Is Alpha Protocol any good?
- Thread starter Ronald Nand
- Start date
Its one of those odd games that has a really good concept but fucked up in the implementation. It has one of the best dialogue systems that I've ever experienced, yet has some of the worst shooting mechanics I've ever played (and I've played some bad shooters in my time).
If you can get it cheap enough, its something that you should experience for yourself, but I wouldn't pay more than 15-20 bucks for it (and that's pushing it).
If you can get it cheap enough, its something that you should experience for yourself, but I wouldn't pay more than 15-20 bucks for it (and that's pushing it).
It's... Okay...
Honestly, I'll the game praise in the story and writing department, and the gameplay is pretty good too, there's just a HUGE balancing problem. Not even halfway through the game I unlocked a skill that let me stop time, select 3 places where I'd like to fire 3 bullets, and then unpause time and have all 3 bullets get shot instantly, which means 3 instant headshots on 3 different enemies. After I got that skill, the game was an absolute breeze. You'll probably remember Yahtzee having the same problem in the game where he too got way overpowered in the game.
However, it is a fun game none-the-less. I'd say see if it goes on a Steam sale and grab it up. That's how I got mine.
Honestly, I'll the game praise in the story and writing department, and the gameplay is pretty good too, there's just a HUGE balancing problem. Not even halfway through the game I unlocked a skill that let me stop time, select 3 places where I'd like to fire 3 bullets, and then unpause time and have all 3 bullets get shot instantly, which means 3 instant headshots on 3 different enemies. After I got that skill, the game was an absolute breeze. You'll probably remember Yahtzee having the same problem in the game where he too got way overpowered in the game.
However, it is a fun game none-the-less. I'd say see if it goes on a Steam sale and grab it up. That's how I got mine.
Yes.
Now it is. It's release was marred with the usual Obsidian Entertainment release amount of glitches. Like makes a release day Elder Scrolls game look glitch free amounts. Those issues have been patched over the years.
Now it is. It's release was marred with the usual Obsidian Entertainment release amount of glitches. Like makes a release day Elder Scrolls game look glitch free amounts. Those issues have been patched over the years.
It was a long time since I last played it but I'm pretty sure it's "Steve" that you shouldn't call him.Vegosiux said:
Anywho, yes it is Alpha Protocol is a good game even though it has many problems. There should be more modern day (spy) rpgs.
Agreed, I played it stealth style, and it was very easy to do. Actually playing stealth was how I encountered my favorite bit of in-game achievement. Was sneaking about, took a guy out silently, and had a thing pop up saying basically "Congratulations! You've knocked out 100 enemies silently, so we're going to give you a slight boost to your sneakiness! Enjoy!" and I was like "...wait...they just rewarded me for my style of gameplay? Holy shit that's awesome! " xDBenpasko said:
I liked it a lot. It did remind me of Deus Ex, particularly in that the characters are pretty well-written and the wonky game mechanics are wonky, but dealable.
The moment that stuck in my mind the most was when you get the opportunity to deal with sheik watsisname late in the game. I was playing a maximum-puppykicker, so I went to the meeting with every intention of shooting him. I ended up respectfully disagreeing with him, shaking his hand, and leaving on good terms. It's a great rpg. It's just not up to the same standards as an action/stealth game.
The moment that stuck in my mind the most was when you get the opportunity to deal with sheik watsisname late in the game. I was playing a maximum-puppykicker, so I went to the meeting with every intention of shooting him. I ended up respectfully disagreeing with him, shaking his hand, and leaving on good terms. It's a great rpg. It's just not up to the same standards as an action/stealth game.
I loved it, just because it's refreshing to have played a game where what I choose to say to people has an impact on the world. It's fun to pay a game where you can be James Bond or Jason Bourn depending on how you want to play it and have the story react to that.
It's not without it's flaws though, as meany have said stealth is way OP to the point where it can get quite game breaking. And the guns are all wonky, don't even bother trying to use a weapon if you haven't invested any points in it because a peashooter would do more damage...and that's even if you manage to hit anything at all. Texture pop in can be a bit jarring at times and the boss fights can be an exercise in frustration if you aren't prepared and leveled correctly (I'm looking at YOU Brayko you coked up asshat).
Oh and while most people hated the hacking minigame (and the bypass and lockpicking ones too) I really liked it because it can be hard as balls sometimes and makes you actually feel like you're hacking something. Not just connecting pipes or playing match the shape.
It's not without it's flaws though, as meany have said stealth is way OP to the point where it can get quite game breaking. And the guns are all wonky, don't even bother trying to use a weapon if you haven't invested any points in it because a peashooter would do more damage...and that's even if you manage to hit anything at all. Texture pop in can be a bit jarring at times and the boss fights can be an exercise in frustration if you aren't prepared and leveled correctly (I'm looking at YOU Brayko you coked up asshat).
Oh and while most people hated the hacking minigame (and the bypass and lockpicking ones too) I really liked it because it can be hard as balls sometimes and makes you actually feel like you're hacking something. Not just connecting pipes or playing match the shape.
Its a game Ive played through many times and its a great game IMO. The reviews, as I recall them, focused on bugs and having played the game probably 20+ times the only bugs Ive noticed are graphical ones. I think way to many reviewers didnt do their research and thought it was a 3rd person shooter with RPG elements when its more an RPG with 3rd person shooter elements. Almost every review I remember didnt do their research and even one of AngryJoe's videos failed to show proper mechanics assuming it was just another 3rd person shooter game (thats when I stopped watching him if you cant do basic research and represent the game as is you're not a good reviewer)
That said, there are a lot of different ways to approach levels and all of them are viable. If you want to gun people down with a pistol never going stealth then you can do that. You can be a sneaky guy doing lethal or nonlethal takedowns as you please. You can go full force with a shotgun or pair of SMGs and never take cover. Every playstyle is viable which is really an amazing feat in and of itself.
The boss fights for the most part can be hit or miss. I never really cared for the tank fight but it was fun as a spectacle. Brayko is probably the most crazy/comedic fight in the game.
Anyway, its well worth your money if you like spy stories. I dont think theres a better game out there for that particular genre
That said, there are a lot of different ways to approach levels and all of them are viable. If you want to gun people down with a pistol never going stealth then you can do that. You can be a sneaky guy doing lethal or nonlethal takedowns as you please. You can go full force with a shotgun or pair of SMGs and never take cover. Every playstyle is viable which is really an amazing feat in and of itself.
The boss fights for the most part can be hit or miss. I never really cared for the tank fight but it was fun as a spectacle. Brayko is probably the most crazy/comedic fight in the game.
Anyway, its well worth your money if you like spy stories. I dont think theres a better game out there for that particular genre
It has an awesome story, great voice acting and characterization...
Stealth is okay...
and combat is an iffy proposition no matter what approach you take.
Also, every boss fight only has a handful of ways to beat them... they have magically perfect defenses against some things... and magical weaknesses to others.
Like one guy that can only be killed quickly with SMGs... and he's not even wearing a vest. WTF?!?!?
And its buggy as hell.
Its... probably the buggiest game that Obsidian/Troika/Black Isle have ever made.
Stealth is okay...
and combat is an iffy proposition no matter what approach you take.
Also, every boss fight only has a handful of ways to beat them... they have magically perfect defenses against some things... and magical weaknesses to others.
Like one guy that can only be killed quickly with SMGs... and he's not even wearing a vest. WTF?!?!?
And its buggy as hell.
Its... probably the buggiest game that Obsidian/Troika/Black Isle have ever made.
It's extremely sexist, and I'd give it a pass on that count alone. It tried to do some interesting things with the story and the allies, but a lot of it feels shallow, and the gameplay is horrid.
It's still a lot more enjoyable than most of the dreg put out these days because while it's trying and failing, it is at least trying. Except for the sexism part. It's not even trying to do any good there, almost the opposite.
It's still a lot more enjoyable than most of the dreg put out these days because while it's trying and failing, it is at least trying. Except for the sexism part. It's not even trying to do any good there, almost the opposite.
The gameplay is kind of shot to hell. Shoddy A.I.(either hyper-competent or completely brain-dead), loose controls, a gunplay system that is ENTIRELY reliant on your skill points in said guns instead of a mixture of the two and pain in the ass hacking minigames that get harder the MORE points you put into making hacking EASIER. Yeah, the game scales to your current character level too, I never knew that. Don't EVER try to boost your AP using a cheat device, you'll just fuck yourself over as everything will be maximum difficulty while you don't have the armor and weapons to back it up. Also, the game encourages stealth but then flops you into a straight up boss fight a lot of times. The best way I've found to go through the game is to focus on Pistols in weapons exclusively, and Stealth really. And the graphics are pretty shoddy too, worse than Mass Effect. And it relies on checkpoints for it's saves, very big no no in RPG's from basically a veteran developer.
Despite all this however I played through it around 3 times to see all the permutations of the story and interactions with the characters. The character interactions, while not phenomenally voice acted are GREAT and every character will react differently depending on which choices you pick in dialogue. Hell there is a secret encounter you can only get BY making certain dialogue choices until a specific part of the game. And while not everything is explained even in the end, there is a lot going on in the story to make it interesting. Give it a shot if you find it cheap, like $5 or less.
Despite all this however I played through it around 3 times to see all the permutations of the story and interactions with the characters. The character interactions, while not phenomenally voice acted are GREAT and every character will react differently depending on which choices you pick in dialogue. Hell there is a secret encounter you can only get BY making certain dialogue choices until a specific part of the game. And while not everything is explained even in the end, there is a lot going on in the story to make it interesting. Give it a shot if you find it cheap, like $5 or less.