2010
06JUN
Alpha Protocol
Title: Alpha Protocol
Platform: PS3/360
Genre: FPS/RPG
It's unfortunate. The second coming of another Deus Ex is, well, still coming. Alpha Protocol had the hype training running at full steam behind it, and needless to say, it falls a bit short. That doesn't make it unplayable, though!
There are some game-killing flaws. It's unpolished as hell, the graphics would be embarrassing on the Playstation 2, the ammo/inventory limits are punishing as hell (especially toward the beginning), stealth is a completely worthless build against bosses and the late-game (forget even attempting the much-vaunted "no kills run"), and the AI is hahahaha what AI.
There is still a whole lot of fun to be had. Stupid, simple fun, but it somehow works regardless. Chatting it up with NPCs and seeing the different outcomes actually works with such (mostly) interesting characters, and most of the writing is top-notch. There are lots of skills and little perks and rewards to collect, and the mission structure is quite rewarding. Leaving intel and dossier reading up to the player is an interesting turn, but is ultimately not necessary, as if you really need to, you can glean exactly what attitude to take with each NPC with a simple glance. Even this is superfluous though, as you can often tell just by first impressions, and you can always play it safe and goo "professional."
It's not perfect. It's far from perfect. It's not even in the same dictionary as "perfect." It's quite a bit of fun though, and hard to put down. It's worth renting despite the ass-hurt reviews, and has enough replay opportunities to warrant a purchase if you can overlook the (many, many) problems as well.
Platform: PS3/360
Genre: FPS/RPG
It's unfortunate. The second coming of another Deus Ex is, well, still coming. Alpha Protocol had the hype training running at full steam behind it, and needless to say, it falls a bit short. That doesn't make it unplayable, though!
There are some game-killing flaws. It's unpolished as hell, the graphics would be embarrassing on the Playstation 2, the ammo/inventory limits are punishing as hell (especially toward the beginning), stealth is a completely worthless build against bosses and the late-game (forget even attempting the much-vaunted "no kills run"), and the AI is hahahaha what AI.
There is still a whole lot of fun to be had. Stupid, simple fun, but it somehow works regardless. Chatting it up with NPCs and seeing the different outcomes actually works with such (mostly) interesting characters, and most of the writing is top-notch. There are lots of skills and little perks and rewards to collect, and the mission structure is quite rewarding. Leaving intel and dossier reading up to the player is an interesting turn, but is ultimately not necessary, as if you really need to, you can glean exactly what attitude to take with each NPC with a simple glance. Even this is superfluous though, as you can often tell just by first impressions, and you can always play it safe and goo "professional."
It's not perfect. It's far from perfect. It's not even in the same dictionary as "perfect." It's quite a bit of fun though, and hard to put down. It's worth renting despite the ass-hurt reviews, and has enough replay opportunities to warrant a purchase if you can overlook the (many, many) problems as well.