to the rest of her body, but advantages none-of-the-less as the image of Zeratul in pain on my previous Sarah Kerrigan bio will attest to.
Her blood-lust could be her own undoing in this fight, as she prefers melee combat above all other forms and won't hesitate to charge right in should the opportunity present itself, possibly forgoing her incredibly powerful psionic powers. While her arsenal is formidable and regenerative, I can see them getting severed or smashed by Mercer's claws and Musclemass respectively.
Special :Psionic Powers (Offensive only):
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| Sarah Kerrigan standing amidst the flames. Clever Artwork or a Pyrotechnics show put on by Kerrigan? |
Psychic Attack:
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| Suffering an attack from Kerrigan wouldnt be as funny as this. |
One of her most powerful attacks, and ironically the first one ever used, the Psychic attack directly the brain of the target. Kerrigan first used this technique accidentely on her mother and father, crippling the latter and causing the former's head to "just come apart". Years later as an adult, , Kerrigan used this power to brutally execute her childhood tormentor Lieutenant Rumm, a fitting end to the man who had tried to bully her into giving a live demonstration of this power(well he got his wish ) . Arguably her greatest anti-personal attack.
Unlike in her fight with Anakin, Alex Mercer doesn't really have any defense against this power, and would have to suffer its full effects, though he may be capable of doing so. Seeing as this is the man who once survived a shot to the face, I think he may have a great deal, but not TOTAL resistance towards. Presuming that he can't absorb anything near him to regain health, an exploded brain will end this fight in Kerrigan's favor.
Telekinesis:
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| Kerrigan's Telekinesis makes this girl's look normal |
Telekinesis, or the ability to move objects with one's mind, is a power available only to the highest level psionics (8+) in Terran society. The power goes beyond throwing around simple objects though, as both Kerrigan and another ghost named Nova proved. In the final mission titled "All In" Kerrigan was actually able to lift Battle-cruisers up and implode them, while simultaneously showering marines with Psionic blasts. The ghost Nova, though two points lower on the Psionic scale then Kerrigan, was able to take down a skyscraper in a fit of rage, killing hundreds of people. Kerrigan can also use her Telekinesis to disable guns from the inside, as she did with Rumm as a child.
This power will have many uses in this battle, from deactivating guns to throwing shit to even wrenching objects from Alex's hands. In this battle I see Telekinesis as being a significant advantage for Kerrigan, as she will be able to throw men and objects around with ease. This power will drastically reduce the effectiveness of Mercer's Super Long Range.
Psionic Bolt:
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| Kerrigan using the Psionic bolt |
The Psionic bolt is a concentrated blast of Psionic energy directed at a single target; Kerrigan used this against Zeratul in his epic duel with him. While in the cinematic it just stopped him mid air, in the books and game enough bolts or a powerful enough bolt could be fatal.
While powerful and able to completely stop someone in its tracks this power does have two significant drawbacks; its lack of initial lethality and its singular use, meaning it can only be used against one person at once.
Ensnare:
For fast-moving enemies, there is no spell that works better then "ensnare" . The caster shoots forth a slimy green substance, which halves movement speed and reduces attack speed. Ensnare will also reveal any cloaked units caught in the spells effects. Utilized by Kerrigan in the first game, she is likely to have retained knowledge of this highly useful spell. Cannot kill on its own.
As mentioned above the only real weakness for this spell is that it cannot kill by itself. This spell is designed to set up the enemy for a secondary finishing blow. For example if Alex were to be covered by this slime then he will find himself extremely vulnerable to a psi or razor storm, which he wouldn't be able to get out of the way of. To give some credit to Alex, it will take a bit longer then normal for even a Psionic or Razor storm to tear him into pieces.
Implosion:
One of Kerrigan's more powerful spells, the implosion spell Creates a localized gravity well that telekinetic-ally crushes and quickly kills the target. One of Kerrigan's most powerful spells, she can use this to crush enemy vehicles, all the way up to the enormous Battle cruiser.
The problem with this power is that it's only meant for mechanical units, and is useless against biological. I am sure she could destroy guns with this power and any Blackwatch vehicles, but other then that I can't see it being able to directly combat Mercer.
(Video for Implode will be shown in the next section)
Razor Storm:
One of Kerrigan's two most powerful abilities, the Razor Storm summons forth a mass amount of energy barbs, and then unleashes them over a wide area. Flying in a crazy-eight pattern (thanks for this description Master of the Boot!) , the barbs proceed to tear apart whatever is in the area of effect. The barbs have the ability to ignore armor, so storm-trooper armor is useless against such an attack. In the campaign this power can even utterly destroy buildings.
The only way to avoid dying from this attack is to immediately move out of the area affected, something Alex Mercer will want to do ASAP as soon as she casts this power, as not even his heavy armor will protect him.
(Psi blasts, Implosion and Razor Storm can all be seen around 2:40 and 6:20.)
Psionic Storm:
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| The Psionic Strom is a POWERFUL anti-infantry weapon |
Kerrigan, through an immense amount of training, has taught herself the Protoss's most powerful Psionic Attack, the Psionic Storm. These storms send out psychic "ripples" that are disruptive to everything in a targeted area, frying the brains of everything that is in the storm's path. Like its partner the razor storm it ignore armor, though it does nothing to buildings nor those garrisoned in buildings.
Against a powerful attack such is this there is only one defense; get out of the storm's area of effect as quickly as possible. Should Alex fail his brain will quickly fry, resulting in a quick end to the fight.
(Psionic storm being used in the Beta)
*NEW* Expansion Abilities:
While the first game of the Starcraft series , Wings of Liberty, focused on Jim Raynor, the second game focuses on the now de-infested Queen of Blades. Of course the immediate question that comes to mind is; if she is de-infested, how is it possible that she retains her wings AND gets her powers?
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| Heart of the Swarm concept art, possibly depicting a reversion back to her infested form? |
From what I have been able to find, it seems that the Queen will eventually evolve her formidable natural blades back, eventually. Blizzard has both hinted that she would, and in a leaked video has apparently grown them back. I must stress that the scene was leaked in its earliest stages, and will probably not be happening in the game (or at least in that manor), but shows that Blizzard eventually has her grow her fearsome Queen of Blades form back (though presumably making her less psychotic in the process).
*Possible Spoilers*
Well with that done, lets go into the actual abilities.
Spawn Broodlings:
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| These little guys come in numbers, and pack a punch. |
(What mass broodlings can do)
While Kerrigan cannot use this power against Alex directly, she can use it against his infected followers, who he managed to gain control of in Prototype 2. The more times she uses it the more broodlings she'll create, and though in a standard melee brawl between the infected and broodlings the former would win, it would still occupy their attention. Likewise it will be difficult for Alex to concentrate on Kerrigan with these things taking giant sized nips at his ankle. Still these are absorption candidates for Alex (though he won't get much out of them), and Kerrigan will find it more difficult to give a finishing blow while he's healing himself on her minions.
(Heart of the Swarm Gameplay- 3 of the new casts are shown in it- this one and the next two)
Corrosive Spores:
There isn't a whole lot to say about this power. It is not a killing power instead like ensnare in that its an assistor. In the game this makes so each unit caught within the green blast takes +3 damage. In this battle it will function like water and electricity, one amplifies the other. It cannot kill Alex Mercer on its own, but it will ensure that he will die quicker if caught in a Psionic/razor Storm, or if shot by her sniper rifle.
Pulse:
The Pulse ability is another nonfatal spell, though unlike the power above it actually does light damage to its target, followed by period of 3-5 seconds where they are stunned and can't move. In this battle, Sarah can utilize this ability to first immobilize Alex temporarily, and then while he is vulnerable cast another, more fatal spell upon him (like Psionic Storm). Of course this spell isn't a clear cut path to victory; she is actually going to have to hit him with it first. And even then his past experience with Dante's suicide fruit gives him experience against the effects of stun, and his genius mind may be able to craft a counter to it.
Psionic Shadows:
In my opinion the greatest of Kerrigan's new powers, the Psionic Shadow power creates up to 4 "shadow clones' of Kerrigan that are have full health but compensate with a weakened attack. This power is long-lasting, and the clones will follow her around for a couple of minutes, serving as both a doppelganger and support. While the clones won't be able to use her psionic powers, in this battle they will still have her mid-close range abilities, as well as the sniper rifle.
Alex Mercer is going to be facing a real problem when Kerrigan brings out her clones; for one he won't know who to target! They are all going to be firing at him, and unfortunately for Alex they are highly advanced Psionic illusions, so he won't get any health from trying to consume them.
Crushing Grip:
Remember how I said that this section was going to put a dent in many Anakin fans arguments? Well here is the primary reason why; the most powerful force power of Anakin's that he can use in cannon (remember he didn't use force lightning in any of the books or movies, only in one game, though he was capable of it pre-suit days), the force choke/grip, is no longer exclusive to him. That's right, Sarah now has the ability to choke the shit out of people, as she demonstrates to Valerian above and below. She doesn't even have to hold her hand out, she can do it by looking at them!
As shown, Valerian has a bit of a problem with breathing, and this is something that Alex Mercer will need to watch out for as well. In battle, Sarah will be able to use this power as both a means to suffocate someone and to hold them still for another attack. Alex Mercer really doesn't have any defense against this save his natural toughness. Its going to take Sarah a LONG time to choke him to death, and Alex isn't going to be helpless while she is doing it, either.
(A great preview Trailer of Heart of the Swarm. Whereas she was a side-character (but important one) in Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm is her game)
Allies: The Zerg Swarm!
Now before we move on lets make something abundantly clear; sending the entire Zerg Swarm along with Kerrigan to take out Alex will result in the complete and destruction of Alex and whatever planet he is on. That is why for fairness purposes the swarm is going to be limited a bit, but not exclusive to Hydralisks as it was last time around. This will also save Kerrigan a headache; as she will have to deal with Mercer trying to absorb all of her minions and stop him.
Corrosive Spores:
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| The green burst |
Pulse:
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| Sarah Kerrigan 3.0 |
Psionic Shadows:
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| The upgrade menu |
Alex Mercer is going to be facing a real problem when Kerrigan brings out her clones; for one he won't know who to target! They are all going to be firing at him, and unfortunately for Alex they are highly advanced Psionic illusions, so he won't get any health from trying to consume them.
Crushing Grip:
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| Sarah demonstrating her new-found ability |
Remember how I said that this section was going to put a dent in many Anakin fans arguments? Well here is the primary reason why; the most powerful force power of Anakin's that he can use in cannon (remember he didn't use force lightning in any of the books or movies, only in one game, though he was capable of it pre-suit days), the force choke/grip, is no longer exclusive to him. That's right, Sarah now has the ability to choke the shit out of people, as she demonstrates to Valerian above and below. She doesn't even have to hold her hand out, she can do it by looking at them!
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| That's no way to treat the heir apparent... |
Allies: The Zerg Swarm!
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| The most feared faction in the Korhal sector |
the Zerg Swarm is so huge and expansive that in order to adequately describe them all I would have to make a whole profile dedicated solely to that task. That's why I am going to let good old Jim Raynor do it.
Of course some of you are probably wondering exactly why this small sub-section is located in expansion abilities. New Zerg units have evolved, and though the list of Heart of the Swarm Zerg units probably isn't half-complete, the ones that have stand a chance of being included in battle. As it is, Kerrigan's masses have gained the following varieties:
Defense and abilities:
Default Armor: Zerg Carapace(light) and hardened skin
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| Statue at the Blizzard headquarters of Kerrigan in all her glory |
She will need to watch out in this battle, as Mercer's melee attacks are more powerful then the normal humans, and his nearly all of his close range weapons have a high chance of getting past this armor (with the exception of his normal fist power - though Musclemass will quite literally punch through). Still its better then a plain hoodie, and doesn't inhibit her movement at all . The same can not be said for Mercer's two defensive powers, one of which slows him down while the other makes operating other weapons a bit difficult. One final advantage is that I can see her armor absorbing or even deflecting the low level guns that Alex could pick up.
Other Defenses: Burrow, Deep Tunnel
When enemy firepower becomes to much for the Zerg to deal with they will burrow themselves deep into the ground, escaping the hostile surface and entering into the cool dark safe zone of the depths below. In addition to providing a temporary safe-zone, Zerg regeneration kicks in a greatly increased rate. It is a superb ambush starter, and many a Terran squad has been lost a group of Zerg suddenly emerge from all sides, surrounding and trapping them.
Unlike the Deep Tunnel, the Queen of Blades and her Zerg will still be vulnerable to explosions and the possibility of Alex Mercer physically going down there.Unlike in her previous battle, Kerrigan possesses an advantage in that Mercer will not be able to sense her or her ambush pre-battle.
Other Defenses: Burrow, Deep Tunnel
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| Ultralisks emerging from below the Earth in order to slaughter a hapless marine squad. |
When enemy firepower becomes to much for the Zerg to deal with they will burrow themselves deep into the ground, escaping the hostile surface and entering into the cool dark safe zone of the depths below. In addition to providing a temporary safe-zone, Zerg regeneration kicks in a greatly increased rate. It is a superb ambush starter, and many a Terran squad has been lost a group of Zerg suddenly emerge from all sides, surrounding and trapping them.
Unlike the Deep Tunnel, the Queen of Blades and her Zerg will still be vulnerable to explosions and the possibility of Alex Mercer physically going down there.Unlike in her previous battle, Kerrigan possesses an advantage in that Mercer will not be able to sense her or her ambush pre-battle.
Deep Tunnel and Burrow:
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| Kerrigan emerging from the earth, now fully healed |
When Kerrigan senses her life is in grave danger she will quickly disappear in a flash of dirt and blood, digging so deep underground that not even Terran scanners or detectors can sense her. Using her Psionics she can move quickly while this far underground and will usually head back to her base, though she could doubtless pop up elsewhere. While underground her health and wounds regenerate even more rapidly then they do above ground, and when she emerges she is just as capable as she was in the beginning of the fight.
This is perhaps Kerrigan's greatest defense, as her holes are too deep for explosives to be adequately used, and Alex Mercer shows an aversion to wanting to go into deep holes, such as when he instead opted to force Elizabeth Greene above ground by flooding the tunnels (a time-consuming process that won't have an effect in this battle; Kerrigan will be fully healed and rested by the time he can move the equipment). Due to the unfairness of having an opponent constantly escaping and coming back to battle at full health ; in this battle I will only allow Kerrigan to utilize this power twice. It has been raised one more time to account for the superior amount of armor that Mercer has in comparison to her previous opponent.
This is perhaps Kerrigan's greatest defense, as her holes are too deep for explosives to be adequately used, and Alex Mercer shows an aversion to wanting to go into deep holes, such as when he instead opted to force Elizabeth Greene above ground by flooding the tunnels (a time-consuming process that won't have an effect in this battle; Kerrigan will be fully healed and rested by the time he can move the equipment). Due to the unfairness of having an opponent constantly escaping and coming back to battle at full health ; in this battle I will only allow Kerrigan to utilize this power twice. It has been raised one more time to account for the superior amount of armor that Mercer has in comparison to her previous opponent.
Mobility: Very agile, High jump, Psionic speed, Does not seem to tire.
Kerrigan agility was second to few in the Starcraft universe, and in the books she is descried as leaping out of craters and effortlessly dodging another ghost's blows until she was able to plunge a knife into his (cloaked) chest. She was able to duel and defeat Raynor, Zeratul and Tassadar all at once, a feat which must have required incredible reflexes, reaction time and coordination. In the final mission of Starcraft 2 she personally assaulted a heavily fortified Terran base 4 times, showcasing her incredible endurance and determination. As demonstrated in the spoiler video earlier, and in one of her early battles with Zeratul on Char, she can jump extremely high (20-30 feet).
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| Kerrigan, having scaled some nearby rocks, confronts Zeratul and his fellow Protoss |
For speed she has a special power, known rather appropriately as psionic speed. This power is activated when a powerful psionic channels energy into his/her body, greatly increasing speed and reflexes. Protoss Zealots use psionic speed to charge at blinding fast speeds into their opponents, allowing them be used to chase down fleeing opponents. Presumably should Kerrigan find herself in a dangerous situation she could use speed to run the other way. In addition, she is like other Zerg (even though technically not being a Zerg now) in that she does not seem to get tired. Given her training and genes, I cannot see exhaustion being a major factor in this battle, for either side.
(Zealots using Psionic speed)
Kerrigan's agility is going to help get out of troublesome situation and can help her stave off many near-defeats, something that is crucial when your battling someone with as much melee skills as Alex. It seems to me though that even her formidable abilities will be lacking against Alex, who seems built specifically with mobility in mind. Still this category will help her compete with him.
Regeneration/healing: Mastery:
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| She'll regenerate that in seconds |
Mastery. There is really no other term that can describe Kerrigan's regenerative powers. Whereas it takes other Zerg minutes to fully heal themselves, the Queen of Blades is able to do so in just seconds. In a duel with Zeratul she was able to regrow one of her trademark wings mere moments after it was cut off, which is basically the equivalent of you getting you arm wrenched from its socket then regrowing it seconds later. In the final mission "all In" she was able to regenerate completely just minutes after absorbing the arsenal of an entire army (artillery shells, millions of bullets, high-powered sniper rounds ect) .She is also able to heal at an even greater rate while underground.
This is going to be an extremely difficult category to judge, as both opponents are so ridiculously good at healing themselves. Personally, in a case of unaided regeneration, I believe Kerrigan would take it as she can regrow entire limbs! However when you factor in Alex's ability to absorb whatever is around him then suddenly judging this becomes as bit harder. What is known is that both foes are going to have to work overtime in order to kill the other!
Misc Abilities and passive powers: Sense Psionics, Psionic sight, Extremely powerful Telepathy, Cloaking
Sense Psionics(Detector) and Psionic sight
Sense Psionics(Detector) and Psionic sight
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| A powerful Terran Psionic known as a Specter |
Kerrigan was arguably the most powerful psionic of the Zerg or Terran races had ever produced, and she could rival many Protoss. Her psionics ability aroused the attention of the Overmind, who was naturally able to locate her due to his sense psionics ability that all Zerg, and most telepathic Terran, possess. Humans with powers such as hers apparently generate alpha waves while using said powers, and the Zerg were able to home in on this like a shark following a blood trail. Prior to her infestation Kerrigan also demonstrated this ability when she was able to detect the presence of another ghost in battle, though she could not pinpoint his exact location without electronic help.
Another Psionic ability of Kerrigan's was called Psionic Sight or "heat vision" . In utilizing this power Kerriganwould be able to see through walls and around corners, potentially spoiling a well planed ambush.
While Psionic sight is going to be very useful, I cannot see sense Psionic doing anything, as Alex Mercer does not have either Psionic or Force capabilities .
Telepathy:
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| A Terran Telepath |
Broadly speaking, telepathy involves the ability to read minds, sensing emotion/general thoughts, sending psychic messages and accessing the memories of sentient creatures. Kerrigan is an incredibly powerful Telepath, able to read even the advanced Protoss minds, who in turn are able to read almost all Terran's minds. She is so good that the dark Templar Zeratul, who is immune to the mind reading attempts of other Protoss, visibly struggled to expel Kerrigan from his mind. Once in her opponent's minds she can learn of their plans, past history, and even their future whereabouts. She can also torment the unfortunate victim with gruesome visions of parts of the past that they do not care to remember.
Unlike last time, Kerrigan is not facing a foe with resistance to her mind-reading abilities. Alex Mercer cannot use his force abilities to block her out, and Kerrigan peaking into his mind is going to severely inhibit his tactical capabilities. I will allow Mercer the benefit of the doubt in that his is a strong mind, and he may develop some resistance to the Telepathy during the battle.
Cloaking: Unlike last time, Kerrigan is not facing a foe with resistance to her mind-reading abilities. Alex Mercer cannot use his force abilities to block her out, and Kerrigan peaking into his mind is going to severely inhibit his tactical capabilities. I will allow Mercer the benefit of the doubt in that his is a strong mind, and he may develop some resistance to the Telepathy during the battle.
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| A cloaked ghost observing his handiwork |
While the advantages of cloaking are obvious, the disadvantages should also be mentioned. Terran cloaked units require energy to maintain their camouflage, and will automatically disable their cloak when it runs out. All cloaked units leave a telltale "ripple" in the air when moving, allowing observant players to see them, though a detector is still needed to allow units to attack them.
In this battle if Alex Mercer possesses no force abilities to see through her cloak, but he will have thermal vision which will be able to see through it. Thermal vision isn't default and Alex will have to switch through it, but once he does he shouldn't have too many problems.
Intangible Factors:
*credit to Vercingetorix again for the term
Tactics/personality: Ruthless, Brilliant Tactician, Deceptive and manipulative , Height of Psionic potential, Hive-mind, led from the front, Psychological warfare, Blood-lust, Brave, Extremely aggressive, ZERG RUSH!
Kerrigan came to dominate the entire Koprulu sector through genius battlefield tactics, strategic alliances and frequent backstabbing. She was able to manipulate Zeratul to destroy a rival Overmind and Raynor and Mengsk to help her oppose the U.E.D. After each objective was successfully carried out she betrayed her new-found allies; forcing Zeratul to kill his brainwashed leader and killing Mengsk's top general, Duke. Without so much as a moment's pause she even killed the best friend of her lover Raynor, a Protoss named Fenix, for the sole purpose of reducing the power of all of her future enemies. . Of course this also had effect of pissing off everyone else in the sector, and Mengsk , the Protoss and the U.E.D. all formed a temporary alliance with the sole aim of killing her. Though they would have destroyed her if each organization was at their full power; Kerrigan's manipulations and skirmishes had all taken their toll, and each faction possessed only a shadow of their former power. One by one they fell to her genius tactics, designed to take advantage of each of their individual weaknesses , and she emerged the undisputed ruler of the entire sector.
( Kerrigan talking to the player, demonstrating use of Psychological warfare.)
Kerrigan is the greatest human psionic the galaxy has ever seen, with only obscure entities (Voice in the Darkness and Dark Voice) being able to match her. She can enslave the powerful Protoss to her will, she can cast razor storms which rip everything around her to shreds, and she can even command an ENTIRE race with her mind. Zerg evolved as a hive mind race, naturally telepathic to each other and able to communicate over great distances, and Kerrigan can coordinate battle strategies without ever having to utter a word. Her command style can be described as up-front, leading in the same aggressive manner Alexander once did eons before her. Kerrigan has a demoralizing effect on enemies and she knows it, and her dialogue is full of creepy quips. She has been known to use her Telepathic powers to taunt her victims, like when she beamed both pleasant and unpleasant images into the head of Jim Raynor.
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| (Yes, I am insinuating that George Washington played Starcraft) |
Kerrigan seems to genuinely enjoy the thrills of battle; the rush, the exhilaration you get after so successfully slaying a hated enemy; that she will actually, in some cases, rush into battle ahead of her troops .This demonstrates one of the favorite tactics of the Zerg, Zerg Rush! Zerg Rush is when you attack an opponent before they are properly prepared, keeping the pressure on them and forcing them to only respond to your moves, not letting them get in attacks of their own. Basically in this fight she is more likely to gain and keep the offensive then not.
Sarah seems to consider herself so powerful that death does not even factor into the equation, or if it does it doesn't effect her actions. She would much rather be in the thick of the battle then sitting on a station somewhere, a thousand miles away, commanding from afar. Though she has changed greatly in Heart of the Swarm, there is not enough evidence to suggest that she changed her tactical style (yet).
Motivation: Maximizing her potential, , unknown looming threat, Revenge on Arcturus Mengsk, Jim Raynor, Metamorph
"None shall ever dispute my rule again."
For her ultimate objectives, Sarah seeks to become the ultimate life-form that rules over all other lifeforms. Anything that gets in the way of her absolute power will be crushed. She has callously made and betrayed alliances at will, lest her allies benefit from her success. Kerrigan also constantly strives to upgrade her abilities. Even when she was under the control of the Overmind she disobeyed orders in order to raid a science vessel to remove the last vestiges of her ghost inhibitors; this insubordination resulted in the death of a Zerg leader. She is power-hungry to be sure, yet there is also a secondary reason behind her zealous pursuit of the subject. She can sense, without really knowing what she senses, that there is a looming threat on the horizon that will exceed all previous threats. Her desire to combat the unknown is a significant reason behind her lust for power. Though she has tempered a bit after her de-infestation, these personal motivations seems to still exist in her. Now that she is de-infested, her mind is focused on one of the last thoughts she had before it became infested; revenge on Arcturus Mengsk.
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| Likelihood that Acturus will survive Heart of the Swarm: in the single digits. |
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| The main character of Starcraft 2. |
Training/Experience Extensive ghost training, number of assassinations, leads from the front,fought against every different race/important leader in sector.
At a very young age Kerrigan was initiated into the ghost program, which was essentially a government sanctioned assassin training school. Ghosts were the black ops of the Stracraft universe, and they were trained to be the best warriors that Terrans had to offer. Their training was also the most brutal of all three races. In physical training, ghosts are trained in target shooting, close-quarters combat (martial arts and other techniques such as knife fighting ) and vehicular expertise. Ghosts are also trained to move quickly and are desensitized to combat; an example would be Sarah Kerrigan's training, who at the age of twelve had a gun placed to her head by a guard and was ordered to kill the guard before he killed her. Ghosts were subject to high gravity training and various virtual simulations, such as the "Nukes Away" sim which was evidently so popular that ghosts would spend what little leisure time they had in that simulation. "Nukes Away " demands that a ghost utilize covert infiltration tactics in order to successively nuke the enemy before any rival team were able to do so.
Once she "graduated" from her school, Sarah was sent by her Confederate overlords to assassinate dissidents who could prove a threat to the government. She never failed in any of her missions, even succeeding in killing half of the Mengsk family. Eventually Acturus, who despite is hidden rage sensed a valuable asset in her, removed her conditioning and brought her to his side. From then on she was his second-in-command, leading his armies from the front and scoring victory after victory. This was, of course, before he betrayed her on Tarsonis, whereupon her allegiance merely changed, not her command style nor success rate. With the Overmind's death she eventually came to control the Zerg, and through her front-line leadership she defeated every foe sent against her.
Past Opponents(Hero units or important people personally killed/dueled put in parenthesis): Rebels and dissidents of Confederacy(Angus Mengsk) , The Confederacy (Major Rumm, U.E.D., Dominion, Renegade Zerg, Protoss of the Khala (Tassadar) and Dark Templar(Zeratul) , some Hybrids
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| She started out as an assassin |
When it comes to war and fighting Sarah Kerrigan has had more of it in her thirty-one years of life then most people (real or fictional) have had in their entire lives. The first lives Sarah deliberately took was in the ghost program during one of the many training sessions designed to mold her in the perfect killer. She was apparently judged a success and, after having a microchip installed for obedience purposes, was sent lose against the many rebels of the Confederacy. Her most famous victim was Angus Mengsk (father of Arcturus) and much of his family, with Kerrigan personally cutting off his head. She also participated in the "Xenomorph" experiments; conducted against captured Zerg where it was found that she was able to Mind Control them better then any other subject. The experiments came to an end when the Sons of Korhal raided the secret facility, capturing Kerrigan.
Acturus Mengsk, now in charge of the group which had dwindled to thirty people after the nuclear destruction of his home planet by the Confederacy, recognized her and considered killing her. Ultimately he saw her usefulness and didn't, claiming to have forgiven her (he lied). One of the first missions she was given were to hunt down and kill the other two ghosts who did the deed with her. She killed one in messy hand to hand combat while he was cloaked, she managed to capture the other and hand him over to Mengsk for execution. In the interval, she killed her childhood tormentor Major Rumm with the psychic attack ability after killing another ghost in hand-to-hand combat.
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| Sarah getting to know Jim |
She was extremely grateful to Arcturus for rescuing her, and played an active role in the recruitment, defense and operations of the sons of Korhal, becoming a second in command. In fact its arguable whether she or Mengsk did more for the organization. She played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederacy, planting Psi Disruptors on a key base to lure the Zerg in. As these devices inflicted countless causalities she regretted it, however Arcturus convinced her to plant it on the Confederate capital world of Tarsonis. Though reluctant and asked by her friend jim Raynor to abandon the mission, she followed through, personally taking on Zerg, the remaining Confederates and even a Protoss force sent to help the planet. It was here she was here she was betrayed by Mengsk and left to the Zerg, much to the glee of the Overmind, who saw her as a key part in his plan to free his race from control of the Dark Voice.
Almost immediately after her infestation, she engaged Protoss and Terran troops sent to Char by the psionic cries emanating from the planet, which called Tassadar and Jim Raynor by name. these forces were soon joined by Zeratul and the Dark Templar. The Dark Templar, who split from the regular Protoss ages earlier, were powerful warriors able to focus their Psionic Energies into attacks designed to bypass Zerg Regeneration. They allied with the other two factions and Kerrigan hounded them all across the planet before ultimately being lured in an ambush. Though she defeated the leaders of all three factions in a four-pronged duel, the engagement was lost when reinforcements showed up.
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| Tassadar. The Protoss have hundreds of year of experience, making it impressive that Kerrigan was able to defeat the commanders of two groups, as well as Jim Raynor. |
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In a nutshell Kerrigan has pretty much seen it all, from highly skilled melee fighters like the Zealots, to specialists like the ghosts, to supernatural abilities of the Templar, to overwhelming firepower like the Protoss fleet. It is even hinted in her conversation with Zeratul that she has come into contact with godlike beings known as the Hybrids, controlled by the mysterious Dark Voice.
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| Nova, arguably the greatest ghost in history |
This sub-category will assess the quality of the enemies that Kerrigan is preparing to face, and how formidable they are. Seeing as I can't assess either Prototype 2 or Heart of the Swarm yet, this will measure the initial toughness of the enemies that they(Alex and Sarah) are confirmed to face, and may have faced by the time of their battle . It is a low point category being worth only five points of the Past Opponents 30.
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| Zagara, the renegade Brood mother |
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| Kerrigan defeats Psi-blade wielding opponents all the time. Psi-blades are the Starcraft version of a lightsaber...still surprised that Anakin's couldn't dominate the match? |
The Protoss are another foe that Kerrigan must battle, and are as capable as ever. Though little is known about what exactly Kerrigan and her forces will face from them, they are arguably the most formidable faction in the Starcraft Universe, and they have a grudge against her.
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| Acturus's greatest general |
Her greatest opponent in Heart of the Swarm will be the Dominion, the tyrannical government run by her former boss, Acturus Mengsk. Seeing as she has vowed to kill him it is a pretty safe guess that she will be fighting him throughout the expansion. One of the first lieutenants she will have to deal with is Horace Warfield, the general who is well known for his hatred of Zerg and leading from the front. With the exception of Jim Raynor he also had the most amount of success against the Zerg during the battles of the second great war (which ended when Kerrigan was de-infested), and is currently engaged in the purge of all Zerg from Char.
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| The battle of the Century 2500s |
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| The ultimate foe.. |
However there is one more section that could top even the previous formidable ghost; the Hybrids. These monstrosities are the result of the genes of both Zerg and Protoss being merged together....and in an alternate future they are responsible for the destruction of all three standard races. These foes are so powerful that it took an entire Protoss army to destroy the hybrid named Maar, and terran forces under Jim Raynor were unable to hurt a second hybrid Reaver.
Samir Duran is the agency of that mysterious group, and he has appeared twice in Starcraft lore. The first time was when he actively sabotaged the U.E.D.'s and Kerrigan's forces in the Brood War. The Second is when he assumed the guise of the mysterious Dr. Narud and assembled the artifact for Jim Raynor's use, apparently hoping that the Queen would be killed shortly after being infested. It is unknown exactly what species Duran truly is, or what his name is, but it seems that the man's mysterious goals are in line with the Hybrids.
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| The Ultimate evil |
Finally the mysterious leader of the hybrids, known only as the Dark Voice. What this entity is, whether he is spontaneous evil or corrupted by the original evil (KL-2 entity) is unknown, but what is known is that he wishes to recreate everything in his own image (hybrids). To do that he must exterminate the other races. Eons ago he managed to enslave the Zerg Overmind, force it to wipe out the Xel-Naga (which may be his race) and send it on a self-destructive coarse with the Protoss. His plans were thwarted by the conversion of Kerrigan, who the Dark Voice considers the only one capable of thwarting his plans and thus, his biggest target.
Last Victory: Versus Anakin
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| The Chosen One was humbled that day on Mustafar... |
From that battle, Kerrigan would have learned that also she is good, there are some better then her in close quarters combat, and that she may need to be more cautious. It would have also alerted her to the possibility of unknown powers, so that she can be more cautious in assessing a foe.
Martial Arts/fighting style: Extensive martial Art training, renowned duelist, superb knife fighter
As mentioned in the close range section, Sarah was heavily trained in various martial arts styles. Some examples of the skill she will bring to this fight include; she could break a man's neck with a kick, she could wrench a gun from a marine's hand and turn it on its owner in a blink of an eye, and she could effortlessly snap and silently move on to the next before the body hits the floor. Naturally all of her skills were amplified post-infection, and she was able to time and again defeat the long-lived Protoss in duels. In one duel on Char she defeated Zeratul, Tassadar and Jim Raynor in one giant duel; only the arrival of the Protoss fleet prevented her from finishing off three of the galaxy's most important figures. She would duel Zeratul many more times in the future, each time either beating him or drawing the battle.
Her expertise with knives was noted in the Ghost Acadamy, and was demonstrated even before she assumed her title of "Queen of Blades". She always carried at least a combat knife with her, and in a duel with another ghost she was able to disembowel him while he was cloaked. Her blades skill is a reason that she is able to turn her claws and wings into such regiment shattering weapons.
Psychology: Confident in battle, brilliant tactician, desires power and control, vengeful, Ruthless, Calculating and Manipulative, aggressive (can be hot-headed_, calculating and manipulative, aloof and suspicious, introverted, Unsure of whether her actions were morally right or who she truly is, regretful on the inside, fatalistic view.
At the moment, no one knows what the former Queen of Blades true personality is, least of all herself. She shows elements of both her infested and pre-infested side, and is a currently a curious mix of both's traits.
In battle, she is rightfully confident in her long-honed fighting abilities and tactical mind, which also shows her high natural intelligence. She wants control over the swarm, and the power it brings, meaning that she will eliminate any that get in her way. Another object that is very high in her "to do" list is vengeance against Acturus Mengsk, and she isn't afraid to kill any that could get in her way. She shows this ruthlessness even after her de-infestation, eliminating a Protoss colony to prevent news of her return from reaching the main fleet. Kerrigan is physically aggressive and psychologically aggressive leading from the front even in the expansion and continuing to intimidate people. Sometimes this ends up hurting her, like when Zeratul lured her into a duel so that he could kill her lieutenant.
In the past she was shown to be quite manipulative, convincing Jim Raynor, the Protoss, and even Acturus Mengsk to join her at one point or another before betraying them all. Her calculations were shown to have born fruit; she gained control of the Swam and the rest of the factions were to weak to take her on even three on one. From the various betrayal that she has suffered through and the people that have used her to accomplish their own ends (Confederacy, Acturus, Duran) she has become a bit aloof and suspicious of intentions, and this may have influenced her in betrayals.
Due to her traumatic upbringing, Kerrigan has always been a bit introverted, and found it a bit difficult to connect to people. Other then Acturus who wasn't actually one, she had one friend before Jim Raynor and that was a soldier named Hung, who died trying to save her. As a result of past manipulations and the time as Queen of Blades she is a bit unsure of who she truly is, or whether her past deeds are justified. She has questions her Zerg lieutenants as to what she was like as the Queen, and even though the Queen of Blade's personality traits ares still evident, she called her former actions "terrible". Though she works to stem the tide of Hybrids, she seems to have fatalist views towards them and thinks that the conflict might be futile.
Personality Weaknesses: Arrogant, a bit impetuous, a bit unsure of herself
Kerrigan has always been a bit full of herself, even prior to Infestation. After the success she won during the Brood Wars her arrogance increased ten-fold, and she came to believe herself the ultimate being, born to rule over all others. This arrogance has caused her to underestimate some of her opponents, such as Jim Raynor, which ultimatly helped lead to her downfall. She is impetuous, and has rushed into combat in the past without thinking, though she hasn't done it recently. Since De-infestation she has been questioning her actions a lot, and they are constantly on her mind.
Closing Statement:
Sarah Kerrigan is a name whispered in fear throughout the Korhal sector- with good reason as this preview shows. Her Psionic potential is literally off the chart; they had to create a whole new scale just for her. Kerrigan's skill in hand to hand combat allow her to best even Protoss, and her long range game isn't lacking either. Her regeneration is phenomenal, and I can only see sever dismemberment or a brain shot killing her. Finally she has a great advantage in intangibles with a great deal of experience, training, and ample knowledge in tactics. In this battle, Kerrigan fights a foe that can take as much, if not more, punishment then her, and she will need to
Six Ways to win
1. Use the Psionics, Sarah
Kerrigan's psionic powers will be her greatest asses, and she has an incredible amount of them, ranging from simply blowing Alex's brain apart to tearing him to shreds in razor storm. Psionics will also ruin any ambush he attempts.
2. The Swarm is you best friend
Kerrigan has powerful and diverse allies in the form of the Swarm, and as their queen she can call upon them if needed. There are numerous varieties of the Swarm, and Alex will need to change up his tactics to combat each one.
3. Take the fight underground, if necessary
Sarah has a fallback option that she can use if things get too hot; the Deep Tunnel ability. Once under the Earth and safe from harm, her wounds will regenerate even more rapidly then they do on land, allowing her to pop back up only moments later.
4. The mind is a terrible thing to waste
The Queen of Blades is a brilliant and proven tactician, and she will need to use her mind in order to confront the smart and adaptive Alex Mercer.
5. Remember what your doing this for!
Kerrigan is more motivated then ever, with goals ranging from the vengeance to perfecting her brood, to even love. She is in this battle for the win, and won't accept anything other then victory...or death.
6. Those who remember history, prosper
Finally she has fought a greater variety, quantity and quality of enemies then Alex, and will need to remember past victories and defeats in this battle. If she does so she may quickly come up with a way to defeat Alex; if not history may be doomed to repeat itself...and not in Kerrigan's favor.
(The Video that gives Kerrigan a Casus Beli to invade Earth.
Alex Mercer
Brief History:
Born in poverty, Alex Mercer had an rough childhood. His parents were crooks, and Alex was raised in foster care for the first nine years of his life until his mom, who had been in prison, took him back in. It would have been better for Alex to have stayed in foster care. Growing up to be a friendless, he trusted no one, and only found solace in work.
(First Web Of Intrigue Video. I'll be scattering these throughout the preview)
(Prototype trailer)
Offensive Categories:
Super Long range: Throwing Objects and Picked Up weapons
Alex Mercer possesses no biological power for the super long range category, and instead is forced to rely on two options; picking up random guns and throwing large, preferably heavy objects. The first option requires to find a gun, which unsurprisingly isn't that rare in New York City anymore given the infection. The Marines and Blackwatch use weapons such as the M4A1, the M249, the Javelin missile launcher, the M32 Multiple Grenade Launcher, and all the way down to the basic M9. For some odd reason the two organizations use just about every weapon archetype on the island EXCEPT sniper rifles. Sniper rifles are not available in the game, and thus are unavailable to Alex Mercer here.
(Shows throwing powers and much more)
Alex Mercer's greatest ranged power is the Whipfist. Useful when you want to jack helicopters or pull a fleeing enemy closer, this power morphs Alex's hand into a long tentacle with a blade on the end, which can extend up to thirty feet! This can be used to grab, hurl enemies great distances, and can be charged to inflict even great damage. Great video of the Whipfist can be found here
The most devastating attack the Whipfist can do is the so called "street sweeper". This is when Alex charges his tentacle and then swings in a wide circle, cutting whatever is in the path of the strike in half.The blade cuts through people, cars, light posts, telephone polls ect. With the exception of the street sweeper, the Whipfist doesn't really do much damage and its main use is keeping stuff at bay/long range grabbing.
(Alex Mercer: cleaning city streets since 2009)
Against Kerrigan, there are many pros to this power, begining with its suprise factor, as unless she uses her telepathy first, I can hardly imagine Kerrigan would be expecting a 30-40 arm reaching out and grabbing her. This arm is powerful, and can lift things many times greater then Alex, so I can see him either pulling the Queen in for a stab or tossing her many dozens of feet in the air easily. Of course in a direct comparison to the Psionic Blast it lack in lethality, relying on (with the exception of the special street sweeper move) stabbing more then slashing. In addition the street sweeper is only really effective in mid range; so for the actual long range arena he'll have to rely on reaching out and impaling.
(Segment 2)
Groundspike:
A short sub-section of this category, the Groundspike is a ability that comes with Mercer's claws.The biomass from the claws are channeled into the ground to erupt and impale a targeted enemy or a group. This is a very powerful and damaging attack, and if it hits Kerrigan it could either kill her or drag her to near death .
That said, Alex Mercer also has to remain stationary to in order to use the power, and to a hyper-intelligent, telepathic foe his intent is going to be pretty obvious. The time between sticking his hands in the ground and impalement is enough that I could see her evading it and countering with a Psionic power of her own. Finally if it does hit Kerrigan's regeneration is powerful enough to where it may not kill her, however it will leave her weakend enough for consumption.
While the fists alone would qualify as close range, the area of effect puts it in the mid range category.
When Alex activates this power large amounts of biomass shift to his fists, which creates massive hammer-like hands. The fists work excellently as anti-vehicle , being able to smash them open in a few swings. With upgrades he can grapple people and pound them into the ground, hurl himself many yards unto the enemy, or even do a elbow dive/body slam from a 1000 feet up sending any nearby enemies flying. The downside of this power is that it is rather slow to pull off, giving any agile enemies ample time to run away.
Close Range: Claws, Musclemass, hand-to-hand
Claws:
The first power that Alex unlocks is his wicked claw power. When activated Alex shifts his biomass into three-fingered, one-thumbed talon-like appendages that he can use to shred through human enemies with ease. In the game, the Claws are Mercer's fastest power, and are used primarily to shred through low-level infected and non super-mutant soldiers. Against armor and big boss characters they are at a disadvantage, and take much longer to kill them then virtually any other power in his arsenal.
Against Sarah the Sarah it will give Alex a benefit in having a very fast weapon that even she can't evade, but he'll have some problems doing the mass amounts of damage any other of his weapons would do. It would take a lot of effort to cut through her bone wings or carpeice with this, though its not impossible.
Musclemass:
Of all Alex's forms, this is the least physically altering. When activated, it diverts biomass to Alex's fists and lower arms, giving him immense strength and increased attack speed. At its base level, a charged attack will turn any human enemy it strikes into bloody chunks; once upgraded, even a normal blow will cause this. Objects thrown with Musclemass will hit harder, fly further, and move faster than objects thrown at Alex's normal strength. Uppercuts will send men flying in the air, often several stories.
The Muscelamss's limitations are its lack of range, and the fact that it doesn't really add anything new to mercer's arsenal, only augments it. Against Sarah this will certainly be more effective then the previous power, however Mercer will need to take into consideration Kerrigan's superior close quarters training.
Alex also has limited hand to hand attacks which, when backed up with his natural agility and strength, make him quite formidable. However in the game these attacks are generally rather ineffective against bosses, which is what Kerrigan is.
Offensive Powers (Devastators and hijacking) :
*Each devastator has two versions ; air and land.
(segment 3)
Alex Mercer's most devastating powers can all be found in the devastator category. These release a massive amount of biomass to inflict the maximum amount of damage on whoever he is fighting. There's a catch however as his most powerful attacks are severely draining and cost a significant amount of health to execute. Should one of these attacks fail he may not have the strength to carry on much farther in this fight.
Tendril Barrage Devastators:
Massive amounts of tendrils made of biomass erupts from within Alex's body that impales everything around him, then brings back some material. This is Mercer's anti-infantry devastator, and it instant kills every infantry (soldiers or infected) save a very select few bosses and super-soldiers. Has about a 30-40 foot effect radius.
Hijacking:
When Alex Mercer is seeking military grade weaponry, wants to infiltrate or even just to go on a joy-ride, he is capable of hijacking vehicles and using their armament against his enemies. In prototype, vehicles that can be hijacked include: the M1 Abrams tanks, the M2 Bradley, the Apache, the U-60 Blackhawk, and finally the Prototype specific Thermobarbaric tank . The latter is so ridiculously powerful that it can kill a fully upgraded Alex Mercer instantly. Against Sarah its also going to be very effective.
It seems that in the next game Alex Mercer will have the ability to choose two different forms of weapons at once, allowing for multiple combinations and multiple benefits. He could use his whipfist to pull Kerrigan into his blade, or alternately beat/slash her to death with hammerfist and musclemass.
Martial Arts/fighting style: Extensive martial Art training, renowned duelist, superb knife fighter
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| SC 1 Artist rendition of the Queen of Blades |
As mentioned in the close range section, Sarah was heavily trained in various martial arts styles. Some examples of the skill she will bring to this fight include; she could break a man's neck with a kick, she could wrench a gun from a marine's hand and turn it on its owner in a blink of an eye, and she could effortlessly snap and silently move on to the next before the body hits the floor. Naturally all of her skills were amplified post-infection, and she was able to time and again defeat the long-lived Protoss in duels. In one duel on Char she defeated Zeratul, Tassadar and Jim Raynor in one giant duel; only the arrival of the Protoss fleet prevented her from finishing off three of the galaxy's most important figures. She would duel Zeratul many more times in the future, each time either beating him or drawing the battle.
Her expertise with knives was noted in the Ghost Acadamy, and was demonstrated even before she assumed her title of "Queen of Blades". She always carried at least a combat knife with her, and in a duel with another ghost she was able to disembowel him while he was cloaked. Her blades skill is a reason that she is able to turn her claws and wings into such regiment shattering weapons.
Psychology: Confident in battle, brilliant tactician, desires power and control, vengeful, Ruthless, Calculating and Manipulative, aggressive (can be hot-headed_, calculating and manipulative, aloof and suspicious, introverted, Unsure of whether her actions were morally right or who she truly is, regretful on the inside, fatalistic view.
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| A great picture, though its the opposite now since her deinfestation, and infested Kerrigan is the one looking up. |
At the moment, no one knows what the former Queen of Blades true personality is, least of all herself. She shows elements of both her infested and pre-infested side, and is a currently a curious mix of both's traits.
In battle, she is rightfully confident in her long-honed fighting abilities and tactical mind, which also shows her high natural intelligence. She wants control over the swarm, and the power it brings, meaning that she will eliminate any that get in her way. Another object that is very high in her "to do" list is vengeance against Acturus Mengsk, and she isn't afraid to kill any that could get in her way. She shows this ruthlessness even after her de-infestation, eliminating a Protoss colony to prevent news of her return from reaching the main fleet. Kerrigan is physically aggressive and psychologically aggressive leading from the front even in the expansion and continuing to intimidate people. Sometimes this ends up hurting her, like when Zeratul lured her into a duel so that he could kill her lieutenant.
In the past she was shown to be quite manipulative, convincing Jim Raynor, the Protoss, and even Acturus Mengsk to join her at one point or another before betraying them all. Her calculations were shown to have born fruit; she gained control of the Swam and the rest of the factions were to weak to take her on even three on one. From the various betrayal that she has suffered through and the people that have used her to accomplish their own ends (Confederacy, Acturus, Duran) she has become a bit aloof and suspicious of intentions, and this may have influenced her in betrayals.
Due to her traumatic upbringing, Kerrigan has always been a bit introverted, and found it a bit difficult to connect to people. Other then Acturus who wasn't actually one, she had one friend before Jim Raynor and that was a soldier named Hung, who died trying to save her. As a result of past manipulations and the time as Queen of Blades she is a bit unsure of who she truly is, or whether her past deeds are justified. She has questions her Zerg lieutenants as to what she was like as the Queen, and even though the Queen of Blade's personality traits ares still evident, she called her former actions "terrible". Though she works to stem the tide of Hybrids, she seems to have fatalist views towards them and thinks that the conflict might be futile.
Personality Weaknesses: Arrogant, a bit impetuous, a bit unsure of herself
Kerrigan has always been a bit full of herself, even prior to Infestation. After the success she won during the Brood Wars her arrogance increased ten-fold, and she came to believe herself the ultimate being, born to rule over all others. This arrogance has caused her to underestimate some of her opponents, such as Jim Raynor, which ultimatly helped lead to her downfall. She is impetuous, and has rushed into combat in the past without thinking, though she hasn't done it recently. Since De-infestation she has been questioning her actions a lot, and they are constantly on her mind.
Closing Statement:
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| One unlucky marines last image |
Sarah Kerrigan is a name whispered in fear throughout the Korhal sector- with good reason as this preview shows. Her Psionic potential is literally off the chart; they had to create a whole new scale just for her. Kerrigan's skill in hand to hand combat allow her to best even Protoss, and her long range game isn't lacking either. Her regeneration is phenomenal, and I can only see sever dismemberment or a brain shot killing her. Finally she has a great advantage in intangibles with a great deal of experience, training, and ample knowledge in tactics. In this battle, Kerrigan fights a foe that can take as much, if not more, punishment then her, and she will need to
Six Ways to win
1. Use the Psionics, Sarah
Kerrigan's psionic powers will be her greatest asses, and she has an incredible amount of them, ranging from simply blowing Alex's brain apart to tearing him to shreds in razor storm. Psionics will also ruin any ambush he attempts.
2. The Swarm is you best friend
Kerrigan has powerful and diverse allies in the form of the Swarm, and as their queen she can call upon them if needed. There are numerous varieties of the Swarm, and Alex will need to change up his tactics to combat each one.
3. Take the fight underground, if necessary
Sarah has a fallback option that she can use if things get too hot; the Deep Tunnel ability. Once under the Earth and safe from harm, her wounds will regenerate even more rapidly then they do on land, allowing her to pop back up only moments later.
4. The mind is a terrible thing to waste
The Queen of Blades is a brilliant and proven tactician, and she will need to use her mind in order to confront the smart and adaptive Alex Mercer.
5. Remember what your doing this for!
Kerrigan is more motivated then ever, with goals ranging from the vengeance to perfecting her brood, to even love. She is in this battle for the win, and won't accept anything other then victory...or death.
6. Those who remember history, prosper
Finally she has fought a greater variety, quantity and quality of enemies then Alex, and will need to remember past victories and defeats in this battle. If she does so she may quickly come up with a way to defeat Alex; if not history may be doomed to repeat itself...and not in Kerrigan's favor.
Alex Mercer
Brief History:
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| NYC's most wanted, represented by red and black, the colors of his biomass |
After getting a doctorate in genetics at Columbia University he was hired by the top secret Gentek in New York. Alex was described as being years ahead of anyone else, and helped create the Blacklight virus, which was the most virulent disease ever created. However once Gentek came under Congressional scrutiny, the shadowy figures set about destroying all key personnel in order to keep the project a secret. The paranoid Alex soon found out about the plan through his investigative sister Dana. Terrified he attempted to flee the city but was unfortunately caught at Penn Station by Blackwatch, an elite army created just to combat Biological threats . However Alex had bought some insurance before leaving; he had mailed secret documents to Dana and had brought with his a vial of Blacklight. In a fit of rage upon seeing his death at hand he smashed the vial on the floor, starting the infection even as the agents opened fire on him. Alex Mercer was dead...
.....But he didn't stay that way. As he fell to the ground dead , the sentient virus entered him. As Blackwatch was taking him to morgue, the virus was hard at work reconstructing his body; cell by cell. He wakes up quite literally under the scalpel and discovers that the virus had given him near supernatural abilities, but had robbed him of any previous memory. Alex soon finds a way around this by way of a new power called consume, whereupon he absorbs someone and gains the memory, skills and appearance of that person. Through this ability he slowly finds out more and more about his past life and who he truly is, all the while dealing with both the zombie-like infection that he had created and the ever persistent Blackwatch. Led by General Randall, this organization is obsessed with destroying the virus in Manhattan, even calling in the marines to be both their minions and to take the Fallout if the New York infection becomes proves un-containable .
Elizabeth Greene escapes from the Gentek facility and becomes the hive mother of the infection, assuming control over it and helping it spread. Once Alex had consumed enough people to surmise how he died, he went on a warpath of revenge. He cornered the director of the Gentek project, who had informed Blackwatch that Alex was going to flee, but the director committed suicide before Alex could absorb him. Through the aid of an informant, later revealed to be Blackwatch special agent Cross, he then chased after Elizabeth Greene, wanting to absorb her as well. He seemingly killed the supreme hunter and then, after some brief cooperation with the military, he forced Greene out of the sewer system after flooding it with Bloodtox, a counter-virus engineered solely to kill the hosts of Blacklight. After an epic battle he absorbed the infected leader, gaining her powers and memories.
Elizabeth Greene escapes from the Gentek facility and becomes the hive mother of the infection, assuming control over it and helping it spread. Once Alex had consumed enough people to surmise how he died, he went on a warpath of revenge. He cornered the director of the Gentek project, who had informed Blackwatch that Alex was going to flee, but the director committed suicide before Alex could absorb him. Through the aid of an informant, later revealed to be Blackwatch special agent Cross, he then chased after Elizabeth Greene, wanting to absorb her as well. He seemingly killed the supreme hunter and then, after some brief cooperation with the military, he forced Greene out of the sewer system after flooding it with Bloodtox, a counter-virus engineered solely to kill the hosts of Blacklight. After an epic battle he absorbed the infected leader, gaining her powers and memories.
It was now time to get revenge on the final two people who had ruined Alex's old life. Karen Parker, his ex-girlfriend who betrayed him to Blackwatch, was cornered and presumably absorbed in a elevator. Now it was Randall's turn. After successfully ruining military operations in Manhattan, he succeeded in consuming a military colonel named Taggart. Together with Cross, he then confronted Randall in his disguise on the Aircraft career U.S.S. Reagan. His vengeance complete there was only one more foe for him to face....Cross, who as it turned out was really the Supreme Hunter who had absorbed agent Cross. After a furious battle he decapitated it. Now he had but one more task to complete...dealing with the Nuclear bomb that the military was going to use on New York. Alex swam it out to see, being within a mere mile of it when it finally detonated.
Though nearly every cell in his body was destroyed by the blast, he was still strong enough to feast on a raven attempting to consume his remains. His reign of terror was not yet over....
Super Long range: Throwing Objects and Picked Up weapons
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| Heller using Tentacles to pick up cars and chuck them |
A second, more simplistic option for Alex is to simply pick up giant heavy objects (telephone polls, benches, people, TANKS) and throw them at his enemy. These objects will obviously crush whoever its used against once they come raining down, and together with the above ensures that Alex is never going to run out of weapons on the battlefield. This tactic will keep Kerrigan on her feet, as her foe is almost always going to have a weapon at his rang. These are some very prominent advantages.
That said, against the Queen of the Blades there are MANY disadvantages to account for, so much that I am going to have to address each set separately . Alex Mercer possesses no gun that is his "C-10" or no gun which his is exceedingly skilled at. This is compensated somewhat by the men he absorbed but in any case Alex doesn't seem to put much of an emphasis on ranged warfare. Secondly Kerrigan has proven, with her armor, regeneration and own natural hardiness, that she can take a LOT of ammunition before being brought down...and even then there is always deep tunnel. Psionic powers are another huge factor to take into consideration, and gives Kerrigan a lot of options against guns. She can telepathically disable them from the inside, wrench them from Alex's hands, implode the gun or even do a Magneto-esque move and stop the bullets mid-air, before sending them flying back at Alex ! Yes, she did that in the book appropriately titled The Queen of Blades.
Throwing things also brings up a whole host of problems, all of which Mercer will need to watch out for in a battle. Kerrigan is very fast and agile, and she will be more adept at dodging or evading it then the average human. Should that prove to be something she is unable to do she could always use her psionics to burrow underground, taking cover from the projectile and moving elsewhere on the field. Speaking of the psionics.....well it is no surprise that Telekinesis would come into play here . Kerrigan could once again brush the projectile aside, stop it in its tracks, or even chuck it back at Mercer.
Long Range: Whipfist, Groundspike
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| With a power like that, Mercer's ability to drag people to him would make Scorpion jealous |
Against Kerrigan, there are many pros to this power, begining with its suprise factor, as unless she uses her telepathy first, I can hardly imagine Kerrigan would be expecting a 30-40 arm reaching out and grabbing her. This arm is powerful, and can lift things many times greater then Alex, so I can see him either pulling the Queen in for a stab or tossing her many dozens of feet in the air easily. Of course in a direct comparison to the Psionic Blast it lack in lethality, relying on (with the exception of the special street sweeper move) stabbing more then slashing. In addition the street sweeper is only really effective in mid range; so for the actual long range arena he'll have to rely on reaching out and impaling.
Groundspike:
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| You got nothing on Alex, Vlad |
A short sub-section of this category, the Groundspike is a ability that comes with Mercer's claws.The biomass from the claws are channeled into the ground to erupt and impale a targeted enemy or a group. This is a very powerful and damaging attack, and if it hits Kerrigan it could either kill her or drag her to near death .
That said, Alex Mercer also has to remain stationary to in order to use the power, and to a hyper-intelligent, telepathic foe his intent is going to be pretty obvious. The time between sticking his hands in the ground and impalement is enough that I could see her evading it and countering with a Psionic power of her own. Finally if it does hit Kerrigan's regeneration is powerful enough to where it may not kill her, however it will leave her weakend enough for consumption.
Mid Range: Hammerfists, Blade
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| (also in armor form) |
Perhaps Alex's most powerful weapon, the blade is great against both armor and flesh. While not as fast as the claws, it makes up for it in pure amount of damage it can cause, and it is able to take out some of the toughest enemies in the game in a couple hits. The so called "frenzy" move is particularly great against a fast opponent such as Sarah.
Against Sarah both weapons have their pros and cons. The Hammerfists are excellent at dealing crushing damage, which even Kerrigan's regeneration is going to strive harder to repair. The fists huge area of effect will serve to either knock her off balance or even down onto the ground, allowing for a secondary more lethal strike. However while the advantage of them is power, their disadvantage is speed, so much so that in the game even tanks are occasionally able to get out of Mercer's way! Against the speedy Sarah, Alex may find these giant things to be a burdensome disadvantage . This moves aerial attacks also leave much to be desired in terms of whether an opponent can dodge or not. Finally the wings out-range the fists.
His blade is certainly the better of the two options, doing the most amount of damage on a single target of all of his non-devastator attacks. It is much faster then the Hammerfists (though not as fast as his claws) , and can cut through tank armor. Think of it almost as a biological lightsaber. It is Alex's signature power, and against Sarah I can see it cleaving through both her armor or wings.In terms of weaknesses I can see but a couple; it lacks the range and multiple strikes of the wings, and it's aerial combat section, while impressive, is rather slow and dodge-able.
Against Sarah both weapons have their pros and cons. The Hammerfists are excellent at dealing crushing damage, which even Kerrigan's regeneration is going to strive harder to repair. The fists huge area of effect will serve to either knock her off balance or even down onto the ground, allowing for a secondary more lethal strike. However while the advantage of them is power, their disadvantage is speed, so much so that in the game even tanks are occasionally able to get out of Mercer's way! Against the speedy Sarah, Alex may find these giant things to be a burdensome disadvantage . This moves aerial attacks also leave much to be desired in terms of whether an opponent can dodge or not. Finally the wings out-range the fists.
Claws:
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| Wolverine would be Jealous |
The first power that Alex unlocks is his wicked claw power. When activated Alex shifts his biomass into three-fingered, one-thumbed talon-like appendages that he can use to shred through human enemies with ease. In the game, the Claws are Mercer's fastest power, and are used primarily to shred through low-level infected and non super-mutant soldiers. Against armor and big boss characters they are at a disadvantage, and take much longer to kill them then virtually any other power in his arsenal.
Against Sarah the Sarah it will give Alex a benefit in having a very fast weapon that even she can't evade, but he'll have some problems doing the mass amounts of damage any other of his weapons would do. It would take a lot of effort to cut through her bone wings or carpeice with this, though its not impossible.
Musclemass:
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| What nerds everywhere wish they could grow up to be. |
Of all Alex's forms, this is the least physically altering. When activated, it diverts biomass to Alex's fists and lower arms, giving him immense strength and increased attack speed. At its base level, a charged attack will turn any human enemy it strikes into bloody chunks; once upgraded, even a normal blow will cause this. Objects thrown with Musclemass will hit harder, fly further, and move faster than objects thrown at Alex's normal strength. Uppercuts will send men flying in the air, often several stories.
Alex also has limited hand to hand attacks which, when backed up with his natural agility and strength, make him quite formidable. However in the game these attacks are generally rather ineffective against bosses, which is what Kerrigan is.
Offensive Powers (Devastators and hijacking) :
*Each devastator has two versions ; air and land.
Alex Mercer's most devastating powers can all be found in the devastator category. These release a massive amount of biomass to inflict the maximum amount of damage on whoever he is fighting. There's a catch however as his most powerful attacks are severely draining and cost a significant amount of health to execute. Should one of these attacks fail he may not have the strength to carry on much farther in this fight.
Tendril Barrage Devastators:
Massive amounts of tendrils made of biomass erupts from within Alex's body that impales everything around him, then brings back some material. This is Mercer's anti-infantry devastator, and it instant kills every infantry (soldiers or infected) save a very select few bosses and super-soldiers. Has about a 30-40 foot effect radius.
Groundspike Graveyard:
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| Vlad wishes he could do this... |
The Groundspike Graveyard is similar to the Groundspike power granted by the Claws. When used, it causes massive spikes of biomass to erupt from the ground, creating a deadly circle of spikes in close proximity to Alex. It is highly effective against hardened targets like Armor and buildings, but less effective than the Tendril Barrage against living enemies due to its shorter range and smaller amount of spikes. This Devastator can usually destroy a military base or Hive in two hits, three in later stages of the game. Shown here is the air ground spike used on civilians.
Critical Pain Devastator:
Critical Pain fires a hard mass of tissue from Alex's hands to crush a single target. It is the single most damaging move in the game, but can only be used to hit a specific target. Anything that happens to be between Alex and the target will also be affected. Its power is such that, short of bosses and buildings, there is nothing (Except the top three bosses in the game) that will survive more than two hits.
Review: Devastators:
Devastators are Alex's super-weapons, able to change the course of the battle almost immediately upon use. Alex has a sub-type for lightly armored foes, heavily armored ones, and even bosses, and in this battle against the Queen of Blades will probably be some of his most effective weapons. Once again however there are some disadvantages for these three powers.
1. Range: Simply put, Sarah's Psionics have much more of it. While Alex's extend around 50 feet at max, Sarah's can be used from 100s of yards away.
(Segment 4)
2. They all have counter measures: Tendril-Barrage can be avoided by burrowing, Groundspike by moving 20-30 feet away from Alex (Psionic Speed will allow her to move really fast) and critical pain by burrowing or evading (the latter a bit hard to do). She may not know how to avoid immediately, but she could learn through watching her swarm engage Alex or telepathy.
3. They leave Alex vulnerable: All devastators drain Alex of a little bit of his health, and force him to remain in position while performing it. This could be terrible for Alex is Sarah evades and drops a Psionic storm on top of him.
Review: Devastators:
Devastators are Alex's super-weapons, able to change the course of the battle almost immediately upon use. Alex has a sub-type for lightly armored foes, heavily armored ones, and even bosses, and in this battle against the Queen of Blades will probably be some of his most effective weapons. Once again however there are some disadvantages for these three powers.
1. Range: Simply put, Sarah's Psionics have much more of it. While Alex's extend around 50 feet at max, Sarah's can be used from 100s of yards away.
2. They all have counter measures: Tendril-Barrage can be avoided by burrowing, Groundspike by moving 20-30 feet away from Alex (Psionic Speed will allow her to move really fast) and critical pain by burrowing or evading (the latter a bit hard to do). She may not know how to avoid immediately, but she could learn through watching her swarm engage Alex or telepathy.
3. They leave Alex vulnerable: All devastators drain Alex of a little bit of his health, and force him to remain in position while performing it. This could be terrible for Alex is Sarah evades and drops a Psionic storm on top of him.
Hijacking:
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| Alex Mercer: the Ultimate Daredevil |
However there is one giant factor to take into account when measuring it against Sarah Kerrigan: her Psionics. Specifically her telekinesis and implode abilities. The latter may turn the vehicle Alex is driving in into his tomb.
Sequel powers and allies:
Dual-Wield different weapon types
Sequel powers and allies:
Dual-Wield different weapon types
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| 1.5 times the pain. |
Control of Infected:
It seems that after the absorption of Elizabeth Greene Alex gained her ability to control the infected, as the plotline describes him as both actively trying to spread the virus and making the sequel's protagonist, James Heller, his "lieutenant". This was also hinted by Alex himself in one of the Prototype 1 cut-scenes, further adding to the evidence. Also in another trailer James accuses Alex of "sicking his pets" on him. The infected in Prototype are a rather diverse group. On the bottom of the food chain are the regular infected, which are extremely numerous but lacking in strength, intelligence, or even coordination. Think Zombies. One step up from them are a group collectively known as the walkers, which are more mutated then infected citizens and possess a small blade and limited muscle-mass.
(Appropriate name for a Prototype song)
The middle class of the infected are the hunters- tough, ape-like beings that possess Alex's strength and are resistant to small arms. Occasionally a leader hunter leads them, which is just a bigger version of the same fiend with two brains! Nearing the top now, the Spiked Brawler is gorilla like hunter that, in addition to their obvious weapon, can actually vibrate the ground with their strikes. But perhaps the most formidable monster Alex can command is the aptly named Juggernaut. Juggernauts are powerful creatures, built with durable, obese bodies, stubby yet thick legs, powerful arms, and jaws broken into three separate parts.Though lacking in speed, they will destroy nearly anything up close.
So undoubtedly a formidable group, but how will they hold up against the Swarm? That is a question for that will be decided come edges time
And thats it....
Unlike Sarah Kerrigan and her Heart of the Swarm, Prototype is not Alex's game; its James Heller's. Thus while James Heller has a LOT of upgrades and improvements, Alex is only given a moderate few. Still what he has been given is quite formidable in its own right...
Defensive Powers:
Armor: Normal: Button up, plain grey hoodie, black leather jacket, plain blue jeans and black shoes
On his upper body he wears three layers of clothes: the first is a button up white shirt that's not buttoned all the way up, the second is a plain gray hoodie that he, again, always keeps up, and the last is a black leather jacket with a tribal design on the back. On his lower body he wears plain blue jeans and plain black shoes.
(Final Prototype segment, Colonel Taggart and General Randall).
Edges:
*sub-category
"Sarah vs. Alex" = too many categories to list
Offensive Categories:
Super Long Range: CK. MK VI. Sniper rifle vs. Thrown objects and Acquired Weapons
In a past life, before Kerrigan became the Queen of Blades, the CK. MK VI. sniper rifle was her favorite and most used weapon. The amount of people she has sniped in her career is almost certainly in the triple digits, and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be more then that. The MK. VI can be fired in its single shot form or switched to full auto , tearing holes into whatever its fired at. As a final note it possesses a couple of utilities; a flashlight for night fighting, a low frequency targeting laser, and the ability to fire EMP rounds.
Against Alex even this mighty sniper rifle is going to have its work cut out for it. Alex has proven in cut-scenes that he is capable of surviving a point blank head-shot, so Sarah will need to either completely blow up his dome or else blow more holes in him then there are in some of these politicians proposed policies (meaning A LOT of holes). This is made harder by Alex's incredible agility and regeneration, though Kerrigan's full auto capabilities would help her in this. . She certainly has the training, experience and skill necessary to accomplish such a task, but by far getting a kill on Alex with this would be much harder then doing it to Anakin. As a little side note, her attachments will also play a slight role in this battle. Her targeting laser will help her accuracy somewhat (though given her experience, she could get a sniper head-shot while blindfolded AND facing away from the target). Her EMP rounds will help her in disabling the electronics in tanks, APCS, helicopters and some weapons, while the flashlight is just on there if she happens to need it.
Alex carries no weapon to this comparison; instead he finds them. He can lift and hurl vehicles as big as a tank, and can pretty much pick up any weapon off the ground and use accurately (except sniper rifles). Against Kerrigan, he'll almost never be without a makeshift weapon, while Kerrigan can run out of ammo. He has more options in this arena and is thus more flexible then Kerrigan, who will have to make do with one or two tactics with her weapon. The thrown vehicles, if they were to land on her, would squash her flat, and result in a ignoramus end to the Zerg queen. The firearms, even the grenade and rocket launcher, are going to be much harder to achieve kills as she can absorb a LOT of firepower before being taken to the ground-and even then she has the Deep Tunnel ability! Basically expect to see kills here when Alex headshots her.
With that said Alex's arsenal runs into one factor that is going to present a profound difficulty; her psionics. This supernatural force can send the thrown vehicles right back at Alex, disable guns from the inside, or even send the bullets right back at Alex (which would just aggravate him).
In the end the Psionic factor proves will prove difficult for Alex to overcome here, and Sarah scores the first edge here, though it is less then what she would have liked. Her points are limited by the extreme difficulty in killing Alex, his defensive forms, his regeneration, and speed.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Long Range: Psionic Blast vs. Whipfist and Groundspikes
Another comparison between one weapon vs. two....well get used to it, as Alex's weapons outnumbers hers in almost every other category.
The Psionic Blast is Kerrigan's most prevalent psionic attack, and can destroy most infantry fairly easily. It seems to do everything that a regular explosion does; blowing them sky-high and into pieces. It is much quicker to cast then her other psionic powers, and harder to dodge too making it overall one of her deadlier powers. Unlike her other powers, which can be slightly taxing, it does not drain her much at all , and can be used at a range greater then any of Alex's biological weapons.
However, in judging this category one CANNOT underestimate Alex's formidable durability. In cut-scenes (which I have added to the Mercer profile) he gets blown out of a two digit story apartment, gets shot point blank in the face, gets blown up by missile and grenade launchers multiple times, and suffers numerous other blows throughout the campaign-including surviving a nuclear bomb (although that is only because he absorbed a crow before he could die). A psionic blast will send him flying backwards and inflict grievous wounds, but other then that one Psionic blast cannot be counted upon to do enough damage in all but a few cases lucky cases where it decapitates him (and even then) . Real, deadly wounds upon Mercer will be inflicted by multiple blasts, which Kerrigan is admittedly quite capable of doing.
The Whipfist is Alex's answer to the Psionic Blast. Extending thirty feet, it can be used like a fishing hook to Catch Kerrigan and reel her in (or pull Alex to Kerrigan) for other , more lethal close range weapons to take over. This pwoer can be used to hurl Kerrigan in the air, though lesser ghosts then herself have discovered levitation (and she herself demonstrated it on Char).A surprise factor needs to be measured in as well. It can also be used for quick slashing and stabbing attacks, and at close ranges a devastating limb-amputating "street sweeper" is possible, though this can be blocked or dodged . To back this power up, Alex brings the Groundspike- a devastating impalement technique that if connected will either kill Kerrigan or wound her enough to where consumption is possible- assuming Kerrigan doesn't escape underground first.
With that said the powers both have their flaws. The Whipfist (with the exception of the street sweeper move) lacks severely in lethality category, and Alex will for the most part have to rely on other powers to kill Kerrigan. The Groundspike does have enough power to kill, but it requires Alex to stand still and requires Kerrigan to stand in its path.
When I was first reviewing this category I though Kerrigan would have it in the bag. However upon review it becomes a fairly close edge, only just given to her by a hair over the reeling function of the Whipfist and the Groundspike's pure devastation.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Mid range: Wings vs. Hammerfists and Blade form
As the fighters get in the close ranges, the arsenal that they wield gets even more impressive. The first contender, Sarah Kerrigan, brings out her bone wings.
Unlike her opponent, Kerrigan doesn't need to shift her biomass to have a close range weapon, and the bone-wings will be omnipresent in this fight. They are six deadly spears attached to two wings, and at full length they are longer then both of her opponent's mid range. She is incredibly skilled with these deadly skewers, and is capable of using them to entrap enemy weapons (she did this to Zeratul on Char) , parry blows, and utterly rip enemies apart. Her wings can penetrate all the way though marine power suits, which are made of steel. They should have no problem of doing the same to Alex's armor form. If destroyed she can regenerate them within a relatively short period of time. Finally there is one additional factor to consider; it the game Prototype, Alex seems to take the most damage (with the exception of one super powerful tank) from melee opponents, suggesting that this might be particularly devastating against him.
The reason I brought up the regeneration factor is, that there are some weapons in Alex's arsenal that could almost certainly destroy her wings, such as the blade, Hammerfists or Musclemass. While they wouldn't cut straight through her wings like the lightsaber would, it wouldn't take too many attacks to do so. In regards to durability it will likely take multiple strikes for this weapon to kill Alex, barring some exceptions of course.
Alex's duet offers a lot more variety then the Wings. First up are the massive Hammerfists, which send out shock-waves with every punch that go far beyond the actual range of the fists! When they directly connect, the Hammerfists easily crush whatever they hit. The crushing attribute bypass her armor and skin, and will inflict gruesome internal injuries. He can also hurl himself directly at Kerrigan from ridiculously far away. The blade is arguably Mercer's most powerful weapon, and can take out some of the most powerful enemies in the game in a couple of hits. Against Kerrigan I can see it cleaving straight through her wings- and more.
Of course for every positive there are negatives, and Mercer's arsenal proves to be no exception. His Hammerfists are slow while Kerrigan is agile, and this could prove troublesome in trying to fight her, especially if he tries one of his aerial moves. The Blade, while much better, also has problems in its aerial combat category.
Close edges seem to be the norm for this battle, and this category continues the tradition. Kerrigan's wings, while more in number, fail to offer the durability, lethality, and options that Alex's duo does. Mr. Mercer wins his first category after quite a fight.
Edge Alex Mercer
Close Range: Claws and Martial arts vs. Claws, musclemass and hand-to-hand
A Recurring theme for the weapons is that Alex's always outnumber Kerrigan. This category, the only traditional weapon category where Kerrigan has two weapons, proves to be no exception. This can be explained by Alex being a mostly melee oriented character, whereas Sarah has other powers to rely on (coming up soon!) .
For close range, Sarah first relies on her gut ripping 6-inch nails. A woman's best friend, these have been fashioned into highly lethal instruments by Sarah, and can easily rip out throats or disembowel an unwary Terran. They are much faster then the wings, and will better then them at dealing with Alex's incredible agility. To back up the claws, Sarah has her incredible martial arts! During her time at the ghost academy, her martial arts took an emphasis on lethality, and her skill is far beyond most other Terrans. She can break bones with her kicks, successively dual a cloaked ghost, and go to toe even with the Protoss, warriors who spend centuries perfecting themselves.
That said, Alex's armor form is going to kill the ability of the claws to do anything, and greatly weaken that of the martial arts, as I have found little to no evidence of the claws being able to go through thick armor (in contrast to the wings which is backed up by a cutscene). . Her claws lack the range of Mercer's, or the power of Musclemass. While knowledge of martial arts is going to assist her alot, it is going to be extremely hard for her to do enough damage with either of her weapons to kill Alex, as even if she snapped his neck he would almost certainly survive (though it would bring him close, and allow Sarah time to do more lethal attacks) . In fact, I would say that her doing so will be a rarity, even with his weakness to melee attacks .
Alex brings a three weapons to this melee. His claws would make Wolverine and Freddy Kreugar jealous, and are much longer then Kerrigan's nails. These can cleave through flesh relatively easily, and I can certainly see it getting through Kerrigan's armor at some places. The Musclemass amplifies Alex's already impressive muscles, allowing him to throw things harder/farther then before. His punches can go through people, and while Kerrigan's body armor will provide some protection, I cannot see it negating the devastating blows. Though Alex lacks Kerrigan's skill in regular hand to hand, he brings his cheetah like agility to the battle which Kerrigan will have trouble dealing with.
Still, the Claws are rather weak in getting through armor, and that is certainly going to factor in the battle. Alex Mercer also lacks the rather unique martial arts that Sarah has, and in a battle of skills would suffer. Musclemass adds nothing really new, and has the least amount of range of the bunch. Alex's own hand to hand adds even less.
However despite this, Alex does seem to carry more advantages in close range, as his weapons are more likely to get through her armor then vice versa. That and the range give Mercer a fairly comfortable edge, the first so far.
Edge Alex Mercer
Special: Psionic Powers vs. Devastators and Hijacking
This edge category will perhaps be the largest of all of the ones in this preview, as it encompasses some many powers! Ill try to cover weaknesses and strengths in the same paragraphs for this edge.
First up is Sarah Kerrigan, who breaks the ice with her Psychic Attack, a move so powerful that it can actually make an opponents brain fall apart in a matter of seconds. Strengths: umm, did you read that last sentence? Even this powerful ability has a couple of weaknesses though: it will only be of use against a single foe (which would be ignoring the infected attacking her), may be hard to target a fast moving target like Alex, and has to destroy the majority of the brain, not parts of it, to destroy. Unfortunately for Alex, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Telekinesis is perfectly suited for stopping thrown objects and disabling guns, helping her out in dealing with super long range weapons. Offensively, it can be used to hurl large objects, toss around an enemy, push him back, or even collapse buildings . This is one of the few powers that I really can't see a disadvantage for; though it isn't as powerful as many of the others, it'll help her in most things that she does.
The psionic bolt and ensnare are two of Sarah's weaker abilities, though both useful in their own ways. The Psionic Bolt 's main purpose is to hold an enemy in place, and it can't even do that some of the time. Against Alex I think this would slow, not stop him, and do nothing to his surrounding infected. The ensnare is more useful, being one of the few powers to curtail Alex's incredible agility. While it cannot kill on its own it will greatly slow Alex's movement, and leave him vulnerable to more powerful spells such as the storms.
-Finished tommorow. Sorry guys but I got distracted!
to give you guys a treat till then, here is an awesome fan video:
And now we are back, and just tin time for Kerrigan's three most lethal spells.
The Implosion ability is, in terms of damage, Kerrigan's most devastating weapon. However there is a catch; it can only be used against mechanical units. Meaning that Alex will be safe from the spell the vast majority of the time. However this ability may be the bane of his hijacking skill, as any vehicle that he hijacks may very well become his tomb. He'll only ave seconds to jump out before the implosion crushes him into goo.
Finally we have the dual storms; Psionic and Razor. Without a doubt Kerrigan's most powerful attacks, the first storm (psionic) directly liquidizes the brain, and is actually just as powerful against tech too, as I recently discovered. Here is a quote from the Shadow of the Xel-Naga
“The marines and firebats continued to dish out destruction in self-defense, but one of the robed Protoss Templars climbed onto a pile of rocks. Raising his three-fingered hand to the sky, he summoned an awesome Psionic Storm that battered the Wraiths into confusion, slamming the single-man fight together, driving them down as if they had been hit by a huge flyswatter.
Massively damaged, the battlecruisers and the remaining Wraiths tried to pull away, but from the other side of the valley, a second High Templar called yet another Psionic Storm that hammered them from the east. Only one of Battlecruisers and three wraiths managed to pull away from the dangerous valley and leaving damaged and destroyed Terran vessels strewn all across the battlefield”- pg 208-209
Expansion Powers: Sarah Kerrigan vs. Alex
This will be a fairly easy edge to give, though I will still go through the powers as I normally do.
The Spawn Broodlings Ability is her first expansion power to be featured, and this power instant kills all no-mechanical non heroic units, replacing them with five ferocious broodlings. These little guys are armed with razor sharp talons just about everywhere, and can tear into flesh faster then the hunter from Left 4 Dead could. It cannot be really used against Alex Mercer himself, however, and may provide nutrients for him to consume. Still a great distraction power.
The Pulse and Corrosive spores come next. Neither is capable of killing on its own, but both have a role to play. The Corrosive spores make it so Alex takes more damage to Kerrigan's regular attacks, helping her whittle down his famous durability. The other power, Pulse, temporarily stuns Mercer and would leave him open to other powers, including the storms.
The crushing grip functions like a force choke; it grasps the enemy and forcibly closes their windpipe. Alex is a super human, and the definition of durability, but even he can't survive not breathing (proven when he nearly died in a Blackwatch compound after breathing in BloodTox). Thus one could expect this power to be devastating to him, though his durability will help him survive longer then usual.
Psionic Shadow, in my opinion, is Kerrigan's best new ability. This creates up to four clones that not only function as body doubles and decoys, but can attack too. The ability to summon allies out of mid-air is one prevalent in many video games, and is extremely helpful in increasing muscle and complementing strategy. Expect Sarah to use this quite expertly.
Alex Mercer has gotten a single (known at the time of this writing) ability; the power to dual wield weapons. While there aren't really disadvantages to this ability per say, the disadvantage to Alex is that this is his ONLY new ability. Sure his close quarters fighting prowess is doubled, but that cannot compete to all the new advantages Kerrigan gets in her new powers.
For that the edge is pretty obvious, it belongs to the Queen of Blades.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
* Allies: The Swarm vs. Infected
Comparing the entire Swarm to the infected would require a page just as long as Sarah's or Alex's bio, and something that I am not willing to do. Lets start with what they have in common; both the infected and the Zerg prove devastating on the ground, and I really can't give an edge on ground prowess. That said, what I CAN give an edge in is AIR prowess, namely because the Infected have none. They have no counters for mutalisks and brood lords, and will be in trouble should either enter the fray. Kerrigan's greater experience at commanding a huge army just adds to her edge.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Defensive:
Armor : Carpeice, hardened skin vs. Hoodie
There are some categories that are blessedly easy to judge, and this is one of them. Kerrigan brings her natural hardened skin and carpeice to defend herself. The carpeice is capable of deflecting small arms fire, and the hardened skin functions like a coating of bronze, further helping her in the field of protection. Neither inhibits her mobility at all. Yet how much defensive value with either honestly bring in this battle? Honestly, relatively little. While small arms fire may be useless against her, most of Alex's other weapons will be able to get past the armor, with the possible exception of the claw powers (and still even after repeated strikes.) But even with that said she still takes the edge.
Alex's hoodie gives the same amount of protection that a regular hoodie gives, aka none at all. He will be very mobile in this battle true, but Kerrigan will be both protected and mobile. And that is why she gets the edge, in layman's terms.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Defenses: Burrow and Deep Tunnel vs. Shield and Armor forms
In terms of defenses, these two are about as different in purpose as you can get. One of them seeks to help the user in dealing with blows head on, the other in avoiding it altogether.
Kerrigan's defenses both have an additional bonus that must be mentioned; surprise! As the Zerg have demonstrated in all of their conflicts, sometimes there is nothing more disheartening then a Zerg swarm burrowing under some carefully crafted defenses, bypassing them effortlessly (exactly like the Locust in the Gears of War series). The burrow is based off of the trap-door spider, and its favorite method of capturing prey by waiting until it is just above the hole to pounce.
While burrowing many Zerg species experience a more rapid rate of regeneration. Kerrigan has her own specific version of burrow, called the deep tunnel. Basically once she decides things on the surface are too hot, she uses her psionic powers to instantly dive deep into the Earth, where she regenerates many times faster then she normally would.
Neither defense provides much defense above ground, which Kerrigan will spend most of her time fighting. And even if she burrowed under ground....its not outside the realm of imagination that Mercer could merely follow her down there.
Mercer has two opposing forms, both powerful in their own right and with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. The armor form fully encompasses Alex, but is a bit bulky and slows down his movement. The Shield form fully protects his high mobility rating, but compensates by only protecting the front of him- and it can be broken by a strong enough attack. Neither are going to adequately protect him from Psionics, but will do a fine job at helping him weather everything else. The shield form has a offensive value to take into consideration.
What Alex's defenses offer him that Kerrigan's don't offer her is some semblance of mobility, and the ability to engage her while they are active. Kerrigan has to stay in her burrow/tunnel for her to be truly defended to work, and unless he jumps in she will not be able to engage him simultaneously.
This is close, but the biological god from Manhatten takes it here.
Edge Alex Mercer
Mobility: Sarah vs. Alex
When it comes to the various traits that make up mobility-endurance, agility and speed- both of these foes are quite literally inhuman. Neither has been shown to tire and can achieve very high speeds. However the answer to "who gets the edge" is almost as obvious as who achieves it in a contest of Psionic powers and devastators.
Kerrigan is very fast and extraordinarily agile, able to leap out of craters to escape the incoming Protoss. However, Alex can achieve even greater speeds. He can wall-run and leap between buildings without missing a step. If he is knocked off balance he can recover almost instantaneously.
This is like comparing the fictional versions of the roadrunner and the coyote-both can move VERY fast, but one completely outpaces the other. Basically whatever Kerrigan can do in this category, Alex can do better.
Edge Alex Mercer
Regeneration: Mastery vs. Superb and consumption
In contrast to the mismatch of last comparison, this one is a bit more even.
Both are capable of extraordinary feats of regeneration. Kerrigan regrew a whole wing within seconds, Mercer repaired his face after a revolver round blew a chunk out of it. Both have proven themselves able and willing to shrug off the arsenals of whoever they are currently fighting. When it comes to base regeneration , I feel that Kerrigan has the edge as Mercer's biomass cannot fully heal itself in the game without consumption. That said there is the issue of consumption....
Basically this power allows Alex to absorbs a being to restore health, and he successfully used it to survive a nuclear blast. In this battle he'll have experience no shortage of consumption targets, whether it be Kerrigan's swarm, any bystanders, or even his own infected (much like Resident Evil scientists, he is the definition of a amorality, and won't hesitate to kill his own in order to live). We must also factor in Kerrigan's response to this problem once she sees the power in action, namely she is going to be very reluctance to commit troops if she senses it is feeding her foe's war effort. And her psionic power can pretty easily be used to destroy Alex's infected before he has a chance to eat them.
For those reasons, I find it quite hard to give an edge here. But overall Alex has two options to heal, while Kerrigan has to rely on one. Ill give a very slight edgeto Alex.
Edge Alex Mercer
Misc Abilities: Sarah vs. Alex
In comparing the passive and nonviolent powers of these two superhuman, it is important to remember that neither is invincible, and my slip up even if these passive powers give them a huge advantage.
When it comes to senses, Alex will be able to perceive more in this battle, as the virus that has taken over has improved all his senses, instead of just sight like Kerrigan's psionics. He can also view through thick smoke and darkness with his thermal vision power. Kerrigan's ability to see through walls and presumably other objects with Psionic sight is not to be underestimated, however.
Thermal vision is going to be very useful in dealing with Kerrigan's cloaking, once he figures out that she is cloaked (it is probable that she can get a first strike in before that, though).
Tit for Tat, Alex's Disguise power is also going to be useless in Kerrigan's presence; her detector status will see right through it.
Absorption will be Alex's most useful power, and will allow him to get glimpses of Zerg strategies, units, and even Kerrigan's past, which Alex's brilliant mind could use to defeat her. However he would not be doing that without her being aware, as Kerrigan's potent telepathic prowess will give her the ability to read his mind, and in all likelihoods he will not be able to stop it. This goes without saying as being a huge advantage for Kerrigan, though there will be a lag time between receiving information and reacting to it that stops Kerrigan from being always one step ahead.
Her Telepathy is more then enough to give her the edge, however.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Intangibles:
Personality/Tactics: Sarah Vs. Alex
To start off with, one might ask why is personality paired with tactics? Most notably because personality is a good indicator for how a tactician may react on the battlefield. Alexander was a aggressive confident man, and his tactics reflected that. Montgomery was a rather cautious man, while Patton was another driving, aggressive man. The Tactics both used reflected their overall personalities.
in this battle, we have a bit of a odd comparison. While both warriors are known for their aggression, but both are equally famed for their subtleties (Mercer infiltrating bases, Kerrigan systematically allying with and then betraying factions) . Another common factor is the ruthlessness both show, and the seemingly uncaring way they treat their enemies. While Alex genuinely does not seem to care, post-infect Sarah has shown disgust at what her infected version has done. Both are generally the quiet , brooding introverted types, more likely to reflect inwardly then out, and would score very high on the I.Q. scale. Finally in regards to army leadership , both seem to have some sort of hive mind connection, though Kerrigan is more used to the connection then Alex is.
Looking at tactics we must first assess each of their command styles-and who actually does more "commanding". The answer to the second is fairly obvious, seeing as Mercer just very recently gained control of his infected while Kerrigan has had over 5ish years of experience with the Zerg- and a couple with the Terran before that. That's not to say that Mercer has more lone operative experience though, far from it! Kerrigan spent much of her teens and twenties assassinating prominent rebel figures and notorious outlaws, either alone or in small groups, while the time-frame of Prototype lasts just a couple of weeks.
From what I can tell, Mercer's main army tactic is just to send infected in and use them as cannon-fodder, though I will give him the benefit of the doubt in that its possible he has learned more advanced strategies from absorbing Greene. Kerrigan's tactics involve a good mix of that famous Zerg Rush and the subtle surprise and deception. Many a Terran squad has been felled when they were cut off from the rest of their unit by Zerg that had burrowed between them. Or else had their base flooding from the inside by a nydus worm. Kerrigan adds her own unique spice of psychological warfare to the mix, which as the famed duelist Musashi noted, greatly compliments skill. She backs up her army with her formidable psionic arsenal, which works wonders at taking out parts of her opponent's army.
Mercer favors mass destruction himself, but is able and willing to use infiltration and stealth to achieve his goals. Infiltrating a army under the command of a formidable psychic and hive mind, may be difficult however. Alex is like the organisms that he studies; he adapts to adverse conditions. In dealing with the Zerg he may be able to find a successful tactic eventually, this strengthened by the fact that he is a capable tactician, but that may be too late to save his army or even himself.
Kerrigan takes it for more experience of command and her combination of aggressive and deceptive tactics (like Alexander's style) that have been proven to take down even the mighty and technologically advanced Protoss .
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Motivation: Sarah vs. Alex
In measuring Motivations, it is important to note that Alex has already achieved two of her goals. He has found out who he is (a virus) and gotten revenge (though given Alex's nature, he is probably still pissed off).
Alex fights for reasons that are selfish in nature, as he desires both to achieve his ultimate potential and to spread the infection, giving him power of the populace. In the process he doesn't care who gets in his way, or how many have to die to achieve it. That said his motivations are more abstract in comparison to Kerrigan, while hers are a balance of abstract and real. Abstract concepts are wonderful, but sometimes you need a more specific one to make it "real" for you.
Kerrigan fights for many things. She fights for maximizing her potential too, and revenge also against the man who sold her out. She also fights for the abstract concept of preventing a little understood terror of the Hybrids from ravaging her swarm and the sector. Her biggest motivation, besides revenge, is the desire to empower her species enough to where it can guide its own evolution; basically to create a Metamorph. Finally she does also fight for love, specifically that of the rough outlaw known as Jim Raynor.
Kerrigan fights for more, and not just abstract concepts. For that i'll give her the edge.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Training/Experience: Sarah vs. Alex
This one is almost as obvious as Armor> no armor. Still I will follow my normal routine.
Around the same time that Alex was living in a foster home, Kerrigan had been abducted by a brutal government program and forced into training to be a government assassin. When Alex was returned home to his drunk of a mother, Kerrigan was forced to kill a guard with a loaded rifle to her head before he could do the same to her. When Mercer was entered Gentek Kerrigan was off across the Korhal sector assassinating targets.
Basically while Mercer was living a peaceful life, Kerrigan was out hunting and killing. He does have some training from the people he absorbed, but that doesn't compete with first hand training, and first hand experience. Kerrigan's fights in the Korhal sector spanned years, over a decade at least, while Alex's main battles took place over a month. Both fought against varied foes, but Kerrigan fought against more varied, including one that uses tech she had never seen before.
Thus I have no qualms giving the edge to Kerrigan here
Edge: Sarah Kerrigan
Past Opponents: Sarah vs. Alex
Many of you are probably wondering why I made Past Opponents its own section, and gave them a huge grade. Past opponents help judge many factors about a warrior; the variation in tactics, adaptation of the warrior, experience ect. But the main reason I made it so long is.....
THEY ARE GOING TO FIGHT EACH OTHER'S FOES!
Yep, as a leadup fight to the main one these guys are both going to have to fight at least one of the other's mortal enemies . It may be from the past opponent section, or it may be from the sub-section of future.
The first enemies that both fought would be the various political opponents of the Confederacy for Sarah, and the NYPD for Alex. While the NYPD are trained cops, the political opponents often had security forces with them, and the individuals themselves were quit dangerous. In terms of earliest opponents, I think Sarah's would have been tougher.
After that, they both pretty much fought a whole slew of enemies at once. Kerrigan (while still in her human form) fought the Confederacy, the Zerg and the Protoss. Mercer fought the U.S. marine crops, Blackwatch and the Infected all at the same time . Between the two sets I have to go again with Sarah....not only did she face a horde faction (Zerg and Infected classify) and a more advanced human faction, she also fought the incredibly advanced and mysterious Protoss- and won!
Later on as she became infested she fought even more factions. Along with more "normal " Protoss, she fought the Dark Templar, a people who possess blades that can inhibit Zerg regeneration, and kill many Zerg considered unkillable by other means (though she later developed a resistance to it) The U.E.D., dominion and renegade Zerg, she triumphed over all.
For bosses both warriors fought a varied and tough assortment of them. While Kerrigan's are more technologically advanced and possess Psionic abilities of their own, Mercer's are not to be underestimated. Super Soldiers can ruin anyone's day, and Elizabeth Green fought him in her giant two story form. In terms of bosses I would think that Mercer has fought more, and perhaps gets more points here because of it, though Kerrigan undoubtedly fights much more then him in the future.
Still overall bosses are a minor sub-section, and it is not enough to give Mercer the edge here.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
*Future Opponents: Sarah's vs. Blackwatch and James Heller
Once again I will split this up based on regular factions and bosses, though it will be much shorter then the last.
Kerrigan once again faces more Protoss, Renegade Zerg, Terran, and this time, hybrids. This terrifying new species is completely invulnerable to conventional Terran weaponry,and are tough to kill even by Protoss standards. Mercer on the other hand fights ..... just Blackwatch. Though the organization has gotten a few upgrades, it is still no where near the level that any of Kerrigan's opponents are, in particular the Hybrids. Just one or two of them would probably wipe out the entire Blackwatch organization!
Bosses are a little trickier. This time it is Kerrigan who faces more, but Mercer faces a powerful anti-hero known as James Heller, the star of Prototype 2. Of the bosses on the Starcraft side, only Nova and The Dark Voice can really approach Heller's power (since Duran seems more like a behind the scenes manipulator then fighter). Nova is probably more powerful as a ghost then Kerrigan was, and has potent Psionic powers of her own. In a fight between Heller and Nova I cannot really say who will win, as we know relatively little about both. What I can say is that in a fight between the Dark Voice and James Heller, it would be a triumphant victory for the Dark Voice (aka Tony Jay).
Only a extremely powerful Psionic can hope to control the Zerg Swarm, to say nothing of the Hybrids, so it is almost guaranteed that his power in Psionics currently exceeds Kerrigan, as well as that of any other Protoss/Terran/Zerg. In addition he is probably Xel-Naga, meaning he would possess some of their technology so....I am declaring Kerrigan the winner in this category, though that will be a small constellation prize to her seeing as she will have to face this malevolent being later.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
Last Victory: Anakin vs. Dante
This comparison is not to compare the two warriors themselves, but the lessons that were learned from their two previous foes. For Sarah it is perhaps a new-found respect for the possibly that others are better then her in close quarters, as Anakin's lightsaber was clearly the superior close range weapon. Alex learned that some powers defy current scientific reasoning, and he may be a little more cautious when it comes to unknown powers that Kerrigan will display.
Both are going to be a little more cautious in areas that their opponent has the edge, and it should impact them positively in dealing with Mercer's biomass weapons and Kerrigan's psionics. While it would normally be a tie, Kerrigan's edge in Psionics is more critical then Mercer's in close quarters, and thus I think this new-found cautious will be more helpful to him there then for Kerrigan up close.
Edge Alex Mercer
Martial Arts: Sarah vs. Alex:
Kerrigan has trained since childhood in the area of martial arts, whereas Mercer has had no formal training but absorbed those who did. Kerrigan also has a huge experience edge on Mercer, having fought for over 20 years with a knife or blade of some kind.
With that said they are both feared among their for their close range prowess, and rightfully so. They both have rather eclectic styles, with Alex frequently switching between his biomass powers and Sarah relying on a combination of Psionics/blades to win. I would argue that perhaps Alex's style is more eclectic, as he seems to make more frequent use of style switching, but this is something I am not totally sure on. Even if he did get the edge there though, it would still not be able to compete with Kerrigan's life time of Martial Arts training.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
Psychology: Sarah vs. Alex
In the Psychology department, both warriors start out similar and diverge as the list goes on.
Both of them are quiet, introverted individuals, who are the types of people who would rather have a few associates or friends rather then many. Growing up either mostly alone or in a cold environment where one is expect to kill for a living, they both grew up aloof of the general population. Sarah would grow to be suspicious of others while Alex's would eventually result in outright paranoia. Though that isn't necessarily a bad thing if one is already alone and knows that there are men out there who wish that person to be deceased (like Mercer) .
Being Introverted, Alex and Sarah are very contemplative individuals, more willing to think then speak. They are both a bit frightening when you succeed in pissing them off, and can be ruthless under the circumstances. In addition to that Kerrigan is quite calculating and skillful in manipulating someone to do what she wants (helped along by her own psionics), which often leads to that person falling for one of her schemes or traps. Mercer on the other hand is inquisitive, eager to find out and learn more even at the cost of ethics.
While both are rather callous at times, Alex is certainly the more sociopathic one, showing less conscience then even the Queen of Blades persona of Kerrigan. This means that morals will not be a factor in his fight; he'll kill whoever he must to give Kerrigan, and do whatever nasty things necessary to do it. Alex is and always has been a narcissist, and the person that matters most to Alex Mercer is Alex Mercer. Kerrigan isn't thin-skinned either though, and she won't hesitate to sacrifice some of her swarm for success.
Sarah does have little insecurities that may play a role in the fight though. She has begun openly doubting whether she is pursuing the right path, and regrets a lot of the mass killings her Queen of Blades persona has done. This guilt and uncertainty would certainly weigh on the Queen's mind, influencing her viewpoints and decisions. These doubts manifest in her personality, given that her life is one tale of being used by someone or another, until she essentially created another personality for herself (I can't prove that she suffers from multiple personality disorder, though it is one of my theories) that was perhaps worse then any of his manipulators. All of this has drained Kerrigan and left her with a rather fatalistic view of things: She doubts whether she can stop the Dark Voice. Nevertheless she still fights.
Alex on the other hand is perfectly sure of himself, and does not suffer from a lack of inner confidence. What he does suffer from are his obsessions; once fixed on something nothing is going to dissuade him. In the case of revenge he will strive to succeed in that task, no matter the cost. These obsessions make Alex rather predictable in the long run, and in fact Blackwatch had set up several traps based on his predictability, a couple of them almost killed him!
Despite that I am unable to decide whether Mercer's obsessions are worse then Kerrigan's insecurities, and so I will judge this comparison even for now.
Edge Even!
Personal Weaknesses: Arrogant, impetuous, a bit unsure of herself vs. a bit impulsive, short over long, a bit arrogant, Flashbacks
The Two share the same weaknesses in arrogance and impetuousness, and thus it turns to the last category to be the deciding factor.
Once again Kerrigan's prime weakness is her own insecurities, while Mercer's is more of a tactical one. Mercer seems to disdain ranged combat in preference to Close, to the point where he will try to rush in when there are other opportunities for range. This has to do somewhat with his strengths: he is the best hand to hand fighter in the entire game, though it may not help against Kerrigan. Then again it might, as Kerrigan has the edge in long and super long range, as well as Psionic powers. Thus it would be in his advantage to close as soon as possible. However this is compensated by the fact that he is fighting a telepathic enemy capable of invoking flashbacks, which incapitate him temporarily. With Sarah Kerrigan even temporarily off your game could be fatal.
This is rather close but it is a Kerrigan edge
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Defensive Powers:
Armor: Normal: Button up, plain grey hoodie, black leather jacket, plain blue jeans and black shoes
On his upper body he wears three layers of clothes: the first is a button up white shirt that's not buttoned all the way up, the second is a plain gray hoodie that he, again, always keeps up, and the last is a black leather jacket with a tribal design on the back. On his lower body he wears plain blue jeans and plain black shoes.
Other then helping him look cool in, as Master of the Boot put it, a meth-addicted way this really doesn't give him any advantages. It helps with his mobility a little bit, but then again so does Kerrigan's actual armor.
Defense: Shield and Armor forms
*Cannot be used simultaneously
Defensive power 1: Armor form:
When this power is activated a thick layer of biomass covers his entire body, giving him an increased resistance to, but not immunity from, damage. The thick layer of biomass also greatly reduces movement speed and agility, though it compensates for this by increasing his weight, and allowing him to smash through objects while running.
Defensive power 2: Sheild
An awesome power, upon activation a large amount of biomass forms in his left arm . Unlike armor, the sheild renders Alex completely invulnerable-from frontal attacks. Attacks to the side and the rear will still do the regular amount of damage, and the sheild itself may be broken after substaining enough hits. Alex's mobility is not hindered at all when the shield is equipped. When hit by bullets, the sheild will actualy deflect the projectiles back at their owners and it can be used to ram through entire crowds with ease, giving it offensive capabilities as well.
(Section 5)
Depending on the direction Kerrigan is in in relation to Alex, this defense could range from extremely helpful to next to useless. In a frontal assault it is my opinion that the Queen's melee attacks will not get through in the first couple of strikes, and the sniper bullets stand a chance of being deflected back at her. This shield's real benefit will be in offensive, and it'll allow Alex to get in close and smash her into things before changing forms to a more lethal instrument.
In spite of that, one must remember that the shield only protects Alex from whatever is directly in front of him . Anything from the sides, or a A.O.E. power like the Psionic storm will still effect him, and still shred him up
Alex going on a joyride with the shield
Mobility: Master acrobat, can run at high speeds, wall-running, never seems to tire, recovers quickly
Alex's speed and agility is greatly enhanced by the virus. He can achieve running speeds surpassing vehicles, around 60 mph, and he can perform amazing parkour feats such as flips and rolls and maneuvers over and around vehicles and debris with little trouble. His leg strength allows him to leap nearly ten stories into the air. Alex can run up sheer vertical surfaces and cling to walls for an indefinite period of time. Alex is also capable of gliding, by making his biomass lighter in the air and ejecting small amounts of mass for further propulsion. In addition he never seems to run out of energy, and if he is shot down while running he usually quickly recovers.
(Alex demonstrating his insane agility, among other moves, in this video)
In terms of mobility Alex is nearly maxed out, and the only thing he really had trouble outrunning was a nuclear blast.
Regenerative Powers/durability: Superb, independent medium-grade regeneration , consumption
Alex Mercer, like most video game badasses, is capable of regeneration to prevent himself from dying. In a cut-scene he successfully heals from a bullet to the face without regeneration, and in the game he is capable of regenerating up to a quarter health without consumption. In contrast to Kerrigan, who can pretty much regain full health in short bursts, this may not seem to be much but to compensate he has the consumption ability. This power allows him to consume his foes for regenerative purposes; though he cannot do this on a boss without slaying them first.
In this battle Alex Mercer will have no shortage of potential victims to absorb; from Kerrigan's Zerg to innocent civilians to even his own infected. Kerrigan will find herself needing to slay Mercer's food supply, though her army destroying powers will help a bit in this task.
Miscellaneous abilities: Superhuman Senses (Thermal Vision), Disguise, absorption
Alex Possesses Superhuman Senses that pertain to sight, hearing (can hear through insulators) and smell, meaning that this man will be rather difficult to sneak up upon, or hide from.
Absorption:
When Alex Mercer consumes someone, he gains their skills, knowledge and memories, which help him improve as a warrior. In this battle his absorption ability could help him gain insight on the Zerg; how they function, who is their leader, and what are the very basic tactics. Though the Zerg who Mercer absorbs cannot see everything the Swarm is doing, and the inner workings of Kerrigan's mind are safe, it is still a very useful tool, and Alex may be able to see how the Queen functioned in the past and plan accordingly.
Also if he weakens her to near death and she cannot gt away, he could potentially absorb her, ending the fight.
Intangibles:
Sergeant James Heller was once a marine who was caught overseas when the virus began, and was granted one phone call to his wife and daughter to his phone call before communications with the city were shut down. During the call his wife was frantic; Blackwatch was patrolling the streets and dragging away people. Heller, cool and calm, assured her that Blackwatch were specialists and to stay calm and obey their orders. He then ended by telling both her and their daughter that he loved them, and would see them soon. It was the last he ever heard of them....
Defense: Shield and Armor forms
*Cannot be used simultaneously
Defensive power 1: Armor form:
When this power is activated a thick layer of biomass covers his entire body, giving him an increased resistance to, but not immunity from, damage. The thick layer of biomass also greatly reduces movement speed and agility, though it compensates for this by increasing his weight, and allowing him to smash through objects while running.
The Armor provides an alternative to the Shield. Unlike the Shield, which completely negates damage at the cost of having a finite ability to absorb punishment, the Armor significantly reduces the damage taken by Alex without losing effectiveness. It also reduces damages from all attacks, whereas the Shield will only negate damage from attacks that impact the Shield itself. It is ideal for close combat, allowing Alex to go toe to toe with the strongest foes without taking large amounts of damage. Conversely, running from a fight is somewhat more difficult, and Alex's ability to dodge attacks is hampered.
This power will be very effective in helping Alex deal with Kerrigan's arsenal, and I can see it lessen the damage he takes from her sniper rifle and melee weapons, though not nullify either . The Power of her Psionics too will be reduced by his armor, though less then for the previous two due to the pure potency of the storms and their brain frying/armor shredding abilities. All this in return for Alex's formidable speed and agility being slightly reduced.
This power will be very effective in helping Alex deal with Kerrigan's arsenal, and I can see it lessen the damage he takes from her sniper rifle and melee weapons, though not nullify either . The Power of her Psionics too will be reduced by his armor, though less then for the previous two due to the pure potency of the storms and their brain frying/armor shredding abilities. All this in return for Alex's formidable speed and agility being slightly reduced.
Defensive power 2: Sheild
An awesome power, upon activation a large amount of biomass forms in his left arm . Unlike armor, the sheild renders Alex completely invulnerable-from frontal attacks. Attacks to the side and the rear will still do the regular amount of damage, and the sheild itself may be broken after substaining enough hits. Alex's mobility is not hindered at all when the shield is equipped. When hit by bullets, the sheild will actualy deflect the projectiles back at their owners and it can be used to ram through entire crowds with ease, giving it offensive capabilities as well.
Depending on the direction Kerrigan is in in relation to Alex, this defense could range from extremely helpful to next to useless. In a frontal assault it is my opinion that the Queen's melee attacks will not get through in the first couple of strikes, and the sniper bullets stand a chance of being deflected back at her. This shield's real benefit will be in offensive, and it'll allow Alex to get in close and smash her into things before changing forms to a more lethal instrument.
In spite of that, one must remember that the shield only protects Alex from whatever is directly in front of him . Anything from the sides, or a A.O.E. power like the Psionic storm will still effect him, and still shred him up
Alex going on a joyride with the shield
Alex's speed and agility is greatly enhanced by the virus. He can achieve running speeds surpassing vehicles, around 60 mph, and he can perform amazing parkour feats such as flips and rolls and maneuvers over and around vehicles and debris with little trouble. His leg strength allows him to leap nearly ten stories into the air. Alex can run up sheer vertical surfaces and cling to walls for an indefinite period of time. Alex is also capable of gliding, by making his biomass lighter in the air and ejecting small amounts of mass for further propulsion. In addition he never seems to run out of energy, and if he is shot down while running he usually quickly recovers.
In terms of mobility Alex is nearly maxed out, and the only thing he really had trouble outrunning was a nuclear blast.
Regenerative Powers/durability: Superb, independent medium-grade regeneration , consumption
Alex Mercer, like most video game badasses, is capable of regeneration to prevent himself from dying. In a cut-scene he successfully heals from a bullet to the face without regeneration, and in the game he is capable of regenerating up to a quarter health without consumption. In contrast to Kerrigan, who can pretty much regain full health in short bursts, this may not seem to be much but to compensate he has the consumption ability. This power allows him to consume his foes for regenerative purposes; though he cannot do this on a boss without slaying them first.
In this battle Alex Mercer will have no shortage of potential victims to absorb; from Kerrigan's Zerg to innocent civilians to even his own infected. Kerrigan will find herself needing to slay Mercer's food supply, though her army destroying powers will help a bit in this task.
Miscellaneous abilities: Superhuman Senses (Thermal Vision), Disguise, absorption
Thermal Vision:
Alex Possesses Superhuman Senses that pertain to sight, hearing (can hear through insulators) and smell, meaning that this man will be rather difficult to sneak up upon, or hide from.
Thermal vision allows Alex Mercer to highlight intense and/or biologically generated heat to see past debris and smoke to track Infected, military, police and pedestrians at the cost of a limited visual range. Seeing as this power detects body heat which Kerrigan's cloaking cannot hide, this power will be great in sniffing her out when she enables this power, though he'll have to enable it first.
(Section 6)
Disguise:
The disguise power is one of Alex's most reliable powers. When activated he takes on the appearance and personality of whoever he had last absorbed.While in disguise he keeps his super strength, agility and regeneration, but cannot use any other power without being forced to switch back. Alex can use his disguise to avoid the military, to sneak up on people and assassinate them, or to infiltrate bases. The Only problem is that Kerrigan's telekinesis will be able to sniff through his disguise, though that's not to say that her minions will be able to (while not in Kerrigan's presence).
Disguise:
The disguise power is one of Alex's most reliable powers. When activated he takes on the appearance and personality of whoever he had last absorbed.While in disguise he keeps his super strength, agility and regeneration, but cannot use any other power without being forced to switch back. Alex can use his disguise to avoid the military, to sneak up on people and assassinate them, or to infiltrate bases. The Only problem is that Kerrigan's telekinesis will be able to sniff through his disguise, though that's not to say that her minions will be able to (while not in Kerrigan's presence).
Absorption:
When Alex Mercer consumes someone, he gains their skills, knowledge and memories, which help him improve as a warrior. In this battle his absorption ability could help him gain insight on the Zerg; how they function, who is their leader, and what are the very basic tactics. Though the Zerg who Mercer absorbs cannot see everything the Swarm is doing, and the inner workings of Kerrigan's mind are safe, it is still a very useful tool, and Alex may be able to see how the Queen functioned in the past and plan accordingly.
Also if he weakens her to near death and she cannot gt away, he could potentially absorb her, ending the fight.
Intangibles:
Personality/Tactics: Vindictive, borderline sociopath, quiet, does not tire, biological super weapon, genius, excellent tactician, mass destruction, use of Infected as fodder, adapt to win, infiltration.
Alex pretty much killed every single person who ever fucked with him over the course of the game, sparing no one and going to great lengths to track these people down. He shows a little concern for his sister, but he doesn't really give a shit about anyone else, as historically everyone who he has has betrayed him. This is evident when he smashes the vial containing the virus in the beginning of the game, starting the outbreak, and how he now actively seeks to spread the infection.
(Section 7)
Alex Mercer is a biological super-weapon, equipped with numerous powers and abilities that he will try to use to get an edge over an opponent. He never tires and will never give in to exhaustion. Alex possesses a genius level intellect and a keen strategic mind. He works with the military in order to consume Greene, and works with the infected to cause havoc in certain military installations. Morals don't affect his tactics, and he doesn't give a fuck about "collateral damage". In fact he will often inflict as much destruction as possible to attract attention. A notable quote of his
""How do you catch the attention of an officer? You start killing all of his men."
In the newest game, he has full command of the infected and uses them to carry out his will. Their lives mean as little to him as they would have when they were human, and he sends them into battles that he knows they cannot win, such as against James Heller to test his abilities. In this regard he is very similar to Kerrigan, who in her Queen of Blades persona sent an entire brood against a hybrid just to test it(they were wiped out). Alex Mercer also shows the unique trait of adapting to his enemies moves and eventually figuring out a plan/strategy to deal with them. Examples include how he learned how to combat effectively, going from boss battles in the beginning to being able to kill them in a couple of hits later on, to the adaption of his body to fend off the Bloodtox anti-virus.
Stealthy infiltration is another of Alex's favorite tactics, and he uses this in combination with his disguise power, often raining havoc in Blackwatch bases . In the end of the game he tracked down marine colonel Talbert in order to consume him and sneak aboard an aircraft carrier to kill the Blackwatch general.
 |
| The Diabolical mastermind behind the New York infection |
Alex pretty much killed every single person who ever fucked with him over the course of the game, sparing no one and going to great lengths to track these people down. He shows a little concern for his sister, but he doesn't really give a shit about anyone else, as historically everyone who he has has betrayed him. This is evident when he smashes the vial containing the virus in the beginning of the game, starting the outbreak, and how he now actively seeks to spread the infection.
Alex Mercer is a biological super-weapon, equipped with numerous powers and abilities that he will try to use to get an edge over an opponent. He never tires and will never give in to exhaustion. Alex possesses a genius level intellect and a keen strategic mind. He works with the military in order to consume Greene, and works with the infected to cause havoc in certain military installations. Morals don't affect his tactics, and he doesn't give a fuck about "collateral damage". In fact he will often inflict as much destruction as possible to attract attention. A notable quote of his
""How do you catch the attention of an officer? You start killing all of his men."
In the newest game, he has full command of the infected and uses them to carry out his will. Their lives mean as little to him as they would have when they were human, and he sends them into battles that he knows they cannot win, such as against James Heller to test his abilities. In this regard he is very similar to Kerrigan, who in her Queen of Blades persona sent an entire brood against a hybrid just to test it(they were wiped out). Alex Mercer also shows the unique trait of adapting to his enemies moves and eventually figuring out a plan/strategy to deal with them. Examples include how he learned how to combat effectively, going from boss battles in the beginning to being able to kill them in a couple of hits later on, to the adaption of his body to fend off the Bloodtox anti-virus.
Stealthy infiltration is another of Alex's favorite tactics, and he uses this in combination with his disguise power, often raining havoc in Blackwatch bases . In the end of the game he tracked down marine colonel Talbert in order to consume him and sneak aboard an aircraft carrier to kill the Blackwatch general.
Motivation: Find out who he is, Revenge, Achieve his full potential, Spread infection, power?
While in the beginning he desperately wanted to find out who he was (he had no previous memories before waking up in the morgue), once he gathered enough information about his past his goal quickly turned to revenge. General Randall, Director Mcullen, Colonel Talbert, Elizabeth Greene.....all are names of the people who had fought over control of New York and all were killed by Alex. It is not currently known whether he spared even his ex-girlfriend Karen Parker in the carnage, though based on his past actions it is probably that he didn't Now that they are all dead Alex's new motivation is to achieve his full biological potential, and he will certainly be seeking out notable people to absorb to gain more powers/knowledge/skill. Kerrigan, with the power to control the Swarm and her natural Psionic abilities, will undoubtedly be a prime target.
It also seems that he desires to spread the infection far beyond the New York Red Zone. Since he is in control of the virus now with Greene's death that could mean many theories, two of which stick out in my mind: A. he desires revenge on the entire species or B. he wants more power, seeing as he is already king of the New York Red zone.
(final segment)
Training/Experience : No personal physical training, "mental training", absorption, fought against many varied foes
Until the beginning of the New York infection, there is no indication that Alex ever really fought, and he certainly didn't receive martial training like his military foes did. Alex focused his efforts into training his mind into the truly formidable mechanism that it later showed itself to be, and he was described as miles ahead of everyone else at Gentek. While this training wasn't combat oriented, I feel that it is important enough to be included.
His rating in this category really skyrockets once he gets infected. Alex Mercer pretty much absorbed/killed off every major player in New York during the time of the infection, fighting off numerous attempts by the infected and military to kill him. From the unknown multitude of absorptions he has gained those victim's fighting knowledge, martial skill, and abilities, making him increasingly formidable as the game goes on. As will be detailed in the next sections, he has fought against everything from zombie-like infected to the organized Blackwatch military machine.
Past Opponents: NYPD, U.S. Marines (Colonel Taggart) , the Infected (Elizabeth Greene), Blackwatch (Specialist Cross, Super Soldiers, Peter Randall), the Supreme Hunter
At the very beginning of the infection, before the bombings, before the quarantine and evacuation, before even the en statement of martial law, Alex's first foes would have been the New York Police Department. These officers, though more experienced and trained then many other police departments, couldn't hold a candle to the biological super-weapon, or the simultaneous outbreak, and quickly found themselves overwhelmed. As the Prototype comic details, they didn't survive the infection, and the military had to take over.
Enter the Marine Corps. The United States Marine Corps arrived in New York in the hope of quickly containing the spread of the virus, but soon found themselves stuck in a brutal war with the infected, losing thousands per week in constant street battles. The Marine corps came with Abrams tanks, APCs, artillery and a variety of helicopters, but ultimately that wasn't enough to stop the infection or Alex. It seems that the entire point of them being brought into the operation were A. to take losses that Blackwatch would otherwise be forced to take and B. for when the nuclear bomb is dropped, they would take the fall. The Marine colonel in charge of the operation, Taggart, eventually flipped out and tried to abandon the city before ultimately being tracked down and consumed by Alex.
(Alex really hates Taggart!)
The infection were the cause of the devastation on the island, and they were led by the woman known as Elizabeth Greene. She was a powerful individual in her own right, incredibly patient and un-aging, able to control the virus via a hive mind. She commanded operations underground, and eventually her threat became so sever that Alex and Blackwatch briefly united to fill the sewers with toxic material to force her out. After a long boss battle with her two-story form Alex finally absorbed her, gaining her crucial memories.
(Boss battle with Elizabeth Greene)
The organization known as Blackwatch are the main antagonists of Prototype , and it is against them that Alex spends most of his time fighting . They were the ones that gunned him down in Penn Station, and he bears a personal grudge against them. In the game they are constantly evolving, going from merely a glorified military unit in the beginning who possess standard marine equipment, to a full force spec ops by the end with U.A.Vs, bloodtox (agent orange like spray), virus detectors and super-soldiers. They are ruthless, and care only about getting the job done. They indiscriminately fire on civilians and infected alike, kill marines without warning (as shown in a memory node) , and wipe out the entire police force once the infection begins spreading in earnest.
By far the Super-soldiers are Alex's greatest human foes. These giants are genetically modified with impressive regeneration, and are one of the few foes capable of standing toe to toe with Alex in a brawl. In addition to accelerated healing, or perhaps because of it, they also gained incredible strength and endurance. Their healing factor made them prime candidates for surgical enhancements, mostly in the form of bulletproof plating being molded to their soft muscle tissue, making them much more durable.
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| Prototype 2 Zones and information here. Alex rules over the red, and is contesting the yellow. |
It also seems that he desires to spread the infection far beyond the New York Red Zone. Since he is in control of the virus now with Greene's death that could mean many theories, two of which stick out in my mind: A. he desires revenge on the entire species or B. he wants more power, seeing as he is already king of the New York Red zone.
Training/Experience : No personal physical training, "mental training", absorption, fought against many varied foes
Until the beginning of the New York infection, there is no indication that Alex ever really fought, and he certainly didn't receive martial training like his military foes did. Alex focused his efforts into training his mind into the truly formidable mechanism that it later showed itself to be, and he was described as miles ahead of everyone else at Gentek. While this training wasn't combat oriented, I feel that it is important enough to be included.
His rating in this category really skyrockets once he gets infected. Alex Mercer pretty much absorbed/killed off every major player in New York during the time of the infection, fighting off numerous attempts by the infected and military to kill him. From the unknown multitude of absorptions he has gained those victim's fighting knowledge, martial skill, and abilities, making him increasingly formidable as the game goes on. As will be detailed in the next sections, he has fought against everything from zombie-like infected to the organized Blackwatch military machine.
Past Opponents: NYPD, U.S. Marines (Colonel Taggart) , the Infected (Elizabeth Greene), Blackwatch (Specialist Cross, Super Soldiers, Peter Randall), the Supreme Hunter
At the very beginning of the infection, before the bombings, before the quarantine and evacuation, before even the en statement of martial law, Alex's first foes would have been the New York Police Department. These officers, though more experienced and trained then many other police departments, couldn't hold a candle to the biological super-weapon, or the simultaneous outbreak, and quickly found themselves overwhelmed. As the Prototype comic details, they didn't survive the infection, and the military had to take over.
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| Taggart. The cowardly devil in charge of the military in Manhatten. |
Enter the Marine Corps. The United States Marine Corps arrived in New York in the hope of quickly containing the spread of the virus, but soon found themselves stuck in a brutal war with the infected, losing thousands per week in constant street battles. The Marine corps came with Abrams tanks, APCs, artillery and a variety of helicopters, but ultimately that wasn't enough to stop the infection or Alex. It seems that the entire point of them being brought into the operation were A. to take losses that Blackwatch would otherwise be forced to take and B. for when the nuclear bomb is dropped, they would take the fall. The Marine colonel in charge of the operation, Taggart, eventually flipped out and tried to abandon the city before ultimately being tracked down and consumed by Alex.
The infection were the cause of the devastation on the island, and they were led by the woman known as Elizabeth Greene. She was a powerful individual in her own right, incredibly patient and un-aging, able to control the virus via a hive mind. She commanded operations underground, and eventually her threat became so sever that Alex and Blackwatch briefly united to fill the sewers with toxic material to force her out. After a long boss battle with her two-story form Alex finally absorbed her, gaining her crucial memories.
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| The last moments of Alex Mercer, pre-virus. |
The organization known as Blackwatch are the main antagonists of Prototype , and it is against them that Alex spends most of his time fighting . They were the ones that gunned him down in Penn Station, and he bears a personal grudge against them. In the game they are constantly evolving, going from merely a glorified military unit in the beginning who possess standard marine equipment, to a full force spec ops by the end with U.A.Vs, bloodtox (agent orange like spray), virus detectors and super-soldiers. They are ruthless, and care only about getting the job done. They indiscriminately fire on civilians and infected alike, kill marines without warning (as shown in a memory node) , and wipe out the entire police force once the infection begins spreading in earnest.
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| As Alex evolves, so does his foes. |
Robert Cross, aka the specialist, was the man who Blackwatch brings in to kill runners such as Alex Mercer. He is perhaps the only human foe in Prototype that isn't genetically modified that can go toe to toe with the biological super-weapon, nearly killing him when he injects a antidote into him. Peter Randal is the general in charge of the operation, and is dedicated to preventing the spread of the virus. In fact he is so dedicated that once when he was scratched he amputated his whole arm under the suspicion it might have been infected.
Double Feature!
The final boss is the so-called Supreme hunter, who possesses a lot of abilities that Alex himself possesses . At some unknown point in the game, he absorbs Captain Cross, and uses his form to manipulate Alex into getting the general and helping him get off the island. After Randall's death, he reveals his true form to Alex minutes before he nuclear detonation, intending to absorb him to survive it. They fight on top of the aircraft career Ronald Reagan, and after a long and difficult battle Alex finally decapitates the fiend.
Future Opponents: Blackwatch, James Heller
Blackwatch has evolved since the events of the first game, and they are back more powerful then ever. They now wear complete bio-hazard suits that are armored at every point, and have received additional training in handling the infected.They also seem to have taken over the marines role completely, and both occupy civilians and fight infected. Their super-soldiers now resemble the agents from the Crackdown series, and are presumably even more powerful.
(The events of Prototype, from the Blackwatch perspective.)
By far the most formidable of Alex Mercer's adversaries with be the new star of the series, James Heller.
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| Now quite common among Blackwatch |
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| The Star of the sequel. |
14 months later James Heller; broken, devastated and wishing to die, went into the red zone as part of a suicide mission, hoping that he could end his life taking out as many of those infected as possible. He slew hundreds of them, and continued to fight even after his squad was overwhelmed and he ran out of ammunition. That day would have been his end had not someone else been watching....
Alex Mercer infected Heller with the virus, in an effort to apparently create his own lieutenant to lead his infection once he decided to leave the NYC. It that was his intention, he badly misunderstood James Heller. The man immediately began to use his own gifts against Mercer, and has evolved in ways even Mercer has not been able to. Branded into the same category as Mercer by Blackwatch, Heller battles both infected and spec ops.
His sole objective in Prototype 2 is to ensure the death of Alex Mercer, to destroy him for the death of his family (whether they were killed by Mercer personally, or by the infection he caused, or even by over-zealous Blackwatch soldiers, is currently unknown). As the tagline of the game says, he will transform himself with the sole purpose of destroying his maker, becoming more in the process.
Last Victory: Dante Alighieri
In his last fight, Alex managed to take down the crusader Dante by the slimmest of margins, to the point where I almost declared it a tie. Yet in the end Alex's devastators, speed and intellect proved to be too much for the medieval crusader, and in the end he was riddled with tendrils, with Alex nearly dying in the process. So what would Alex have learned from this blast from the past?
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| This man literally took on hell, but couldn't survive Alex Mercer. |
Dante's holy cross took a huge toll on Alex, and it was even able to hamper his healing process. From Dante he would have learned that just because science says something cannot happen, doesn't mean it cannot happen. He will be wary of supernatural powers now, and more on his guard when encountering them. His experience with Dante may help him in dealing with Kerrigan's Psionics.
Martial Arts/fighting Style: No Personal training in martial arts style (but has absorbed many who have) , eclectic style of fighting, renowned and feared in close quarters.
Alex Mercer never had formal training in combat, instead opting to go the route of the scientist. However once he became a living weapon of mass destruction, he absorbed MANY who have, and inherited their martial arts prowess.
When in battle Alex prefers to use a rapidly evolving, eclectic series of fighting, which changes upon who he fights. At range h'd prefer to throw things or pick up discarded Blackwatch weapons, but when in close he is frequently seen switching back and forth between weapons and armor, to better combat his ever-changing foes. There are very few that can take Alex in close quarters, and only one of those is a unmodified human. He can tangle very well even with the melee specializing hunters and super-soldiers.
Psychology: quiet, introverted, focused, mostly calm, inquisitive, frightening when angry, confident, paranoid, Borderline Psychopath, no morals, Narcissist, obsessive behaviors, extremely revenge focused, shows rare moments of conscience(Zeus), contemplative (Zeus)
"Psychopathic disregard for others, narcissistic world view punctuated by self-obsessive disorders."
"Okay, how about someone repeat that in English?"
-conversation between Marine Psychologist and regular grunt.
*Before starting the psychology section it needs to be stated that we are not simply talking about the original Alex Mercer here, rather we are now referring to the virus which consumed his body post-mortem. The Virus believes itself to be Alex Mercer, and acts like him even after finding out the truth. It is his main personality. So yes, while many of these traits applied to the original Alex, it also applied to the virus ("Zeus") too. There will be one or two virus specific traits in the analysis.
Alex Mercer had a rough childhood, being switched over from his family to foster care and then back again.....with the foster family unfortunately being the ideal situation. Alex grew up in poverty, the son of two white trash parents, having only his tough as nails sister to look up to as a parental figure. He was quiet and introverted, having no friends in grading school and instead focusing solely on his interest in science to get out of the situation. He continued this pursuit for the rest of his life.
As a Gentek worker, Alex Mercer was highly inquisitive and dedicated, and he was years ahead of everyone else at the facility in terms of skill.Alex was extremely inquisitive, and was very eager to discover new areas of his study to create more potent viruses. He was often calm, but when angered he could be frightening, both as a virus and as a human (it was in a fit of paranoia and anger that he released the Blacklight virus onto the world). To the best of my knowledge, he has never shown any signs of self-doubt in battle, and is as confident in it as he is in the lab.
Alex Mercer shows clear signs of severe mental disorders, not the least of which is his paranoia, as he thinks someone is after him at all times (to be fair to Alex; 95 %of those times he is correct). As a person he rarely shows signs of caring about others , and gleefully works to create many viruses of mass destruction, each more lethal then the last. The only two exceptions to this are Dana, his sister (though arguable since he doesn't contact her for five years until he is on the run), and Karen Parker, his ex-girlfriend. He is a narcissist who focuses primarily on himself, and considered himself above many of his peers.
As the marine psychologist hit spot-on, Alex is characterized by obsessive behaviors. In his pre-infection days, it was cleanliness (understandable given where he comes from; he never wants to go back) and his drive to create new viruses. Post-infection, it is his overwhelming desire to kill anyone and everyone who ever fucked with him. he pretty much destroyed a city to do so when he dropped a vial of Blacklight out of rage that his hunters(Blackwatch) had found him.
It is perhaps ironic then that his virus form is more human than his pre-infection one. Zeus (Alex post infection) does show a small degree of conscience, once helping out soldiers when asked to by a contact, and going out of his way to rescue his sister. He is contemplative, and openly wonders what the hell he has become. In his own words "something less than human, but something more than too."
Personal Weaknesses: A bit impulsive, tend to focus on the short term over long, A bit arrogant
The Prototype has very few weaknesses, but they do have a habit of manifesting themselves at inopportune times. His first disadvantage is that he can be impulsive at times, like when he broke the vial on the subway out of anger, or took his time in finishing off Cross (a mistake he later learned from) . Another slight disadvantage is Alex's tendency to block out the long term in exchange for getting immediate revenge, like when he pursued Karen Parker instead of going after the military. Finally he, like other infected, have a weakness with flashbacks. Namely it causes them blinding pain that temporarily renders them unable to react, and as the fight with Robert Cross demonstrated they are vulnerable in this state.
Alex Mercer is a powerful living weapon and he knows it, and although he doesn't often underestimate his foes, there are time where he does.
Finally All of Mercer's cut-scenes
1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Conclusion:
Alex Mercer. Thought to be by many Gentek and Blackwatch scientists to be the perfect weapon, the pinnacle of human evolution, Alex is a one man wrecking ball. He does not need to carry any weapons, in fact he is the weapon. In an instant his arms could turn into two giant fists or a blade, and wipe out an entire army division with that. Alternately he could turn his arm into a shield and plow through enemy soldiers. He need not worry about small arms fire, and for anything bigger he could construct himself into a living suit of armor, or just absorb one of his foes. He is a genius and knows it, and took on an elite spec ops force and won. To defeat Kerrigan, he is going to have to work even harder then before, but it can be done by
Martial Arts/fighting Style: No Personal training in martial arts style (but has absorbed many who have) , eclectic style of fighting, renowned and feared in close quarters.
Alex Mercer never had formal training in combat, instead opting to go the route of the scientist. However once he became a living weapon of mass destruction, he absorbed MANY who have, and inherited their martial arts prowess.
When in battle Alex prefers to use a rapidly evolving, eclectic series of fighting, which changes upon who he fights. At range h'd prefer to throw things or pick up discarded Blackwatch weapons, but when in close he is frequently seen switching back and forth between weapons and armor, to better combat his ever-changing foes. There are very few that can take Alex in close quarters, and only one of those is a unmodified human. He can tangle very well even with the melee specializing hunters and super-soldiers.
Psychology: quiet, introverted, focused, mostly calm, inquisitive, frightening when angry, confident, paranoid, Borderline Psychopath, no morals, Narcissist, obsessive behaviors, extremely revenge focused, shows rare moments of conscience(Zeus), contemplative (Zeus)
"Okay, how about someone repeat that in English?"
-conversation between Marine Psychologist and regular grunt.
*Before starting the psychology section it needs to be stated that we are not simply talking about the original Alex Mercer here, rather we are now referring to the virus which consumed his body post-mortem. The Virus believes itself to be Alex Mercer, and acts like him even after finding out the truth. It is his main personality. So yes, while many of these traits applied to the original Alex, it also applied to the virus ("Zeus") too. There will be one or two virus specific traits in the analysis.
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| Dana Mercer: Alex's real guardian. |
Alex Mercer had a rough childhood, being switched over from his family to foster care and then back again.....with the foster family unfortunately being the ideal situation. Alex grew up in poverty, the son of two white trash parents, having only his tough as nails sister to look up to as a parental figure. He was quiet and introverted, having no friends in grading school and instead focusing solely on his interest in science to get out of the situation. He continued this pursuit for the rest of his life.
As a Gentek worker, Alex Mercer was highly inquisitive and dedicated, and he was years ahead of everyone else at the facility in terms of skill.Alex was extremely inquisitive, and was very eager to discover new areas of his study to create more potent viruses. He was often calm, but when angered he could be frightening, both as a virus and as a human (it was in a fit of paranoia and anger that he released the Blacklight virus onto the world). To the best of my knowledge, he has never shown any signs of self-doubt in battle, and is as confident in it as he is in the lab.
Alex Mercer shows clear signs of severe mental disorders, not the least of which is his paranoia, as he thinks someone is after him at all times (to be fair to Alex; 95 %of those times he is correct). As a person he rarely shows signs of caring about others , and gleefully works to create many viruses of mass destruction, each more lethal then the last. The only two exceptions to this are Dana, his sister (though arguable since he doesn't contact her for five years until he is on the run), and Karen Parker, his ex-girlfriend. He is a narcissist who focuses primarily on himself, and considered himself above many of his peers.
As the marine psychologist hit spot-on, Alex is characterized by obsessive behaviors. In his pre-infection days, it was cleanliness (understandable given where he comes from; he never wants to go back) and his drive to create new viruses. Post-infection, it is his overwhelming desire to kill anyone and everyone who ever fucked with him. he pretty much destroyed a city to do so when he dropped a vial of Blacklight out of rage that his hunters(Blackwatch) had found him.
It is perhaps ironic then that his virus form is more human than his pre-infection one. Zeus (Alex post infection) does show a small degree of conscience, once helping out soldiers when asked to by a contact, and going out of his way to rescue his sister. He is contemplative, and openly wonders what the hell he has become. In his own words "something less than human, but something more than too."
Personal Weaknesses: A bit impulsive, tend to focus on the short term over long, A bit arrogant
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| Alex caught on camera, shortly before the camera went offline. |
Alex Mercer is a powerful living weapon and he knows it, and although he doesn't often underestimate his foes, there are time where he does.
Finally All of Mercer's cut-scenes
1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Conclusion:
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| Alex Mercer: Could he be the Deadliest Warrior? |
Six Ways to win:
1. Hit her at every range!
Alex Mercer favors a fast, aggressive style of fighting. If he can barrage her with objects/bullets at a distance, then gradually work his way up to close, he should have an easier time at achieving a kill.
2. Avoid Psionics
In order to prosper in this battle Alex Mercer will need to use his agility to avoid her devastating Psionic powers, as well as constantly keep on his toes and avoid telepathically thrown objects .
3. Use Devastators sparingly
Used correctly devastators could be the key to winning this battle, but if used constantly it may allow Kerrigan to develop counter measures.
4. The best defense is a good offense
Mercer's defensive powers both have offensive capabilities, and should help him when he decides to take the offense to her.
5. Consume your surroundings
Alex's ability to absorb organics for health is going to assist him greatly in this battle, as more often then not there is always going to be a Zerg, Infected or even civilian near him. Of course he will need to kill it first, and will be vulnerable the couple of seconds while doing so. Kerrigan will need to work overtime to destroy anything that Alex could consume.
6. Remember what Dante taught you....
After fighting the crusader Dante Alighieri, Alex Mercer is going to be a little wary when coming into contact with supernatural powers, as he has some experience with them already.
Now that Alex Mercer's profile is done please take the time to write down any comments, concerns, questions ect that you may wish to.
Especially appreciated are edges predictions and overall predictions, as they help me in formulating results. Also don't hesitate to inform me if there are any glaring errors on the page that you see.
Edges:
*sub-category
"Sarah vs. Alex" = too many categories to list
Offensive Categories:
Super Long Range: CK. MK VI. Sniper rifle vs. Thrown objects and Acquired Weapons
In a past life, before Kerrigan became the Queen of Blades, the CK. MK VI. sniper rifle was her favorite and most used weapon. The amount of people she has sniped in her career is almost certainly in the triple digits, and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be more then that. The MK. VI can be fired in its single shot form or switched to full auto , tearing holes into whatever its fired at. As a final note it possesses a couple of utilities; a flashlight for night fighting, a low frequency targeting laser, and the ability to fire EMP rounds.
Against Alex even this mighty sniper rifle is going to have its work cut out for it. Alex has proven in cut-scenes that he is capable of surviving a point blank head-shot, so Sarah will need to either completely blow up his dome or else blow more holes in him then there are in some of these politicians proposed policies (meaning A LOT of holes). This is made harder by Alex's incredible agility and regeneration, though Kerrigan's full auto capabilities would help her in this. . She certainly has the training, experience and skill necessary to accomplish such a task, but by far getting a kill on Alex with this would be much harder then doing it to Anakin. As a little side note, her attachments will also play a slight role in this battle. Her targeting laser will help her accuracy somewhat (though given her experience, she could get a sniper head-shot while blindfolded AND facing away from the target). Her EMP rounds will help her in disabling the electronics in tanks, APCS, helicopters and some weapons, while the flashlight is just on there if she happens to need it.
Alex carries no weapon to this comparison; instead he finds them. He can lift and hurl vehicles as big as a tank, and can pretty much pick up any weapon off the ground and use accurately (except sniper rifles). Against Kerrigan, he'll almost never be without a makeshift weapon, while Kerrigan can run out of ammo. He has more options in this arena and is thus more flexible then Kerrigan, who will have to make do with one or two tactics with her weapon. The thrown vehicles, if they were to land on her, would squash her flat, and result in a ignoramus end to the Zerg queen. The firearms, even the grenade and rocket launcher, are going to be much harder to achieve kills as she can absorb a LOT of firepower before being taken to the ground-and even then she has the Deep Tunnel ability! Basically expect to see kills here when Alex headshots her.
With that said Alex's arsenal runs into one factor that is going to present a profound difficulty; her psionics. This supernatural force can send the thrown vehicles right back at Alex, disable guns from the inside, or even send the bullets right back at Alex (which would just aggravate him).
In the end the Psionic factor proves will prove difficult for Alex to overcome here, and Sarah scores the first edge here, though it is less then what she would have liked. Her points are limited by the extreme difficulty in killing Alex, his defensive forms, his regeneration, and speed.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Long Range: Psionic Blast vs. Whipfist and Groundspikes
Another comparison between one weapon vs. two....well get used to it, as Alex's weapons outnumbers hers in almost every other category.
The Psionic Blast is Kerrigan's most prevalent psionic attack, and can destroy most infantry fairly easily. It seems to do everything that a regular explosion does; blowing them sky-high and into pieces. It is much quicker to cast then her other psionic powers, and harder to dodge too making it overall one of her deadlier powers. Unlike her other powers, which can be slightly taxing, it does not drain her much at all , and can be used at a range greater then any of Alex's biological weapons.
However, in judging this category one CANNOT underestimate Alex's formidable durability. In cut-scenes (which I have added to the Mercer profile) he gets blown out of a two digit story apartment, gets shot point blank in the face, gets blown up by missile and grenade launchers multiple times, and suffers numerous other blows throughout the campaign-including surviving a nuclear bomb (although that is only because he absorbed a crow before he could die). A psionic blast will send him flying backwards and inflict grievous wounds, but other then that one Psionic blast cannot be counted upon to do enough damage in all but a few cases lucky cases where it decapitates him (and even then) . Real, deadly wounds upon Mercer will be inflicted by multiple blasts, which Kerrigan is admittedly quite capable of doing.
The Whipfist is Alex's answer to the Psionic Blast. Extending thirty feet, it can be used like a fishing hook to Catch Kerrigan and reel her in (or pull Alex to Kerrigan) for other , more lethal close range weapons to take over. This pwoer can be used to hurl Kerrigan in the air, though lesser ghosts then herself have discovered levitation (and she herself demonstrated it on Char).A surprise factor needs to be measured in as well. It can also be used for quick slashing and stabbing attacks, and at close ranges a devastating limb-amputating "street sweeper" is possible, though this can be blocked or dodged . To back this power up, Alex brings the Groundspike- a devastating impalement technique that if connected will either kill Kerrigan or wound her enough to where consumption is possible- assuming Kerrigan doesn't escape underground first.
With that said the powers both have their flaws. The Whipfist (with the exception of the street sweeper move) lacks severely in lethality category, and Alex will for the most part have to rely on other powers to kill Kerrigan. The Groundspike does have enough power to kill, but it requires Alex to stand still and requires Kerrigan to stand in its path.
When I was first reviewing this category I though Kerrigan would have it in the bag. However upon review it becomes a fairly close edge, only just given to her by a hair over the reeling function of the Whipfist and the Groundspike's pure devastation.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Mid range: Wings vs. Hammerfists and Blade form
As the fighters get in the close ranges, the arsenal that they wield gets even more impressive. The first contender, Sarah Kerrigan, brings out her bone wings.
Unlike her opponent, Kerrigan doesn't need to shift her biomass to have a close range weapon, and the bone-wings will be omnipresent in this fight. They are six deadly spears attached to two wings, and at full length they are longer then both of her opponent's mid range. She is incredibly skilled with these deadly skewers, and is capable of using them to entrap enemy weapons (she did this to Zeratul on Char) , parry blows, and utterly rip enemies apart. Her wings can penetrate all the way though marine power suits, which are made of steel. They should have no problem of doing the same to Alex's armor form. If destroyed she can regenerate them within a relatively short period of time. Finally there is one additional factor to consider; it the game Prototype, Alex seems to take the most damage (with the exception of one super powerful tank) from melee opponents, suggesting that this might be particularly devastating against him.
The reason I brought up the regeneration factor is, that there are some weapons in Alex's arsenal that could almost certainly destroy her wings, such as the blade, Hammerfists or Musclemass. While they wouldn't cut straight through her wings like the lightsaber would, it wouldn't take too many attacks to do so. In regards to durability it will likely take multiple strikes for this weapon to kill Alex, barring some exceptions of course.
Alex's duet offers a lot more variety then the Wings. First up are the massive Hammerfists, which send out shock-waves with every punch that go far beyond the actual range of the fists! When they directly connect, the Hammerfists easily crush whatever they hit. The crushing attribute bypass her armor and skin, and will inflict gruesome internal injuries. He can also hurl himself directly at Kerrigan from ridiculously far away. The blade is arguably Mercer's most powerful weapon, and can take out some of the most powerful enemies in the game in a couple of hits. Against Kerrigan I can see it cleaving straight through her wings- and more.
Of course for every positive there are negatives, and Mercer's arsenal proves to be no exception. His Hammerfists are slow while Kerrigan is agile, and this could prove troublesome in trying to fight her, especially if he tries one of his aerial moves. The Blade, while much better, also has problems in its aerial combat category.
Close edges seem to be the norm for this battle, and this category continues the tradition. Kerrigan's wings, while more in number, fail to offer the durability, lethality, and options that Alex's duo does. Mr. Mercer wins his first category after quite a fight.
Edge Alex Mercer
Close Range: Claws and Martial arts vs. Claws, musclemass and hand-to-hand
A Recurring theme for the weapons is that Alex's always outnumber Kerrigan. This category, the only traditional weapon category where Kerrigan has two weapons, proves to be no exception. This can be explained by Alex being a mostly melee oriented character, whereas Sarah has other powers to rely on (coming up soon!) .
For close range, Sarah first relies on her gut ripping 6-inch nails. A woman's best friend, these have been fashioned into highly lethal instruments by Sarah, and can easily rip out throats or disembowel an unwary Terran. They are much faster then the wings, and will better then them at dealing with Alex's incredible agility. To back up the claws, Sarah has her incredible martial arts! During her time at the ghost academy, her martial arts took an emphasis on lethality, and her skill is far beyond most other Terrans. She can break bones with her kicks, successively dual a cloaked ghost, and go to toe even with the Protoss, warriors who spend centuries perfecting themselves.
That said, Alex's armor form is going to kill the ability of the claws to do anything, and greatly weaken that of the martial arts, as I have found little to no evidence of the claws being able to go through thick armor (in contrast to the wings which is backed up by a cutscene). . Her claws lack the range of Mercer's, or the power of Musclemass. While knowledge of martial arts is going to assist her alot, it is going to be extremely hard for her to do enough damage with either of her weapons to kill Alex, as even if she snapped his neck he would almost certainly survive (though it would bring him close, and allow Sarah time to do more lethal attacks) . In fact, I would say that her doing so will be a rarity, even with his weakness to melee attacks .
Alex brings a three weapons to this melee. His claws would make Wolverine and Freddy Kreugar jealous, and are much longer then Kerrigan's nails. These can cleave through flesh relatively easily, and I can certainly see it getting through Kerrigan's armor at some places. The Musclemass amplifies Alex's already impressive muscles, allowing him to throw things harder/farther then before. His punches can go through people, and while Kerrigan's body armor will provide some protection, I cannot see it negating the devastating blows. Though Alex lacks Kerrigan's skill in regular hand to hand, he brings his cheetah like agility to the battle which Kerrigan will have trouble dealing with.
Still, the Claws are rather weak in getting through armor, and that is certainly going to factor in the battle. Alex Mercer also lacks the rather unique martial arts that Sarah has, and in a battle of skills would suffer. Musclemass adds nothing really new, and has the least amount of range of the bunch. Alex's own hand to hand adds even less.
However despite this, Alex does seem to carry more advantages in close range, as his weapons are more likely to get through her armor then vice versa. That and the range give Mercer a fairly comfortable edge, the first so far.
Edge Alex Mercer
Special: Psionic Powers vs. Devastators and Hijacking
This edge category will perhaps be the largest of all of the ones in this preview, as it encompasses some many powers! Ill try to cover weaknesses and strengths in the same paragraphs for this edge.
First up is Sarah Kerrigan, who breaks the ice with her Psychic Attack, a move so powerful that it can actually make an opponents brain fall apart in a matter of seconds. Strengths: umm, did you read that last sentence? Even this powerful ability has a couple of weaknesses though: it will only be of use against a single foe (which would be ignoring the infected attacking her), may be hard to target a fast moving target like Alex, and has to destroy the majority of the brain, not parts of it, to destroy. Unfortunately for Alex, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Telekinesis is perfectly suited for stopping thrown objects and disabling guns, helping her out in dealing with super long range weapons. Offensively, it can be used to hurl large objects, toss around an enemy, push him back, or even collapse buildings . This is one of the few powers that I really can't see a disadvantage for; though it isn't as powerful as many of the others, it'll help her in most things that she does.
The psionic bolt and ensnare are two of Sarah's weaker abilities, though both useful in their own ways. The Psionic Bolt 's main purpose is to hold an enemy in place, and it can't even do that some of the time. Against Alex I think this would slow, not stop him, and do nothing to his surrounding infected. The ensnare is more useful, being one of the few powers to curtail Alex's incredible agility. While it cannot kill on its own it will greatly slow Alex's movement, and leave him vulnerable to more powerful spells such as the storms.
-Finished tommorow. Sorry guys but I got distracted!
to give you guys a treat till then, here is an awesome fan video:
And now we are back, and just tin time for Kerrigan's three most lethal spells.
The Implosion ability is, in terms of damage, Kerrigan's most devastating weapon. However there is a catch; it can only be used against mechanical units. Meaning that Alex will be safe from the spell the vast majority of the time. However this ability may be the bane of his hijacking skill, as any vehicle that he hijacks may very well become his tomb. He'll only ave seconds to jump out before the implosion crushes him into goo.
Finally we have the dual storms; Psionic and Razor. Without a doubt Kerrigan's most powerful attacks, the first storm (psionic) directly liquidizes the brain, and is actually just as powerful against tech too, as I recently discovered. Here is a quote from the Shadow of the Xel-Naga
“The marines and firebats continued to dish out destruction in self-defense, but one of the robed Protoss Templars climbed onto a pile of rocks. Raising his three-fingered hand to the sky, he summoned an awesome Psionic Storm that battered the Wraiths into confusion, slamming the single-man fight together, driving them down as if they had been hit by a huge flyswatter.
Massively damaged, the battlecruisers and the remaining Wraiths tried to pull away, but from the other side of the valley, a second High Templar called yet another Psionic Storm that hammered them from the east. Only one of Battlecruisers and three wraiths managed to pull away from the dangerous valley and leaving damaged and destroyed Terran vessels strewn all across the battlefield”- pg 208-209
The Razor storm has a slightly smaller area of effect, but is more damaging to armor. The sharp razors fly in a crazy eight pattern to utterly shred all that lays within, and can destroy buildings in seconds! In this battle these storms will serve as a great army annihilators, and will play a big factor when the infected come into play against the storm. Alex's only real defense against the storms is to get out of the area of effect as soon as possible, which given his agility he is quite capable of doing.
Alex Mercer brings his own impressive arsenal to the fight, beginning with his hijack ability. This power allows him to enter any vehicle and drive AND operate by himself, which to be honest I am not quite sure how he manages to accomplish that task. Anyhow, the vehicles he can hijack include helicopters, M1 Abrams, and the devastating Thermobrabaric tank. The former will be very useful in helping Alex deal with Zerg air, while the latter will utterly one-shot anything it fires on, including Kerrigan. That said, acquiring such a vehicle will be even riskier for Alex then if Kerrigan decides to stand right in front of the Thermo tank's barrel, do to her implode ability. That power is going to severely weaken this power's effectiveness.
Coming right on the heel of the hijacking power, are the appropriately named devastators. The devastators are split into three different subtypes; the groundspike sends giant spikes into the ground, impaling everything around him. This is great against armor and infantry, but has the shortest range of them all. Though this won't be as easy as I made it out to be in the above preview, it is possible for Kerrigan to speed out of the area of effect. Both this power and the next are great at dealing with much of the swarm.
The tendril devastator comes next, and this power sends tendrils out forty-fifty feet in all directions to impale virtually everything. Though its possible that Kerrigan could burrow at the right time, it is able to be done fast enough to make this unlikely. Finally there is the critical pain devastator, which is a mass of biomass directed at a single target. This latter power is Alex's single most powerful in the game, and is great at bosses. It could possibly kill her outright. It can be dodged though, albeit with a great bit of effort.
All devastators suffer from three main disadvantages; there lack of range when compared with the Psionics, it costs Alex a bit of energy to do and the fact that Alex has to stand still in order to perform them. All of this make the power a bit of a last resort for Alex, however when used have the potential to take Sarah out of the game.
So who would get the overall edge? In my opinion the Psionic powers offer too many advantages in many categories to NOT get the edge. She can slow her enemy down, stop his long range attacks, blow his brain up, or even destroy Mercer's army. Mercer's devastators and devastating, but they can't really compete in any of the above criteria. Sarah takes the edge here.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
So who would get the overall edge? In my opinion the Psionic powers offer too many advantages in many categories to NOT get the edge. She can slow her enemy down, stop his long range attacks, blow his brain up, or even destroy Mercer's army. Mercer's devastators and devastating, but they can't really compete in any of the above criteria. Sarah takes the edge here.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Expansion Powers: Sarah Kerrigan vs. Alex
This will be a fairly easy edge to give, though I will still go through the powers as I normally do.
The Spawn Broodlings Ability is her first expansion power to be featured, and this power instant kills all no-mechanical non heroic units, replacing them with five ferocious broodlings. These little guys are armed with razor sharp talons just about everywhere, and can tear into flesh faster then the hunter from Left 4 Dead could. It cannot be really used against Alex Mercer himself, however, and may provide nutrients for him to consume. Still a great distraction power.
The Pulse and Corrosive spores come next. Neither is capable of killing on its own, but both have a role to play. The Corrosive spores make it so Alex takes more damage to Kerrigan's regular attacks, helping her whittle down his famous durability. The other power, Pulse, temporarily stuns Mercer and would leave him open to other powers, including the storms.
The crushing grip functions like a force choke; it grasps the enemy and forcibly closes their windpipe. Alex is a super human, and the definition of durability, but even he can't survive not breathing (proven when he nearly died in a Blackwatch compound after breathing in BloodTox). Thus one could expect this power to be devastating to him, though his durability will help him survive longer then usual.
Psionic Shadow, in my opinion, is Kerrigan's best new ability. This creates up to four clones that not only function as body doubles and decoys, but can attack too. The ability to summon allies out of mid-air is one prevalent in many video games, and is extremely helpful in increasing muscle and complementing strategy. Expect Sarah to use this quite expertly.
Alex Mercer has gotten a single (known at the time of this writing) ability; the power to dual wield weapons. While there aren't really disadvantages to this ability per say, the disadvantage to Alex is that this is his ONLY new ability. Sure his close quarters fighting prowess is doubled, but that cannot compete to all the new advantages Kerrigan gets in her new powers.
For that the edge is pretty obvious, it belongs to the Queen of Blades.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
* Allies: The Swarm vs. Infected
Comparing the entire Swarm to the infected would require a page just as long as Sarah's or Alex's bio, and something that I am not willing to do. Lets start with what they have in common; both the infected and the Zerg prove devastating on the ground, and I really can't give an edge on ground prowess. That said, what I CAN give an edge in is AIR prowess, namely because the Infected have none. They have no counters for mutalisks and brood lords, and will be in trouble should either enter the fray. Kerrigan's greater experience at commanding a huge army just adds to her edge.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Defensive:
Armor : Carpeice, hardened skin vs. Hoodie
There are some categories that are blessedly easy to judge, and this is one of them. Kerrigan brings her natural hardened skin and carpeice to defend herself. The carpeice is capable of deflecting small arms fire, and the hardened skin functions like a coating of bronze, further helping her in the field of protection. Neither inhibits her mobility at all. Yet how much defensive value with either honestly bring in this battle? Honestly, relatively little. While small arms fire may be useless against her, most of Alex's other weapons will be able to get past the armor, with the possible exception of the claw powers (and still even after repeated strikes.) But even with that said she still takes the edge.
Alex's hoodie gives the same amount of protection that a regular hoodie gives, aka none at all. He will be very mobile in this battle true, but Kerrigan will be both protected and mobile. And that is why she gets the edge, in layman's terms.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Defenses: Burrow and Deep Tunnel vs. Shield and Armor forms
In terms of defenses, these two are about as different in purpose as you can get. One of them seeks to help the user in dealing with blows head on, the other in avoiding it altogether.
Kerrigan's defenses both have an additional bonus that must be mentioned; surprise! As the Zerg have demonstrated in all of their conflicts, sometimes there is nothing more disheartening then a Zerg swarm burrowing under some carefully crafted defenses, bypassing them effortlessly (exactly like the Locust in the Gears of War series). The burrow is based off of the trap-door spider, and its favorite method of capturing prey by waiting until it is just above the hole to pounce.
While burrowing many Zerg species experience a more rapid rate of regeneration. Kerrigan has her own specific version of burrow, called the deep tunnel. Basically once she decides things on the surface are too hot, she uses her psionic powers to instantly dive deep into the Earth, where she regenerates many times faster then she normally would.
Neither defense provides much defense above ground, which Kerrigan will spend most of her time fighting. And even if she burrowed under ground....its not outside the realm of imagination that Mercer could merely follow her down there.
Mercer has two opposing forms, both powerful in their own right and with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. The armor form fully encompasses Alex, but is a bit bulky and slows down his movement. The Shield form fully protects his high mobility rating, but compensates by only protecting the front of him- and it can be broken by a strong enough attack. Neither are going to adequately protect him from Psionics, but will do a fine job at helping him weather everything else. The shield form has a offensive value to take into consideration.
What Alex's defenses offer him that Kerrigan's don't offer her is some semblance of mobility, and the ability to engage her while they are active. Kerrigan has to stay in her burrow/tunnel for her to be truly defended to work, and unless he jumps in she will not be able to engage him simultaneously.
This is close, but the biological god from Manhatten takes it here.
Edge Alex Mercer
Mobility: Sarah vs. Alex
When it comes to the various traits that make up mobility-endurance, agility and speed- both of these foes are quite literally inhuman. Neither has been shown to tire and can achieve very high speeds. However the answer to "who gets the edge" is almost as obvious as who achieves it in a contest of Psionic powers and devastators.
Kerrigan is very fast and extraordinarily agile, able to leap out of craters to escape the incoming Protoss. However, Alex can achieve even greater speeds. He can wall-run and leap between buildings without missing a step. If he is knocked off balance he can recover almost instantaneously.
This is like comparing the fictional versions of the roadrunner and the coyote-both can move VERY fast, but one completely outpaces the other. Basically whatever Kerrigan can do in this category, Alex can do better.
Edge Alex Mercer
Regeneration: Mastery vs. Superb and consumption
In contrast to the mismatch of last comparison, this one is a bit more even.
Both are capable of extraordinary feats of regeneration. Kerrigan regrew a whole wing within seconds, Mercer repaired his face after a revolver round blew a chunk out of it. Both have proven themselves able and willing to shrug off the arsenals of whoever they are currently fighting. When it comes to base regeneration , I feel that Kerrigan has the edge as Mercer's biomass cannot fully heal itself in the game without consumption. That said there is the issue of consumption....
Basically this power allows Alex to absorbs a being to restore health, and he successfully used it to survive a nuclear blast. In this battle he'll have experience no shortage of consumption targets, whether it be Kerrigan's swarm, any bystanders, or even his own infected (much like Resident Evil scientists, he is the definition of a amorality, and won't hesitate to kill his own in order to live). We must also factor in Kerrigan's response to this problem once she sees the power in action, namely she is going to be very reluctance to commit troops if she senses it is feeding her foe's war effort. And her psionic power can pretty easily be used to destroy Alex's infected before he has a chance to eat them.
For those reasons, I find it quite hard to give an edge here. But overall Alex has two options to heal, while Kerrigan has to rely on one. Ill give a very slight edgeto Alex.
Edge Alex Mercer
Misc Abilities: Sarah vs. Alex
In comparing the passive and nonviolent powers of these two superhuman, it is important to remember that neither is invincible, and my slip up even if these passive powers give them a huge advantage.
When it comes to senses, Alex will be able to perceive more in this battle, as the virus that has taken over has improved all his senses, instead of just sight like Kerrigan's psionics. He can also view through thick smoke and darkness with his thermal vision power. Kerrigan's ability to see through walls and presumably other objects with Psionic sight is not to be underestimated, however.
Thermal vision is going to be very useful in dealing with Kerrigan's cloaking, once he figures out that she is cloaked (it is probable that she can get a first strike in before that, though).
Tit for Tat, Alex's Disguise power is also going to be useless in Kerrigan's presence; her detector status will see right through it.
Absorption will be Alex's most useful power, and will allow him to get glimpses of Zerg strategies, units, and even Kerrigan's past, which Alex's brilliant mind could use to defeat her. However he would not be doing that without her being aware, as Kerrigan's potent telepathic prowess will give her the ability to read his mind, and in all likelihoods he will not be able to stop it. This goes without saying as being a huge advantage for Kerrigan, though there will be a lag time between receiving information and reacting to it that stops Kerrigan from being always one step ahead.
Her Telepathy is more then enough to give her the edge, however.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Intangibles:
Personality/Tactics: Sarah Vs. Alex
To start off with, one might ask why is personality paired with tactics? Most notably because personality is a good indicator for how a tactician may react on the battlefield. Alexander was a aggressive confident man, and his tactics reflected that. Montgomery was a rather cautious man, while Patton was another driving, aggressive man. The Tactics both used reflected their overall personalities.
in this battle, we have a bit of a odd comparison. While both warriors are known for their aggression, but both are equally famed for their subtleties (Mercer infiltrating bases, Kerrigan systematically allying with and then betraying factions) . Another common factor is the ruthlessness both show, and the seemingly uncaring way they treat their enemies. While Alex genuinely does not seem to care, post-infect Sarah has shown disgust at what her infected version has done. Both are generally the quiet , brooding introverted types, more likely to reflect inwardly then out, and would score very high on the I.Q. scale. Finally in regards to army leadership , both seem to have some sort of hive mind connection, though Kerrigan is more used to the connection then Alex is.
Looking at tactics we must first assess each of their command styles-and who actually does more "commanding". The answer to the second is fairly obvious, seeing as Mercer just very recently gained control of his infected while Kerrigan has had over 5ish years of experience with the Zerg- and a couple with the Terran before that. That's not to say that Mercer has more lone operative experience though, far from it! Kerrigan spent much of her teens and twenties assassinating prominent rebel figures and notorious outlaws, either alone or in small groups, while the time-frame of Prototype lasts just a couple of weeks.
From what I can tell, Mercer's main army tactic is just to send infected in and use them as cannon-fodder, though I will give him the benefit of the doubt in that its possible he has learned more advanced strategies from absorbing Greene. Kerrigan's tactics involve a good mix of that famous Zerg Rush and the subtle surprise and deception. Many a Terran squad has been felled when they were cut off from the rest of their unit by Zerg that had burrowed between them. Or else had their base flooding from the inside by a nydus worm. Kerrigan adds her own unique spice of psychological warfare to the mix, which as the famed duelist Musashi noted, greatly compliments skill. She backs up her army with her formidable psionic arsenal, which works wonders at taking out parts of her opponent's army.
Mercer favors mass destruction himself, but is able and willing to use infiltration and stealth to achieve his goals. Infiltrating a army under the command of a formidable psychic and hive mind, may be difficult however. Alex is like the organisms that he studies; he adapts to adverse conditions. In dealing with the Zerg he may be able to find a successful tactic eventually, this strengthened by the fact that he is a capable tactician, but that may be too late to save his army or even himself.
Kerrigan takes it for more experience of command and her combination of aggressive and deceptive tactics (like Alexander's style) that have been proven to take down even the mighty and technologically advanced Protoss .
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Motivation: Sarah vs. Alex
In measuring Motivations, it is important to note that Alex has already achieved two of her goals. He has found out who he is (a virus) and gotten revenge (though given Alex's nature, he is probably still pissed off).
Alex fights for reasons that are selfish in nature, as he desires both to achieve his ultimate potential and to spread the infection, giving him power of the populace. In the process he doesn't care who gets in his way, or how many have to die to achieve it. That said his motivations are more abstract in comparison to Kerrigan, while hers are a balance of abstract and real. Abstract concepts are wonderful, but sometimes you need a more specific one to make it "real" for you.
Kerrigan fights for many things. She fights for maximizing her potential too, and revenge also against the man who sold her out. She also fights for the abstract concept of preventing a little understood terror of the Hybrids from ravaging her swarm and the sector. Her biggest motivation, besides revenge, is the desire to empower her species enough to where it can guide its own evolution; basically to create a Metamorph. Finally she does also fight for love, specifically that of the rough outlaw known as Jim Raynor.
Kerrigan fights for more, and not just abstract concepts. For that i'll give her the edge.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Training/Experience: Sarah vs. Alex
This one is almost as obvious as Armor> no armor. Still I will follow my normal routine.
Around the same time that Alex was living in a foster home, Kerrigan had been abducted by a brutal government program and forced into training to be a government assassin. When Alex was returned home to his drunk of a mother, Kerrigan was forced to kill a guard with a loaded rifle to her head before he could do the same to her. When Mercer was entered Gentek Kerrigan was off across the Korhal sector assassinating targets.
Basically while Mercer was living a peaceful life, Kerrigan was out hunting and killing. He does have some training from the people he absorbed, but that doesn't compete with first hand training, and first hand experience. Kerrigan's fights in the Korhal sector spanned years, over a decade at least, while Alex's main battles took place over a month. Both fought against varied foes, but Kerrigan fought against more varied, including one that uses tech she had never seen before.
Thus I have no qualms giving the edge to Kerrigan here
Edge: Sarah Kerrigan
Past Opponents: Sarah vs. Alex
Many of you are probably wondering why I made Past Opponents its own section, and gave them a huge grade. Past opponents help judge many factors about a warrior; the variation in tactics, adaptation of the warrior, experience ect. But the main reason I made it so long is.....
THEY ARE GOING TO FIGHT EACH OTHER'S FOES!
Yep, as a leadup fight to the main one these guys are both going to have to fight at least one of the other's mortal enemies . It may be from the past opponent section, or it may be from the sub-section of future.
The first enemies that both fought would be the various political opponents of the Confederacy for Sarah, and the NYPD for Alex. While the NYPD are trained cops, the political opponents often had security forces with them, and the individuals themselves were quit dangerous. In terms of earliest opponents, I think Sarah's would have been tougher.
After that, they both pretty much fought a whole slew of enemies at once. Kerrigan (while still in her human form) fought the Confederacy, the Zerg and the Protoss. Mercer fought the U.S. marine crops, Blackwatch and the Infected all at the same time . Between the two sets I have to go again with Sarah....not only did she face a horde faction (Zerg and Infected classify) and a more advanced human faction, she also fought the incredibly advanced and mysterious Protoss- and won!
Later on as she became infested she fought even more factions. Along with more "normal " Protoss, she fought the Dark Templar, a people who possess blades that can inhibit Zerg regeneration, and kill many Zerg considered unkillable by other means (though she later developed a resistance to it) The U.E.D., dominion and renegade Zerg, she triumphed over all.
For bosses both warriors fought a varied and tough assortment of them. While Kerrigan's are more technologically advanced and possess Psionic abilities of their own, Mercer's are not to be underestimated. Super Soldiers can ruin anyone's day, and Elizabeth Green fought him in her giant two story form. In terms of bosses I would think that Mercer has fought more, and perhaps gets more points here because of it, though Kerrigan undoubtedly fights much more then him in the future.
Still overall bosses are a minor sub-section, and it is not enough to give Mercer the edge here.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
*Future Opponents: Sarah's vs. Blackwatch and James Heller
Once again I will split this up based on regular factions and bosses, though it will be much shorter then the last.
Kerrigan once again faces more Protoss, Renegade Zerg, Terran, and this time, hybrids. This terrifying new species is completely invulnerable to conventional Terran weaponry,and are tough to kill even by Protoss standards. Mercer on the other hand fights ..... just Blackwatch. Though the organization has gotten a few upgrades, it is still no where near the level that any of Kerrigan's opponents are, in particular the Hybrids. Just one or two of them would probably wipe out the entire Blackwatch organization!
Bosses are a little trickier. This time it is Kerrigan who faces more, but Mercer faces a powerful anti-hero known as James Heller, the star of Prototype 2. Of the bosses on the Starcraft side, only Nova and The Dark Voice can really approach Heller's power (since Duran seems more like a behind the scenes manipulator then fighter). Nova is probably more powerful as a ghost then Kerrigan was, and has potent Psionic powers of her own. In a fight between Heller and Nova I cannot really say who will win, as we know relatively little about both. What I can say is that in a fight between the Dark Voice and James Heller, it would be a triumphant victory for the Dark Voice (aka Tony Jay).
Only a extremely powerful Psionic can hope to control the Zerg Swarm, to say nothing of the Hybrids, so it is almost guaranteed that his power in Psionics currently exceeds Kerrigan, as well as that of any other Protoss/Terran/Zerg. In addition he is probably Xel-Naga, meaning he would possess some of their technology so....I am declaring Kerrigan the winner in this category, though that will be a small constellation prize to her seeing as she will have to face this malevolent being later.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
Last Victory: Anakin vs. Dante
This comparison is not to compare the two warriors themselves, but the lessons that were learned from their two previous foes. For Sarah it is perhaps a new-found respect for the possibly that others are better then her in close quarters, as Anakin's lightsaber was clearly the superior close range weapon. Alex learned that some powers defy current scientific reasoning, and he may be a little more cautious when it comes to unknown powers that Kerrigan will display.
Both are going to be a little more cautious in areas that their opponent has the edge, and it should impact them positively in dealing with Mercer's biomass weapons and Kerrigan's psionics. While it would normally be a tie, Kerrigan's edge in Psionics is more critical then Mercer's in close quarters, and thus I think this new-found cautious will be more helpful to him there then for Kerrigan up close.
Edge Alex Mercer
Martial Arts: Sarah vs. Alex:
Kerrigan has trained since childhood in the area of martial arts, whereas Mercer has had no formal training but absorbed those who did. Kerrigan also has a huge experience edge on Mercer, having fought for over 20 years with a knife or blade of some kind.
With that said they are both feared among their for their close range prowess, and rightfully so. They both have rather eclectic styles, with Alex frequently switching between his biomass powers and Sarah relying on a combination of Psionics/blades to win. I would argue that perhaps Alex's style is more eclectic, as he seems to make more frequent use of style switching, but this is something I am not totally sure on. Even if he did get the edge there though, it would still not be able to compete with Kerrigan's life time of Martial Arts training.
Edge Sarah Kerrigan.
Psychology: Sarah vs. Alex
In the Psychology department, both warriors start out similar and diverge as the list goes on.
Both of them are quiet, introverted individuals, who are the types of people who would rather have a few associates or friends rather then many. Growing up either mostly alone or in a cold environment where one is expect to kill for a living, they both grew up aloof of the general population. Sarah would grow to be suspicious of others while Alex's would eventually result in outright paranoia. Though that isn't necessarily a bad thing if one is already alone and knows that there are men out there who wish that person to be deceased (like Mercer) .
Being Introverted, Alex and Sarah are very contemplative individuals, more willing to think then speak. They are both a bit frightening when you succeed in pissing them off, and can be ruthless under the circumstances. In addition to that Kerrigan is quite calculating and skillful in manipulating someone to do what she wants (helped along by her own psionics), which often leads to that person falling for one of her schemes or traps. Mercer on the other hand is inquisitive, eager to find out and learn more even at the cost of ethics.
While both are rather callous at times, Alex is certainly the more sociopathic one, showing less conscience then even the Queen of Blades persona of Kerrigan. This means that morals will not be a factor in his fight; he'll kill whoever he must to give Kerrigan, and do whatever nasty things necessary to do it. Alex is and always has been a narcissist, and the person that matters most to Alex Mercer is Alex Mercer. Kerrigan isn't thin-skinned either though, and she won't hesitate to sacrifice some of her swarm for success.
Sarah does have little insecurities that may play a role in the fight though. She has begun openly doubting whether she is pursuing the right path, and regrets a lot of the mass killings her Queen of Blades persona has done. This guilt and uncertainty would certainly weigh on the Queen's mind, influencing her viewpoints and decisions. These doubts manifest in her personality, given that her life is one tale of being used by someone or another, until she essentially created another personality for herself (I can't prove that she suffers from multiple personality disorder, though it is one of my theories) that was perhaps worse then any of his manipulators. All of this has drained Kerrigan and left her with a rather fatalistic view of things: She doubts whether she can stop the Dark Voice. Nevertheless she still fights.
Alex on the other hand is perfectly sure of himself, and does not suffer from a lack of inner confidence. What he does suffer from are his obsessions; once fixed on something nothing is going to dissuade him. In the case of revenge he will strive to succeed in that task, no matter the cost. These obsessions make Alex rather predictable in the long run, and in fact Blackwatch had set up several traps based on his predictability, a couple of them almost killed him!
Despite that I am unable to decide whether Mercer's obsessions are worse then Kerrigan's insecurities, and so I will judge this comparison even for now.
Edge Even!
Personal Weaknesses: Arrogant, impetuous, a bit unsure of herself vs. a bit impulsive, short over long, a bit arrogant, Flashbacks
The Two share the same weaknesses in arrogance and impetuousness, and thus it turns to the last category to be the deciding factor.
Once again Kerrigan's prime weakness is her own insecurities, while Mercer's is more of a tactical one. Mercer seems to disdain ranged combat in preference to Close, to the point where he will try to rush in when there are other opportunities for range. This has to do somewhat with his strengths: he is the best hand to hand fighter in the entire game, though it may not help against Kerrigan. Then again it might, as Kerrigan has the edge in long and super long range, as well as Psionic powers. Thus it would be in his advantage to close as soon as possible. However this is compensated by the fact that he is fighting a telepathic enemy capable of invoking flashbacks, which incapitate him temporarily. With Sarah Kerrigan even temporarily off your game could be fatal.
This is rather close but it is a Kerrigan edge
Edge Sarah Kerrigan
Overall predictions aanyone?
Bravo my friend :) Happy halloween and may the fates be kind to you ;)
ReplyDeleteLET THE BATTLE OF SCI FI BEGIN!
A superb preview to whats going to be another fantastic match up. Take your time and the best luck to you.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff as always, "what the hell's wrong with them" LOL. Like I said last time, early money's on Sarah. If she can manage to beat Anakin, then I don't know who can stand up to her otherwise. Perhaps Kratos or Sephiroth would like to have a word with her in the future.....
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! Hope your own projects are going well!
ReplyDelete@Vercingetorix
Don't underestimate Alex Mercer, especially since his power has grown since the first game and the last battle. Your Sora vs. toon Link is going well btw!
Awesome Match. Can't wait to see more. Thanks for your advice. I will announce all new updates on my posts from now on.
ReplyDeleteLoving this, simply loving this. My only complaint is that it's hard to see the damn purple writing unless I look at my computer screen on a funny angle.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that, this is great :D I Truly you do an amazing job with the "former enemies" category. It fits in wonderfully with your style of writing :D And you do a great job of breaking everything down. You knew exactly which videos to use and which music to score it all.
You're brilliant. In many ways, Sarah and Alex are perfect enemies for each other since they have such differences and similarities. It's almost like Batman and the Joker going at it.
and while i appreciate that Alex can't fight the ENTIRE Zerg swarm, him with the Zerg will be like Batman in Arkahm Asylum, he's just going to take them all out in droves.
Also, don't underestimate his shapeshifting abilities. It may not fool Sarah but it could fool some of her lesser zerg allies.
Well :D I can't wait for Alex, you rock ;)
Thanks for the compliments Master!
ReplyDeleteI like the Batman and the Joker comparison, but which would be which in this situation? And you are right in them being alike in many ways (biological superweapons, rough childhoods) and different (Kerrigan is leader of an empire, Alex is a fugitive) .
Oh yea he will, though he'll need to be careful taking on the acidic and explosive banelings :)
It may fool them...presuming she is not there. This won't be an army battle; both sets of allies will be significant but side players. The battle will focus on two figures primarily.
hopefully I can get Alex done this week!
Hey man :D Just finished reading Sarah's bio and I've got to say that you have me thrilled. :D Once more you have proven yourself as one of the princes of the Deadliest Warrior fandom.
ReplyDeleteI almost think of Alex as being like Batman and Sarah as the Joker except in my view Alex is more evil than Sarah is. Unlike Sarah, who is still ruthless as hell, Alex never questions, never doubts himself and never feels any guilt. I guess it fits in with his psychological profile as a borderline sociopath.
Seriously, if Mengsk ever screwed over Alex, he'd be better off throwing himself at the feet of Sarah.
I really enjoyed how you listed her previous victory and what impact that'll have on her style and methods. Plus I love how you've got that "keys to victory thing." I really like that part and I think it's very creative and enjoyable :)
And I know there's been a lot of debate between people as to why Sarah won and why she shouldn't have won but I have no questions. I know why Sarah won, mostly, and I'm cool with the result.
I also really liked the pictures and videos you used. They're perfect for Starcraft newbs like me.
and if you're looking for a match for post infestation Sarah then check out none other than Fuhrer Bradley of Amestris :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzv5CJJtbzo
Ta dude, I continue work on my own deadliest warrior fic :) Handguns are done and now we move onto melee weapons ;)
Probably the best warrior profile I have ever seen, you must have spent hours and hours on this. I have more respect for Kerrigan now than before reading this. I'm excited to see what Mercer brings to the table, he'll need to be extremely impressive to have a shot at defeating Sarah.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys for the comments!
ReplyDelete@Master of the Boot
Lol I wouldn't call myself a "prince", and your writing is much more thrilling then mine!
Yea he is,pretty funny how he was tagged as the "hero" of Prototype, although I guess he is sticking it to the shadow organizations like Blackwatch.
And yea Mengsk would be fucked up, though I believe he was canny enough as a person to know who you could manipulate and who you couldn't; he would have tried to kill Alex after their first meeting, failing of course.
There may be some Mengsk-Mercer interaction in the sim :)
I hoe its okay since its very OOC, but the lack of points for that victory should make up for it.
Lol I actually enjoy reading the debate; its entertaining and enlightening. Two pop culture icons going at it (Sarah has finally reached that stage with an Office cameo now included in the bio!)is bound to come up with two very different opinions.
Thanks, I think I got the Starcraft music down right!
Fuhrer Bradley is someone who I have been considering for a while; but I am not going to put him up against Kerrigan because frankly It isn't known whether she is still infested or not; she can regenerate in whats been seen of the campaign, which only Zerg can do.
Nice! you know I am very excited for your Deadliest Warrior; they are always superb! I am curious as to what Helsing's melee is; I know Wesker's is his matrix powers and fists.
@Vercingetorix
thanks man, but mine pale in comparison to your when it comes to detail. Don't take what I said on the Podcast section of the amtchups personally; I was just giving my full reasoning as to why Anakin wins in my mind.
Also your Act 1 is a masterpeice!
Well it's all done and what a rush that was :D I thouroughly enjoyed the bit with Alex :D He is a most fascianting character, straddling the line between Hero and villain and crossing it several times. I love shades of grey ;) I also love Heller and i can't wait to see how he turns out.
ReplyDeleteMore of the same high quality work you've got here. Visuals and audio were amazing this time around and it really brings the uninitiated up to speed :D
Personally my money is on Sarah. This is largely due to her psionic powers. While Anakin had his force powers to counter, Alex doesn't have anything comparable, though with his intelligence and cunning he may just pull through.
I really enjoyed how you highlighted Alex's paranoia, which isn't always a strengh. I think it might be cool to give Alex a room somewhere that's full of pictures of people he needs or wants to kill, which can feature some of your other matches in cameo.
At any rate, I loved this and think it's brilliant :D Sarah and Alex couldn't ask for a better guy representing ;)
Okay, here comes my edge prediction.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the info you gave on sarah. I really liked the amount of weapons and I do understand how she could have beaten Anakin. The very fact that you had to tone her down is evidence that she is a fierce lady.
Alex also had a lot of info and He must be really quick and kill her as fast as possible, without giving sarah time to find his weaknesses.
C10Mk Versus Throwing object and pick up objects.
The way I see it, the c10mk has a far longer range and it can actually aim pretty well. Another thing is that the bullets can kill alex on the spot of they hit right.
The throwing objects and shooting it can be very handy to flatten Sarah but there are some flaws in the plan. Sarah is quick and can avoid a lot of stuff. She also can throw objects back or disable guns that alex tries to shoot. Alex is quite accurate with the guns (exept sniper ofcourse) but they are not going to penetrate the armour of sarah.
Edge: Sarah
Psi blast versus whipfist and ground spikes.
Psi blast is a great blast that can knock alex out. The ability to use this deadly attack a lot in quick succesion will also help for the cause of sarah.
Alex counters with two attacks. The whipfist can hit far away or can pull sarah closer. The groundspikes can hit also very hard and can kill her. But the groundspikes are slow and the whipfist has a long way to reach without doing much damage. The main problem for sarah is that she might underestimate her own attack but when he sees how usefull it is. I think she will use it more often.
Edge: Sarah
Wings versus Hammerfist and blade
The wings are dangerous and sharp weapons. They can cut limbs off with ease. I think that killing will be somewhat harder since aiming wings will be hard.
On the other hand, the hammerarm can destroy the armour of sarah and alex can move in with the blade to kill. He also can use the weapons to block attacks and i can see how the hammerarm can disable the wings. The hammerfist is slow though and alex needs to on his guard when he uses it.
Edge: Alex
Claws and martial arts versus claws, musclemass and hand to hand.
I think in claws, both of them are even. In martial arts, sarah wins but musclemass will count for Alex.
In my opinion, the musclemass makes the claws and martial arts of Sarah less effective and when she is so close in, Alex can use it to kill also. The musclemass will just be able to give alex a slight edge in my opinion.
Edge: Alex
Psionic powers Versus Devastators and hijjack
The psionic powers are dangerous. There are a lot of them and all can kill with ease. Sarah can also use it to kill quickly.
For the devastators, they are strong but with flaws./ They can not be used all the time, they take time to set up and can be avoided. i see the psionic powers be far more dangerous then devastators. I dont see hijjacking as such a weapon because sarah can crush vehicles with alex in them.
Edge: Sarah
Expension abilities and allies Versus Sequal powers and allies
Sarah gets a lot of new powers while alex gets the ability to use weapons on both hands. Altough the ability of alex is usefull, it does not compare to the new powers of Sarah. Hell, she can form more of herself, all lethal.
For the allies, I think both allies are really matched up against each other and i cannot see how the swarm or the infected could be better then the other. Dont know enough about both. But the fact that sarah has full control of her swarm and alex just aquired the infected. The swarm will obey better and that may play out huge.
Edge: Sarah
I will post my edge prediction for defence tomorrow in a seperate post and the rest also in a seperate post.
Wow this is looking great so far, this may replace Anakin vs. Sarah as my favorite fictional match-up. Any idea when you'll be done with the edges?
ReplyDeleteHere comes the rest in one post.
ReplyDeleteDefense:
With the defense, Sarah is clearly superior due to actually having bodyarmour. what makes things worse for Alex is that sarah does not give in on mobility but that she is fully mobile.
Sarah has the deep burrow and hiding under the ground that makes attacking impossible for Alex unless he is willing to go down under.
Alex himself has his shield and defense forms. The shield will be most usefull. not only does it give great defense, it is also an dangerous offensive weapon. The armourforms are usefull when alex knows an strong attack is coming. Aotherwise he is only giving in on mobility.
Sarah has healing where wolverine would be jelouse off. She will be almost impossible to kill and healing makes matters a lot worse. Alex also has healing but his healing is not as great as that of Sarah. he can also consume to gain healing but for that He needs to battle someone else and lay his eyes off sarah. This way off healing cannot continue forever and it stops as he and his opponent are alone on the battlefield.
In the end, i think that sarah is clearly better.
Edge: Sarah
Misc. ability:
Sarah has some great psionic powers to help with the fight. The invisibility will be usefull untill Alex starts using his heatvision. Then it becomes useless. the telepathy will throw alex offguard and mess with his battleplan untill he finds out how he can keep her out.
Alex has superhuman senses which differ little from Sarah in my opinion. on the other hand, he can morf into anyone his has absorbed. This is highly dangerous because Sarah can suddenly be attacked by a weak human or even one of her allies. When she finds out that Alex can morf, he can still use this ability and it will only make Sarah mistrust everyone aaround her. For this, I think that Alex deserves this edge.
Edge:L Alex
Intangibles:
Sarah is a great commander and warrior. She has a lot of experience and knows how to hurt and kill with and without powers. Alex does not have this advantage. What springs out most with him is the fact that he is a sociopath. Due to this, he his en dangerous opponent, not only for the opponent but also for himself. A sociopath can brutally kill and destroy somone and keep controll of himself, but on the other hand, he can get distracted from his goal of just flip out and loose every controll of his powers. He will die then. So due to his illness, it might come and bite him in the ass.
Edge: sarah
Motivation
ReplyDeleteI think the motivation for both warriors is the same. Both want revenge and both want to controll more land and power. For this, i think that motivation would be even.
Edge: Even
Training:
Sarah had great training before she got her powers and her training only improved after. She has fought some topnotch people and Anakin was the height of that. With the jedi, she encountered someone who has some of the same powers as she had and she found that her psi powers were less effective. That she was able to beat and kill him says a lot about her and her powers. She only became stronger and she will know what every opponent could kill her.
Alex did not have the fancy training and his opponents are not in leage with the opponents of sarah. He consumed the powers and training of these people but still, these people were by far not as dangerous as the opponents of sarah, with only the blackwater having abilities that somewhat get close to that of sarah.
He battled dante and altough dante is very strong, he almost killed alex. Alex could learn from his past opponent but i doubt that he does. he might start the battle overconfident.
Edge: Sarah
Weakness:
both warriors have some flaws but I discuss the mot important ones.
For sarah, it is her arrogance. She must keep controll of her arrogance to keep the battle in controll.
Alex on the other hand s impulsive and is ofcourse a sociopath. Both can go very well but both can also bite him in the ass and make him lose the battle.
Sarah can recover from her mistakes when she realises them but Alex cannot. So even though his flaws are both good and bad. When it goes bad, it goes really bad.
Edge: sarah
In my opinion is sarah the better warrior. She has more and better training and also more battlefield experience. Alex could win as long as he keeps himself under controll and finish the battle quick. He has to suprise sarah and kill her before she realises what is happening.
Nice edges so far, the rifle that Sarah packs is going to do some major damage to Alex! I gotta go over all of this before I can make a prediction, probably tomorrow afternoon. I have sorta been focused on my hauberk project over the last week, but I haven't forgotten about you match either. What I have read so far looks exceptional, though!
ReplyDeleteHey there, I'm a bit busy tonight but I still want to post a prediction or two for your edges:
ReplyDeleteClose Range: It's basically Alex's superior range and power in this area versus Sara's martial arts skills and regeneration. On Alex's side, he definitely has more effective attacks as far as weapons go and that musclemass could make him stronger than even the Zerg leader. He'll be able to land blows at close range easier than Sarah as well as have extra reach. However, I also have a tough time going against Sarah's perhaps superior martial arts abilities; I didn't analyze these two as closely as normal, but it seems to me that Sarah has more intelligent training in killing enemies at close range. Rather than someone who just got infected and gained massive strength, she was lethal in close quarters even before she turned to the dark side. Mercer's quickness may neutralize this somewhat, but superior training is still better training.
Furthermore, the lack of power behind Mercer's claws really worries me. It seems like they should be awesome weapons from their appearance, but I guess they may not be any more potent than Sarah's claws. Mercer may not be able to consistently land killing blows to Sarah considering her agility and regeneration either.
I wrote earlier that Mercer has the better weapons here; however, that is only partly true. You see, the claws are only Sarah's secondary means of melee combat. Those wings, which I agree are inferior to Mercer's hammerfists, will also have to be contended with in close range- she just has more limbs to use for offensive potential! I'm assuming that Mercer will can only use one attack at once, but Sarah will have eight chances to score hits in melee- unless Mercer is extremely deft, the Zerg Queen is bound to inflict damage somewhere.
There you have it- Alex has the better weapons up close, but in my opinion Sarah is more dangerous thanks to her greater staying power and martial arts skills. You have written that Kerrigan likes to focus on melee combat, and due to her skill I think she narrowly wins here with just the claws vs. claws. Add in Sarah's wings, however, which I believe should be taken into account as well, and she gets a much more significant advantage.
Edge: Sarah Kerrigan!
Special Weapons:
ReplyDeleteMercer's Devastators may have more of a potential to end the match in his favor, but I'm thinking that Kerrigan will be too cunning for them to be consistently effective. Her mind reading powers may also interfere with Mercer's choice of Devastators, while her telekinesis could be effective to counter the hijacking unless alex gets a jump on her or she underestimates the vehicle.
I just think that Sarah's Psionic powers will be a bigger factor because they will constantly be used, and she knows them like the back of her hand. That said, the instant kill power of the Devastators makes this one pretty close.
Edge: Sarah Kerrigan!
The way I see it, i'm still in favor of Sarah. But she's not going to win this in a short range battle. As tough as her armor is and as good as those wings ar, Alex's sheer physical power and the combat abilities he stole from those he devoured will make him more than a match for Sarah in melee.
ReplyDeleteHer power lies in her intelligence and her ability to not only read minds but to blast Alex to bits with her psychic powers.
As good as her armor is, Alex is taking apart tanks with his bare hands.
Sarah's strategy is to just made a building implode on Alex or something and then just pour the psychic mayhem on him with the fury of a thousand nuclear bombs.
Of course we can't discount Alex's ability to play various sides against each other. I'm looking forward to his encounter with Mengsk, no matter what the circumstances.
Finally got around to read the rest of the edges and i like them. I agree with master that Sarah will win but mostly in long range. I think that psyonics will prove to be fatal for Alex.
ReplyDeleteIt will be an exciting battle.
I think that overall Alex Mercer has an edge over all the other characters. What I like most about him is his appearance and style and that Alex Mercer Prototype Outfit.
ReplyDelete