Alpha Protocol - a very ambitious RPG by Obsidian, that got more criticism that it should have gotten...
You will hear a lot of bad things about Alpha Protocol – how the controls are clunky and unresponsive or how shooting is not balanced and broken as a whole…A lot of this frustration comes from the fact that Alpha Protocol is a RPG and NOT a shooter. People tend to see guns and bullets and automatically conclude that "no matter what genre this particular game is, it NEEDS to have a FPS shooter gameplay". The faster you get this idea out of your head the more satisfied you will be with what Alpha Protocol has to offer. Because Alpha Protocol is one of the few high-tech RPGs that we actually have available and offers different perspective to either a fantasy or a post-apoc realized RPG worlds…Let's begin…
Story
The story and setting of Alpha Protocol is full of drama, intrigues and political turmoil. All that, topped off with conspiracy and plot twists, makes this title one that has a good and engaging story overall. In a nutshell, the plot involves politics or governments, weapon and military contractors and in the middle of all that you have Alpha Protocol – a unit of highly-skilled undercover agents. Saying anything more than that will classify as a spoiler but the game is full of plot twists and most importantly the decisions you make in dealing with pretty much every situation have a long-lasting effect of how the game pans out to be in the end. One very strong major point is the scripting. Obsidian is one of the best developers out there that produces a nearly immaculate scripts, dialog and story presentations on a regular basis. 9/10
Graphics
To be honest I expected this game to be a budget title after it got slated here on Gamespot for "not having high production values". Now, reality shows a different aspect, which means only one thing – reviews are just opinions and a serious, professional gamer should NOT make a judgment over a game based on somebody else's thoughts. The graphics and textures of Alpha Protocol and good at best. Character expressions need a little work, as well as character movement graphics. Overall, graphics are better than what I expected. 7/10
Sound/Voice Acting
Alpha Protocol provides a solid cast of voice actors. It is not one of the best out there, but certainly it is not one of the worst. One thing that they could really have done with is to have several multilingual voice actors so when you do mission in a different part of the world (this is a little spoiler but nothing major, now you know you get to do missions in different parts of the world ha ha). For example, you want to go somewhere where English is not spoken, so you want to hear a different language, because according to me, it adds to the authenticity of the game. Soundtrack is good, comprised of what you would call "high-tech" action-movie tunes, somewhat techno-electronic beats, but all that makes the whole experience better, since the high-tech world your character engages in. 8/10
Gameplay
Alpha Protocol follows the steps of agent Michael Thorton. You are allowed to change facial features as well as add head gear or accessories (glasses, hats etc..). You are permitted to develop agent Thorton however you want - you can be the stealthy type of guy or you can be the "guns blazzin' " type of guy…There are different skills you can develop, majority of which are stealth-related, tech-savvy-ness (if I can call it that way) and weapon proficiency –related. There are also different PERKS which are given to you by different people you do missions with. As far as weapons are concerned, there are a ton of weapons for purchase and you can also modify them. You can also modify your armor, stealth suits or any other equipment you have. The controls might seem a little clunky but you will get used to them (camera as well) . Now for the so called "bad" part – shooting mechanics. Please remember you are playing a RPG and not a Call of Duty Alpha Protocol Edition. In the beginning you will feel like you are shooting at people but you are not hitting them or you will shoot them (aiming for the head) and they will still have Health Points left and still alive. Well duh, your skills with a particular weapon are low so you cannot expect to do maximum damage. The more skill points you invest in a particular weapon the better you will become with that weapon, the more moves you will learn with each weapon and so on. By the end of the game, it would feel like a proper shooter, but one more time – this is a RPG, and not a shooter. So don't get frustrated if you do a head shot with a pistol and the enemy is still standing up and barely damaged – improve your skills and you will get better. One other important thing you need to be aware of is the fact that in the beginning you won't be as stealthy as you want to be. Enemies will spot you, even if you think you are moving slowly or when you think you are well covered by a wall. Once again, wear a better stat stealthy suit and improve your stealth skill and you will get better at stealth overall. 8/10
Overall
Alpha Protocol is a great game – not only for its story, but also for its characters. Some of the characters you interact with are really well-thought of and unique. Have you ever seen an anime called Black Lagoon? If you have, then Alpha Protocol kind of resembles it, when it comes to interesting and unique friends and foes you encounter. AP provides solid soundtrack and graphics and an RPG experience that is not very common in today's gaming market – high-tech espionage RPG. 7.5/10
EvilSelf…