Review: Alpha Protocol
It must have been about two weeks ago now that I completed Alpha Protocol, and since the ending credits have rolled I’ve been meaning to write up a review for this game. Dubbing itself ‘the espionage RPG’, the game seemed like a genuinely exciting twist on the ‘sneak-em-up’ genre. Unfortunately it seems that the game suffered the all too familiar rush to retail and has retained a few too many bugs, AI problems and other annoyances. It’s a game that should, under no circumstances, have been as fun as it was.
Sega announced Alpha Protocol early in 2008, stating that they would co-develop the game with Obsidian Entertainment. While I didn’t hear about the game myself until I stumbled upon the Giant Bomb quick look, the game seemed to have everything in its favour; a solid publisher such as Sega and the minds behind both Neverwinter Nights 2 and Knights of the Old Republic. The fact that Obsidian is also working on the new Fallout game had me incredibly excited from the get-go. A true master of RPG’s, how could they possibly go wrong with Alpha Protocol?
The gameplay itself is very similar to that of the Metal Gear Solid games. You can of course use your guns to kill or tranquilise your enemies, while running the risk of alerting nearby enemies. There is also the option of deciding whether you kill or immobilise enemies, which can change how other characters in the game treat you. You have four different weapon types to specialise in; pistols, submachine guns, shotguns and assault rifles. Special missions allow the use of other weapons though, be these wall mounted turrets or rocket-propelled grenades.
Posted August 30th 2010