I beg anyone that is interested in Alpha Protocol to please bypass all the negative reviews that this game has received. Some games that don't look like a carbon copy of others are sometimes considered not good. But AP is different. If you like spy games and RPG's, then here it is. Although you can, to compare this to either Metal Gear or Splinter Cell would just be an injustice. So here goes. When you start the game, you have 4 different classes that you can start as or the extra 2 which one class (recruit) starts you with a blank slate of skills. This is obviously the more challenging class to start as. However, if you beat the game with this class, you get access to the 2nd special class known as Veteran. This class actually gives you a bonus in all categories when you start. The combat is awesome. Depending on which class you start as (and especially recruit) you might find that your shots don't hit like they are suppose to. But if you level up in the areas of pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, then you will see a considerable shift in your precision when you shoot at someone. You can also use hand to hand combat in which it looks very similar to Snake's with the only difference being that you can upgrade your combat skills allowing you to have more than just a 3 hit combo and maximizing it so that you have up to a 7 hit combo. And it works even against enemies with armor. Dialog is extremely important in this game. You get files that give you a heads-up on the people that you talk to and some of their likes and dislikes. This is essential if you want the conversation to go the way you want it to. After all, you are a spy. The game also has Mass Effect dialog tree where you have to choose between being professional, suave, or aggressive with your responses. There is also a timer so you don't have all the time in the world to decide as you did in Mass Effect which makes conversations flow more fluently. Based on those decisions, you may or may not have access to certain places to do missions. But that makes the game have a real good amount of replay ability. The only problem that this game has is that it doesn't have a sequel coming which is disappointing because they could have really benefited from a sequel. However, there are multiple endings which bring the game to a close properly. Again, you can upgrade all of your skills from guns, to sabotage which involves mini-games like lock picking, or hacking computers, to your health and how much health packs heal you, to stealth and being able to be totally invisible to the enemy. People have criticized your characters pose when sneaking, but believe me, it is minor and petty. The graphics are solid enough to be good. It looks like a first generation PS3/360 game. It does not look like a last gen game. It is definitely worth a play through and you will be surprised. The story is the best part of the game and you see the results of what your decisions cause. I highly recommend it.
I give Alpha Protocol a '5 out 5'
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