This game is truly a diamond in the dirt. I think people paid to trash this game. It was obvious from the first minute of gameplay that the review experts were unfairly rating the game. This game is a beauty; it's no Heavenly Sword but it is graphically stunning and polished. I am a really hard person to please and it takes more than a flashy commercial and a bunch of fanboys to make me buy a game. Alpha Protocol is everything you thought it would be minus the haters. It's a conspiracy. - Ritchie " King of Ypsilanti" Knox

• from

First I would like to say that this game is not as bad as what is being said. There are flaws with it (just like all games) the issue is what are you willing to overlook. What had me sold on Alpa protocol before the game came out was the decision making process, and I must say this is the best part of the game. You must decide quickly (probably about 8 seconds) on how you want to approach a conversation. You may receive reputation points with the person or it may allow you to pass an area without too much hassle. You also get to see some results in your decisions. After I was done with a mission I turned on the TV/communication device, and found out through the news that some lives were lost due to a decision I made.

My main issue with the game is the shooting mechanics. Frankly, they are awful. Trying to aim and shoot stinks, and shooting without aiming is even worse. It takes way too long for your critical hit reticle to appear and many times you think you are hitting something but are not. This may change as the character progresses, but it should not be as difficult as it is to shoot. Another thing is the semi auto weapons are horrible. I can click my R2 button as fast as possible but it just does not register. In the middle of a 4 on 1 fire fight this is frustrating. If I were to advise anyone I would say build up stealth and martial arts with just a bit gunplay. I find I'd rather get stealth kills than sit and shoot with the horrible shooting system. I hope they can do an update for this,and give aim assist or something. I also dont like the fact that I buy tons of ammo, but am restricted on how much I can bring. But I can pick up what ever I find laying around going past my initial amount.

The minigames are repetative, and rather bland. I actually think the best one for me is hacking the computer. (hint: look for the non moving numbers). What I did find interesting is that you can still be injured while attemping to hack a computer, break into a safe or what ever you are attempting to do while enemies are around. I like that, it does cause you to make sure you got rid of everyone, or you do what you have to do the first time so you dont trip and alarm.

For those intrested in this game I would say rent it first. It would be an excellent rental. For those that still want to buy it, I do believe that despite not living up to what you would have expected, it does deliever some decent fun.

Happy gaming.

• from

I always try and read why people either love or hate a game. The complaints about the game seem a little to negative. I bought the game from a recommendation from a friend and found myself truly loving this game. The bad guys do know where you are and aiming your gun can be a little difficult if you are far away from your enemy. I think the graphics are good and the voice acting is very well done. In the game you meet up with a lot of characters and must choose what to say during the cinema scenes to make the person either like you or hate you. Once you get used to the hacking and lock picking tasks, then the game becomes that much more enjoyable. It's a great game from start to finish. In my opinion Sega has done a much better job making games ever since they stop making consoles. Great game overall. Hopefully there will be a sequel.

• from

where do i start. i dont really have much time but this is ag reat game. ive been waiting for this game for 3 years and i really love it. i love splinter cell games and it is my favorite series ever. this game is great to and it is alot harder to be sneaky then in splinter cell. im just at the begining and am loving every minute of it. thos guys who gave it 1 stars are just trolling. give this game a shot if youl like 3rd person steath games and rpgs. cant wait to get home and play more. i see alot of replay value with all the choices you can make. well i dont want to ruin a great game for you so. please buy and enjoy this great game. the graphics are also well to. controls are nice but at the beginning you dont really have much to work with so it is harder to be stealthy but stick with it and you will not regret it.

• from

When Deus Ex was made by Ion Storm 10 years ago, Warren Specter created a new type of video game he titled "Immersive Sim". It uses RPG character creation and advancement and combines it with an action/adventure style gameplay. One of the main differences from regular action/adventure games being that your character's abilities play into how well you can perform a wide range of actions, even in combat. The System Shock series was a precursor to this type of game, but Deus Ex really perfected it. Additionally, you give the player multiple ways of advancing the story, not just through dialog options, but through where you go and what you do. Lastly, the story changes depending on your actions. Alpha Protocol is the first game I have seen this generation that continues the foundation that the Deus Ex series started. As a side note, it gives homage to Deus Ex with some allusions in the game.

The PS3 version of the game does lack the polish of AAA games like Uncharted 2 or Final Fantasy XIII. However, those games were or are PS3 developed exclusives that maximized use of the hardware. If this game were a PS3 exclusive I am sure it would be closer to that level of smoothness in texture rendering. Secondly, there are delays in some animations and screen load times which I imagine is because of a lack of time investment to utilize the PS3 hardware properly.

However, the successful execution of this type of gameplay has been sorely missed for many years, and the story and gameplay freedom you get from this game are top tier and overshadow any minor technical flaws. This game has a very high replay value as the story can change in so many substantial ways from how you initially build your character to the choices you make throughout. Your character may start out weak as in any game with skill progression, but by the second mission or so you will get the hang of the unique style of gameplay this game offers and you will experience an epiphany of how great this game is that will make it so you do not want to stop playing it.

• from

i have played the game through and found it to be a lot of fun. i see at least three more runs on it to try and get everything. there are definitely issues with it .... the graphics are moderate at best ... the AI is limited .... but the dialogue choices and the effects of those choices is compelling. a friend played through it at the same time i did and we both got totally different endings. If you are on the fence i would say try it. it is NOT a fps .... nor is it a third person shooter (even thought it kind of feels like one) .... you have to remember that it is a RPG and you will have a lot of fun with it.

• from

I am enjoying this game so far.At first I found the mini-games a pain but got used to them.

I like the dialouge choices and found the graphics to be good.I like this game better than the Splinter Cell series.

The AI could be a little smarter but all in all not a bad game so far.Just be patient with the mini-games and other controls and you should enjoy the game.

Gun play is fun and I like being able to configure my gear for the mission.

• from

It's almost unfair to play this game now after playing Splinter Cell...it's almost even more unfair to play a game like this after 5 years of this generation of gaming has been around. If this game had been released much earlier (or even on the PS2) say, 2007 or so, some of the flaws MIGHT have been forgiven...or maybe not.

This game is from the same company that helped develop KOTOR II, Neverwinter Nights II and is working on the new Fallout: Las Vegas expansion.

Where to begin?

Graphics: This game is flat out ugly in some retrospects. Most of the framerate drops would be excusable if this was on a PS2 but 5 years in on the PS3 and to get framerate drops and hiccups during cutscences of this magnitude is uncalled for. It's hard to believe that this game was delayed time and again for this to be the final result. Most of the levels look very drab and mono-color, like someone just took one can of paint and gave you only 3 shades of it and that's it.

The facial models are even worse and again, for this to be a current gen game it looks last gen.

Controls: In most levels, this game handles so poorly. This kind of game would seem ripe with opportunity to do all kinds of things that Splinter Cell, Gears of War and Metal Gear would dream of but the opportunity is squandered here. Most of the environment where it would seem great to interact with does not happen, you can't shoot out any lights or blow up barrels, climb over everything; the cover system is broken (what's the sense in getting under cover behind a concrete barricade to still get shot up is beyond me) because some places that would make good cover is NOT cover at all, and stealth? Forget about it. Many times you may try to sneak through a level and somehow still set off an alarm and you just can't figure out how. And this is often. And what makes this worse? The 3rd person almost literally draped over the shoulder view. The camera angle is too close to your character to allow you to be effective in some spots when you need to find out who is shooting you and by then sometimes it's too late.

The mini-games are a poor man's version of Mass Effect II's mini-games and if you hated those, you will despise these even more. These are an out right headache and lock-picking a combination safe? REALLY?? no.

And the AI? Makes me wish for the Splinter Cell AI. Once guards start shooting you, they all draw a bead on your position and while you are trying to dial up the correct gadget to use, you are already dead. Worse yet, sneaking up on them takes not finesse, but patience. And in most cases not even that. In some instances, I have had some run right by me, in the light and in the open. Only after I had shot them did they respond. Worse yet for this to be an "RPG" one of the elements very rarely occurs in this game and that is loot drops. For every 10 guards you kill, 1 may drop something. So take it for what it's worth. And that is the other thing. Shoot as many times as you want to get a head shot or some that should disable an enemy and be prepared for the enemy to stand up and shoot right back like they didn't just get shot in the face. Why? Because dice rolls are used. Some may argue for this system but in a game like this, the realism gets taken away with this feature.

So far I fought two bosses in this game and the fact that I beat one with a regular machine gun was just so utterly ridiculous that it's what really made me rethink having this game in my collection.

This game is really that bad and what's stopping me from giving it just one star? The dialogue. This game is the only game I have played outside of Mass Effect where your responses are heard as well as the NPC dialogue and it's ok for a B movie. The actor doing Michael Thornton's voice is very bland at times and you can barely hear the change when you pick certain responses, but it's there. The supporting characters, however are better at holding up the story (as cliched as it is) than the main character and that's not by much.

This game could have stood more development time and it shows. This is the 2nd purchase this year I have regretted and this was for a game that had so much promise a year ago. If you really want to get your spy RPG on, then rent it...and I really wouldn't recommend that but some are curious, otherwise, avoid this title.

• from

So I just got this the other day, and let me preface my review by saying I'm far from a video game buff, just a guy who knows what he likes. This game took a while to get used to, but it is pretty fun. It seems to me to be basically a cross between Mass Effect and Splinter Cell. The story is pretty intriguing so far (I've only got a couple hours into it) and it catches me here and the actual depth to things. I personally like to tinker and there's a lot of tinkering and customizing to be done.

Now those things said there are some things that I'm not as happy with (not enough to sour me on the game though). Like I said I like to tinker, and there are a good number of things to tinker with (weapons/skills/etc) but you can't really change the character much. Also I was hoping for a more interactive environment, but that's not really the case here.

All in all I'm having a good time with it and hope it's a long one.

• from

I love this game. It is the closest thing to a next gen Deus Ex we are going to get (and I'm not talking about Invisible War which was a huge letdown). The game does have flaws but the RPG aspects are handled very well. Do not expect a shooter with RPG elements. This is an RPG, period, although one that plays like a stealth shooter. The closest game with a similar style is the Splinter Cell series. Combat doesn't handle as well and your ability to hit is entirely dependent on your skills (gun accuracy, recoil, and stability have a huge impact on this). The story is very much like the TV series Burn Notice and I bet the developers were influenced by it.

Your character is completely customizable although you cannot choose your name or gender (you are Michael Thorton -- sounds like Michael Westen). You don't get a lot of appearance choices either but the rest of the game is customizable. You can choose between spy, engineer, or a combat career that will define your skill specializations. Or you can choose to be a recruit (starts with less but is customizable and you can choose your specializations if you choose to become an operative after your first mission) or after beating the game you can play as a veteran with more skill points to start. You get skill points every time you level which allows you to add 2-3 ranks in your skills. New ranks do give you some nice active or passive abilities and most don't seem like they are wasted. For example, after 5 ranks in stealth your active ability Awareness (allows you to know the direction and facing of nearby enemies - invaluable for stealth) becomes passive and is always active. Also, you gain perks during the game based on how you talk to certain people, how you use gadgets and solve problems, as well as your combat results. These perks can improve your stealth abilities, reduce active skill cooldowns, give you bonus skill points or xp, or even allow you to carry more items with you.

Equipment is very customizable as well. You can equip one armor, two weapons, and at least 4 different gadgets (first aid, grenades, bombs, shock traps, etc) during each mission. Each weapon has 4 customizable slots (barrel, grip, frame, and accessory) that improve the capabilities of the weapon (damage, accuracy, recoil, stability, and clip size). There are 4 classes of weapons, pistol, SMG, assault rifle, and shotgun. Note that both the pistol and SMG are wildly inaccurate, especially early on and until you increase your weapon ranks. I chose to specialize in pistol and once you get about 8-10 ranks it becomes quite effective, especially when silenced or using the Chain Shot ability (time slows down and allows you to paint targets - Dead Eye meter essentially). There are different classes of armor (stealth, tactical, combat) and can have up to 4 modifiable slots. Armor is rated on endurance (regenerating armor value), damage reduction, sound dampening (4-5 is usually for stealth armors), upgrade slots (modifiable armor slots), and inventory space (number of gadgets you can carry beyond 4).

Equipment is purchased at an equipment clearinghouse (like an online merchant). The equipment available is dependent on your relations with different factions. You can also buy intel from here to improve your capabilities in upcoming missions or buy additional dossier information on particular factions or persons (building good dossiers helps in future missions as well as gives perks and helps you in understanding how to communicate with particular targets).

Missions are quite varied and your actions within them affect future missions. For example, you can choose to save a terrorist and have him help you with intel and money in the future. Some missions you can choose a different handler or have additional operatives help you (some require purchase from the intel clearinghouse). When talking to other operatives or targets and you need to reply a screen will show up that will allow you to choose your stance (suave, aggressive, professional) by selecting a particular button. You only get like 5 seconds to change what is initially selected. Your conversations have a great impact on who you're talking to and how the story plays out.

During a mission you will get multiple objectives to complete as well as complete any bonus objectives you encounter (some must be bought as intel from the clearinghouse). Sometimes you will have to choose how to proceed and this will affect how factions view you and will affect future missions. There are three minigames associated with electronic bypass keypads, computer hacking, and lockpicking. For electronic bypass you have to connect circuits in the appropriate order. For hacking you have to match two codes on a screen with randomizing characters (the ones you need to match are static). For lockpicking you have you use the analog shoulder button to apply the proper pressure before you set the pick. All of these are affected by your skill in sabotage and you can even get another try at high enough ranks so you don't trip an alarm if you fail.

After a mission you are given a brief on what you did, what effect your decisions will have on future missions, and how factions that were involved view you. You also get access to safehouses where you can view trophies of your conquests (usually from bosses), check your email (you can even reply to some of them using the same conversation scheme), or buy new equipment.

I won't go into details on the story but you are a new member of a black ops group called Alpha Protocol (if it's exposed the US disavows knowledge of the group - plausible deniability). Eventually, after a few missions, you are cut off and are deemed a rogue agent (Burn Notice anyone?) and are forced to make your own way. If you like political intrigue and espionage the story will be interesting but you may get bored if you don't.

I think I am about 60% done and I'm really enjoying this. If you love RPGs and loved the original Deus Ex or espionage thrillers like Burn Notice, Bourne Trilogy, etc. you will probably like this. If you prefer action games to RPGs this game will frustrate you (you can still miss even if you have an enemy in the reticle).

• from

I enjoyed this game despite its flaws. The story is compelling, voice acting is good, and the RPG elements are what makes it work, in my opinion.

I didn't have most of the game play problems that others have mentioned. The cover system seemed to work fine in the crouch position. Stealth, martial arts & shooting worked better with a little practice & each upgrade to AP etc. Stronger AP for the assault rifle, toughness, martial arts, and tech attributes helped a lot. Adding more endurance & health bars too. Upgrade his armor since the AI will as you progress in the game. Purchasing better armor does protect him more as well as buying & selling intel at times. Also, the special gadgets were easy to use and very useful!

Using martial arts was entertaining and fun, I didn't have any issues with the controls or actions.

Stealth was very sensitive since I didn't upgrade it much but even then, sneaking up behind the AI always worked and then you can either kill or take them down. Don't be wearing noisy armor or step on creaky boards etc, it won't work then! lol

The only negative to me is that I don't think it was fair to sell the game at full price since it has quite poor graphics along with bland environments & some other issues most games don't seem to have these days. I assume the developers & all involved didn't have much of a budget to go on.

But, I still enjoyed the game quite a lot. :)

• from

I have been waiting for this game for over a year and never could I have guessed how disapppointed I would be when I actually played it. Lets start out with some positive aspects first. The game does have a pretty good storyline. It's your average spy thriller, but does keep your interest. The ending is a little abrupt and doesn't feel like everything was adressed. Another cutscene would have helped at the end. Secondly the choices you make in the game do matter, but I find that the choice isn't very hard. Either you kill a contact or work with them. I worked with them all and got a lot of information because of it. Lastly the voice actors do a great job bringing these characters to life and are seldom monotone. Even Nolan North from "Uncharted" fame makes a cameo. He plays a sociopath which is far from his normal role, and is very enjoyable.

Now onto the cons. Notice I mentioned nothing about the gameplay in the pro section. That's because there are none while playing the game. The aiming mechanic is the most frustrating part of the game. Your recticle is huge and very hard to hit your target. It is true that if you hold down L2 for five seconds the recticle gets smaller for a more accurate shot, but it doesn't get smaller when you move it so you have to keep it completly still for it to work. Even then a heatshot seldom kills. I advise only using an assault rifle. Its the only thing that doesn't take twenty shots to kill one enemy. Also there are no sniper rifles in the game. Actually there are two stages when you use them, but you can't take it with you.

The game is also glitchy as hell. Random invisible barriers cover your targets while they shoot you to death. The cover system doesn't always work as you stand there being shot to death hoping he latches on, and sometimes you still get hit while behind cover. The gun doesn't shoot sometimes while trying to blindfire. Your enemies are dumb. Yeah the enemies won't even move when there is a grenade under their feet. Not to mention that the melee system is terrible. The martial arts skills of your attackers increases as you progress through the game, but yours don't. Also if they get a punch in, while your dazed they will shoot you in the face and kill you. That's another thing about this game that's annoying, is how fast you can be killed. One guy can kill you in one shot. The boss battles only amplify all of these flaws and you will be begging for some health. There are health stations that you can heal yourself at, but it never completly resotores your health. Which is annoying when one enemy can take all that new health away in one salvow.

The RPG section of the game is a little underachieving. Yes the ranking up your character is well done, but the gun section of it is a joke. All the assault rifles are the same. They all suck so don't waste your time buying upgrades because it doesn't matter. Neither does your armor upgrades. There is an intel section of the game where you can buy specs about your next mission or answer emails. This seemed boring to me so I didn't really use it.

There are little mini games to open doors, crack computers, and turn off alarms. The cracking computer part is relitvley simple as you line up text boxes. The other two are terrible and only get more difficult and frustrating the farther you get into the game.

Finally let's talk about the graphics. They are terrible. There is screen tearing, textures load slow, guns are upside down in cutscenes, words seldom match the mouths of the characters, amongst other problems. The game just looks bad most of the time. Also when Thorton is killed he flys up in the air limp and blood shoots out of his body. It's laughable for the first ten times then becomes annoying. The blood looks fake as well.

Overall Alpha Protocol had a decent story, but numerous game play issues kept it from being even fun. Most of the time I had to stop myself from breaking the disc in half. It's overly frustrating at times and has taken me two weeks to beat the game. Alot longer than usual for me when I get a new game simply because it annoyed me so much. If your a fan of action rpgs then wait until the price drops which shouldn't take long to pick this up. Also play on a lower difficulty and save yourself from outbursts of anger.

• from

They should not be allowed to release junk like this game.

Its is a disgrace to the gaming community thinking they they could pander this on us. Stay away from this broken, terrible title.

Full of bugs, doesn't look good or play well and is no fun at all. The reason this game gets even a 4 is because they did a good job of implementing 'cause and affect' by your actions. The choices you make will affect what you see and do, its just too bad it was released before it was finished.

Not recommended for rent or purchase! Unless you like walking around bent over.

• from

Overall this is a good game. It is very linear, meaning that it kind of leads you everywhere you need to go so if you are looking for just a fun RPG without a lot of complicated puzzles to solve & frustrate you...this is a good choice. Where I was disappointed in the game was the extremely foul language that is used. The "F" bomb is dropped regularly. I have small children in the house & cannot play the game with them around, leaving my play time for this game only late in the evening. I think the game would have been just as good without the constant cursing.

• from

First, this game is neither an RPG or a shooter, but it is closer to an RPG.

PROS:

Fun game to play and your dialog choices DO actually make a difference.

There typically isn't a "wrong" answer. Many RPG's punish you harshly for the "wrong" answer. With AP, you get good and bad things happen to you with most any answer, so there actually isn't a right or wrong answer. This was my problem with Mass Effect. Sure, you could play it how you wanted, but if you didn't play it the "intended" way, you were severely punished.

To the complaints about stealth and poor shooting. Like an RPG, you need to spend skill points on stealth and shooting to be better at it. Also, what you wear makes a HUGE difference in stealth. It is very hard to sneak up on someone wearing combat armor, but in street clothes, you can practically run around all you want. I will say, I had to upgrade the pistol pretty much all the way before it became truly useful.

The mini-games were frustrating at first (actually just the hacking), but once you figure out that you can see the letters not moving and then move to it, it is easy. I got almost all of them on the first try after I figured it out.

CONS:

His crouched walk is just awful. Luckily, you get immersed in the game enough that you don't notice it all that much, but it is still annoying.

Glitchy - You can walk down an empty corridor only to have a guy pop up behind you, start shooting you, and then an alarm goes off. I played one level over, and the first 5 guards were not even there.

The main character's voice could have been better. He was very monotone through most of it. There were differences, although I thought they were too subtle.

Cover - The cover system is a bit broke in the game. Many times, I was in cover and could still be hit.

I also think that using gadgets from cover was too difficult. I should at least be able to got a vague idea of where I am throwing something without having to stand straight up like an idiot from cover.

I do agree with the one reviewer that what you choose for a mission doesn't make a big difference. I went through with ease with a silenced pistol the entire game.

You can't sell your old gear even though there is a sell button. So, you end up just eating a couple hundred thousand dollars.

The levels do tend to be a bit small and a bit linear, although not completely linear. You do have some options.

Overall, this game is close to a beta when it comes to its lack of polish, but they did spend time on the gameplay, and it is a very fun game if you enjoy stealth and RPG's.

It is one of those games that when you play it, you are very excited about what they will do on the next one because of all the potential.

• from