Game News Alpha Protocol Named Nominee For Prestigious Award

[grotsnik]

Yeah, ME2 would have been far better had it featured some other way of getting through missions ala AP. Some stealth, ghosting, non-lethal, multiple paths, etc. would have helped no end.

Would have been great, definitely. On the other hand, ME2 had slightly more variety in its mission *types*. Sure, the vast majority of it was corridor shooting, but there were a few different ones in there.

That sort of small-scale variety - laying a honeytrap in a nightclub using multiple characters to get the victim's eyes on you, stalking someone through the streets of a city (very poorly implemented in ME2. But it was a nice idea) - could really have helped AP. Instead, that sniper rifle bit aside, it was pretty much a choice between 'single cutscene mission' or 'sneak/shoot your way round the obstacle course.'.

Sometimes it really did feel like the space marine got to do more varied spy stuff than the spy. Which was a shame.

 

[commie]

AP just had base and mission that's true. ME2 having variety I don't agree with, unless you mean the Hammerhead and the 5 minute start of the Katsumi mission.

AP was pretty much barebones in that respect and missions where you tail some target to plant a bug or go through a city and try to gain entry to a crowded hotel(ala Hitman) where there aren't just targets in a mission but a whole bunch of civilians to blend in with, would have been great. In this case, Hitman and Death to Spies do a lot better job at imitating clandestine operations.

Even so, the actual nature of the combat missions were more varied than those in ME as were the ways to get through them and this is what I was really hoping for with ME: If they can't fundamentally make the game more varied, at least make the corridor combat more varied!

 

[grotsnik]

ME2 having variety I don't agree with, unless you mean the Hammerhead and the 5 minute start of the Katsumi mission.

Well, as I said, I think I was referring more to stalking the assassin's target in Citadel and that bit where you dick around in a nightclub trying to catch the attention of the serial killer who's hanging out there. Second one in particular. A scenario, at a hotel or a party or what-have-you where Thorton can actually interact with multiple NPCs would've been fantastic, if they could have managed it.

It always pissed me off about those security guards you're told to rescue in the museum mission in Rome. And then when you've rescued them...they just stand there. Come on, AP - two lines of dialogue to tell them it's a set-up, or to warn them there's a bomb! That's all it takes.

 

[MicoSelva]

Well, as I said, I think I was referring more to stalking the assassin's target in Citadel and that bit where you dick around in a nightclub trying to catch the attention of the serial killer who's hanging out there. Second one in particular.

I agree - these assignments were the highlights of ME2. I wish there were more like them, than 1 for every 10 corridoor shooting missions.

A scenario, at a hotel or a party or what-have-you where Thorton can actually interact with multiple NPCs would've been fantastic, if they could have managed it.

You mean there's nothing like that in the later part of the game? (I'm still in Saudi Arabia) Just the same mission type over and over again? Well, that might become repetitive...

 

[commie]

The difference is that in AP there aren't that many missions per area and with the multiple ways of going through them and the C & C choices sprinkled throughout that have more or less effect on what you may or may not face, it doesn't get boring in the way ME does which has far more corridor shooter levels and a much worse than 1 in 10 ratio of interesting ones to shitty ones.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

And the enemies do fight differently and carry different weaponry.

AP also features a decent dose of different approach to solving each level, depending on your character build (you'll definately notice it if you aren't specialized in Sabotage on your second playthrough). Generally the missions fall in two categories, dialogue and stealth/shooting (you could lump in the CIA listening post here as well, even if its best outcome is ghosting it).

But yea, as commie said it's all the C&C AP does for its missions and progression where it shines.

 

[Seolas]

Would have been great, definitely. On the other hand, ME2 had slightly more variety in its mission *types*. Sure, the vast majority of it was corridor shooting, but there were a few different ones in there.

Funny thing about ME2 is, the main DLC that has been released has been very well made and improved the game. The Kasumi DLC was good, it definitely had a James Bond feel to it although did turn into a shoot-em-up rampage later on as pretty much everything in ME2 does except those novelty missions (like the Normandy crash site and that crashed Alliance ship teetering on the edge of a cliff). The Overlord DLC was creepy as hell and very well made, and the last one with Liara was probably the most impressive DLC I've played for a long time in terms of length, content, and story.

 

[peanuts]

No Arcania = why does this poll even exist? Or maybe it's worst game besides Arcania?

I wasn't thrilled with Alpha Protocol, but it certainly wasn't anything approaching worst game of the year.

They probobly don't even know about arcania since it sold like 3000 copies...

 

[MicoSelva]

No Arcania = why does this poll even exist? Or maybe it's worst game besides Arcania?

I wasn't thrilled with Alpha Protocol, but it certainly wasn't anything approaching worst game of the year.

They probobly don't even know about arcania since it sold like 3000 copies...

It was nominated for best fantasy game at IGN VGAs, so yeah, they do know about it.

 

[Achilles]

ME2 DLC praise

Damn it, I never played any of the ME2 DLC and you make it sound like I should have. I just can't make myself care about these little chunks of gameplay and by the time the obligatory "game of the year" editions are released, I've already bought the main game.

 

[Crooked Bee]

The Lair of Shadow Broker was surprisingly good. I found Overlord and Kasumi DLCs to be quite crappy, though. Just sayin'.

 

[Silellak]

The Lair of Shadow Broker was surprisingly good.

Lair of the Shadow Broker is one of the two pieces of DLC I bought this year, and the only ME2 DLC I've played. I didn't regret the purchase, for whatever that's worth.

 

[Visbhume]

There is an appreciative review of AP at Gamasutra:

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshByce ... alysis.php

 

[Jokerman89]

Alpha protocol is damn awesome, no modern games reflect your choices so well.

 

[J_C]

Alpha protocol is damn awesome, no modern games reflect your choices so well.

I hope you didnt't registerd just to make this comment.












Of course you are right. (hides)

 

[Tolknaz]

I think Alpha Protocol falls under the 'Games It Was Fashionable For Gaming Critics To Shit All Over ' category here. Hence its inclusion.

 

[DriacKin]

Alpha protocol is damn awesome, no modern games reflect your choices so well.

Hi Drog.

 

[Jokerman89]

What? you guys didnt like Alpha Protocol?

Whats a drog?

 

[racofer]

A drog is a DORGAS MANOOOOO!!!! RIRIAIAIRIARIARIAIRAIRIARI1!!

 

[Silellak]

Alpha protocol is sub-par - narrative C&C is its only potentially outstanding quality, and even that isn't as well done as it appears on the surface.

Fixed.

 

[IronicNeurotic]

I love AP too.

Am I drog?

 

[Silellak]

We are all Drog.

 

[J_C]

Alpha protocol is sub-par - narrative C&C is its only potentially outstanding quality, and even that isn't as well done as it appears on the surface.

Fixed.

 

[Jokerman89]

Alpha protocol is sub-par - narrative C&C is its only potentially outstanding quality, and even that isn't as well done as it appears on the surface.

Fixed.

Yea...and my original post was that it has the best C&C of recent times, it does.

I dont really care about the combat, the game almost feels made to punish the gears of war crowd :D It dont bother me, to my Alpha Protocol's coverbased shooting is just as fun as Gears. Although...i play it closer to a stealth game anyway.

 

[Silellak]

Yea...and my original post was that it has the best C&C of recent times, it does.

I'd argue New Vegas has better C&C, at least when it comes down to C&C that actually impacts the gameplay. Alpha Protocol's C&C is really no better quality-wise than Bioware's C&C, there's just more of it. Sure, it's cool that the way you approach missions/combat is just as important as the choices you make in dialog, but even those choices only lead to superficial narrative branching - just like the Bioware games everyone criticizes.

I dont really care about the combat, the game almost feels made to punish the gears of war crowd :D It dont bother me, to my Alpha Protocol's coverbased shooting is just as fun as Gears. Although...i play it closer to a stealth game anyway.

Too bad it's a pretty crappy stealth game.