Alpha Protocol

[Dr. Boogie]

I know a couple other people on the board have played this game, and I just wanted to say that it's not nearly as bad as some of the reviews have been saying. There are certainly a number of technical issues, but overall I enjoyed the game.

The dialogue system reminded me a lot of the one in Mass Effect, where you just picked the general idea of your response, and your character works everything out himself. It's just harder to get a read on what your guy is going to say on account of only being able to choose the tone.

Shooting is kind of a hassle because your crosshairs are just a circle, and it never really gets smaller, no matter how good you are with a gun. You can line up critical hits if you let your aim linger for a bit, but there's always a fair degree of inaccuracy about it.

The stealth system is even more hit-and-miss. There's varying amounts of light in different areas, but detection is based off line of sight and noise (which you can't accurately gauge). Avoiding detection often boils down to using special stealth skills, like turning completely invisible for a time, to quickly race past enemies.

I enjoyed it, but it definitely has the feel of a game that was designed for a previous-gen system. I could kind of understand the combat being a little off since you're supposed to be a secret agent, but the stealth being so lame is pretty weak. Thank goodness you can half-ass the stealth and still make it through no problem.


Anybody else try it?

[Nick]

I bought it, haven't played it yet.

[Fathom Zero]

I fixed my biggest problem, which was a technical issue involving mouse smoothing. While the rest of the game is locked at around 30 fps, whenever you turn with the mouse, it lets it jump up to 60 fps, which is a big difference when you're doing something like aiming. The camera zips and studders around Thorton every time you try and look at something.

Having solved that, I played for about 9 hours straight when it unlocked last night at midnight. It really is fun. The graphics are pretty good. Sometimes it's hard to get stealth right, though, but then I'm used to playing Thief and Hitman: Blood Money.

I heard that the PC version is a port. That's very very strange. But it explains why it controls better on the 360. Literally, every problem I have is with the controls. The rest of the game is a blast, more often than not. I'm just sad that aiming is so broken, especially when aiming with the sniper rifle and anything else with a scope.

[Dr. Boogie]

Oh god, the sniper rifle.

Prior to those sections, I thought the mouse sensitivity was way too low. Then you pick up that rifle and suddenly the opposite is true.

[OxBlood]

The only real sad thing about the game (apart from all the technical issues) is that stealth is totally unnecessary it´s just an optional route that is slower and less effective. Really sad. BUT Pistols are so goddamn overpowererd...or rather, Chainshot is.

Fought a certain russian mobster again yesterday. Last time I did it with Shotguns and Assault Rifles. Took quite some time and nerve. Pistols? 2 Chainshots and he´s dead without ever touching me with those knifes of his...

[Fathom Zero]

The AI is really bad. I took cover when you first fight Sis and kept chucking grenades at her. She didn't move or fire back at all.

[OxBlood]

Indeed. Sometimes some of the enemies seem to forget what they wanted to do mid-charge and just stop on the other side of a wall...also had some guards firering at...nothing acutally, I was about 50meters away from the spot they emptied their clips at...


Still a fun game, even though it´s not as fun anymore in the second playthrough somehow...as we would say here "The air´s gone"...deflated that is.

[Zomboid]

This game looks and sounds like such a piece of shit that I have no idea why anyone would even consider purchasing it.

I can't tell you how little it appeals to me.

[Fathom Zero]

Constantin Brayko is an asshole and this is cheap as hell.

[Dr. Boogie]

I started a second playthrough to see what it was like to go with a different approach to dialog, and using assault rifles and martial arts. I don't think I'm going to finish it, though.

It really is ridiculous how much better pistols are than everything else. Between chain shot and being able to make critical hits with blindfire, it's hard to imagine no one mentioningthis in playtesting.

[OxBlood]

That was my experience too. I used Shotguns in my first playthrough and now I´m a member of the church of the Holy Handgun that is just superior to about anything else in the arsenal.
The combination of crit-shot from cover and Chainshot makes it severely unbalanced...sure, I´m able to knock people down with my shotgun but in the same time I could just shoot them in the head with my pistol and be done with it.

I really think, someone in the development team convinced the others to make a game that has this "you CAN play in any way you want, it just doesn´t make much sense"-thing and somehow they rolled with it...

[timrpgland]

I've just started this up on PC so I can't comment much yet. Started a Field Agent. Looks a'ight.

[Nick]

Its okay, its playable. Wish I got more options to talk to people though.

[Dr. Boogie]

I actually did finish up that second run.

I was actually surprised by how much certain dialog choices can change the game. It's probably the strongest part of the game.


Tim, specialize in pistols. I cannot stress that enough. You don't need any other weapons.

[Nick]

I decided when I was reading the manual I was going to use pistols.


I MUST HAVE A SIXTH SENSE.

[Fathom Zero]

I didn't play it over the past weekend because I was away on business (and pleasure)
so I was a little excited to get back and play.

I clicked on the launcher, which brought up the main menu after waiting the standard five hours, and loaded my game, which promptly crashed and dumped me into the main menu unceremoniously.

Fuck this game, I'm never playing it again. Obsidian can go fuck themselves.

[OxBlood]

I kinda lost all interest halfway through my 2nd playthrough...I´ll trade the game in later on I guess...a real shame an a hot candidate for the most dissappointing game of 2010...