Review Epic Alpha Protocol Review Extravaganza

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>Alpha Protocol, a game that splits the masses (basically like every other game before), triggered quite some dissent among the resident <em>mental giants</em>. Let's see what other mouthbreathers got to say about it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Giant Bomb <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/alpha-protocol/61-20984/reviews/">figured</a> the <em>traditional treatment of espionage in video games leaves a little something to be desired</em>, 3/5.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you decide to play Alpha Protocol, just know that your main enemies over the course of its 15-or-so hours will be its collection of misery-inducing technical issues and the clash between its action and role-playing elements. There are parts of Alpha Protocol that I feel are totally amazing and absolutely worth seeing, but you'll have to trudge through a lot of very disappointing stuff just to see it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hooked Gamers are <a href="http://www.hookedgamers.com/pc/alpha_protocol/review/article-553.html">dishing out an epic score of 8.5/10</a>. Epic, if you keep in mind that our <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">formerly</span> beloved Obsidianites don't have the bribe funds real devs like BioWare or Bethesda can muster.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Decisions, Decisions</strong><br /><br />From ally to enemy to ally - this is the engrossing world of Alpha Protocol. There are no good guys or bad guys, only individuals and organizations with their own agendas. Islamic terrorists, weapons manufacturers, private military corporations, and mafia bosses can all be your hated adversary one day and your best friend the next. It all depends on the decisions you make as rookie spy Michael Thorton, who is thrust into this murky underworld when tasked with finding the culprits behind a missile attack on a passenger airplane.<br /><br />Sometimes these decisions are straightforward. Most of the time, you're forced to make decisions with too little information and no favorable consequences. Choosing to ally with one faction over another always nets you a new enemy. Saving the damsel in distress just leads to more distress for both you and the damsel.<br /><br />There are no right or wrong or easy decisions in Alpha Protocol, but they are all unavoidable. And the most prevalent decision is choosing how to interact with other people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Gamer Limit <a href="http://gamerlimit.com/2010/05/gamer-limit-review-alpha-protocol-2/" target="_blank">humbly grants 6.5/10 points</a>, relieved, because <em>it could have been much worse</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Overall, <em>Alpha Protocol</em> is simply underwhelming. Poor AI, equally shallow stealth and RPG elements, a bland presentation, and stiff characters all make for a dull experience. Though the narrative has some strong points, and much detail was given to the system of choices and dialogue, it appears the rest of the game lacked even half the same treatment. Various bugs and odd behavior contributes to a feeling that Obsidian didn&rsquo;t put much effort into making sure their product was solid.</p>
<p>It should be noted that I played <em>Alpha Protocol</em> on the PC, and though the PC usually boasts better visuals than its console counterparts, the game still looked old and bland, and my mouse control was inexplicably jerky. I had to play with a 360 controller, as I could find no solution to this problem.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Esteemed RPG site <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/jun/01/alpha-protocol-xbox-game-review" target="_blank">Guardian</a> doesn't feel compelled to give more than 2/5, because <em>on screen the potential of an espionage based RPG is rarely fulfilled.</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The most frustrating thing about Alpha Protocol is that there clearly is a decent game hidden away here. Choosing a specialisation for your agent and customising him with individual skills and looks is as gnawingly compulsive as in most RPGs. Possibly even more so here, given the real-world setting. But a general lack of visual polish, coupled with clunky gameplay mechanics, means Alpha Protocol is a missed opportunity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>xbox360achievements.org <a href="http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/alpha-protocol/review/" target="_blank">don't score it more than 70/100</a>, despite calling Alpha Protocol <em>a cult game</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Essentially, Alpha Protocol is going to be like Marmite &ndash; you either love it or you hate it. There&rsquo;s no middle ground here people! If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics and its ordinary visuals, and view it as an RPG, then Alpha Protocol could very well be a title that will be in your console for months as you try different approaches to the task at hand. However, after Mass Effect 2 proved that combining the two genres is most definitely possible, Alpha Protocol pales in comparison. Where Mass Effect falls down by giving you very little control over the major aspects of the story and its outcome, Alpha Protocol shines by putting a real emphasis on choice. If you want to play the bad guy, switch sides and sacrifice civilians to save a world leader, you can &ndash; it&rsquo;s as close to being Jack Bauer as you&rsquo;re going to get. However, whilst Alpha Protocol doesn&rsquo;t fail on its choices mechanic and its dialogue system, it does pretty much fail on everything else and it holds it back from being a great title. We&rsquo;d love to see them take the best bits out of the title, combine them with some real shooter mechanics and high production values to make a sequel, but unfortunately, that&rsquo;s probably never going to happen.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Game guys <a href="http://www.news10.net/life/entertainment/game-guys/story.aspx?storyid=82365&amp;catid=99" target="_blank">want to love it</a> but their love only suffices for a "C".</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Alpha Protocol</em> is one of those games you want to love. It tries new things in a third-person game that add depth and incentive to replay the adventure. Alpha also features deep weapon customization and a conversation dialogue tree that works well. While the game succeeds on the RPG side - it doesn't feel as polished on the action side. The gun play, melee combat and even the way Thorton moves around feels awkward.</p>
<p>It's unfortunate that the control and even graphics don't live up to this game's potential. You may want to rent Alpha Protocol, to see if these shortcomings don't sabotage your experience as a spy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Dealspwn, 7/10, <a href="http://www.dealspwn.com/alpha-protocol-espionage-rpg-review/" target="_blank">reasonably liked the game</a> but spotted one of the big design fails:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The game itself becomes more enjoyable over time if you opt for the stealth route; it&rsquo;s just a shame that things go a bit pear-shaped when you&rsquo;re forced to shoot your way out of a situation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hardcore Gamers, 4/5, <a href="http://www.hardcoregamer.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&amp;id_rubrique=1&amp;type=article&amp;id_article=541" target="_blank">are pondering</a> whether Alpha Protocol will be the shining example of the RPG genre or just another action game to throw in the wind?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Despite these flaws, Alpha Protocol is still a fun and entertaining experience with a dynamic storyline and solid RPG mechanics. The open branching pathways and options ensure for multiple playthroughs and the action is varied enough so you won&rsquo;t find yourself bored. In the end, Alpha Protocol will sneak into the hearts of players all around the world with its immersive DSS feature and colorful cast of characters. It may feel like a hybrid of the Splinter Cell&nbsp; and Mass Effect series, but it meshes the best aspects of both to create a brand new promising entity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And last but not least we have <a href="http://www.gamingunion.net/reviews/alpha-protocol--251.html" target="_blank">Gaming Union</a> with a mediocre score of 6/10.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For all its faults Alpha Protocol features one of the best dialogue systems seen in an RPG for a long time. It helps to keep things extremely fresh and certainly makes the whole story-aspect of the game feel much more engaging. However, for all the good this brings, Alpha Protocol is severely let down by the game's other major aspect, the gameplay. It really is one of those games where you're left thinking, what if? Alpha Protocol surely didn't necessarily plan out how Obsidian wanted it to, but there were some amazing ideas present amongst all the bad ones. Hopefully they'll be able to make a sequel and really sort out those areas, because the concept has some serious potential if done correctly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/98091-alpha-protocol-reviews.html">RPGCodex Backup Server</a></p>

 

[Jaedar]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

 

[Lexx]

First person shooting is the new shooter mechanic. Third person is outdated, like iso or birds-eye view.

 

[Melcar]

It's because the tech. wasn't there.
Can't trust reviewers these days though. Can't trust The Codex for that matter either. Reading through some of them it seems that they just looked at the awkward "cover" of the game and came to the conclusion that it was shit, only to latter see that it had some good qualities. At least i wasn't the usual "THIS IS THE BEST SHIT EVER BRO!!!".

 

[Konjad]

Strange, I think these reviews are, in general, correct o.o

 

[Kortalh]

I was actually considering buying it until I read this:

If you decide to play Alpha Protocol, just know that your main enemies over the course of its 15-or-so hours

Is it seriously only 15 hours long? I just can't justify paying $60 for a 15-hour game, no matter how great it might be (assuming AP is even great to begin with).

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

it's pretty short, yeah.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

But at least it has a lot of replayability.

 

[Donkey Balls]

Is it seriously only 15 hours long?

More like 10 actually. 7 if you rush it.

 

[Hamster]

For all its faults Alpha Protocol features one of the best dialogue systems seen in an RPG for a long time.

Even without stupid timer, short and undescriptive dialogue options seriously harm the great C&C system of AP. Thornton is much more unpredictable than Shepard.

 

[Gylfi.Fenriz.Conquests]

Aren't Obsi folks working on a patch to fix the problems listed here? I mean they are silly technical issues, no?

 

[Sceptic]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

Wait what? :shock:

So this was all the revolution the genre needed when ME2 was released but now it's outdated... less than 5 months later?

Next-gen faggotry sure move on quickly.

 

[Phelot]

See? They're giving it above average/mediocre scores. Not so bad. I used to pickup games that got those sort of scores way back when.

But now, that's like this black hole region were people don't know WTF to think. It's not inflated scores, not "OMG GOTY" and not "OMG WORSE EVAR"

It sounds like they're actually reviewing it in a raesonable manner. It'd be nice if it stuck and they realize that games that pay them large amounts of ad money don't need to get automatic great scores (they're going to buy ad space anyway) and that games that frustrate them due to difficulty or because they've never heard of it before don't need to showcase their terrible attempts at wit and humor in a bad review.

 

[Silellak]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

Wait what? :shock:

So this was all the revolution the genre needed when ME2 was released but now it's outdated... less than 5 months later?

Next-gen faggotry sure move on quickly.

Don't worry, next week it will be considered a "nostalgic throwback" to the "tried and true" gameplay that was "perfected" by ME2.

 

[godsend1989]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

Wait what? :shock:

So this was all the revolution the genre needed when ME2 was released but now it's outdated... less than 5 months later?

Next-gen faggotry sure move on quickly.

You faggot, that kind of cover shooting that AP haves is stupid lame and eventually outdated, you missed the point and don`t compare AP cover system with ME 2 because its a long way, are you always that stupid and pretend that you can`t understand ?

 

[Jaedar]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

Wait what? :shock:

So this was all the revolution the genre needed when ME2 was released but now it's outdated... less than 5 months later?

Next-gen faggotry sure move on quickly.

You faggot, that kind of cover shooting that AP haves is stupid lame and eventually updated, you missed the point and don`t compare AP cover system with ME 2 because its a long way, are you always that stupid and pretend that you can`t understand ?

That's called implementation and if a games journalist doesn't even have a basic grasp of the english language I fail to see how that is our fault.

 

[The Ninth Circle]

These reviews are all across the board, and the Codex can never embrace a game until well after its release. I'll likely have to check it out myself.

 

[Volourn]

Blamking the lukewarm scores at the fact that obsidian isn't a major company that BIO or Bethesda is dumb and foolish. Plenty of small companies have their games rated highly. INCLUDING FUCKIN' BIO WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED FUCKIN' OUT. Nobody gave a shit about BIO then yet it surely didn't hurt BG's reviews. And, it's not D&D because plenty of D&D games get shit on. And, it's not like Obsidian was alone in this since they had a rather major company knows as fuckin' SEGA pushing this game. Not exactly a nothing company. Also, people keep saying AP wasn't hyped. Bullshit. It was fuckin' hyped. This isn't some stringbean independent game that came out out nowhere. FFS This is a agme developed by one of the most well know RPg companies in the fuckin' world. FFS Makers of NWN2, and KOTOR, and future pushers of the newest FO. FFS FFS


I don't know if I'll like the game since I won't be playing it til next week, but stop blaming subpar scores on bullshit myths that are fuckin' bullshit.

FOR FUCK SAKES

 

[SuicideBunny]

INCLUDING FUCKIN' BIO WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED FUCKIN' OUT. Nobody gave a shit about BIO then yet it surely didn't hurt BG's reviews.

when bio started out they were actually making good games, reviewers weren't fucking retarded but well educated, witty, knowledgeable about computers and games, they weren't being bribed with hookers in exotic hotels and playing games under developer supervision, but most importantly developers weren't suing publications for breach of contract if they gave them bad reviews.

 

[hoochimama]

On the other hand eurogamer's positive review seems to take into account AP's "faintly cruel budget".

I'm sure whatever set of circumstances that allowed for the reviewer to come upon that piece of info surely didn't affect his objectivity.

I mean it's one thing to say that a game is impressive for its budget or as a studio's first project, but it's another to say "If you accept Alpha Protocol as a project made by a plucky team working to a faintly cruel budget, it's surprisingly hard not to get behind it.".

 

[Jaesun]

IIRC SEGA approached Obsidian 3/4 of development in, and suddenly wanted it to be more RPG.......... like Mass Effect.

 

[SuicideBunny]

on a somewhat related note, there prolly won't be a second alpha protocol.
sega started rereleasing their old genesis games as pc ports in a desperate attempt to make money.

the end times are nigh.

 

[hoochimama]

IIRC SEGA approached Obsidian 3/4 of development in, and suddenly wanted it to be more RPG.......... like Mass Effect.

As a response to the sony product evaluator drama? Wasn't this game billed as an rpg from the start anyway? How could it have been even less rpgish before?

 

[FeelTheRads]

on a somewhat related note, there prolly won't be a second alpha protocol.
sega started rereleasing their old genesis games as pc ports in a desperate attempt to make money.

the end times are nigh.

Pfft, SEGA keeps re-releasing their shit and porting it for a long time now. They even released some new consoles (portables and some Wii clone, made by some third party developers) which come with old games already on them.

They're one of the biggest whores in the industry, but also one of the dumbest.

 

[Jaesun]

IIRC SEGA approached Obsidian 3/4 of development in, and suddenly wanted it to be more RPG.......... like Mass Effect.

As a response to the sony product evaluator drama? Wasn't this game billed as an rpg from the start anyway? How could it have been even less rpgish before?

Because Mass Effect IS the new RPG model. Just like Diablo was before it.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

If you can look past the outdated third person shooter mechanics

Cover shooting=outdated?

Wait what? :shock:

So this was all the revolution the genre needed when ME2 was released but now it's outdated... less than 5 months later?

Next-gen faggotry sure move on quickly.

Don't worry, next week it will be considered a "nostalgic throwback" to the "tried and true" gameplay that was "perfected" by ME2.

Oh god, I can already see skyway praising it.