Alpha Protocol (PC only), $18.99 on Amazon w/ FSSS

BWS1982

BWS1982

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The only pics on Amazon of the game at all are showing a European rating in the corner, and I've looked to try to find if this is just superficial or if it's really the international/Euro version. I can't tell, but since it's fulfilled by Amazon and no other picture exists, it is likely just aesthetic, for whatever crazy reason, and really is the NA version. Anyways, PC games aren't region coded, but still...

Here's the link, it's sold by Best Game Deals and fulfilled by Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Protocol-Pc/dp/B0016G88RO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1287704550&sr=8-3

The PS3 one is second cheapest (also shows non-NA region, but games PS3 games aren't region locked) at $34.31, and 360's is the most at $39.74.

All come with Free Super Saver Shipping (FSSS).

Meta of 72: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/alpha-protocol

For whatever reason, the PC meta is a little higher than the two console ones...I never played the game, but was following it for the last 2 years or so, ever since GI did a cover on it one spring. It's gotten mediocre or average reviews and when I see most users talk about it, it's also mixed. Some say it's more for RPG fans because the shooting/action mechanics are apparently weak (dice roll shooting I hear) but it's by a respected dev, Obsidian (Baldur's Gate/KOTOR II)...

This is still MSRP of $50 for the PC version and $60 on consoles, if I'm not mistaken.
 
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In regards to review scores, generally PC games get far fewer reviews compared to consoles. This means the reviews tend to be a bit higher usually unless the game is universally bad (e.g. less reviewers trying to make "statement" reviews). All of this is anecdotal on my part, of course.
 
I've also noticed that pc mags that aren't necessarily gaming mags (PC Magazine, Maximum PC), when they do review games (maybe one an issue), tend to review rather gently.
 
Obsidian usually makes buggy, unfinished games and AP is reportedly no different. Even people who had fun with it have trouble recommending it. (Hell, even the old Fallouts needed a crap ton of patches.)

Gameplay is almost exactly like Syphon Filter with Mass Effect style powers and skills and dialogue options and LOTS of choices.

That said, hold off on a Steam deal or something. With Target taking it down to $12.48, it should be cheap here soon.

I think it's pretty decent on average but at this point there's no sense in paying a lot for it.
 
Played all the way through it in a few days on the 360. It was one of those games that hooked me from start to finish and it was decent enough for me to want to do a second playthrough on Veteran.
 
Own for the PS3, which is $15 on GameFly right now. PC version would be nice for better visuals and framerate, but I'll wait for a $5 Steam sale or something.
 
None of my Targets ever have good clearances, save the time I grabbed RF: Guerrilla for $9.48 when it was barely released for PC a while back. I'll have to see if they have AP on clearance, but I doubt it...

We'll see if the STEAM sale has AP for a great deal, hopefully maybe sub $15 or so (I'm holding out for a bit on this, too big of a backlog)...otherwise, this $18.99 isn't a lot for what's still seen at $50, but that's just my take, since this isn't YMMV.
 
I found this insanely underrated.

Sure, it has bugs, but I've never had a game crashing one. The conversation system is insanely awesome.

Even though this game has a fairly open ended mission structure (you choose what missions you want to take on and when), the game does a great job of connecting it all. Having your handler for your current mission reference a previous mission is always a joy, especially if it helps you out, which it typically does.

And don't worry. At first, you can hit shit with your gun, but once you donate a few skill points to the respected weapon, you'll be picking off heads in no time.
 
Yeah, I've heard the game isn't as bad as some reviews make it out to be and probably worth a look if you enjoy the Mass Effect games. That being said, while $19 ain't a bad price, Alpha Protocol is just one of those games you know is gonna hit the under $10 mark sooner rather than later.
 
[quote name='DrMunkee']
Sure, it has bugs, but I've never had a game crashing one. The conversation system is insanely awesome.[/QUOTE]

I loathe the conversation system. Vague conversation options isn't bad. Timed conversation options isn't bad. Vague AND timed means you have a very small window to guess which option doesn't make you sound like a complete unjustified asshole. And, really, that's what you're choosing. It feels like I'm constantly playing damage control with some sort of mentally deformed moron who if unchecked will say the first dumb thing that comes into his mind at each juncture.

Tie that in to the substantial number of serious choices in the game and unless you are prepared with a guide, you are usually just "Eh, don't got enough time to think about it. Let's just shoot this guy because I feel like it."

And then the wonderful "Collect information about someone and use it to unlock more dialogue options?" That only pops up as an option that says DOSSIER and then you can't read those during the chat anyway. Really well thought out there.

Now, of course, AP is kinda designed to be winged rather than played optimally, but I still think that system hurts the game rather than helps it, especially when it becomes random chance whether it's worth experimenting with the Suave/Aggressive options to see if they mean "smug smirking asshole" or making a dark joke the person you're talking to will like.

And on top of that, you can't even SAVE where you want. It's all checkpoints, and you can't break out of cutscenes or alt-f4, so if you start a cutscene you don't want, you have to either lose your autosave when the post-cutscene checkpoint hits before you can actually load, kill the game, and/or reload and redo the last chunk of level.

On top of that, the Syphon Filter lite gameplay has yet to actually get good, which means that a replay of the game will be a chore even if you're just dying to see what it would be like if you played the game out a different way.

Still, I like it, but I
 
I saw the 360 version for $15 at Target, but held off on buying it before I checked to see if there were any PC mods out there that improved the gun play, most reviewers main complaint.

Sure enough, one exists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSojdEjfGnc

Haven't tried it myself, waiting on a Steam sale, but some people here might find it useful.
 
I also found the game underrated. I even had the PS3 version, which to my understanding is the glitchiest of them all. Mind you, I can't remember any glitches or issues significantly affecting my gameplay -- most of it was graphical.

I sympathize with the "I have 3 seconds to figure out what to say and I don't even know what these options mean" problem. It'd be nice to be a little more sure of at least the general mood of what you're choosing, but the idea behind making it a quick decision with simple adjectives describing your response was to make it an on-the-fly response. With Deus Ex or Mass Effect (both good games), I found myself sitting in front of the screen for 5 minutes on certain decisions because even though it spelled out the EXACT words I was going to say I often didn't know what tone they were going to be said in, nevermind how the person I JUST walked up to was going to feel about it. In the end I'd either have deliberated for 5 minutes only to be just as prone to choosing a response I didn't really want to, or went to look it up in a guide, and while choosing to use a guide is indeed my choice I liked that Alpha Protocol didn't make it easy to cheat.

Anyway all of that is nit-picking. I felt truly unparalleled freedom to choose how I approached most situations instead of a simple start-of-mission "Hey, wanna just shoot everybody or try to sneak in / talk about it?" which is what even the best dialogue-intensive RPGs seem to amount to (Yes, I'm talking all the big names including Fallout, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and the nevertheless-fantastic Deus Ex).

Point is, it's worth $15 or $20 if you have any love for these types of games, and you should not be scared off by the review scores. It seems like the consensus is that in the worst case you'll agree with the reviews and go "Yeah, it was good, but this and that," and in the best case you'll love it.
 
[quote name='Blips']I checked to see if there were any PC mods out there that improved the gun play, most reviewers main complaint.[/QUOTE]

The terrible starting accuracy is a more emphasized and more realistic version of games like Deus Ex, where your skill determines your ability to shoot, and you improve it as you move along in the game.

It's a good mechanic, a big part of the game, and fits in with the entire concept that you as a character are somewhat new to this whole espionage thing. The inaccuracy is not meant to be an indication of the gun's inherent bullet spread but your ability to use it. There's a reason shooting is an olympic sport -- it actually requires some skill.

This reminds me of the many complaints I heard about Resident Evil 5 and how you couldn't move while shooting (these complaints all came from second-generation TPS players who never played RE4, mind you). Obviously Resident Evil isn't striving for pure realism (which usually isn't fun anyway), but being unable to move while shooting removes spray-and-pray tactics and disturbingly unrealistic strafe-shooting.

If you do not own a gun and are lucky enough to live in an area that doesn't hate them, find someone who does, go out to the range with them, and just try to fire a .22 pistol (low recoil) while walking slowly in any direction. I GUARANTEE you will hit the ground 5 yards in front of you with a bullet at some point. Moving while shooting, ESPECIALLY with a gun you can't shoulder, is nigh impossible. The best action shooters still stop to shoot if at all possible, even in simulated combat situations.

...okay, totally went off topic with that rant, sorry.
 
I just finished playing AP for 360 from the Gamefly sale. I have to say it was my favorite underrated game of the year hands down. The shooting system is meh, but the stealth and pistol combo make for a very very fun time. The story is incredibly deep and FARRRRRR more malleable than Mass Effect 2 (ME 1 was far superior to ME 2) or Fallout. I love the active response system over Mass Effects response system. In AP you actually have to think on your feet, you don't get as much time as you want to reply to someone. Makes for a much more interactive conversation experience.

Overall I'd give the game an 8.5/10. There are def bugs, glitches, and shortcomings, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable game and I would recommend it to anyone who likes stealth or games and Bourne Identity type storylines.
 
Esoteria, using realism arguments with relation to Alpha Protocol, especially given its rather outlandish plot, is just a bit silly.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Esoteria, using realism arguments with relation to Alpha Protocol, especially given its rather outlandish plot, is just a bit silly.[/QUOTE]

I think I'd have to agree with him though. A big reason I enjoyed the conversation system was the on the fly decisions. Being forced to make quick decisions keeps the game flowing, and much like the decisions you would be making if you somehow found yourself stuck in the middle of a conspiracy theory and able to take 100's of bullets in a gunfight with regenerating body armor, you'll probably regret a few. I know I did, but that just adds to the replayability.

I also like the not being able to save anywhere feature. In games like Fallout, I find myself saving constantly, just in case I make a decision that I will regret. But here, it seems like the game is telling me to "deal with it". And for some reason, it is quite refreshing.

Obviously, I'm not saying your wrong. Just throwing my opinion in the mix.

If you hate everything I just mentioned, then this is definitely not the game for you.
 
I've made my distaste for the decision system known. Don't have much else to say.

I also don't usually think much of a game telling me to "deal with it," largely because it's also having a 3 Card Monte guy who cheats you out of your money telling you to deal with it.

That said, again, I like the game. It's got problems but it's a competently told story.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']Esoteria, using realism arguments with relation to Alpha Protocol, especially given its rather outlandish plot, is just a bit silly.[/QUOTE]

Well, I think games in general implement elements of realism where and when they think they'll improve the overall experience, however that's defined. I'm not calling Alpha Protocol a "realistic game" (is there such a thing?), I'm just saying that the shooting elements of it, and other games like Deus Ex and Resident Evil 4 and 5, apply realism where other games don't. Sure, I like being a superhuman in Modern Warfare, able to move at a brisk walk in any direction while being 100% accurate if I'm looking down my sights, but that doesn't mean you need that unrealistic bit in every game that involves a gun and a crosshair.

Also, I think DrMunkee hit the nail on the head with the "deal with it" element being refreshing, and that's sort of what I was driving at before I went off on my rant -- I liked not constantly being tempted to pause, figure out what to do, then do it, or backtrack to try a different dialogue choice. AP gives you that option, but the cost of doing so is usually significant.

I think we all fundamentally agree that the 3-seconds, 3-sometimes-vague-choices was frustrating at times, though.
 
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