Great cinematic scenes and story let down by patchy gameplay.
After hearing mixed opinions about Alpha Protocol, I decided to give it a go. My initial impressions were good, the attribute allocation seemed simple to use, but still gave you enough information about each skill point to choose from so that you know what you willl get for your hard earned XP. I felt that the character customisation was limited though, with only a handful of hairstyles, facial hair and accessories availible.
My first impressions of the decision making layout were positive. You have a number of options to choose from, by clicking your desired option. You have to make your choice fairly quickly though, if you fail to choose the game will assume that you choose the option that started highlighted. The range of response choices are well ranged, from your normal "Professional", "Cautious" and "Aggressive" to your not so normal "F**k you" and "Indefferent". These responses almost always have a significant effect on the conversation. You have a reputation with each character you come into contact with and their reputation is influenced by conversation choices you make. For example, some characters respond well to "Proffessional" choices and dont like leaving things to chance.
I feel that the story is very good with plot twists, betrayals and deceipt in abundance. The story has potential holes in, but that is up to the player. At the endgame screen there will be prompts that you have not found everything out, in the form of an official sounding sentence.
The gameplay is very mix and match. I feel that the martial arts are very good. They are free-flow, but not to a great extent, but they allow you to move from one target to another without having to finish your current combo. The general movement feels very rigid. For example, lets say that your character is facing the camera and you tap 'A' your character wont turn to the left, but will rotate 90 degrees pretty much instantly. This generally typefies the movement for the whole game, rigid but with some flowing martial arts included, should you choose to utilise it.
In short, if you can see past the rigid gameplay you will probbably like this game alot, but it wont be for everyone.