Alpha Overhaul

[GodKlown]

I've wanted to try Alpha Protocol, as the choice system seemed rather interesting. At least I wanted a taste of what everyone was talking about, but my local Blockbuster has severely cut back on their stock of video games... which means I have to consider signing up for GameFly if I want to continue console-gaming. It is a sad time indeed.
I agree with the comment about how Square-Enix isn't much about the RPG elements anymore. I recently played the last Final Fantasy game (told you the store was cutting back!), and after a few hours, I was still wondering what the hell was going on in the game. Aside from the minor skill tree upgrades for combat, even the leveling system was automatic. How am I even supposed to feel like part of the game when the game itself makes all the major decisions for me? That isn't really what I feel role-playing is about. Fable and Fable 2 have their selling points in regards to proper role-playing, but really you are still just following a script (and should you avoid said script for a short time, they don't hesitate to remind you to get back to work). Then again, as in Shamus's example, you don't really want the fun to stop because you want to open a hot dog stand instead of killing people. If this were an actual choice in a game, I think that would be the point where the credits would start rolling, unless it was just a mini-game included to bore the crap out of you until you wanted to go back out and cut off some heads. Such choices are fine for MMO games, but standalone games really don't need such options. Unless you are forced to craft items to continue (without it being a needlessly boring side mission), then I don't see a huge point for including it into a game where the main focus is action. Is it weird to say that I think RPG games are action games? After all, you aren't sitting around discussing war plans and conferring with generals and the like before going forth to start a mission... unless that occurs in a cutscene.
Having localized ramifications for your actions really does make the most sense. Unless word spreads at the speed of light, I don't think someone on the other side of the game world is going to know I was entertaining myself by kicking the ass of every chicken on someone's farm because I was bored, and therefore should hate me for making my own sicilian chicken.

 

[valhala89]

*Mass Effect 2 mild SPOILER* In all of Mass Effect 2's choices I only remember a few but the one that has stuck with me is that mercenary in Samara's recruitment who i let go...but in fact she had killed the volus.. I genuinely felt bad about it... I wished Mass Effect was more of those kind of decisions..from what you say about Alpha Protocol it sounds like it...

 

[OrenjiJusu]

i have actually discovered a way to break alpha protocol, investing in pistols gives you the chain shot ability (time slows to a near halt and you are able to pick up to 6 or 8 shots, i cant remember which, which will then be fired simultaneously) using the higher levels of this on boss battles is pretty much an instakill.
The game itself i find enjoyable, and i do like how the background you choose is mentioned more than once, and how the recruit and veteran backgrounds give different dialogue option. But what really made me like it is how the choices actually are noticeably effective, for instance one of the Moscow missions has you storm a mansion, and depending on who you buddied up with, you may sneak into the mansion, via zipline and sneakiness or you go bursting through the front gates in an APC.

 

[tautologico]

If a patch come out that fixes the most glaring problems, and it sells through Steam, I may get it.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

Snippety-snip-snip

Get yourself some Demon's Souls and get over it.

Seriously though, I do agree with you. Aside from the fact that your post was full of generalisations and whatnot, you still speak the truth, and I'm going to have to agree with you here.

You really sound like you need some Demon's Souls style punishing, though.

Experienced Points: Alpha Overhaul

Here's hoping other developers are paying attention to Alpha Protocol.

O' Almight Shamus; as a player of RPGs (the Bioware sort and the Lionhead sort, though not the Square Enix sort), I would like do know if you would recommend I should get Alpha Protocol inspite of its awful bugs and the like? This idea of meaningful choices does sound very appealing.

And, if you are able to do so, I would be most happy if you could reply within about 2 hours as the Steam sale ends by then...cheers if you do, no worries if not.

As a fellow player of RPG's I'll answer instead of Shamus to make sure you get an answer before the Steam sale ends:
Yes. Buy Alpha Protocol, so far I've had a lot of fun with it and really don't see anything wrong with it. No bugs so far (I'm about 2/3 in, I didn't get it from steam), and the shooting is fine.
Also, it reminds me of Deus Ex, which is always good.

 

[XainBushido]

Well honestly Alpha Protocol has that controlled path I mean you have one goal and you are set in that way. Unlike in most rpg's it gives you a lot of ways to get there. Doing certain events in certain times may or may not help you later depending on decisions. The choice system is truly the strongest feature and my main draw to the game. It even made me ignore all the bad review work to get it and I paid full new price.

Complaints about the combat seem to be it and after 5 playthroughs I havent had but one bug happen to me and it was just the game froze when I was exiting a hacking minigame. But that might have been just a fluke, given ever since then I have had no problems at all bug wise.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

Snippety-snip-snip

Get yourself some Demon's Souls and get over it.

The post was full of generalizations because I was talking about the general state of mainstream gaming.

One game, much less, demon's souls, doesn't change a whole lot. Especially since the only reason demon's souls was allowed to be so punishing was because the devs found a way to directly integrate gamefaqs into it.

 

[Tanzka]

Holy shit someone else enjoyed Alpha Protocol.
Great article, I enjoyed the game and quickly adapted to the way it wanted to be played. If I had to mention one thing I hate it'd be the enemies' all having an x-ray vision and being able to spot your toe in a bush halfway across the map forcing me to go the more boring route, shooting everything to bits.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

Nice. The illusion of choice as you say, is what put me so far off Dragon Age. Played a bit, tried some new directions, mist cleared and I could see the railroad.

It is why I still play more 3.5 with a good group of friends.

 

[Yossarian1507]

My first play through was on hard. There were times I got my ass handed to me, when I had to change my party to make it through certain areas, alter my tactics because it wasn't working, fights I had to dodge and come back later for and some choices I went with because the guy could kick my ass so I went with what he said.

Every area felt like a suicide mission, Ogres were engines of death, I regularly carried injuries and I always felt out numbered and out gunned. Exactly how the game is meant to be. You are meant to be a survivor on a near impossible mission against all odds. I got a massive sense of accomplishment when I finally beat the game. Also I didn't power game my charecter, I picked skills and stats that felt right.

My subsiquent play throughs have been on normal and combat has no challenge at all. This is the difficulty most people are complaining about. Obviously these people never played games in the 80s/90s when they were genuinely hard, everyone wants their hand held now.

Funny. I played DA:O on Hard as well, and I think it was piss easy, especially from the moment when my mage and Morrigan learned cone of cold, or whatever that spell is called.

Anyway, to everyone 'not sure' about trying AP: Try it. It really isn't that bad as reviews tried to paint it. In fact, if you can ignore not very fresh graphics and horrible ragdoll, it's probably one of the most enjoyable RPGs that came out lately.

 

[TerrorFromTheDeep]

I find it odd that people go on about consequences in AP. Choices in AP are just as cosmetic as choices in any other CRPG. There's no choice you make in the game that has any real significance to the outcome of the game's story. Regardless of what you do, the only differences are a couple of cases of "Bob" syndrome, where one or two NPCs die with no tangible effects, a couple of mildly different conversations/dialogue choices, and a few differences in which enemies/allies show up in certain levels (which are entirely cosmetic - simple model swaps). The game still ends the same way, you still do all the same missions.

However, I do agree that the logical extension of TSL and NWN2's influence system from party-only to global application was a good move. The whole universal good/bad thing has been done to death and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It sounds like they are trying a hybrid of the two systems for New Vegas (more of a town/faction influence system than individual), so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

Snippety-snip-snip

Get yourself some Demon's Souls and get over it.

The post was full of generalizations because I was talking about the general state of mainstream gaming.

One game, much less, demon's souls, doesn't change a whole lot. Especially since the only reason demon's souls was allowed to be so punishing was because the devs found a way to directly integrate gamefaqs into it.

True, I suppose.
Still, the fact that your post was full of generalisations made you seem angry and unreasonable, which doesn't usually help for conveying your opinion.
But, like I said before (though you snipped it out) you speak the truth, and I agree with you.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

I find it odd that people go on about consequences in AP. Choices in AP are just as cosmetic as choices in any other CRPG. There's no choice you make in the game that has any real significance to the outcome of the game's story.

Are you sure? People say the game has 24 different endings, and I really doubt all of those endings are only mild differentiations of the "Bob" syndrome.

 

[Doug]

Experienced Points: Alpha Overhaul

Here's hoping other developers are paying attention to Alpha Protocol.

O' Almight Shamus; as a player of RPGs (the Bioware sort and the Lionhead sort, though not the Square Enix sort), I would like do know if you would recommend I should get Alpha Protocol inspite of its awful bugs and the like? This idea of meaningful choices does sound very appealing.

And, if you are able to do so, I would be most happy if you could reply within about 2 hours as the Steam sale ends by then...cheers if you do, no worries if not.

As a fellow player of RPG's I'll answer instead of Shamus to make sure you get an answer before the Steam sale ends:
Yes. Buy Alpha Protocol, so far I've had a lot of fun with it and really don't see anything wrong with it. No bugs so far (I'm about 2/3 in, I didn't get it from steam), and the shooting is fine.
Also, it reminds me of Deus Ex, which is always good.

I'm afraid your advice came far too late for the Steam offer on Alpha Protocol itself. Never the less, I have bought the game with some apprehension. Downloading now. Hopefully the patch will kill off the bugs somewhat too.

 

[TerrorFromTheDeep]

Are you sure? People say the game has 24 different endings, and I really doubt all of those endings are only mild differentiations of the "Bob" syndrome.

If by "24 different endings" you mean that there are that many permutations of the news story audio clips that play during the credit roll then yes, I suppose you would be technically correct. However, in terms of what most people would consider the actual ending proper, it's functionally identical regardless of your choices throughout the game, except for which "Bob" shows up.

 

[bjj hero]

Funny. I played DA:O on Hard as well, and I think it was piss easy, especially from the moment when my mage and Morrigan learned cone of cold, or whatever that spell is called.

Anyway, to everyone 'not sure' about trying AP: Try it. It really isn't that bad as reviews tried to paint it. In fact, if you can ignore not very fresh graphics and horrible ragdoll, it's probably one of the most enjoyable RPGs that came out lately.

Unfortunately I didn't pick up on the cone of cold thing till late on, didn't touch the glyphs either. Much of the game was relying on sleep and stealth and booby traps to get by. A second play through definately felt easier once I had a grip on spells.

I'll be getting AP once there has been a price drop or a patch, whichever comes first.

 

[ThrashJazzAssassin]

Well, now I'm buying a game that I'd previously dismissed as too flawed to bother with. Er... hooray?

I wasn't going to bother with Alpha Protocol at all after the various reviews and comments I've come across - which is not to say that they were entirely negative, but I value quality above quantity of games and I didn't think there were enough good points to justify the purchase. But I love RP systems which permit meaningful choices; if Alpha Protocol allows me to choose whether to shoot or talk my way out of trouble, I have to give it a try.

Which is not to say that I won't choose to shoot, of course.

 

[TerrorFromTheDeep]

if Alpha Protocol allows me to choose whether to shoot or talk my way out of trouble, I have to give it a try.

It doesn't let you do that. There are a couple of Bobs that you can optionally execute or let go in conversations, one Bob boss fight you can extend via a conversation, and one Bob mini-boss fight you can initiate via conversation, but that's pretty much it. There's no mission you can just talk your way through/out of instead of going in guns blazing. The game is focused around straight up shooting things, regardless of your character build or choices.

 

[shlominus]

this made me interested in trying out alpha protocol.

if it sucks i'll get back to you "and make a choice".