Alpha Protocol

GOG's efforts for game preservation are a great way to get your hands on titles you may not have played (or even heard of) otherwise. For me that includes this cult title that Obsidian released 5 months before their magnum opus New Vegas. At a quick glance, Alpha Protocol isn't incredible. The controls tend to be rigid and awkward, while enemy AI works in weird ways and isn't the most fun to deal with. The implementation of RPG mechanics also means that your character's abilities suck until you invest XP in them - and not all are even worth upgrading. It's all quite clunky. Yet, AP is much, MUCH more than the flawed 2010-era military-themed action game it first seems to be! Ultimately, despite the jank the mechanics work well enough, and include a variety of sub-systems that are fun to engage with: hacking minigames, a different aiming system for each gun, even e-mail management! What won me over though is the sheer number of ways you can approach the campaign. It's a game of choices, and not just when it comes to building your own playstyle. The dialog system indeed lets you decide how the protagonist will tackle issues, who will be turned into enemies or allies, which secrets will be revealed or remain buried. The story is a well-written, twist-heavy conspiracy thriller commenting on the War on Terror and the military-industrial complex... And it's pretty awesome to have a say in the way it plays out. The roleplaying is one of the most rewarding I've seen: behaving as a jerk yields advantages, and even choices without major impact will grant you useful perks! I had as much fun playing as a sneaky silver-tongued hero than I had as a bloodthirsty gun nut. In the end, AP is in fact a fascinating title that evokes Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, Deus Ex and even Mass Effect... but still manages to feel like its own thing. If you like any of this stuff or just choice-based gameplay in general, chances are you'll enjoy playing and replaying this diamond in the raw!

The game has its many flaws, but it's by fair one of the better games I've ever had the pleasure to paly. If you can get past the janky mechanics and dated (even for it's time) grapics. You will find a hell of a video game. Story A+, Voice Acting B+, the muiltude of dialogue options and sheer replayability A++. $20 is a steep price when not on sale for this title, but it was an easy Jackson to spend for me. A cult classic of games. Where few can follow.

I get why you might not like this game but it' s worth a shoot. It has such old, wooden vibe, however its in my opinion story rich, quite fun planning how to snowball throu levels. I mean it's strong 7/10

It is truly a shame we will never have something similar to this. It is similar to any spy or espionage game but with a RPG format and elements at its score. The misions are unique, the story is captivating and the Characters are memorable. Gameplay of course is much clunkier and sometimes you will have trouble making your character do exactly what you want it to. but in the end of the day you will finish the game and want to do another replay.

2010 was an exceedingly bleak period for RPGs, but even within that barrel crater there was a ray of hope. Playing through the first segment of Alpha Protocol you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The opening takes place in the middle east, which for many years was the tiresome setting of nearly every single uninspired military shooter. But hang in there because only an hour or two later you'll be getting the full Bond experience. Exotic locales, oddball villains, and romance options galore! For an RPG it's relatively short, yet the game's reputation system is a web of intermingled results that add so much replayability. Reputation comes from in-game actions or timed dialogue sequences that lends a cinematic flow to conversation, with three stances (aggressive, suave, professional) leading to diferent outcomes over time. Negative reputation can offer benefits too, and it's really fun to commit to a certain personality type. That said, there are problems. The game is as unbalanced as Steven Heck, with the Skyrim stealth archer meme in full effect. Specalizing in pistol/stealth skills transforms you into a demi-god that not even bosses can touch on the hardest difficulty. It's also built for consoles with checkpoints and vanishing bodies. If you can look past that, Alpha Protocol is a unique and memorable one-off.