Alpha Protocol (Xbox 360)

Wow...I have never disliked a game (especially one by Obsidian) as much as this one within the first 15 minutes of playing. It started with the horrifyingly cheap and annoying "minigames" like lock picking and "hacking", both of which leave little margin of error and really detract from the pacing of the game. Then it was the shooting, which is incredibly difficult due to overly sensitive and clunky controls. I would imagine this might be a bit better with a mouse, but missing a shot by an inch because the reticle wasn't in the exact right place is so CHEAP. There are very few games i have stopped playing this quickly due to sheer annoyance at the execution, and this is one of them. Not even worth a rental. Shame on you Sega!

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The two companies Bioware and Obsidian have been responsible for most of my favorite RPG games. Add Alpha Protocol to that list.

The overall main storyline to the game, is actually not that great. (Spoilers) The real threat isn't the plethora of middle eastern terrorists who hate us and everyone not like them, it's a rich white guy and his evil cooperation who want to sow chaos and war so they can sell weapons and make money. Liberal Hollywood has beaten that one to death, see Ironman and a ton of other movies. I would have had more respect for the storyline had they stuck to destroying a worldwide terrorist network. I enjoy plot twists, but an evil cooperation again? Getting really old.

The smaller storylines and characters however are mostly quite good and make the game enjoyable. Unlike in Mass Effect or Dragon Age, you don't build a party of characters. You do however meet quite a few people during the game, some of whom will show up to help you in certain missions. That help however is usually pretty limited.

The dialogue, voice acting and music are all are quite good. Graphics and gameplay are good as well, but could be improved upon some.

Shooting wise the game is somewhat similar to Mass Effect 2. You can take cover and shoot over or around things, and you can target enemies or shoot blindly. Stealth is similar to Splinter Cell or Batman. You can sneak around taking enemies down silently in either lethal or nonlethal fashion. In fact you can try to get through some of the shooting missions with hardly firing at all. Shooting missions can range from short to long and some missions simply involve meeting contacts and having a conversation.

The games RPG elements are well done. There isn't too much character customization regarding looks, though it should be enough for most people. The leveling up of abilities is an important part of the game and not choosing and building up the right skills can make finishing parts of the game a real challenge. Likewise choosing the right weapons and armor is essential. Both individual missions and your skill set help determine what equipment you should be using.

You won't have to wonder weather a character likes you. The games tells you immediately whether you have lost or gained likeability points with someone You can view their attitude towards you at any time in the Intel menu. One thing unique to this rpg, is that you have about five seconds to picks conversation choices, so there is little time to sit and scrutinize your response. Also similar to Mass effect, you pick a response along the jist of what you want, such as "aggressive", not quite knowing what your character is going to say or do. I like this approach alot better, rather then simply just picking dialogue and hearing your character repeat it. It keeps you guessing.

Also another really unique feature to this game is that your conversation choices really do matter. Not just with likeability points, but with how the game builds on itself. Your missions may be somewhat different or not take place at all, depending on choices you've made. Conversations and attitudes towards you will vary depending on your previous actions and choices. Some people may live or die, Some girls, may get with you or hate you. Your reputation really does matter in this game.

There are of course things that could be improved. The minigames like lockpicking get a bit tedious, but are not too bad I suppose. The ending varies abit depending on your choices, but should have been longer. The game itself feels a little short, but then again every game does after playing Dragon Age.

Almost all mission maps are unique and well designed, which is a big plus.

The game has a good amount of replayability Try using different weapons and armor and building up different skill sets. Also try making different choices in missions and conversations to experience all the variations in the game.

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This is the best game I have played in a long time. There are so many options for weapons, armor, gadgets, and how to upgrade your character. It takes thought to do this because you can't upgrade everything all the way in one playthrough. The music and the whole feel of the game reminds me of the bourne movies which is great.

In the beginning, you don't have many skills so it is hard to shoot so I understand why people can get frustrated and hate the game. You are supposed to upgrade your skills. That solves that problem. I don't know why they think it should be a shooter when the front of the case clearly says "The Espionage RPG".

The graphics can vary; they are not great but definitely not terrible. The worst graphics are usually in the cutscenes. The cover system is not the best but it works when you get used to it which doesn't take long. I have not experienced any glitches so I cannot comment on that.

I don't know what is wrong with the critics. I see no reason why this scored so low with them other than they expect beautiful graphics and easy shooting from the get go. Maybe I just like being a spy more than a spaceship commander, but Alpha Protocol was more fun than Mass Effect 2 for me. How do graphics even matter if you are having fun? It is a game. It's a shame the critics killed the sequel because this deserves a much higher score than most of them gave. I hope someone else decides to make the second one and don't dumb it down. Just polish it more. Give them their pretty graphics so they have no excuse not to love it.

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