Excellent espionage action, game play is rough but easily manageable
Game play - I'll tackle this issue first since there seem to be more than a few people who have trouble. I never once had a single problem with shooting from cover, maneuvering covertly, or running through guns blazing. The only 'problem' I saw was in how the characters looked when moving. When the main character (Mike Thorton) runs, it seems a bit off. It's as though he's running fast in place and being pushed at a different speed. But that doesn't get in the way of game play, it's merely an aesthetics issue.
The leveling system with specialization classes is well done without being overly produced. It's simple and that works well for this game since leveling isn't your main focus when playing. I don't even think it is necessary in this game but the fact it's there doesn't detract too much from the story.
Story – Really enjoyed the plot, as a layperson it feels very real and believable. I found it quite easy to just sit back and immerse myself in the story as it unfolded. Can't really say anything to the contrary as there was never a point where the various conversations, e-mails, and interactions ruined the immersive feel.
Characters – The various people that make up Alpha Protocol's world are mostly quite believable. The instances when they are a bit outlandish (i.e. the scantily clad blonde with her large gun) added just the right amount of Bond-esque feel to the realistic environment and scenarios. It lightened it up just a bit. Both the barely over-the-top characters and the dialog had me antsy one minute and laughing out loud the next (due primarily to Mike's various 'f off' comments). As a side note, the voice acting is superb even if the dialog is lengthy at times. I was especially impressed by Thorton's voice and the way it really made the character. He can be cocky or arrogant without coming across as just another knuckle-dragger and that's not something you can get from the script alone.
Welcome improvements would be more missions in each location (3 or 4 just isn't enough) and/or even a class specific mission in each city so that the replay value is increased. Game is good as is but could use some polishing on the game play so that it doesn't seem as awkward as it isn't…if that makes any sense. In other words, the animation gives the illusion of clunky movement.
Conclusion – Overall, Alpha Protocol is an exciting game/character-driven movie. I am extremely disappointed that there won't be a sequel or at least some DLCs.