Zero Punctuation: Alpha Protocol

Apophenia Overload

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Yahtzee is a contrarian. He tears down sacred cows and he raises up pariahs. Alpha Protocol does have a lot of issues, but it also had ambition and creativity and tried to be different from most Splinter Cell/MGS-derived stealth/action games, and from paint-the-numbers Bioware RPGs. So he's giving it recognition where its due.

And clone? wtf. How can it be a DX clone when they're not in the same perspective? DX is FPS, yo. The plot is kinda trite but what weird structure? And yeah I definitely agree that a crippling flaw of AP is that if you have the wrong skills build you're screwed.

Kermi said:
Interesting, the review came across as rather positive but still hostile. If he hadn't said it was "weak and poorly balanced" near the end I might have thought he enjoyed it.
He probably did enjoy it to some extent, he just wouldn't say it.
 

Crazy_Bird

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I am surprised about the John Barrowman joke at the end. But then again Yahtzee proofed to be a Dr. Who fan so I guess I should not be that startled.
 

Swifteye

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Yazhtee liked the game for the most. Turns out alpha protocal wasn't a complete failure. All the other reviewers really knobbed it for not having good action but yatzhee seemed more interested in the part where all the work went into.
 

repeating integers

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Having never paid attention to any ads at all (ever), I had never heard of this game either. I was surprised at the start, because he seemed to be praising it all over the place. Then we got to the bad points, but it still seems as if he didn't think it was all that bad.

Mind you, with Yahtzee, it's always hard to tell.

 

poiuppx

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Nice review. Think I might try this game... confusing plot elements and dialogue trees aside- botch the conversation and I'm sure you can just load a prior save to give it another go -this sounds fun.
 

Azhrarn-101

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Jack and Calumon said:
He seemed rather generous to a game that other reviewers have eaten and crapped out.

Calumon: Sure he could turn invisible, but I can fly!
My guess is that the other reviews were so horrible because they were essentially thinking it was Mass Effect 2: James Bond/Bourne edition.
It, however, is not; the combat mechanics are this game's big glowing weak spot.
The story, while convoluted is told rather well, the dialogue options complex enough to account for almost anything you do and overall very compelling and immersive.
It is a rather nice game, providing you're able to look past the weaknesses in certain areas. And you can essentially compensate for them by specialising in assault rifles, useful in any and all situations it can handle almost anything. Couple it to a massive stealth skill and your opposition won't stand much of a chance (including that bossfight Yahtzee mentioned).
 

VMerken

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I bought and completed Alpha Protocol on day one because there's something about Chris Avellone that's hard to resist, such as being one of the guys behind Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Icewind Dale. Yeah, I'm a bit of a fan there.

Compared to those previous titles, however, Alpha Protocol isn't up to snuff. The fact that I needed about 10 hours to blast through the game without really trying is one indicator of that. The other is that I don't really feel like replaying the game, even though I probably saw about 40% of the game's content. The game doesn't pull you in the way, say, Fallout or Planescape do.

Agent Thorton, his signature grin and pretty much the entire cast is entirely forgettable; it's as if Obsidian got their hands on "Hideo Kojima's Top Secret Scribblebook of Failed Metal Gear Solid Characters" and thought, "Why not"? Technically, the graphics and music do their thing acceptably well, but nothing really sticks and nothing is really fresh except the Heavy Rain style timed dialogue scenes.

You do feel that the potential is there, though. This could have been a really great game. Let's hope they managed to put that potential into Fallout: New Vegas instead - After the sad pseudo-rpg sandbox that is Fallout 3, I'm expecting a lot from the guys who once made Fallout 2.

Oh, and if I ever replay it, I will do so before ever getting back into Final Fantasy XIII *shudders thinking about it*.
 

Apophenia Overload

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Most of the cast is forgettable, but you better not be forgetting about Steven Heck! Or Brayko. Conrad Marburg is cool too but not as much as he was made to be in the trailer. Omen Deng was underused.
 

RhombusHatesYou

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Yossarian1507 said:
Maybe now someone who was shouting 'Shite!' without any real experience with it will shut up, or maybe even try it to see for himself it isn't that bad.
Your naive optimism amuses me.

They'll just shout "Shite!" twice as loud.
 

RhombusHatesYou

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PipBoy4000 said:
I don't think Obsidian understands the appeal of Fallout
Yeah, how could guys who worked on the first 2 Fallout titles as well as the aborted Van Buren (which was intended to become Black Isle's Fallout 3) possibly understand the appeal of fallout?
 

Yossarian1507

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RhomCo said:
Your naive optimism amuses me.

They'll just shout "Shite!" twice as loud.
For every nine people who will not see the glorious truth of Alpha Protocol, there will be one who will, and we will gladly accept him in our ranks, for he found the true blessing.

Ok, I was joking obviously if anyone didn't get it. But I will say it hundred times - play it before you condemn it. Rent it, wait for the lower price, whatever - but give it a chance. You don't like it - fine, you have the right to. But if by some chance (actually pretty decent, contrary to what the most reviews are saying) you'll like it, then maybe you'll finally see it's not good to throw a poo at a game when you didn't even play it and just saw an opinion of couple of reviewers who were expecting Mass Effect 2 and didn't get it (because it isn't Mass Effect 2 in modern world. The ONLY similarity is them both being a third person game using guns and cover system).
 

Archany

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God damnit Yahtzee, No More Heroes 2 came out 3 FUCKING MONTHS AGO, YOU HOSTED A FUCKING AUSTRALIAN RELEASE PARTY FOR IT, IT'S ONLY 7 HOURS LONG, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD REVIEW IT