So who here -likes- Alpha Protocol?

[P.Tsunami]

I've endured a lot of criticism for the game (a decent portion of it fair, I'll note) on different sites. I'm just wondering if anyone here likes the game, too. Personally, I'm very fond of it. It has considerable flaws, but I am more than willing to ignore them for the strengths the game has; memorable characters, a fun, complex plot (sometimes going into ridiculous territory, but hey, it's the spy genre), and a level of interactivity with the narrative that I rarely see in gaming. To me, it's a diamond in the rough that has really won me over to Obsidian, and I've had hours on hours of thrilling fun with it. Am I alone?

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Well, I do [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.227034-JourneyThroughHell-Reviews-Alpha-Protocol-PC].

Not that the gameplay is any good, but it's incredibly well-written, diverse and the characters are so much fun.

Steven Heck still rocks.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Like every other Obsidian game, it's a flawed gem.

Alpha Protocol is the game for the whole 'actions have consequences' thing that other games have tried to implement and fallen far short on. Obsidian actually made the consequences happen in-game rather than simply affect which cut scenes you got at the end of the game. For that alone the game should be compulsory for future game designers.

 

[P.Tsunami]

I absolutely agree. To quote Yahtzee Croshaw, "the game is just showing off" when it comes to attention to detail in the consequences your actions have. Another thing I really like about the game (something that other game designers could learn a lot from) is how any social interaction tends to bring some sort of bonus. It made me a lot less nervous to say the wrong thing, and a lot more relaxed to just go with the flow.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I liked it enough to play it twice, which is more than I can say for most games. It had some strange design choices to be sure but given that I love Deus Ex, I found even these somewhat endearing.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Another thing I really like about the game (something that other game designers could learn a lot from) is how any social interaction tends to bring some sort of bonus. It made me a lot less nervous to say the wrong thing, and a lot more relaxed to just go with the flow.

That mixes with the whole moral ambiguity of the game. Your actions aren't predetermined by the game to be good/evil/right/wrong, the moral value of any actions in the game exist solely in the mind of the player, so in keeping with that making a decision is rewarded rather than making a specific decision and matching it up to a an arbitrary 'morality table'.

It's essentially the antithesis of the Bioware conversation formula.

 

[Bobbovski]

I really liked it. It had its flaws but it was definetly a gem. I played it almost non-stop until I was finished... So I had allot of fun with it.

 

[Zhukov]

Meh.

Gameplay: clunky and buggy.
Story: convoluted and forgettable.
Characters: uninteresting and utterly forgettable.
Level design: pretty good.

Yeah... no.

It had a few nice touches. I liked how both positive and negative reputations with other characters gave you bonuses. There were some well implemented choices. The hacking and lock-picking minigames were surprisingly good.

But the crappy bits far exceed the good bits.

 

[GiantRaven]

Lets just say I wouldn't play an entire game 5 times in a row from purchase for nothing.

 

[megs1120]

Yes, it was far better than many would have you believe. It's a shame more people didn't play it.

 

[psychic psycho]

I loved the game. I hated that everyone wrote it off when it got mediocre reviews. So much that I forced myself to write one [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.200257-Psychic-Psycho-Reviews-Alpha-Protocol]. I had no interest in writing reviews but writing one for Alpha Protocol got me started.

It had some strange design choices to be sure but given that I love Deus Ex, I found even these somewhat endearing.

Dude, that's exactly how I feel. "Endearing", that's the perfect word. Some people would say certain aspects of the gameplay were flawed, but I wouldn't change them one bit.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I still want to get it, but every time I pick up the case I find myself putting it down. From this thread though, next time I might just get it though.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I haven't played too much of it, but it was definitely better than I expected. The combat is decent, even if the hit detection is among the worst I've ever experienced in a game.

 

[GiantRaven]

I haven't played too much of it, but it was definitely better than I expected. The combat is decent, even if the hit detection is among the worst I've ever experienced in a game.

If you're having a problem hitting a target then you aren't focusing your aim for long enough.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

yeah after seeing so many horrible reviews, i picked it up and fell in love with it, i came in expecting a complete shite game but i beat the game a good 5-6 times within 3 weeks so yeah that just tells you how addicted i was to the game.

the brayko boss fight? fucking epic.

the characters overall were awesome, the story/plot was a little out there, but still pretty well done, and your choices actually did make quite a difference on the flow.

either im a crack shot or some guys have some messed up systems, because the gameplay was fine, not amazing, but perfectly acceptable.

overall i'd give the game a solid 8/10, there are flaws for sure, but i wouldn't change them, i enjoyed the game for everything that it gave.

 

[Paularius]

Found it pretty good. I liked it. Maybe becouse i didnt get it at launch but it wasnt really all that buggy for me :S
Crashed once and that was about it.

 

[GiantRaven]

the brayko boss fight? fucking epic.

Easily one of the best moments of the game (the best being that one punch). I don't get the hate for the boss battles, especially the claim that they can't be done with different strategies and skill sets, which is rubbish!

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

the brayko boss fight? fucking epic.

Easily one of the best moments of the game (the best being that one punch). I don't get the hate for the boss battles, especially the claim that they can't be done with different strategies and skill sets, which is rubbish!

this is very true. the pistol is the funnest and OP in the end but every way is very possible, i destroyed brayko with the assault rifle on my 3rd runthrough of the game, and as long as you are patient, each strategy works out just fine, sometimes you fight more baddies because of having alarms going off, but that isn't too much of a flaw considering your running around with a shotty or assault rifle

 

[Irridium]

Like every other Obsidian game, it's a flawed gem.

Alpha Protocol is the game for the whole 'actions have consequences' thing that other games have tried to implement and fallen far short on. Obsidian actually made the consequences happen in-game rather than simply affect which cut scenes you got at the end of the game. For that alone the game should be compulsory for future game designers.

Precisely. One of the few games that actually delivers on choices having consequences. I was frequently amazed at how much the story changed through what I did. This game puts any Bioware and Bethesda game to shame when it comes to your actions affecting the story. Sadly it didn't sell well, and nobody ever seems to mention how great the choice system is.

 

[DustyDrB]

It's good in small doses. I'm just doing one level at a time. I find myself enjoying it like that.