Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG

The more I play this game, the more I love it.

This game has some great characters and fun gameplay.

Graphics are acceptable (Just make sure you turn off the motion blur effect in the options.)

Sound effects, music and dialogue are all top notch, and really emerse you in the story.

This is an RPG, so don't be surprised if you have to put a few points into your character before the fun really starts. I recommend investing heavily in Stealth. Assault rifles and Martial arts.

If you are looking for a Modern Warfare 2 replacement this isn't it. I would recommend this game to people who enjoyed Fallout 3, altho Alpha Protocols more linear path may raise it or lower it in your expectations.

I played this game on a Windows 7 machine, with a 3ghz dual core cpu, 4g of RAM and an Nvidia GT 240 video card and had no problems, running every thing in high detail at 1280 x 720.

Don't just take my word for it, at this price you might as well have a stealthy look for yourself ^ ^

I've never felt inclined to write a review before, but the mediocre reviews this game is getting is kind of shocking. But what really drives me write this, are the people chiming in with clearly having not played the game. This is my contribution to balancing that out a little.

Now, let me start off by saying this is game falls way short of being perfect, so don't expect "eleventy stars!" like a child with a brand new toy. So, with that out of the way....

Alpha Protocol is a modern-day espionage action RPG. I'll admit; I had my doubts about how those genres could mix. Yes, it is an RPG, though you shouldn't go in expecting Fallout 3, but also dismiss the idea of a game campaign similar to Splinter Cell or Hitman. AP gives you the freedom of choosing the order of your missions, your allies, your equipment, and the "level-up" progression of your character.

Visually, the game doesn't compare to many of today's blockbuster games. It's far from ugly, and much more appealing than the typical murkiness of most stealth games. However, whilst the environments are fairly pleasing to the eye, its inhabitants really aren't. The enemies move like cardboard robots on wet cement, and the hero posseses the most unnatural (and painful) crouch/sneak imaginable. The camera, too, is quite a pain, and in a fierce melee sequence you'll struggle to run between enemies and instead start fights with random pillars.

Now, for the game itself... Again, I wasn't blown away. At least, not straight away. The controls seemed a little clumsy, and I'd welcomed the game expecting a Deus Ex level of mission approaches. There's not a great deal of interaction with the environment, and it's frustrating your character can't hop over rails or other small barriers to reach your next victim.

However, once you accept the somewhat dated merchanics, Alpha Protocol really can grow on you, and you'll appreciate how ambitious a game this really is. Even a couple of hours into the campaign, I was already thinking about my next playthrough of the game I'd only scratched the surface of. What would my game be like if my ninja-like spy (with not a single fatality) with the Arab contact was a trigger-happy Rambo who'd simply executed said contact?

And this is where Alpha Protocol draws you in. With so many possibilities, be they allies, conversations,or character customisation, you really do feel like an important part of the story, and not just someone pushing the buttons to progress through a linear game. Your approach to the game shapes the game, and the pressure is always on you to pay attention to what's going on. However, if you're an action nut, and don't care to invest hours into a game and be part of a story, this game is not for you. While there's plenty of action to be had, the gunfights are similar to the original Mass Effect's, and the melee action appears to involve little more than bashing the punch button repeatedly.

For its price AP is a great purchase, and probably won't have the success it deserves due to reviews elsewhere. The reaction has been likened to the Kane & Lynch fiasco, and that's a real shame.

In closing; Alpha Protocol is a flawed gem. A fantastic sense of immersion overshadows a simple (but still fun) gameplay style. But hey, that's what patches are for, right? This is just one of those times where you need to ignore the professional critics and judge for yourself. Personally, I'm absolutely loving it.

I find it a shame that so many people are willing to give this game a one star rating. Often citing the issues it has as 'game-breakers' and other such nonsense. I'd actually go so far as to say many of the apparent 'bugs' come down to the inept nature people attempt to engage the game mechanics with.

While there were bugs in the game on release which frankly should not have been, those issues have been addressed for the most part via recent patches. The gameplay is enjoyable and offers at least a little variation - though that mostly springs from the different ways you can traverse the game missions.

Running and gunning is ill advised, the game rewards stealth far more than the Rambo approach most of the CoD heroes that have posted reviews here tend to have to any game in which there's a ranged weapon involved.

The dialogue is not as bad as some make out, and while not the greatest it's passable. The story is actually quite interesting, just don't expect any major plot twists or suprises along the way. The characters in the game are varied and each offers a different personality for you to interact with. An agent you come in contact with in China for example, offered more than the odd chuckle.

For the price there's no reason to not give the game a chance. While it is not perfect it screams potential, a thing I hope is fully realised in a sequal if one ever comes about.

In my opinion, i felt this game was turning out quite good. Had some good ideas and had a bit of a challenge. However, the graphics are pretty poor compared to quite a few older games out there and i had everything up full with a very powerful machine. Worst though is the controls..... my god they are awful. You can tell it was designed for console basically. The best example of this is when you do the hacking mini game. the left hand code is ok, but using the mouse to move the right hand code is a joke. If the controls were fixed in an upcoming patch, i would def give this a 4 as i am a great believer in game play over graphics.

It would require superhuman endurance to play this game any further than about 3 missions in. With such a dialogue heavy game there is nothing to keep you interested and you'll find yourself skipping the cutscenes to get to the glitchy gameplay.

With regular mouse problems and 'abilities' that are next to useless you might find yourself running to enemies to melee them when you have a perfectly good weapon.

Running and slapping people in the face a few times seemed the most trouble-free way of killing enemies. The aiming reticule is massive and gets bigger as you move. The game doesn't really give you a chance and then expects you to build the XP required for any 'upgrades.'

If you try to persevere with this title you'll find a confusing plot that twists far too often and not even for pacing. After getting lost in the level direction and plot/story arc I let this one settle at the bottom of the recycle bin...