Alpha Protocol sucks massive Multi-Headed Dick

[Jaesun]

those 3.5 codexers that are real patriots and aren't some "just give me a decent writing, oh gawd who cares that the game sucks - look it has a decent text!"

Let's think about this for one moment shall we...

one more time for prosperity.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Again Oblivion has a wide open area where you can get lost. AP doesn't. In AP this feature thus is even more dumber though not by much.
Not that it doesn't deserve all the bashing it gets for having a quest-compass. AP I mean.

What about dumbed down "stealth" - whereas in Oblivion you still had to stay undetected - here some magic just makes you invisible while you -run- and make other noises (like killing enemies)

I wonder how many years it will take until skyway starts preaching about the great contributions Oblivion did for the rpg genre. It already got promoted from "total shit" to "at least it has X".

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Finally, you say something logical. I've never really understood why skyway keeps coming back to a place he clearly has such disdain for. Maybe his life is just really, really boring.

He's a sweetheart on the strategy board.

 

[Kosmonaut]

I wonder how many years it will take until skyway starts preaching about the great contributions Oblivion did for the rpg genre. It already got promoted from "total shit" to "at least it has X".

Actually this is pretty sad. I almost pity the poor Skyway.

 

[1eyedking]

I finished the game.

I won't even dare to write a review about it (at least for now) because there are so many good and bad things about it that it would take lots of pages to write something analytical and unbiased. There are some games that are mediocre because they have zero good stuff and zero bad stuff. Other average ones have some good but some bad as well.

And then there are games that are mediocre because they have tons of really great things but times as many terrible blunders. AP is one of those.

I really don't know where to start. I would like to say C&C is awesome but the game is so goddamn easy that consequences don't matter shit, so that means choices don't either, so what's the purpose then?

I would also like to say that the dialogue is excellent because the writing is very good and the whole "speak according to the other guy's personality" is fresh and highly interesting; but it's got this stupid-ass attitude wheel that is very vague, gives too little time to analyze one's choice, and is subtitled in one-line segments.

I don't know. Really mixed feelings about it, though I'd actually say incredibly wasted potential. So much it's not a game that made me rage about its utter failure (Fallout 3, Dragon Age) or instantly dismiss out of sheer disinterest (Oblivion, Mass Effect). It's a game that made me feel really disappointed at the stuff that makes it a completely mediocre experience overall.



I'm sad, Codex. This could have been it.

 

[CrimHead]

Not to rain on your parade, but which part of the above isn't in Bloodines?

 

[Wulfstand]

snip

Well, I for one am enjoying it immensely. It's almost amazing how much I've changed my mind regarding the game since I've started it.
Too bad for the occasional framerate drops and the very few (happened to me only twice so far) but very annoying freeze-ups. I really hope they'll patch those slight annoyances soon.

 

[relootz]

I'm sad, Codex. This could have been it.

This could be the motto of Obisidian Entertainment.

"It could have been a masterpiece"

 

[alkeides]

I found many mechanics of the game deficient - not only the stealth and alarm system but the stupid system of only saving at checkpoints makes it apparent that it was dumbed down for the console market.

I didn't think the writing was that great either - Steven Heck is the most interesting character IMO, while the "attitude wheel" and Thorton's own responses rather limited and cliched, even within the limits of the setting. I think it's fairly obvious that the museum thing at Rome was to cause resentment against Muslims in Europe but all you can say during the conversation with the bad guys is how they're greedy assholes.

There were also a few unresolved plotlines, at least on my playthrough. Omen Deng doesn't appear anytime after the Taiwan arc besides a minor reference Thornton makes; Sis didn't appear in any of the encounters with G22 after the meeting with Albatross.

Another thing, which isn't unique to this game alone. Cutscenes taking place during or just after combat scenes don't take into consideration your actual combat moves. I was bashing up the old guy (can't remember his name ATM) and in the cutscene Thorton and the guy are in a shooting standoff. Fuck that, I could have killed him purely through melee.

Just curious, is it possible to rescue Mina in the final part?

 

[Radisshu]

SKYWAY DOESN'T LIKE ALPHA PROTOCOL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Again Oblivion has a wide open area where you can get lost. AP doesn't. In AP this feature thus is even more dumber though not by much.
Not that it doesn't deserve all the bashing it gets for having a quest-compass. AP I mean.

What about dumbed down "stealth" - whereas in Oblivion you still had to stay undetected - here some magic just makes you invisible while you -run- and make other noises (like killing enemies)

I wonder how many years it will take until skyway starts preaching about the great contributions Oblivion did for the rpg genre. It already got promoted from "total shit" to "at least it has X".

I get the impression it's a form of escalation. Everyone's numb to his repetitive non sequitury rambles about things that only exist in his head, so the only way he can get attention now is by going EVEN OBLIVION WAS BETTER WHAT'VE YOU GOT TO SAY TO THAT HUH? SKYWAY WINS

 

[Grunker]

Jesus christ, someone give Skyway a Pretty Princess tag already.

@Crimhead: Did he maul me before or after the realization that an invissibility-spell, bad combat and everything else he wrote in relation to my post was also in Bloodlines?

 

[1eyedking]

There were also a few unresolved plotlines, at least on my playthrough. Omen Deng doesn't appear anytime after the Taiwan arc besides a minor reference Thornton makes; Sis didn't appear in any of the encounters with G22 after the meeting with Albatross.

Funny that. I actually had a boss fight against Omen Deng, and had Sis helping me at a given time.

Just curious, is it possible to rescue Mina in the final part?

No idea about this. She got killed out of nowhere in the end of my game.

PS: Is it possible to get a handler other than Mina for the rest of the game after the "time to go rogue" incident? Or no handler at all?

 

[Szioul]

Just curious, is it possible to rescue Mina in the final part?

Yeah, she's at the shooting range. South on the map.

 

[Monocause]

Just curious, is it possible to rescue Mina in the final part?

It is. No idea which variable allowed me to do so: I've spared Scarlet (at which point she started to be my handler), had 10 points with Mina and slept with them both.
Perhaps you went straight for the objective when Leland showed up and told you that Mina was captured? Her location wasn't marked on the map; you had to pick one of the non-objective doors.

 

[Jaedar]

There were also a few unresolved plotlines, at least on my playthrough. Omen Deng doesn't appear anytime after the Taiwan arc besides a minor reference Thornton makes; Sis didn't appear in any of the encounters with G22 after the meeting with Albatross.

Spoiler post: Sis appeared in my game and saved thorton from execution in the AP building, she then assisted him in protecting Parker(as I convinced Parker to go turncoat).

Omen was slated to make an appearance but I never saw him(the mission objectives told me so), I think I missed the computer to call in his favor.(I was going to reload to check, but the checkpoint system will allow no such thing, and I can't decide if that is good or not).

 

[KalosKagathos]

You do know that you can save checkpoints, right?

 

[Donkey Balls]

So how long is the game? 10 hours?

 

[Jaedar]

So how long is the game? 10 hours?

I'd say 20-40 depending on how many missions you do, how much you die, and how much time you spend reading dossiers and preparing for missions.

You do know that you can save checkpoints, right?

Yes, but afaik, you can only save the latest one meaning that if you accidentally go past a certain point that checkpoints and closes the "doors of we can't stream levels properly so you can't backtrack" there is nothing you can do about it besides replay the entire mission.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Just curious, is it possible to rescue Mina in the final part?

No idea about this. She got killed out of nowhere in the end of my game.

yes, it's also possible for mina not to be involved in the final part at all, but having scarlet in her stead, which in turn prevents scarlet from killing leland, allowing you to arrest him.

PS: Is it possible to get a handler other than Mina for the rest of the game after the "time to go rogue" incident? Or no handler at all?

will have to try that.

 

[Monocause]

yes, it's also possible for mina not to be involved in the final part at all, but having scarlet in her stead, which in turn prevents scarlet from killing leland, allowing you to arrest him.

I had both Mina and Scarlet at the endgame. Scarlet helped me with covering Parker but did not appear at the final showdown with Leland. I killed him anyway.

(...)other handler than Mina?

You can switch Mina to Madison at one point, but I'm not sure does if it's permanent. The gameplay trailers have shown that Sie can be your handler too but I couldn't check since I turned her down.

 

[SuicideBunny]

you can have albatross as your handler in a lot of missions if you befriend g22.

I had both Mina and Scarlet at the endgame. Scarlet helped me with covering Parker but did not appear at the final showdown with Leland. I killed him anyway.

Spoiler

i had albatross as handler, a captured mina was used as bait, sis freed me from the med bay and helped cover parker, and when i chose not to execute leland, scarlet showed up shooting thorton to incapacitate him, revealed she was the assassin hired to kill sung, then mina, whom i freed earlier showed up behind her and i had the choice to either count on mina killing her or don't do anything. chose not to do anything and scarlet revealed that leland was also on her target list, executed him, and then disappeared.

it was pretty much the only plot twist in the whole game i didn't expect, although in retrospect her dossier does hint at the possibility.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

you can have albatross as your handler in a lot of missions if you befriend g22.

I had both Mina and Scarlet at the endgame. Scarlet helped me with covering Parker but did not appear at the final showdown with Leland. I killed him anyway.

Spoiler

i had albatross as handler, a captured mina was used as bait, sis freed me from the med bay and helped cover parker, and when i chose not to execute leland, scarlet showed up shooting thorton to incapacitate him, revealed she was the assassin hired to kill sung, then mina, whom i freed earlier showed up behind her and i had the choice to either count on mina killing her or don't do anything. chose not to do anything and scarlet revealed that leland was also on her target list, executed him, and then disappeared.

it was pretty much the only plot twist in the whole game i didn't expect, although in retrospect her dossier does hint at the possibility.

Wow, that's quite a different one from mine.

Spoiler

I had SIE as handler, who promptly raped me at the start of the mission before she freed me from the med bay, I persuaded Marburg to betray Leland thanks to Marburg's file and impressions of me, I persuaded Parker into defecting to my side using his file secret, logic and revelation of Shaheed being alive, I ran into Scarlet who confessed being the assassin in Taipei and she helped me protect Parker, Mina was used as bait but I let her die due to Westridge revealing she ordered the missile strike and due to the possibility of Westridge or the evidence being lost if I go to rescue her, secured all the evidence behind Alpha Protocol and Halbech, defeated and left Westridge for the authorities, shot Leland through the head, had one last meeting with Marburg who gave me tidbits about what'll it be like after all this and we left on good terms, finally left the island on a boat with Scarlet

 

[Monocause]

spoilers

Spoiler

In my playthrough Scarlet admitted to being the assassin when I found her in the interrogation room. Possible reasons: a) maxed relationship b) slept with her, c)sent all the halbech data her way

A short endgame transcript:
Had Albatross as a handler, Sis freed me from the med bay. Convinced Parker to help me by informing him that both Shaheed and Surkov are alive and on my side. Killed Darcy. Never met or heard of Westridge during the whole mission, according to the end-game text he disappeared, never to resurface. Persuaded Marburg to step aside. Rescued Mina and enlisted Scarlet's help. Killed Leland and left on a boat with Mina.

Seems killing Leland is a popular choice. Did anyone spare him or join him?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

The guy's a corporate asshat. You can't trust the justice system to give him what he's due.