Alpha Protocol

After reading alot of reviews on this, then following up my research into it with user reviews i thought to hell with it, and bought it. I had the impression that it might be a terrible decision but rest assured im really glad i decided to take a leap of faith, and buy it.

The story is awesome, and really does draw you in. The dialogue system is really good too, and great for replayability. The graphics were slated a fair bit but to be honest their not bad at all. I think the reason why the graphics were criticised is due to games like uncharted 2 setting the bar so high, but overall the graphics are fine.

The A.I can be shocking at times but i can forgive it as most games always come with their problems, but to be fair to AP its not brilliant but managable.

The shooting mechanics were also criticised but i dont really see a problem with it due to the fact that the weapons you use have to be leveled up using skill points so accuracy gets better over time.

Character movement was also criticised but it doesnt feel clunky at all, infact i think its pretty slick, feels like it should do.

Bottom line is if you like rpg's this game is a must buy as its got alot of cool ideas implemented. If like me you can look beyond niggling issues such as A.I( until its patched at least ) and a few other things then you will definitely have alot of fun with it. If youre expecting a through and through shooter then i think this game might not be what youre looking for

My Score 8.5/10

This is not the first game to combine role playing game mechanics with a shooter, linked missions and a branching storyline. The "Deus Ex" series did this more than ten years ago, and this is what "Alpha Protocol" reminded me the most of.

You can see that the designer's background is in role playing games and storytelling. These are the parts of "Alpha Protocol" which, in my opinion, work the best. The story and dialogue is generally well-written, often surprisingly good. The options presented to you during the dialogue scenes shape how the story progresses, and your relationship to the characters and factions of the game. You get see the consequences of your actions, and during subsequent playthroughs, where alternative choices could have taken you. This can be really satisfying.

The shooter part of the game can be highly frustrating. The level design often forces you to take actions which you may be poorly prepared to accomplish. Since the game permits you to develop and customize your character's abilities, the level design should allow for multiple paths to accomplish your goals. But as you may find out, the game at several points punishes you for not having invested experience points into certain character abilities. This may render some levels unplayable until you have figured out which upgrade is necessary to finish them. And if you do not have sufficient experience points to upgrade? How about restarting a level? You did save your last checkpoint? No? How about restarting the entire game then? The checkpointing system used here works very poorly. To get by, you may be best advised to always save a copy of the last checkpoint whenever the game notifies you.

Still, this game is built upon great ideas which, as far as I know, haven't come together in any other game before. It's just that how "Alpha Protocol" implements them is uneven or poor. You will be surprised by how good the music, the sound, the animation and the graphics can be because you will notice how poor they can be at times. The game also has a tendency to hang at odd times, requiring you to restart your PS3. All of this speaks of a lack of polishing, or focus.

Here is hoping that the designers of "Alpha Protocol" will get a second chance to build a technically better game on the same ideas and storytelling. There is a great game to be found in this design, but here it is, sadly, poorly implemented.

Judging by reviews this game is rubbish and should never be played by anyone.

Judging by the ignorant who have never played this game or have only played it for a few minutes only to complain 'OMG THE SHOOTINGS RUBBISH11!1!!!' it is also rubbish.

I appreciate those who have actually played it for a considerable amount of time who dont like it, as that is their opinion and at least they've actually played it enough to warrant the opinion of dislike for it.

I myself, after purchasing this, read the reviews and opinions of others, and was seriousely considering taking it back for a refund as it was still sealed up.

But i chose to give it a go, and actually was surprised by how much i really did enjoy it.

For an 'RPG' though it is considerably short, i cant remember the exact time it took me to complete it, but it was somehwere between 8-12hours. Probably somewhere in the middle.

The reason shooting is so bad at first, is because all your stats are basic, and you have to build them up over the course of a game, like any RPG fans will realise.

I decided to play the game leaning towards stealth, silently taking down people, rather then going in all guns playing, as in my opinion that is the more rewarding, and less frustrating way to play this game.

The stats help greatly when improving and when you get deeper into it. I didnt really build up the guns, yet from what i had built up, my accuracy and efficieny with guns did grow the more i played.

The combat isn't the best, you will kick air rather than kick an enemy quite often, and when you do line up a headshot, sometimes it will miss, although frustrating at the time, it isn't game breaking at all.

The choices through dialogue and cut-scenes are where this game really shines. The variation of choice you have is quite vast. You can intimidate people for information, or be polite, or for some you can even use violence and/or kill rather than talk.

The 'boss' battles are also good, once defeated, you can execute or spare your enemies. Whichever you decide has a major impact on the game, how factions and individuals react to you, cut-scenes throughout the game, and the ending itself.

There are many twists in the plot, the ending especially, depending on what your course of action throughout the game.

I appreciate this game will more than likely drop in price fairly quick due to poor reviews, but i for one am very glad i gave it a chance before jumping on the bandwagon of 'i havent played it, but this game is awful!', and overall it is a very rewarding game with all the choices you have, how to approach each mission, and anything you do in the mission.

I have had three different endings so far, my main one, and then i reloaded the last checkpoint twice, chose different dialogue/action choices and had another two different endings.

Overall a solid 7.5/8 out of 10 for me, but maybe a rental if you're not sure, as it isn't that long either.