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Alpha Protocol

Jaesun

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Big Nick Digger said:
AP is mass effect without the shit

What shit is that exactly?
 
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No Alpha Protocol thread should be devoid of my awesome opinion on the game. Slightly fixed copy & pasta:

Where do you people manage the find the "good writing" in AP when the protagonist punk inserts internet memes and pretentious jokes into every single thing he says and yet, the other party is usually completely oblivious to it and keeps on the serious buziness façade as if he's in a monologue? "Good writing" has come a long way since PST, obviously. If this shit was in any other game, it would be written off as fan-fic. And in fact, it was: DA:O. Occasionally there is good writing, usually uttered by a few of the other characters, but the quality of exchanges leaves it high and dry.

Or the "good level design" where as soon as you unsuspectingly go through a door, previous parts of the level is immediately cut off and for no apparent reason at all either? Or NPCs evil guys (hard to refer to cannon fodder as NPCs) that materialize out of thin air in the next room? The "good level design" that dwells in console hell with "action spots"? Mmm where have I seen that: oh right, almost exclusively in console shooters! Splinter Cell or Hitman series has better level design and hands more freedom to the player.

When Molyneux announced that he'd turn game menus into playable 3D areas, everyone here laughed their asses off but I guess it's cool when Obsidian does it, renaming overglorified 3D menus into "safehouses" without any purpose or freedom to their 3D-ness.

This is not even an espionage game. This is a "choose your corridor" shooter game. You jump between mission areas. That's it. And the way the missions are self-contained is just way too sterile. Where are the established hallmarks of espionage in popular culture?

Where is the "stalk and observe the target" mission? Oh, there is the looking at a 3D screensaver from a fixed position and playing popamole with a sniper rifle part. You know, I remember the same from a dozen action games. Yeah, that's usually an action game staple but even those do it better. NOLF, anyone? That's how that shit is made*. Now that I think about it, even Thief had a rather well-made stalking mission.

Where is the "safehouse is compromised, escape through the roofs and streets" mission? Where's the "gain information and locate target" where you'd stroll through many locales, talk to many peoples without having to sneak or shoot anybody unless you asked the wrong people? Where are those airport / train station / subway / on the plane / on the train / in the subway missions where you meet strangers, exchange information, maybe do it with the wrong strangers, etc. etc. everything that one normally thinks of when hearing the words espionage or spy thriller?

Alpha Protocol has NONE. Do I hear someone say "down with the clichés!"? Well, then I guess good riddance because AP is straight a shooter with some other stuff thrown in; it manages to sidestep almost every single thing that should have been in an espionage game and yet claims the title. It has nothing to do with espionage. Instead, it has missions full of bad guys where you may get +5 or -5 bad guys or this or that gun depending on your resource management. Here's a hint: many console shooters already do a number of these.

No, Alpha Protocol is a very badly mediocre console shooter with a very few but quality highs. I'm constantly amazed how some of you manage to make it more than it is. Do you ever play any other games? I mean, like, at all? If you think AP is good, be assured that there are much better fishes in the pond and you are missing a world of wonders. On the other hand, do Obsidian devs (ever play any other games)? One would think that they would have all the right kind of material in the world to make an awesome espionage RPG, however short, instead of trolling us with a corridor shooter.

Funnily enough, New Vegas feels much more like a proper espionage RPG at times because the game actually has a basically working system with stealth and even disguises, and even an open game world to supports all of that! AP is pathetic!
 

Roguey

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Mastermind said:
Might torrent it based on your review. I refuse to pay for a game that Avellone was in charge of on account of the fact that they might put him in charge of even more projects. I still regret buying that MOTB POS. :rage:
Avellone wasn't in charge of MotB, that was a Saunders/Ziets collaboration. Plus he's the creative director and one of the five owners of Obsidian so he can be in charge of whatever he wants. :smug:
 

J_C

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villain of the story said:
When Molyneux announced that he'd turn game menus into playable 3D areas, everyone here laughed their asses off but I guess it's cool when Obsidian does it, renaming overglorified 3D menus into "safehouses" without any purpose or freedom to their 3D-ness.
Hehe, not even close my friend. In fable 3, the menus were truly converted into a seperate room, which loaded when you opened the menus. Open the menu in AP, you will get a standard menu. The safehouses are just hubs, like the camp in DAO. You can view your email, choose missions, and yes, you can costumize your gear.

Stop the liez!
 

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villain of the story said:
Or the "good level design" where as soon as you unsuspectingly go through a door, previous parts of the level is immediately cut off and for no apparent reason at all either?
It's a deliberate design decision, that along with timed dialogues tries to keep up suspense. I liked neither of them, but i can see what Obsidian tried to do there.
villain of the story said:
Or NPCs evil guys (hard to refer to cannon fodder as NPCs)
Perhaps that's why they are generally not referred to as such in games?
villain of the story said:
that materialize out of thin air in the next room? The "good level design" that dwells in console hell with "action spots"? Mmm where have I seen that: oh right, almost exclusively in console shooters!
Unless you use day0 crack or something, no enemies "materialize out of thin air". Later cracks don't have this problem and neither has the original game.
villain of the story said:
Splinter Cell or Hitman series has better level design and hands more freedom to the player.
WTF? The levels in the Splinter Cell games are pretty much the textbook example of linear corridors.
villain of the story said:
When Molyneux announced that he'd turn game menus into playable 3D areas, everyone here laughed their asses off but I guess it's cool when Obsidian does it, renaming overglorified 3D menus into "safehouses" without any purpose or freedom to their 3D-ness.
What about the havens in Vampire: Bloodlines?

It's the thought that counts, but seriously, your so called review is sozzy for the lack of a better word.
 

Captain Shrek

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Sorry for necroing this shit, but I just completed my second playthrough and I must give it more credit. It's a really good game guys. You MUST play it once!
 

J_C

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Captain Shrek said:
Sorry for necroing this shit, but I just completed my second playthrough and I must give it more credit. It's a really good game guys. You MUST play it once!
:bro:
 

Seolas

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Loved the concept of this game and some of the features - the email system with minor C&C influence based on your responses, the safehouses with little details about your achievements so far, some of the levels (such as the pure stealth one where you have to avoid agents and hack a computer or something like that), and a very good C&C system that is one of the best I've seen.

The problems are well stated but this is still a game I couldn't help but like and was dismayed by the fact it tanked as I think they might have nailed it with a sequel. The espionage RPG genre is massively underutilized and while Deus Ex: Human Revolution played with stealth could be pretty good, I want more Bond/Bourne-esque type RPGs. Hell, what about a Roman Empire RPG full of political maneuvering, backstabbing, and deceit (with seduction and intimidation dialogue options), and they can even throw in the pointless sex that is in fashion now.
 

Raghar

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It's an action game, not a RPG. I finished it twice because I approached it as an over the top parody and action game. These who thought it's a RPG were probably quite disappointed, the others had actually fun with a fast game where enemies were not completely retarded with some interesting missions (for example Rome NSA house), and interesting characters (Heck).

It also has some kick ass fights. For example fighting hand to hand in that fight in Rome. Nearly dead after first hit, and running away, placing a shock bomb, then a half dead has been beating up a half conscious. AP rewarded fast thinking.

These perks were also fitting.

It had also a lot of unnecessary restrictions. These doors closing behind didn't made fights that harder, they made them more stupid. Especially when you left gadgets prepared to lead enemies into trap, and then deal with the rest.
 
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Captain Shrek said:
Sorry for necroing this shit, but I just completed my second playthrough and I must give it more credit. It's a really good game guys. You MUST play it once!
One of the few games that made the right decision to keep the game short to better promote multiple playthroughs.
 
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Seolas said:
The problems are well stated but this is still a game I couldn't help but like and was dismayed by the fact it tanked as I think they might have nailed it with a sequel. The espionage RPG genre is massively underutilized and while Deus Ex: Human Revolution played with stealth could be pretty good, I want more Bond/Bourne-esque type RPGs.

This game had neither espionage, Bond or Bourne. It is a console corridor shooter aspiring to be something else. That's why it tanked.
 

Captain Shrek

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villain of the story said:
Seolas said:
The problems are well stated but this is still a game I couldn't help but like and was dismayed by the fact it tanked as I think they might have nailed it with a sequel. The espionage RPG genre is massively underutilized and while Deus Ex: Human Revolution played with stealth could be pretty good, I want more Bond/Bourne-esque type RPGs.

This game had neither espionage, Bond or Bourne.
....

Every time you post, I wonder if you really played the game:

*Espionage: The game had lots. It has hidden side-plots, conspiracies to uncover and stealth + gadgets of infiltration. But it does take some skill and intelligence to actually find them/make them work.

*Bond/Bourne: I accept that the One liner approach is a bit missing, but since Bourne is essentially introverted, I can fault you there.



It is a console corridor shooter aspiring to be something else. That's why it tanked.

Non sequitur.
 

Achilles

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Ah, Alpha Protocol. A pretty fun game. We should have a retrospective on that.
 

Vibalist

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Guys, AP is a pretty decent game, but don't tell me any of you would've praised it if it was Bioware who had released it. Because you damn well know you wouldn't have.
 

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It was buggy and lacked polish in most of its features and gameplay.

Other than that it was good. Flawed gem following the 'but it could have been so much more' mantra Troika started.
 

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Vibalist said:
Guys, AP is a pretty decent game, but don't tell me any of you would've praised it if it was Bioware who had released it. Because you damn well know you wouldn't have.

If Bioware had released it the writing would have been shittier and there would probably have been more unnecessary romance dialog. I probably would have still enjoyed it if they managed to capture that same B-movie vibe mass effect had, though.
 

Achilles

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Vibalist said:
Guys, AP is a pretty decent game, but don't tell me any of you would've praised it if it was Bioware who had released it. Because you damn well know you wouldn't have.

I'm fairly certain I would have. All that matters is if you've enjoyed the game, not who made it.

Then again, I have to admit that I'm a) a storyfag and b) an obsifag, so someone could argue that I already had a positive attitude towards the game, even before buying and playing it.
 
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Vibalist said:
Guys, AP is a pretty decent game, but don't tell me any of you would've praised it if it was Bioware who had released it. Because you damn well know you wouldn't have.

If nothing about it was worse than in Obsidian version, why the fuck not? Plus, it being Bioware, it would probably me more polished. But Bioware couldn't have made it, so no point in this really. AP has a certain charm that is never present in Bioware games. Only cool people like the ones at Obsidian can do this. :smug: Not fat sex deprived losers at Bioware, no sir.
 

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villain of the story said:
This game had neither espionage, Bond or Bourne. It is a console corridor shooter aspiring to be something else. That's why it tanked.
You sir wouldn't recognize a linear corridor shooter even if it emptied a clip at you (see your ridiculous comment about Splinter Cell).
 
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Vibalist said:
Guys, AP is a pretty decent game, but don't tell me any of you would've praised it if it was Bioware who had released it. Because you damn well know you wouldn't have.

Oh bullshit. The sheer amount of insults and crap that we stood up to when insisting that AP was quality when everyone else was leaping on the Skyway-wagon, with our chins raised like troopers as we copped turd after turd splattering from all directions of the Codex, and stood our ground nonetheless, proudly declaring our 'sort of felt it was pretty decent'-ness as we wiped our faces clean between the seemingly endless sludge. I don't think you can really go the 'you're just going for KKKredits by praising an Obsidian game' with this one kiddo - the Mass Effect fans were treated like kings compared to the shite that we put up with at the time.
 

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