Alpha Protocol: Is it worth getting?

[QueenOliver]

I'm just going to copy and paste my thoughts on the game from a post I made on another forum:

I was honestly astonished when I played this game. It's nowhere near as bad as the critics made it out to be. The massive double standard they displayed when comparing this game to Mass Effect was simply hilarious. Oh, Alpha Protocol has an inconsistent framerate? Tons of texture pop-in? The shooting is awkward? The AI is questionable? Hmm, what game does that remind me of?

Some might say that the flaws in Mass Effect can't be forgiven as easily in Alpha Protocol since it came out four years later. Well is Mass Effect just a totally crappy game now? Four years ago it was a GOTY award winning title, and today it's disposable crud? If you say so.

Not to mention that Alpha Protocol does a lot of things better than Mass Effect. The dialogue system is much more interesting for starters, as is the ambiguous morality of your choices. The storyline branches in much more interesting ways. The character building is much deeper. Inventory isn't a total mess like it is in Mass Effect. You don't have to babysit suicidal squadmates. And the game offers a flawed, but still very fun stealth system.

The game definitely has some problems. The AI leaves a lot to be desired. Enemies can get caught on objects while coming after you, and they seem to have very narrow fields of vision. And some character builds such as using fully leveled Shadow Operative and fully leveled Brilliance pretty much break the game. However, I still had a much better time with Alpha Protocol than I did with Mass Effect.

It's a real shame that this game got roasted so badly. I loved Obsidian back when they were Black Isle, and Chris Avellone is one of my favorite guys in the industry. Fallout and Planescape are two of my favorite RPG's of all time. I think they really know how to make an interesting RPG, even if their games aren't the most polished.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Well, like many, I got it off Steam for about £1.50, not expecting too much. After palying it, it pleasantly surprised me. The shooting mechanics are adequate, and the stealth may be broken, but the plot is better than most make it out to be. Many. many a twist lies in wait. Just don't kill many people, interrogate them first.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Man you really need to not post on whether or not a game is good if you couldn't even bring yourself to finish the first mission. What kind of valid opinion could you possibly be able to give? You didn't give it a chance. This is the kind of review that nobody should pay attention to.

What? That doesn't make sense. I don't have to slog through the game before I offer my opinion on it, hell, I don't even have to play half the game to know if its good. I did not like the game one bit and I wasn't going to be arsed to give the game a "fair" chance to impress me. My time is not for charity. The game should be good enough from the first mission for me to retain some interest in it. I'm actually surprised that people would have it any other way.

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Could you be specific what about the game you didn't like it?

Sure.

Let's start off with the plot. I'm one of those guys who want a solid plot to have any interest in the game. I don't mind a few holes here and there, but Alpha Protocol's plot was positively vesicular. Here's the opening cut-scene: My character wakes up on an operating table. I'm clearly in some sort of lab. I've no idea where I am, how I got here, and who brought me there. A PDA on the counter in the room conveniently starts beeping the moment I wake up and a girl informs me that I'm currently in the brainwashing section of a special agent producing factory. "Just trust me" she says. "I don't have time to explain." Fair enough. I don't have any choice. But how about this a)I'm apparently a highly trained mercenary, and the best way to handle me is just to leave me completely unguarded. Not only that, the bastards didn't even bother cuffing or restraining me in any fashion. It gets worse. b)The retards placed all this high-tech equipment around me and left a PDA (unlocked) and with complete access to me. c) Lastly, but but certainly not the least in this jungle of idiocy, there are absolutely no security cameras or monitoring stations where I'm being held. Hell, even the fucking door is unlocked!

There are gameplay issues aplenty, as well, but I'm willing to forgive those if the story is interesting enough--or at least makes sense. I know that the game designers weren't making the game for me, but it felt as if they were intentionally trying to make sure that I not play this game.

Gonna spoiler this so as not to ruin it for anyone who hasn't played

Spoiler

OK so
Yes you are a trained agent already but you have been recruited to kinda black op's shadow agency where to quote Agent K 'As of now all your skills mean precisely dick'. The reason you are left alone and unguarded is because it's all a test to see if you can escape from the holding room and the door is not left unlocked btw the woman on the PDA unlocks it for you. You are told all this later in the mission.

Seriously dude if you don't like a games story after playing it then that's fine and good but you really cant blame the games story for being crap if you haven't even got to the end of the tutorial level. Yes it's a tutorial level....although it does try to murder you on occasion XD

 

[zombiejoe]

At least rent it. If you can get passed the terrible boss fights, and a few minor things, it is a good game.


And listen carefully...aim you shot...wait for the cursor to shrink...fire...

Don't just go shooting like a crazy person, because I think a lot of people did that, and thought the game was bad.

 

[SpaceBat]

Here, I'll give you a short summary.

The Good:
- Good plot, decent characters
- One of the best choice systems ever (aside from morally grey stuff like Fallout 1 & 2). You don't have a good-bad bar, your decisions do have an effect on how people view you.
- Your choices actually have an effect on other parts of the game, so what you do now can matter greatly.
- There are only a few important black-white choices. Most of them are grey choices, some of them make you rely on your instinct. The choices you make rarely have a good-bad result.



The Bad:
- Gameplay is buggy, which forces you to play stealth. Game might crash from time to time. It is also unbalanced, seeing as stealth completely breaks the game. Neither regular grunts, nor bosses pose a threat if you upgrade the right skills, which I will include at the bottom of this post. If you play ineffectively, like Yahtzee and Shamus did, you'll run into a lot more issues.
- Forced boss battles.
- While it has a good plot and characters, both of these are still missing something. both are technically sound, but it isn't exactly an emotional experience. You never really warm up to most of the characters and some of the development happens behind the scenes.
- Certain parts of the game are partially left out. Worst part of it is that certain side-plots often manage to draw your attention and curiosity and then suddenly just disappear forever, which is fucking infuriating (Anyone who has played the game will understand when I say the word "Sis").


Anyway, as for the build you should use in order to avoid most, if not all bugs and other incredibly irritating moments:
Pick any beginner class, but make sure it only adds points to pistols and stealth by un-checking any skill points that add something to an unwanted skill. --> Operative as your advanced class.
Concentrate nearly entirely on Pistol (Chain Shot is your tranquilizer/killer attack for all enemies) and Stealth skills (Don't need to explain. You'll understand when you get them). Put two points in both Sabotage and Tech App. Do not waste points on any other skill.

- Always go for headshot.
- Use critical aim by hovering over the enemy with your weapon cursor until it's fully locked on.


So yeah. The game is different from regular games and, in my opinion, definitely worth checking out, but it does have its flaws. And these flaws, which are often gameplay related, really drag the game's quality down, so don't pay too much for it.

 

[Frankster]

For the low price it's definitly worth checking the game out if you're into rpgs with action elements (mass effect comparison really ain't a bad one).

Echoing what others have said (those that played the game more then the friggin tutorial...seriously ¬¬), the way you play the game and treat the characters influences the story greatly in a manner that puts its action rpg bretheren to shame and this is alone is worth checking. But game is very buggy and though i didn't mind the combat too much in that I invested in melee/rifles (fuck stealth and pistols!), I pity those who invested all their points in shotguns.

Of more personal relevance: There are some really likeable characters in AP. Problem is a fair few of them get very little screentime and a whole load of stuff happens off screen and when you want to see more of a particularly charismatic character, it's painful to be reminded that you never will especially as AP won't be getting a sequel.

 

[Dendio]

Alpha protocol is worth buying. It features stealth gameplay, heavy arms weapons, plot changing decisions, a quality conversation system, some fun romance options and memorable characters. The PC version ran without any problems/glitches. I bought it for $2 during the sale and loved it.

 

[Pompey71]

Good 10-15 hours of play for pretty much nothing in cost. go for it!

 

[AD-Stu]

Echoing much of what's been said above, if you're even vaguely interested in the action-RPG genre and you can get a copy cheap then it's worth a play.

I found the gameplay and graphics to be a bit buggy, the hacking minigame takes a bit of getting used to and balancing issues mean you really get punished for choosing the wrong skill progression path (shotguns and SMGs are basically useless, for example, whereas there are other skills you can't live without).

That aside though I had a fair bit of fun with it - as infuriating as it was until I worked it out, the coked-out Russian mobster boss fight alone is almost worth the price of admission. The story is OTT stupid and there are probably a bunch of holes in it, but think of it like a Bond film or a season of 24 and you'll be right.

It's by no means perfect and I don't think there's a whole lot of replay value, but it's still worth a look.