Game News Alpha Protocol gets an enhanced rerelease on GOG after five years in licensing hell

[Infinitron]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment; Sega

https://af.gog.com/en/news/alpha_pr...o_on_the_process_of_its_revival?as=1649904300

When we started our journey 15 years ago, one of our most important goals was to do our best to preserve games and make them last forever. Allowing video games history, once-loved gems, to be lost in time, is something we cannot just stand and watch – we fight, for current and future generations to be able to enjoy games; all games, not just the newest, popular releases. Today, we stand proudly by our mission, and we’re extremely happy to announce the re-release of a cherished classic that, thanks to our efforts, has been successfully archived in the GOG catalog, to enjoy anew.

Alpha Protocol is back – better than ever, with a -10% launch discount until April 3rd, 2 PM UTC!

That’s right, this Alpha Protocol, the Espionage RPG, is making a grand return 14 years after its initial premiere. With conjoined forces of GOG, Obsidian Entertainment and SEGA, we’ve made sure to make it better than ever; compatible with modern PCs, with licensed soundtrack and performance improvements that are sure to make this timeless classic, yet again, your favorite spy story.

But that’s not all we have up our sleeves, of course! For this incredibly special occasion, we’ve prepared a one-of-a-kind documentary video, where the process of bringing back Alpha Protocol is extensively explained – including interviews with its creators, as well as our own team members. You can watch it below!

Good, old adventures of agent Michael Thorton come back with:

Licensed soundtrack;
Achievements support;
Full controller support (Dualsense, DualShock 4, Nintendo Switch Pro, Xbox Series or Xbox One controller);
Localization support;
Compatibility with modern operating systems;
Cloud saves support.

Now, buckle up, and jump right into this timeless gem – now preserved forever!​

https://af.gog.com/game/alpha_protocol?as=1649904300

 

[Rean]

I see.

 

[BrotherFrank]

Rated incline until i read the list of features:

Licensed soundtrack;
Achievements support;
Full controller support (Dualsense, DualShock 4, Nintendo Switch Pro, Xbox Series or Xbox One controller);
Localization support;
Compatibility with modern operating systems;
Cloud saves support.

I dont think anyone playing AP and wishing for a remaster to fix its issues ever spared a single thought about any of these.
So fear its just a minimal effort remake for maximum gain to please investors with a low risk high yield investment, meh.

 

[Infinitron]

I dont think anyone playing AP and wishing for a remaster to fix its issues ever spared a single thought about any of this.
So fear its just a minimal effort remake for maximum gain to please investors with a low risk high yield investment, meh.

That's a good thing. You know they'd fuck it up if they tried.

 

[OSK]

You guys think this will save GOG? Or will they eventually be bought by Amazon?

 

[luj1]

Now, buckle up, and jump right into this timeless gem – now preserved forever!

Quickly Infinitroon, a retrospective!

 

[Mei Scarlet]

Licensed soundtrack;
Achievements support;
Full controller support (Dualsense, DualShock 4, Nintendo Switch Pro, Xbox Series or Xbox One controller);
Localization support;
Compatibility with modern operating systems;
Cloud saves support.

AP was a nice game but this is literally nothing.
Maybe that's for the best.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Something tells me that they didn’t contact MCA or Mitsoda for any of their “interviews with it’s creators…”, but hey it’s always fun to see Feargus and Parker blatantly lie about shit that they actively hamstrung.

 

[RobotSquirrel]

so they didn't fix the mouse support? because I recall the hacking mini-game was borderline impossible to beat due to it treating the mouse like a joystick and applying too much acceleration to it and there was no fix that I was aware of. Is this going to be again you have to play with a game pad or else type bullshit the original release had?

 

[mediocrepoet]

Meh, you guys are too butthurt. AP is a flawed but interesting and good game. It being available again and with whatever compatibility tweaks to ensure it boots is objectively a positive development.

 

[Latro]

I always liked AP, it’d be cool if the GOG version was actually superior to the original release

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

Something tells me that they didn’t contact MCA or Mitsoda for any of their “interviews with it’s creators…”, but hey it’s always fun to see Feargus and Parker blatantly lie about shit that they actively hamstrung.

...for good or ill, I have nothing to do with Alpha Protocol as it is being developed currently. I was working on the creative direction, story, and dialogue for previous iterations of the game, but outside of a dialogue system I created (before Mass Effect was announced) for an earlier version of the game, my (and Annie Carlson’s) original dialogue and plot – again, for good or ill – are not being used for the game. Any characters I’m attributed with creating bear only a superficial resemblance to the ones in my original story.[4]

Negro please

 

[Irxy]

The only thing I'd like to see from the technical point of view is a real save system.
Gameplay wise, dialogs always felt completely random, I prefer to make choices on my character actions, not how sarcastic or serious he is doing random shit.
That said, fuck gog.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

So I should just trash my copy on Steam and get this instead?

 

[Infinitron]

So I should just trash my copy on Steam and get this instead?

Yes. Unless we hear that the new version is buggy.

 

[Catacombs]

Or will they eventually be bought by Amazon?

God help us.

 

[|NOVVAK|]

So I should just trash my copy on Steam and get this instead?

Yes. Unless we hear that the new version is buggy.

This article https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/5...cold-with-fewer-crashes-and-new-achievements/ says:
"The company tells me that "the most known and crucial bugs from the original Alpha Protocol are currently 'very rare'" thanks to the efforts of its reverse engineering team."
"I've had a chance to mess around with the game via GOG Galaxy myself and, friends, I can tell you it's definitely Alpha Protocol. Don't come in expecting a remaster—for all the work GOG's done, it's still indistinguishable from the game you remember at first glance—but I can confirm my controllers work, the game didn't crash, and I was running around behaving like the most insufferable agent in town with zero faff."

 

[Jvegi]

20$??? I can't afford that.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

So I should just trash my copy on Steam and get this instead?

Yes. Unless we hear that the new version is buggy.

This article https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/5...cold-with-fewer-crashes-and-new-achievements/ says:
"The company tells me that "the most known and crucial bugs from the original Alpha Protocol are currently 'very rare'" thanks to the efforts of its reverse engineering team."

But those bugs remain in the Steam version?

 

[Luka-boy]

How much do you guys like Alpha Protocol?

 

[mediocrepoet]

How much do you guys like Alpha Protocol?

much

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

How much do you guys like Alpha Protocol?

I like GoG enough to support them to continue bringing back games like this from licensing prison.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Alpha Protocol is one of the worst games I have ever played. Whatever "RPG genius" it purported to offer was deeply buried under very repetitive gameplay and mid 2000s console shooter trappings. Everything about it was annoying in some way.

Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

It wasn't a "timeless classic". It was a $4.99 bargain bin game, that fell into complete obscurity for a good reason.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

As a game, it's rather shitty indeed. But the writing and C&C remains a 10/10 even to this day.

 

[Hell Swarm]

How low are GOG sales if this is one of their best sellers? Either it's currated or GOG's audience never buys stuff on Steam.