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Forum: Games Topic: Alpha Protocol started by: Leisher Posted by Leisher on Jan. 25 2011,06:33
I've seen this game referred to as a "SPY RPG", and I guess that might be technically true, but I'm not certain I fully buy that definition. (That's not a shot at the game. I just think we need to more properly define RPG.)Alpha Protocol puts you in the role of Mike Thorton, a new recruit to a top secret agency known as Alpha Protocol. From your very first mission, you are soon embroiled in a vast conspiracy that could send the planet into World War III. Gameplay is from an over the shoulder view, which is ok here as the action is never really too fast paced. Plus, it's not "locked" into terrible positions all the time. So it works. How the game actually plays is mainly like Splinter Cell or any other of the spy games that have come before. In each mission you're given the option to be sneaky and possibly not hurt anyone or go in guns blazing. You can be just as successful either way. However, there are consequences for what you do. That's where Alpha Protocol stands apart. Throughout the game you are given choices and they will have consequences for the future. People will live and die based on the choices you make. People will ally with you and help you in future missions or you'll piss them off and they'll be unavailable. This is really done well in the game, and ups replay value immensely. Of course, to have to want to replay a game, it has to be fun as well as have a story that brings you back. While Alpha Protocol is fun, I could see it getting a bit repetitive going back to see what the various options change. There are quite a few of them. It's not just forks in the road offered in the story that change what happens, but how you deal with missions. In one particular mission, I accidentally killed a U.S. Marine (Sorry Gordon), but I never realized it because I missed something in dialogue during that mission. I think my kids were bugging me at the time and I didn't even know the Marines were in the building. So when it was infiltrated by the real bad guys, I thought everyone was a target. I was wrong, and was called out on it in the story later on. Interestingly, the missions are quite linear except you can choose the order to play them. So it's a weird mix of linearity AND story based chaos. Overall, it's pretty cool. The other RPG element is the ability to customize your characters ability. The concept here is that you can pick to upgrade your guy in different areas: Stealth, Pistols, Shotguns, SMGs, Assault Rifles, Toughness, Hand to Hand, and two Tech categories (I cannot remember their names). This is both well done, and poorly done. The well done portion is that this is another way to create different ways to play through the game. It again adds replayability. Plus, it adds another carrot as you're constantly wanting to level up. The poorly done part of it is that there really isn't enough categories to change it up THAT much, and a few of the categories you're going to prefer over others no matter what. For example, there is a category that helps you earn more money, which is hard to come by in the game. Leveling this up seems to be a no brainer. As you can imagine, this leads to an additional problem: How do you design a game to truly accommodate both run and gun and sneaky play styles. Answer: You really can't. At least not with today's technology. This leads to some impossible moments for someone playing stealth. This could have been corrected with the proper tools, but while you're given a really impressive array of gadgets, you don't have anything for long range knockouts. Now I realize that the enemies only have so much range of vision, but let's be realistic, how am I supposed to know how close I can stand in front of someone in a game before they can see me? In real life I can see someone a long, long way if they're in front of me. In game, it's like 20-30 feet. That's not realistic, and makes things difficult to judge. Not a deal killer, but this could have been handled better. Speaking of the gadgets, you're only allowed certain loadouts on missions. That means the amount of gadgets you can take is limited. This is a cool concept as it could make a level harder or easier based on choosing the correct loadout. The problem is let's say you're a stealth specialist and you have 5 flashbangs, 5 shock grenades (knocks enemies out), a first aid kid, and 2 EMP devices loaded up, but you still have a slot open. You may own 50 shock grenades, but can only take 5...however, you can load up 5 incendiary grenades or 5 explosive grenades...a minor gripe, I know, but if I can load up 5 "killing" grenades, shouldn't I be able to load 5 more non-lethals instead? Oh, and if you're curious, you can only carry two guns into combat and limited ammo. You cannot pick up enemy weapons, but they have conveniently hidden ammo for your weapons around their bases. Between missions you get to stay at secret safe houses which are always pretty fantastic, and I wish they were a lot more interactive aside from just the "stay on track" stuff (TV for news, bathroom for customizing, computer, weapons locker, exit). Overall, Alpha Protocol was a lot of fun. I spent around $10 during the Steam holiday sale for it and it was more than worth it. With some tweaks here and there, a sequel could be something very special. 7 out of 10. Posted by Leisher on Nov. 14 2011,10:52
$6.80 on Steam today (11/14/11).Not a bad purchase if you like RPGish action. |