Alpha Protocol
5.7
10
90
90
My Espionage Experience
After hearing about this game and all the bad rep it got amongst game reviewers, I decided to rent it from my local library to see how it was. Honestly, I was, for the most part, pleased with the game, despite a few things.
First off, I really like the dialogue system. At first I did not care for it, but then I got into the flow of it and I came to adapt to it. And this dialogue system really does generate consequences to the overall story of the game. Plus, after adapting, I came to like the fact that my choice in stance was in real-time and that I couldn’t sit at my television trying to decide on a response for an hour, I had to come with my gut instinct.
The combat system I had mixed feelings about. The pistol, I felt, had very little range, which is a problem for me because my main approach to the game was stealth with specializations in stealth, tech, and pistols. This meant that I had to get closer, which is not preferable when you have A.I. that is hyper-aware of your presence, even though they are not alert to you. The hand-to-hand system was kind of clunky to me and there were times that I’d be doing a martial arts combo and my guy would finish his combo when I was holding down B to do the power strike.
I will say, though, one thing that discouraged me about this game for a couple hours was the difficulty of the boss fights. On my boss fight in Rome, I had to stop for a bit because I was getting angry at the game for how difficult it was. It was HARD!!! Just know that. When you play this game, you are looking to have some semi- to very difficult boss fights. Thankfully, I encountered a bug on one of them, which leads me to the next topic.
Throughout my time playing this game, I encountered two bugs, and I am a person that NEVER encounters bugs when I am playing a game. One was when I was ambushed and an enemy somehow got stuck where I couldn’t shoot, thus preventing me from progressing in the mission. Another occurred when I was fighting a boss that made him just run into a corner and stand there, allowing me to shoot him in the back with critical shots from my assault rifle.
I wasn’t very impressed with the graphics, audio, or writing for the game. The game took a while to load simple textures sometimes for me, which really came to irritate me sometimes. The audio, while not being bad, didn’t really catch my attention, though I will say that gunfire was pretty powerful. I disliked either the writing or the voice acting for the game. I don’t know which it was, but what I am talking about is some pieces of conversations feel kind of slapped into place, as if the character was previously in the middle of a sentence and that was where they had cut it to put in the game.
Overall, this game is not as bad, in my opinion, as other reviewers made it out to be. I would say that it is a proverbial diamond in the rough. The game was a really cool and good concept, but it was, in my opinion poorly executed by Obsidian, especially considering the several months that it was pushed back. Despite the issues I had with the game, I still found stuff about the game that I did like and that made me, ultimately, enjoy my experience playing this game. I would recommend it as a rental first before you buy it, though. I know that I will be playing through it three times at least (once for my first run-through, second as a recruit, and third as a veteran). I will highly be anticipating a future, and hopefully better made, sequel.
5/17/13
Way better than the reviews
I decided to pick this game up, even though the reviews I had seen all gave it a bad score. That turned out to be a good decision as it was a really fun game. The graphics are not the best but the gameplay is very fun, the story is really good, and I had a really good time playing it. The story changes a little bit depending on how you play it and your reputation with characters can also change. If you can look past the flaws it has, it is a real gem. For only $4.99, it is worth picking up to give it a try, especially if you are into RPGs.
4/30/13
"alpha protocol best 5 bucks ive ever spent"
like the main plot of this game ALPHA PROTOCOL denies any plausibility of ever existing and ironically it works both ways. the game itself is barely known to anyone except major RPG fans or gamers who play underground titles such as this one, making it one of the most underrated and one of the most unique experiences ive ever had in a game.
THE PLOT: im not gonna lie the story is quite cliche, if you've ever watched a spy movie you know what your in for, but that to also works both ways because like a good spy movie you always have a interesting plot and alpha protocol does not fail on the delivery.
you play as Michael Thornton a recruit who has been initiated into the secret underground program code named "ALPHA PROTOCOL" a program that allows operations that the government would never aprove. alpha protocol is allowed to carry out. and if alpha protocol is ever discovered it shuts down and practically becomes a ghost.
THE GRAPHICS: to be honest i don't care about graphics in my games and this one applies, but it dosent really seem like obsidian did much with the graphics in this game. you get texture pop ups some clipping not to mention when close up to a person sometimes they're facial features get blurred, the environments are bland and carry no weight to them what so ever.
GAMEPLAY: if i was to sum up what alpha protocol was in terms of a game i would call it a stealth action RPG, if you took deus ex human revolution combat and stealth and took tell tale games the walking dead's choice style you have alpha protocol.
COMBAT: the combat is quite different and i think that's what really brought this game to its all time low. you see its an RPG not call of duty it dosent take one hit to kill an enemy. in fact it takes quite a bit but that's how RPG's have always worked you have to work for your kill and that's exactly what alpha protocol does. mind you its not the most stylish but it gets the job done.
STEALTH: stealth plays a huge role in alpha protocol mainly because the game wants you to use tactics and cunning to get the job done of course you have the option to shoot up the place but once those alarms are triggered. then you will regret it. not only are the guards strong but their weapons they carry are tougher than they are so taking a stealth approach is key to getting the job done, besides nothings more fun than taking your knife and jabbing it in some dudes jugular. now like deus ex their are the options to use multiple pathways to get to your objective but not nearly as much. you could for example instead of running from cover guns blazing you could look for a locked door and pick it to get in a different way its both fast and effective.
THE CHOICE SYSTEM: like any good RPG. ALPHA PROTOCOL revolves around the choices you make whether that be shoot the terrorist you were sent to kill in the face and lose the chance of a potential ally for the rest of the game or side with him and gain a ally, also not only will these effect the player himself but also it effects how the story pans out, people will remember you by the choices you make and it may either help you or leave you in the dirt deciding on what options you pick, you have three options "professional" "suave" and "aggressive" with the occasional "special" option when available
each with their own choices and consequences not to mention like the walking dead you have a timer in your conversations putting the player on edge when it comes to an important decision. also you gain like or dislike points with the choices you make so make sure you analyze your target well enough to know how to approach them. LIFE or DEATH you decide but live with the consequences.
THE WOMEN: when i started playing the game it didn't take me long to realize their was a romance sub plot in the game. if you talk to the women with the correct responses you can gain their loyalty and may also become a potential lover, unfortunately the love scenes are a total bust except for one. you will no which one when you see it, but hey nothing feels more epic than the chance to play bond am i right!
THE VERDICT: for 5 dollars you cant go wrong, even if you play just one playthrough i can guarantee you will have a unique experience unlike any game you've ever played. DO NOT JUDGE THIS GAME BY THE TERRIBLE REVIEWS IT GOT, ive beaten this game twice now and still see a lot of re playability unlike most games now a days. Alpha protocol is an amazing spy experience that put the player in the boots of a rooky spy and by the end of this game you will fell like james bond. Don't let this one sneak past you.
ALPHA PROTOCOL: 9/10 A truly amazing experience
4/30/13
Hidden Gem - If You Know What You're Getting Into
Alright, so I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the Gameplay and Lasting Appeal of this title. So I suppose the first things I want to get into is the bad, and then move onto the good. Graphics: I want to start of by saying, do not, and I repeat "do not" expect Triple A graphics from this title, they are decent, but not "Bioware" or "Obsidian" or any of those high end developer polished games. Given that however, if you compare the graphics of Alpha Protocol to Mass Effect, you do see similarities in the design and overall look of the game. It's not hurtful on the eyes, and if you give it a change, you will enjoy the graphics, look, and feel of the game. Sound: Nothing in the game generally annoyed by ears or seemed repetitive. Music starts up appropriately when you begin a firefight/get noticed and ends when you're sneaking around and doing espionage. It also has a nice "pull in" effect that keeps you in-game and in the mind set of an international super spy. Now to my favorite parts of the game - Gameplay and Lasting Appeal. First and foremost, I want to begin this by saying I played as a Spy, threw all my points into Spy, Pistols, and Martial Arts, nothing else except a couple points in Sabotage for more time for the hacking mini-games. If you go into this game with those three fields, as any spy should do, then you are good to go and will have an extremely enjoyable time. If, however, you think you can play this game just like Mass Effect and run and gun... well... you're in for a disappointment. You will be killed, quickly, and repeatedly. However, if you're a spy, why would you run in as a commando to begin with? Unless you want to experience the game from that point of view, I suggest looking at this game from a Modern Day Espionage RPG, which is was originally made for. I love the stored, the characters, and the protagonist, Thornton, is extremely likable and realistic. I love the fact that he will just spout out "matter-of-fact" quotes in random points of the game in his quirky/sarcastic-like way. The conversation pieces are done extremely well as the timer forces you to pay attention to what each person is saying and how you want to respond. Yes, there are real consequences to your actions and many endings to behold dependent on how you go about completing the game which highly increases it's replay-ability. I'm already on play-through two as a Veteran on Hard to get everything, and I'm already planning on doing a third as a Commando/Run-N-Gun just to have fun with it. So in closing, make sure you know what you're getting into - if you like the Story-driven RPG's where talking and reading the lore of the game is much more important than the action pieces, you are going to love this game. I was skeptical at first, but I am so happy I purchased this title and hope they continue to create Alpha Protocol 2 or at least another Modern Day Espionage RPG. Purchase this game. :)
12/25/12
the best game ever
ive bought this game about a week ago and i love it at first i seen the case and im like ehh another boring game trying to be like the bourne supracy but the bourne triolgy is the best but this game is pretty cool because its not just like a rated (E)
12/20/12
Great Stealth Game
First off, let me say that I played this game way after the release date - with that said, I ran into hardly any glitches. The few glitches that I ran into were graphical, but it didn't come close to breaking the game. Maybe that was resolved after the release date. I really enjoyed this game as a stealth game. The freedom you have to approach situations in the game (minus the boss battles) is nice. The graphics are not the greatest, but the fun factor of the action and the storytelling make up for it in spades. Like most RPGs, your character does end up overpowered - but I'm fine with that. I play games to have a good time and having close to God like powers is a h3ll of a good time for me. If you are into stealth games and are looking for something different at a crazy low price (this game is $7.99 used right now), do yourself a favor and pick this title up. After I finished the game the first time I was a little angry with myself by not picking it up sooner. The reason I say that is because of the zero possibility of enjoying a much better, more polished sequel - as the title has been put on death row due to the laughable sales numbers it hit when it was released (mainly due to just about everyone killing it in their reviews before the game came out). History has shown that very few titles without solid support when it is released are granted sequels - its too bad too because this title could turn into a great series with some TLC.
9/7/12
so close
i personally found this game very fun and took the time to play through it twice, however i would be lieng if i said it was a good game. the idea was amazing but the game itself just didn't match up, if a sequel with improvements were released i think it would be a great
8/22/12
pretty good game.
i was pretty hesitant about buying this game at first.when i played it,it was a little hard but i got used to it fast.the graphics are not bad,could be better,gameplay is what's a little sloppy and slow.overall,good game.
7/13/12
Your all wroung this game is the best!!!
I lot of people said this game is bad, but i said no way! When i played this game. i thought it was cool and funny! Like this game has the best jokes ever! Well that's if you also pick the button option. I also like all the characters and the game play is cool, mostly the CQC and take downs. The powers are cool to! I really wish this game has a longer story through,but that's aright. I also like how this game has alot of ending like i played this game 6 times to try to get all of them, and there really easy to get to, and this game has the easiest achievements ever to, so you want have a hard time. unless you have a hard time beat games on hard mode. All and all, you should buy this game!
7/5/12
Not completely terrible.
Alpha Protocol is an okay game, its just that it was made very poorly. The graphics are pretty okay but all of the animations are just sloppily made. I'm not going to say don't buy this game but i would recommend renting it first even though its only $8.
7/1/12