Alpha Protocol - PS3, Xbox 360, PC

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Alpha_Protocol_cover.jpg">

This was originally a reply to the What are you currently playing? thread, but I've had a few people ask me about it now, so thought it deserves its own thread.

I'll just start by saying that it's definitely not broken and it's very playable. I've not encountered any game breaking bugs yet, and it seems to be pretty well put together for the most part (so far I've played the lengthy tutorial, and the first major story mission). It's a little rough around the edges though (as you can expect from a non-AAA title), but overall I think it looks OK.

The shooting mechanics are very skill based, just like in Mass Effect 1. You can aim your sight right on a person's head and still miss. It can be frustrating at times, but it just re-enforces the RPG aspect of it. The hand-to-hand combat is fun though, repeatedly pressing the attack button causes your character to bust out a chain of hits using his whole body, much like Batman in Arkham Asylum or Jason Bourne. I find it the easiest way to take someone down without attracting too much attention, but maybe that's because my "martial arts" skill is quite high compared to weapons.

For customisation, it's pretty much in the skills and equipment. You choose a class before you start, and then a specialisation of that class soon after. They range from commando/solider type, to spy/stealth and engineer/tech expert types, or a mix of all of them. I went the spy/stealth route, and most of my skills are in stealth, martial arts and pistol, which suits a sneak around and choke hold from behind style of play.

The dialogue system is very similar to Mass Effect, with three options usually corresponding to aggresive/professional/snarky. Picking the right response with whoever you're talking to will either increase or decrease their opinion of you, so there seems to be some sort of relationship building, but I'm not sure how that pays off in the long run.

You can also talk your way around certain enemies, with extra options to just shoot them mid-conversation. I've spared some enemies, killed others, and the story rolls with it. So it'll be interesting to see how those decisions affect the overall story-arch.

[image=http://a.imagehost.org/0352/250px-Michael_Thorton.jpg]

As for your character, Michael Thorton, he seems quite wooden and straight-faced at first, but he's really growing on me. He comes out with some funny lines at times, and can also convincingly play the cold killing spy when he needs to. His background depends on the class you selected, so with mine he's an ex-CIA operative.

As far as the story goes, without giving too much away you work for a super-secretive organisation that actively spies on other organisations all over the world, including the CIA, NSA etc. Their agents are answerable to no one, and if they're found out by anyone outside the organisation, they're declared "rogue" and are pretty much dead as far as the outside world is concerned, and this plays into the story in a big way.

It reminds me of La Femme Nikita, if anyone used to watch that.

Some negatives:

- if you die and restart the previous check point, your health doesn't reset, leaving you in some really tricky spots.
- the special powers are on a radial wheel like Mass Effect, but you have to go into the radial wheel, select the power, exit from the wheel, then press the power button to activate. It's a few more button presses than I'd like.
- character and facial animations are a little dated
- enemy AI isn't very sophisticated - you can take down a guy and leave him crumpled on the floor and if someone else passes him, they won't even notice.
- I've heard its length is in the 12 hour range, but that doesn't sound too bad to me. It'll give me more time to see it once, and then maybe play through again with a different class and taking different story paths.

So overall I'm enjoying it. It's not up there with Mass Effect, Batman or Red Dead Redemption, but I think it stands on its own as an interesting mix of t

 

I was really excited for this game...a year ago, when it was supposed to come out. The promise of a 24/Bourne/Mass Effect hybrid was fantastic. The early impressions of the game looked really good but as time wore on, it seemed nothing was really changing or getting better.

The finished product (saw some recent trailers) looks so, so disappointing. I say this mainly because the game looked like it does now back a year ago when it was about to launch. When Obsidian delayed it my hopes popped and I thought we'd get an amazing game, amazing looking, amazing playing, etc. However, it just doesn't look like we got that Mass Effect/Espionage/Spy hybrid game we had hoped for.

 

Thanks for the info, Zac.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as Vassago. I remember getting the Game Informer issue that had Alpha Protocol as its cover story and being all kinds of pumped for it. A modern-day espionage tale with Mass Effect gameplay and RPG elements? Heck yeah! But later impressions failed to excite, and I found myself on the fence and simply waiting for reviews to come out. And now they're all over the place.

After hearing your impressions, Zac, I think I'll give it a rent some time. I do tend to enjoy games that fall into around the 85/B mark when it comes to reviews (Borderlands, Saints Row series, Mirrors Edge, Prince of Persia '08, etc.) so I'll give this one a chance as well.

 

I think it's worth a rent at least. I can see why someone would be disappointed though, but I went into this game without any expectations and just took it for what it's worth.

There can be some fun found in "average" games that score around the 60-80% mark, you just have to have a tolerance for the not so good parts.

 

Turns out there are several romance options to pursue. No blue-skinned aliens though.

I'm well into the second main story location, and it's really mixing up the mission types. I've been snooping around a CIA listening post to plant a bug, been scoping out a dinner party with a sniper rifle while my handler feeds me info on potential targets, been meeting super-bad guys over tense lunches... it's great.

 

For the first few hours or so, I have to admit I was really disappointed -- but this game gets better as it goes along. Or, at least, given the order I've chosen to go about things -- that's how it feels. It's likely because I'm playing as a recruit (so, basically no AP to begin with) on hard for my first playthrough -- but it is taking a lot longer than twelve hours. I've only really just amassed enough levels/AP for Mike to start being good at stealth and, I've gotta admit... it's awesome.

The checkpoint system, however, can be incredibly frustrating. Especially if, like me, a checkpoint hits the when you're at a sliver of health and being gunned down. (Only happened once, but once is too times too many) I had to restart that entire mission.

 

Yeah, the non-regenerating health can be an issue at times. Are you using first aid kits? The potency and amount you carry can be upgraded I think.

 

Well, it looks like Obsidian have done it again. And I mean that in both a good and bad sense.

 

Man, it would have been an issue even with regenerating health. I was at a sliver of health, right in front of enemies, being shot at when the checkpoint hit.

I did escape, eventually, but figured it'd be so much hard work to finish from there that I just flat out restarted. (And then dominated the level, funnily enough, which was kinda cool!)

STILL... I increasingly love the game. I don't think you can be an RPG fan and not love it, given time. As a game it feels to me very much like a third person successor to Deus Ex -- with a pinch of Mass Effect thrown in. As such, it's awesome. I have to admit, I prefer Rome's pace thusfar to Moscow's. Moscow required much more falling back on an assault rifle and headshots (since it's useful even without having been upgraded).

Though, Moscow spoiler: Defeating Brayko with a stealth set-up is NIGH IMPOSSIBLE. Seriously the most frustrating boss ever. I only managed to defeat him when I realised that going into "Shadow Operative" mode (when he breaks out the charlie and knives that kill you in about five hits) reset him back to guns and prevented him from ever getting to the point where he calls for armed help. Lando H. Calrissian, that was just too, too hard. Especially since I was only level 9, with very few points, with rubbish gear. So, so, so lucky I'd just acquired shadow operative. Else I couldn't have possibly done it.

Which reminds me. One of the things I really don't like about the game is how bosses (and even some normal foes) can be uber and decked out in body armour and the like... when there's no sign of body armour on them.

 

I did Rome second, now I'm at Moscow, which seems kinda easier so far. Maybe I did them the wrong way around?

 

I imagine it has a lot to do with the amount of AP you've amassed. I had a very, very small amount in Moscow. Now, however, I'm dominating Rome -- taking out entire rooms of guards with a knife/chokehold without them being able to spot me thanks to the glorious beast that is Shadow Operative!!! Shadow Operative. And I haven't even got the version that lets me run, yet.

 

Yeah, it's awesome clearing out a room without alerting anyone.

And holy crap, the pistol critical shot is lethal. I just found Dimitri at Russia, so took some cover and lined up a critical shot on his head, pulled the trigger and not only did it instantly kill him, but two of his men as well.

 

Already have the game pre-loaded from Steam and ready for tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to this.

 

Just finished this tonight, and wow, what a ride. Overlook the few bugs and annoyances, and this is one cool game. Forget Mass Effect, the way this game handles choice is on Heavy Rain levels of consequence. I can't even begin to imagine the different ways this game can end... so it's on to playthrough number two for me.

 

Beat the game twice, now (once regular, once recruit), and in process of a third playthrough on veteran. Great game, overall. So many variations, I'll probably have to replay it at least three or four more times to see everything of interest. Maybe more. Quite hoping we'll see the reintroduction of certain cut content back into the game. Sequel would be very nice, too.

 

Sega working on Alpha Protocol 2

 

Uh oh...

 

Is that bad?

 

No. I'm glad they sold enough to think about making more.

 

So how is Alpha Protocol really?

What I'm reading varies between "it's an unplayable mess" and "the story is good, but it's an unplayable mess."

 

Well I finished the game, so those who said it's an "unplayable mess" either don't know what they're talking about or just wanted to hate on it. The story is good, the voice acting is excellent and I enjoyed it start to finish. Yes the game has flaws, but it's just one of those games you either get or you don't, and those who didn't just piled on the **** for no good reason.

 

Do you like CRPGs? If so, it's awesome and not remotely unplayable.

If you don't like/understand that the character's skill has just as much an impact as does the player's, however, and you think it should play like Splinter Cell and/or a shooter... then it probably isn't for you. If you hate abstracted role-playing elements, it probably isn't for you, either.

Takes a couple of hours to get going, mind you. I was really disappointed with it at first.

Certainly has flaws here and there. Certainly not as polished as I'd have liked... but it's a definite diamond in the rough, and most reviews I've read have come across to me as having been almost uniformally unfair.

That was from back in April. They might be reassessing things now. Unfortunately.

 

This is embarrassing because I'm not some RPG noob, but I have a question: What does CRPG stand for? I don't think I've ever seen that particular abbreviation before.

 

I had to look it up too

According to Wikipedia it can either stand for:

Computer role-playing game, Console role-playing game, Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups, or Conference Regionale Permanente de Guyane

My money's on the first one.

 

Yeah, I wiki'd it as well.

I guess you mean CRPG as in more old school and stat based than most modern RPGs?