Customer Reviews

Alpha Protocol

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

The thing with professional reviews is that they are written for everyone, for the "mainstream" if you like. The score at the end reflects what the average Joe might think of the game, but the text is meant to key you in on what your particular brand of video game enjoyment might get out of it, though they rarely accomplish this.

So let me tell you about Alpha Protocol from a pure RPG standpoint, from a fan of other real-time stat-based PC RPG games like Deus Ex or Morrowind.

Alpha Protocol rocks!

I know what you're thinking, "that can't be true, look at the reviews!" Well, we talked about who those reviews are aimed at, didn't we? Alpha Protocol is not aimed at those people. AP (as I will now call it) is surprisingly aimed at classic RPG gamers who are now a niche and do not control the industry... unlike Bethesda, who changed The Elder Scrolls into real-time hack and slashing based on player skill, Obsidian has made a shooter-RPG that is completely stat-based. This throws off a lot of reviewers, as they all complain about "clunky" aiming, "bad" stealth and cover and other such things. The thing is: aiming is stat-based. If you have no points in assault rifles but you keep using them, you are going to miss every time. If you put a ton of points into pistols then in no time you are a one-shot death machine. For instance, not only does putting points into pistols enhance basic accuracy, meaning where you put the target is where the bullet goes, but it also gives you the ability to aim from cover, which when playing stealth is essential. Speaking of stealth, people say it does not work but it does. When you put points into it you get enemy arrows, telling you where they are and which way they are looking, along with cloaking. You can also buy stealth suits and camouflage from the store, which makes you even harder to spot. With a maxed-out pistol and stealth character you can easily go through every mission never being spotted and one-shot killing all the guards safely from cover. It's awesome.

Which is not to say the game feels perfectly polished, it does not, it has that old Obsidian rough feel to it. It's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be though, and through my entire play-through I never had any significant bugs or anything. The main reason it feels rough is because the graphics are about 3 years old and the animations are poor. Also, the AI can behave buggy at time, but as a stealth character I honestly never saw them do anything really crazy... maybe because they were dead before they left their patrol route. PC controls seem fine too, not sure what the complaints are there... standard WASD shooter controls. There is some annoying mouse smoothing, but you can disable it and the game feels smooth and responsive. I think most of the "clunky" and "buggy" complaints come from people who expect a head-shot to be a head-shot no matter their stats, which is just ignoring the kind of game they are playing. If you watch professional reviews of the game on Gamespot, IGN or Gametrailers you can see this repeatedly come up as a negative, even though it's true to the RPG genre and classics like Deus Ex and Fallout 3 did the same thing.

The main thing I disliked about the gameplay was the mini-games littered throughout. Gone are the days when you could just pass a computer skill-check and access the files, now you need to play a stupid mini-game no one likes in every RPG. AP's are no better or worse than any other game's in my experience, though they may be more frequent. The only one that is a bit rough is hacking, but I don't think that has anything to do with consoles as some reviews suggest, it's just an annoying mini-game period. The good news is you can get special gloves which give you more time on all the mini-games, so it's not so bad after the first mission or two. The only other real issue I have with the game is lack of quick-save, but honestly I believe this was done to encourage you to live with the consequences of your actions. Similar to AP's dialogue system, which forces you to make a quick response, the game often forces you to make a quick mission decision... the auto-save is always quick to record your actions, making your decisions weighty and without being able to be scrubbed. Flubbed that line with that girl? Well, you have to deal with the fact she likes you less.

In addition to the gameplay there is also, of course, a story. As an RPG AP focuses on choice and consequence and does a good job of it, plus the game auto-saves after decisions meaning it's tough to just load the game up from before and make a different choice. You'll still likely pick one kind of character and stick with it, a joker, a serious man, a violent crazy... the results of these choices are more impacting than in most similar RPGs though. In Mass Effect for instance your decisions seems to effect cutscenes later in the game, but not actual gameplay. In AP, this is changed, and it reminds me of the classic Morrowind Thieve's and Fighter's guild quest-lines where you had to side with one or the other and that was that... in AP, you often take sides, and your missions later in the game are severely effected by it.

So... choice and consequence, stat-based action that doesn't dumb it down and amazing Splinter Cell style stealth. That is what you get with Alpha Protocol. If you want the next extremely polished AAA console shooter that cost 100 million dollars to make then look elsewhere, but if you fondly remember games like Deus Ex, which made you think about your character build and rely on more than your shooter skills, and gave you endless choice and consequence in the story, and you can live with some lack of polish... well, Alpha Protocol is for you, as it was for me, and I suggest a purchase.

Alpha Protocol is the new espionage RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. This game has had an interesting development cycle that started almost four years ago and has been sitting on a shelf, finished, for over six months. Obsidian should sound familiar to RPG (Role Playing Game) fans in particular. Prior to becoming Obsidian, many of the key people worked for Black Isle Studios. That company created some of the highest regarded RPG's such as Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, and Fallout. They also worked with BioWare on Baldur's Gate. Now, Obsidian has finished a new game in an area of the RPG genre none have yet tried.

Story: This is the meat of Alpha Protocol, and you can send the story down varying paths based on what you choose during the game. The game allows you to drastically alter how the story progresses, however, the backbone of it remains the same. The game is set in recent times, a terrorist as acquired cutting-edge missile technology and brought down a commercial aircraft. You, Mike Thorton, have been selected to join Alpha Protocol to put a stop to them. Alpha Protocol is a super-secret government organization where missions are handed out and the agents have free reign on how best to complete them. The program is not on any balance sheet and few people in the United States government are even aware of its existence. If it is discovered, the program is shut down and restarted as something else, somewhere else. As a spy, you can approach the story in a myriad of ways such as the professional route, the hot headed "shoot first" route, the suave James Bond route, or any combination thereof. In every key mission, you can take actions which alter how the story continues. For instance, you can keep a terrorist alive by faking his death, then calling in a favor for sparing his life later on, or you can terminate him. You can also select who you want to send your intelligence to, such as using it to blackmail a company, post it in the news, or sell it to the black market. Your choices affect which missions you get to go on, who your handlers are, item availability, who your enemies and allies are, and major key story events. The story evolves based on what you want, there are over 30 different endings and they can be very different. Dialogue sequences flow differently. Instead of other games, like Mass Effect, which this game gets compared to frequently, where you have unlimited time to make a dialogue choice with a very specific answer, this game merely allows you to take a stance from aggressive, suave, or professional and you only have a few seconds to make a choice. You also have the option to take action such as execute, spare, or bring up specific points with the person you are talking to. This allows the sequences to flow more naturally and remain suspenseful and not every character will respond to a particular stance the same way as others.

Though the story is largely generic, the cast of characters is memorable and bring the game to life. You have Mina, who acts as your primary handler for most of the game and is a by-the-books sort of character, Scarlet Lake, who is a journalist with a deadly secret, SIE, who loves aggressive men and is a domineering one woman army, Albatross, who is elusive and favors stealth approaches, you also have Steven Heck who is a sociopath that likes to blow stuff up and cause chaos, and Madison Saint James, who is just a bystander that got roped into everything thanks to you. There is also a large supporting cast that alters the story is a more peripheral way. Because the game allows for so many different choices, you may not be allies with all of the main characters and you may find yourself having to make difficult, split second decisions as to their fate. This game rewards you based on choice, good or bad. You gain perks during the game based on those choices, so, for instance, if you romance characters, you gain permanent bonuses. There are over one hundred perks you can unlock that provide a number of special bonuses from increased health, increased damage, to better evasion abilities, and more. The game takes itself seriously, but also has a sense of humor with the occasional cliche or funny mission debriefings. I like the "Veteran Attitude" perk which gives an experience bonus and additional dialogue choices, but upon closer inspection it reads "You've saved the world once, you'll do it again, and anyone who questions you can go ... themselves." There's also the Star Wars inspired "These Aren't the Agents You're Looking for" perk you get for talking your way past guards. You can also view television news stories which show your various missions and other stories. The developers made the news broadcasts similar to a popular cable news channel famous for its sensationalistic stories and politically motivated news actors, err, anchors.

Gameplay: Alpha Protocol is an RPG, not a shooter. It says so on the box and the game should be approached as such. With all good RPG's, you can customize yourself to a large extent. As with the guns and armor, everything about Mike's appearance can be modified with the exception of gender and bone structure. You can level up your character in a manner similar to that found in the first Mass Effect. You have a wide selection of skills you can level up, with four gun-based weapons, stealth, sabotage, toughness, martial arts, and tech as choices. At every level up, you are given advancement points to spend on the skills. Obviously, the more points in a given skill, the better you are at it and the more you can do with it. There is a level 20 cap and you cannot advance every single skill to the max, in fact, at a key moment in the game, you can select three skills to specialize in which will allow you to advance beyond the standard, non specialized, skills. Those three skills should be ones you use most often, if you use martial arts, for instance, you want to specialize in it to do greater damage and unlock high-level abilities. All skills require more than one point and the game gently pushes you towards the more spy-centric skills by having a lower point cost on those. Thankfully, the game gives you a sort of trial period. During the first set of missions in Saudi Arabia, which act like a tutorial, you play with the skills you chose when you started. But, if they aren't working out for you, when you're able to select your specialization, you can also redo all of the skills again to better suit your play style. As a spy, you have access to all sorts of gadgets from standard grenades and flashbangs, to more exotic items like radio mimics and EMP charges. Your tech rating will determine how good you are with the tech-based items and it will also determine how many you can bring on a mission. Spies also have various abilities they unlock during level up. These can be passive such as allowing you to evade detection for a few seconds, should you be detected, or active like remotely hacking terminals or fury which slows down time during martial arts attacks. When you are sent on a mission from one of your handlers, you can approach it any way you choose from a stealthy approach all the way to the more loud and violent one. Depending on the mission, you have to select your loadout before you leave, do you go with heavy but loud armor or quiet and weaker armor, do you go in with shotguns or pistols? Guns and armor can be heavily customized with a variety of add-ons and all of which will be needed. You have a number of guns to choose from such as pistols (Low damage unless fully aimed, close range and can be silenced), sub machine guns (Inaccurate spray and pray weapons with low damage on each individual bullet, medium to short range), shotgun (High damage and it can allow you to move without losing much aim, but the shots go everywhere, short range), and assault rifles (Can be highly accurate and very damaging if appropriately equipped and aimed, long to medium range).

The gun mechanic in the game is unusual for people accustomed to shooters. You can fire your weapon without aiming, but the bullet can go anywhere in the rather large reticule if you do. You must aim your weapon by holding a button down, the longer you hold it, the smaller the reticule becomes and if you let it shrink all the way, you get a critical hit which, on most enemies, will take them out. If you move or stop aiming, the reticule expands. The speed at which the reticule shrinks is determined by your skill in that weapon. Even if you don't have any skill points invested in a given weapon type, you can still use it but you will not have access to abilities or special bonuses until you spend points. Because of this slower take on gunplay, you cannot run-and-gun effectively, nor can you go into a situation with your guns blazing like Rambo and expect to survive for very long, thus forcing you to strategize. I found that guns can be a more supportive element and I favored using martial arts whenever possible. In battle, you have endurance and hit points. The endurance is determined by perks, skills, and largely by armor. Endurance regenerates after several seconds of not taking damage, however, hit points are permanent until you heal. There is also a cover mechanic, but, if you aren't covered completely, or choose to hide behind something an enemy can see through, like a chain link fence, guards will be able to spot you if they get close. In this situation, it is best to stay out of sight completely and then jumping an enemy with a martial art skill when they get near, or setting a trap. My preferred method of clearing a room was to isolate a guard, and make some noise for it to come and investigate. I would then jump out and K.O. the guard then hide again. Another guard would hear what happened, but not see me, and when he got close, I repeated the tactic. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. There are also a number of fun minigames, the lock picking minigame can be tricky since you're on a timer and you have to use the pressure-sensitive triggers to move tumblers into place and lock them. The hacking minigame can be aggravating. You are given two lines of code and you have to match those two codes to randomly changing lines of codes. If you're able to find the code that isn't changing and matches the code you have, you must quickly move it into place and lock it down. This minigame is on two timers, one is the overall timer and the other is a shorter timer which randomizes the location of the static code after a few seconds.

Technical: This is an Obsidian game, great story and gameplay ideas, but buggy. Alpha Protocol uses the Unreal Engine 3. This engine is known for problems on consoles and doesn't have anti aliasing for the PC. This is a Games for Windows title, but not a Live-enabled game even though it is a multiplatform release on the PC, PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360. This means there are no achievements and updates will have to be downloaded manually. The game allows for the Xbox 360 Controller to be used, though you need to change a setting in the options menu to enable it. The graphics are passable and would be good if it were 2007, but nowadays, they look dated. Not bad per se, but dated none the less. It seems as though the art department had some great ideas but the programmers were limited in what they could use or ran out of time. The Italian set of missions, for instance, look great, especially the museum, but lack polish. The character models are a little bland and wooden at times, but there are moments when everything clicks into place with them and the voice acting, where their expressions and actions closely match what they are doing. Case in point: Mina. Her voice actor is very good and the model can show a shocking level of emotion at times. The main character, Mike, isn't as fortunate with so-so voice acting and a generic model. Speaking of voice acting, Nolan North makes a required appearance as Heck's voice. As noted before, this game has bugs. I encountered two technical bugs, a mouse stuttering issue, which is eliminated with a 360 controller, and graphics popping in or flickering. The graphics flickering was common but pop in happened about five times and lasted a second or two. Both of these can be resolved with patching or future driver updates. I didn't have any show stopping crashes at all. A gameplay bug I encountered from time to time centers around enemy artificial intelligence. If the enemies see you, they come storming in, but if they just hear you, they walk in circles with one or two coming to find you. AI problems are most noticeable during boss battles. I was fighting a boss that chased me with a knife but he got hung on scenery directly in front of me as his path finding is anchored to me and not on a trail avoiding obstacles. This allowed me to stand in front of him and shoot away without resistance while he ran in place. During two other battles, the bosses just seemed to have given up. They ran to the other side of the room and just stood there. Even though I was being pelted by supporting enemy units, I didn't waste an opportunity and opened fire. I didn't dare move from my location in both cases as that may have reset the AI and the bosses may have restarted their rampage.

Most PC releases have Digital Rights Management (DRM) software (For this game it is Uniloc: SoftAnchor), and this is no exception. Thankfully, the game's distributor, Sega, has made the DRM forgiving. There is no disc check, you will have to activate the game over the Internet but there are exceptions if you don't have an active Internet connection when the game is installed, the system works similar to SteamWorks but does not use that software even on Steam installs. You are granted up to five licenses and can reclaim them during an uninstall, again, if you are not connected to the net or your PC is somehow wiped, there are alternate means of reclaiming licenses. Unlike Ubisoft's system, a constant Internet connection isn't required. After 18 to 24 months, Sega will release a patch to completely remove the DRM altogether. The game will check in with Sega's servers occasionally, giving them limited anonymous gameplay data to further tweak the game in patches or add-on's. This communication is not required and the game will not harass you if an Internet connection is unavailable. The game simply won't check in and the process happens entirely in the background. Given the bugs in Alpha Protocol, I think Sega should have some kind of data to iron out the problems. No system-level DRM drivers are installed, either. The DRM is focused on Alpha Protocol exclusively and does not blacklist programs, it will also uninstall itself when the game is removed. Given the draconian nature of some DRM schemes, the method and permissions Sega allows are very lenient and customer-centric. It's not as good as no DRM at all, but it is fair. I experienced no slowdowns with the game and was able to run it at 1920 x 1200 resolution on an Intel Core 2 Quad 9450, 8GB of RAM, and two 9800 GTX's in SLI. This is a more high end system, but as of this writing, there is no SLI profile specifically for this game so I'm limited to one graphics card with Alpha Protocol. All four CPU cores are probably not in use, nor does the game use much RAM even though it is 64-bit compatible. This game will not push your hardware very much if you have a modern system with a decent graphics card, 2GB or more of RAM, and a reasonably fast dual core CPU.

Misc.: This has been an interesting game for me to play. I usually like most of Obsidian's RPG's, even before they became Obsidian. Initial reviews on the console versions of the game left me very concerned. After reading the reviews, both bad and good, I eventually got the game. I've never seen professional reviews vary so widely, both in quality and score. This left me with a number of impressions: The PC version of the game was better than the console (Unreal Engine 3 problems, maybe? The PC could be better at overcoming bugs? PC gamers could be more tolerant of bugs as they are accustomed to them and patching?), the game plays like an RPG first and a shooter a very, very distant second or third or fourth (It is spelled out on the box, it is an RPG.), some reviewers didn't understand the gameplay mechanics or had little patience for it (Alpha Protocol is not to be played as a third person shooter, it is not Mass Effect and should not be treated as such. The game's mechanics reflect this.), a false impression was developed from trailers (They were fast paced and action heavy, not reflecting actual pacing which can lead to a wrong impression of Alpha Protocol.), the story was usually decent (Even here there was disagreement as to how good it was. Some said it was standard fare but well executed, others panned it. One reviewer even contradicted themselves saying it was unique in one paragraph and generic in another.), there are plenty of bugs (This happens in all versions of the game, but Obsidian is known for this and for patching constantly.), it is designed for the PC but controls are for the console (True.), and finally the graphics aren't that amazing (RPG's typically don't have jaw-dropping graphics. Obsidian games are not BioWare games, and certainly not Square-Enix games. People play these games for story and ideas mostly. Becoming obsessed with the graphics and ignoring everything else, except problems, is just sad. This game looks about as good as Dragon Age, and it too drew complaints.) My biggest problem with how the reviews is that many just aren't that well done. One can dislike a game yet appreciate certain elements. For instance, one reviewer at a professional gaming website (I won't mention it, but it is obvious once you read it) tried playing the game as a shooter, even though it isn't one, failed, then tore into Alpha Protocol's shortcomings. Some of the rage was warranted like the increased number of bugs on the console versions, but some it wasn't. For instance, don't flashbang yourself, take a screen shot of it, then put a caption that says it is a constant visual effect because it isn't. Other sites make one review, even though they review games across all gaming platforms, and simply copy and paste the review, along with the usually low score, across all platforms. This is a game whose quality varies widely across platforms and reviewing it on each is suggested. This long rant about reviews is justified as they will leave gamers totally confused since many aren't well done with reviewers who didn't take time to learn game mechanics, who don't like this type of game at all, or are focused on what was done wrong rather than right.

Personally, I liked the game, but I knew what I was getting when I bought it. It is a very Obsidian game that is ambitious with many interesting elements and some glaring issues. The story is well crafted and its path is determined by the gamer, same thing with character development. I enjoy a good RPG with plenty of customizing rather than an action heavy game with a light story. This is probably why I enjoyed Alpha Protocol. Gamers who are debating whether or not to buy this game should keep this in mind: I cannot emphasize this enough, Alpha Protocol is an RPG not a shooter. The story takes center stage here rather than combat. When combat is warranted, the fact Mike is a spy and not a soldier comes into play. If you love RPG's and don't mind a slower combat system, Alpha Protocol is worth it. If you view stories as filler between the killing, look elsewhere because this game will not satisfy you. Alpha Protocol is available for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. If you have the choice between a PC and a console, I strongly suggest the PC as it seems to run more smoothly and the bugs can be more easily overcome. If you can only get it for the console, pick your poison as both don't run very well until patches are released. If Obsidian stays true to form, they will release a large number of fixes which will make the game much more playable on all platforms. Sadly, PC gaming is more of a niche nowadays, and with all the problems the console versions have, plus bad reviews, I don't believe the game will do very well. Alpha Protocol will likely have a small but dedicated fan base who enjoys this type of game and will want a sequel or expansion to see what Agent Thorton gets into next. Whether or not the game will be successful enough to allow for this is in question.

I'm on my second playthrough, and it's still quite fun as the choices tend to be more evident than in other games that offer choices.
While I've encountered bugs and the oft-mentioned control issues, there's nothing 'game-breaking' or something I can't get around.

The dialogue, for the most part, is well written (some bits are kinda corny and cliche, but I guess that's part of the genre).
The characters are quite interesting, but not as 'engaging' as, say, those from Dragon Age or this other game that I'm reminded of at times by AP, TLJ:Dreamfall (another good game, IMHO, that just needed more polish). Perhaps more time (in-game) to develop each character would have made them more 'effective'.

Gameplay is ok.
It's not a straight out shooter (tho' I kinda played it as such in my first playthrough: wearing lots of armor + assault rifle + endurance skills/bonuses = lots of leeway in terms of combat).
How quickly you 'aim' (i.e., critical, I think), for example, is dependent on how high your skill for a certain weapon. Plus there are special abilities that allow your character to pull off stuff like multiple aimed shots w/ a pistol within a short span of 'slowed time'.
I was actually hoping to steer clear of the stealth aspects, but found that rather amusing, too...and ended up playing a stealth-oriented character in my second run.
There are times when it can get, annoying tho': the mouse 'skipping' when looking around, moving into and out of cover feels clunky at times (esp. if you're in a hurry to get into melee). I've read somewhere that there are .ini fixes for some issues, such as the one for the mouse, I think, but I haven't tried them yet.

Complaints: other than control and interface polishing (e.g., the mouse scroll when viewing the PDA and E-mail/Shop could have been better), the game felt a bit short (I'm almost done w/ my second playthrough, and I think I was pretty thorough), when compared to another recent RPG, Dragon Age (my first playthrough for Alpha Protocol must have taken around 20 hours, while my first run of DA:O took more than 100 hours)...I guess I was kinda enjoying it so I wanted it to be just wee bit more longer (like, say, another 10-30 hours? :P )
Oh, and the AI can be a bit wonky at times.

IMHO, it's a good game and I'm glad I got it. Those who are unsure, tho', may want to wait a bit until the first patch comes out.

Before buying this game, I did the same thing as everyone else - read the reviews complaining that this wasn't the best first-person-shooter on the market. But I wasn't interested in buying another cookie-cutter FPS. As a fan of the old pencil and paper Top Secret S.I. and Spycraft games, I was looking for a game that would let me develop a spy character and had a good storyline. Alpha Protocol succeeded on both counts!

First off - character development (remember, this is an RPG) - the skill sets were interesting and give you the ability to customize what type of spy Thornton will be. First time through, I went with a stealthy pistol-wielding covert operative. Second time, a gadget wielding Macguyver-ish lab rat. Third time, may try a submachine gun merc. Beyond your skillsets, your weapons are also fully customizeable, though once I found a weaponset I was comfortable with, I didn't upgrade often. One of the few things that bothered me about the character development was that you had very few options when it comes to customizing Thornton's appearance. Different hair, skin, or voice options would have been nice. Also, even though you could upgrade skills, there weren't the traditional "ability" scores from standard RPGs, which would have been a nice touch.

The dialogue is crisp and cinematically immersive. The game makes a point of stressing that there are no wrong answers, so you're free to choose dialogue options consistent with your character, without fear that a "wrong" choice will screw up your game. The relationship-development aspects of the game are fun and force you to analyze your target if you want to maximize the effect of your interactions.

The graphics are beautiful and set the scene for both the action and intrigue. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the environments are also fully interactive, triggering minigames for things like lockpicking, computer hacking, and circuit bypassing.

CONCLUSION: If you enjoy spy thrillers or old school espionage roleplaying games, ignore the FPS reviewers and pick up this game. If you're looking for a linear FPS game that doesn't make you think or pay attention to details, look somewhere else.

When I first saw all the reviews for this title upon it's release I despaired. It had sounded so promising and to hear the disaster being described it seemed that the wait had been in vain.

I was fortunate enough to have friends who went ahead and bought the game and told me about it. Enabling me to buy in the confidence that I would enjoy the experience.

Now this game is not without flaws and I'll say right up front the graphics are not up to the latest standards, however if you're looking for top notch graphics in an RPG rather than a good story and solid gameplay mechanics you should probably switch genres.

The game is a well crafted, well acted, and well executed piece of software with minor mishaps such as lip syncing and texture pop-ins; but anyone who has been playing for the last two decades probably won't mind these as they do not adversely effect gameplay. The issues people have with this game seems to be that they were expecting something along the lines of Dues Ex and similar titles. AP is not that and should not be confused with games like Dues Ex, Fallout, or Elder Scrolls.

A far more accurate comparison would be to Mass Effect as the game utilizes similar mechanics both in role-playing and combat. There is none of the open ended world of the three titles I mention above. It contains similar selective direction mechanics one finds in Mass Effect. Like ME there is no set order in which to play through the game's events and you can even leave operation areas without completing every mission to pursue missions in other operations. However you can't run around within the world doing virtually whatever you want and unlike the afore mentioned titles, there are generally only two ways to approach any given situation: stealth or guns blazing with a possible third option of a little of both.

Where the game really shines though is in its story and again I draw a comparison to ME. Whereas Mass Effect feels like a massive space opera with a vast cast of characters and a fair share of plot twists and surprises. Alpha Protocol is the equivalent spy thriller movie with a cast that is almost as diverse and just as interactive. Your actions towards the other members of the cast directly effect how the game progresses. How you treat characters determines the ultimate outcome of the game and this means that you can be assured multiple play-throughs if you want to explore all the options offered.

The only major complaint I have is the limited inventory. There is very little incentive to diversify your weapon loadout as all weapons within the four subtypes feel the same with only minor stat differences between weapons in each class. It would have been nice to have a diversified arsenal instead of feeling like I was saving cash to buy the ultimate gun and armor that would stick with me until the end of the game.

So if you're a fan of Mass Effect, I would say get this game and expect many of the same things that made the former so much fun. If you're looking for another Dues Ex, Fallout, or Elder Scrolls, wait for the next titles in those series. You know they're coming.

Seeing the initial reviews lowered my expectations for this game, but I quickly realized they had it all wrong. As many people pointed out, if you are expecting yet another shooter, this game is not for you. If you are expecting a pure spy game (Splinter Cell, MGS) then again, this game is not for you. If you want a unique game that combines these elements with a great story and fantastic characters, then this game is definitely for you.

I am not a graphics snob, so while many people comment about the sub-par graphics they do not bother me. The game looks just fine and the gun play is adequate. Sneaking is also sometimes a bit rough, but it gets the job done. To me, story and characters are extremely important and this game nails it. A good comparison would be another slightly flawed gem: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines from the sadly defunct Troika. That game was also a below average shooter and had some light sneaking elements. However, what made that game one of my favorites was the brilliant writing and memorable characters and situations.

The conversation system in this game is fantastic and unique. It forces you to quickly choose how to approach the conversation: either aggressive, suave, professional (Think being Jack Bauer, James Bond, or Jason Bourne or a mix in each conversation). Together with check point saving, which can be annoying at times, this system solves the reload-and-try-again problem with many RPGs. Although you can still save and reload most of the time, you don't always want to do that because it takes away from the immersion. I am always guilty of doing this in other RPGs to get the most out of conversations, but here you just keep going. The game doesn't punish you for choices, they just lead to different outcomes. And sometimes you can "get it right" which feels very rewarding, because you made those decisions on the fly and without reloading.

Many games also talk about choice and consequence but very few games actually do it. Sometimes, you make a decision after the last boss and that leads to 1 of 3 endings. In AP, your choices throughout the game really do impact the story and gameplay and the game will let you know exactly how. At numerous points in the story you have the option to kill or befriend major characters or ally with or make enemies with important factions. The game consistently acknowledges your choices, and regardless of the outcome this also feels rewarding. Kill some guards in one mission, face fewer in the next. Beat up an informant and face the wrath of his supporters. Those are just a few minor ones, with much bigger choices throughout.

Overall, the positives of this game greatly outweigh some graphics issues and roughness in gameplay. If you have the right expectations and like this type of game, this will instantly become one of your favorites.

Negative:

I found the controls to be oversensitive and the mini-games bordering on torture. Every time I saw a computer I winced at the idea of performing yet another hack. Trust me on this...you have to experience it yourself to understand.

Don't think that advancing in levels will make things easier. The mini-games for lock-picking and hacking became progressively harder. There is an "Electromagnetic Pulse Grenade" that saves you at the end of the game. In truth, I bought more of those than anything else.

The other serious flaw is a saving system based on checkpoints. This means that you may have just sneaked by 5 guards, and entered a room with 3 objects that require mini-games. If you fail to complete a hack or lock within 12 seconds - the alarm goes off and everyone starts shooting at you. The only way to get the alarm off is to bypass (another mini-game) the alarm system. Remember, your reload point is two rooms away past 5 guards.

So as you can see the mini-game torture and saving system feed off each other.


IN SPITE OF ALL THIS - I STILL FIND THE GAME FUN.

Positive:

The plot-line is addictive, and because it's hard - I feel incredibly accomplished when I actually survive through a level. The voice acting and music are both well done.
Each group of combatants have their own fighting style and techniques. You can buy intel for your missions, or go in blind.
Every choice - even friends that you make - can effect how others think of you. This game spent so much time on it's plot that some game mechanics suffered. Quite frankly, I like having a deep plot line that can change so drastically.
The Video cut-scenes are pretty impressive. Especially considering the models they are working with.

We've all been spoiled with Mass Effect 2. If this game had the mechanics and art of Mass Effect 2 - it would have been the game of the decade.

Personal Summary:

I'm glad that I bought this game despite my misgivings. In truth, Alpha Protocol is a game you have to experience yourself in order to judge it.

I read reviews and thought the game would be yet another let down in the RPG world. Despite this - I gave it a chance - and I'm glad I did.

Just want to build on a few quick points others have made:

First, and this can't be overemphasized: This is a STAT based RPG, not a twitch/skill based shooter! In other words, Halo/COD fans need not apply. Many of the negative review points you'll read about are from reviewers who fail to grasp this intrinsic aspect to RPGs. If you haven't invested points in the skill, you won't do well in that aspect of the game.

Don't rely on a shotgun to get you out of trouble if you haven't invested points in that skill. Don't expect to sneak through levels like a ghost if you haven't invested points in stealth. Don't expect to slice and dice your way through electronic surveillance if you haven't invested in sabotage. At higher skill levels, these abilities become almost overpowered. But until you invest the points, you'll fumble like an amateur, no matter how long you take to line up those crosshairs.

Second, the graphics and control issues. Yes, the graphics look dated. Obsidian insists that the Unreal 3 engine is still the industry standard, despite the fact that most games look much better on the Crysis Engine. Clearly some of these textures were ported over from the console. Also, the wonky mouse control issue can be extremely frustrating. Fortunately some folks have already found a few key .ini tweaks (easily found via google on various AP forums) that seem to solve most of those issues. I highly recommend finding those tweaks before trying to play the game.

Also, occasionally I'll encounter a graphics glitch similar to Mass Effect 2: Falling through a hole in the world. It's annoying and hopefully will be fixed with the upcoming patch.

Third, the plot/re-playability. This is where AP really shines. The ability to take different stances, and do missions in any order can drastically change your experiences. Some of the paths do include some plot holes (How is this guy talking to me -- didn't he die in the last mission?) but they're few and far between and seem something of an inevitability in a plot web this complex. The order and style with which you complete objectives has dramatic short and long term effects on future missions. I'm already planning my next two playthroughs, and I rarely play through a game more than once.

Enemy AI: I've read a great deal about wonky AI. I've only seen a little of that so far. Nothing outrageous, but enemies rarely work together as a unit, often grenading each other or walking into each others line of fire. Definitely something to work on for AP2.

Overall, if you're a fan of RPGs AP is definitely worth at least one playthrough. It has some bumps, but the rewards are there for those willing to invest a little patience. I equate it to eating a poorly seasoned Fillet Mignon: the taste is a little off, but it's still a damn fine piece of meat and very satisfying.

I didn't go very far into the game, so I'll be brief.

Pros:
- Strong RPG elements. You get to choose the styles of an agent you want to be.
Story and Script is interesting. Skills and missions are plenty.

Con:
- I don't know about the console versions, but the PC version has this particular issue that made me uninstall this game.

EVERY TIME the game loads a new area or a new information (like an incoming radio contact or a new objective), the camera jerks out of control.

It will fly to your back, over your head, aim right at the floor, any direction BUT the way you want it to be. That means when you go into an area with an enemy nearby, chances are you'll mess up.

I'm no stranger to stealth games, action or action-RPG. Never before that I messed up this much. I walked out of cover and got shot. I shot the floor instead of a guard and called in the rest of them. And I even meleed in the wrong direction !?!? All because of this camera issue !!!

I tried it with both joypad and mouse, the problem persisted...
I lowered all the video settings to minimum, the problem still persisted...
I played Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands on the highest video settings without even a hiccup. So I'm sure it's not my machine.

This is not just annoying. It's UNFORGIVABLE.

- Minor flaws for a joypad user. They tie the camera sensitivity to the aiming sensitivity. If you lower the sensivity so you can align your aim better with an analog stick, the camera turning speed will get dragged down to a crawl.
But if your camera turns with a moderate speed, it will be VERY difficult to align your shot to a small target.


In conclusion:
The game has a lot of potentials. But the developer ruined it all with LOUSY camera controls. If you can endure the frustration, this might not be a bad game for you.

Seems to be extremely glitchy no matter what I do. The glitches are all over their forums. Seems like the better your rig the more glitches you get. Currently I've run into just about every glitch I've read about. From saves not loading at all, corrupt save files, immense mouse lag. While turning sometimes my camera just "appears" on top of my character even though all I did was try to turn to left slowly while exploring a room. There are tons more glitches and not even with their latest patch have I seen a difference. Everyone seems to have a different fix that works for them and considering that some even involve editing the registry I'd rather not even bother. Besides, that's the developer's job, not mine. I pay for a working product, it's like buying a car and having to buy a transmission separately. If you can manage to get the game running properly, it seems like a lot of fun even if it's not actually challenging do to the really non-existent AI.