Alpha Protocol - Reviews, Impressions, Gameplay, etc.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 1:45 pm

Three thoughts from about two-thirds through my second playthrough:

1) For those complaining about the difficulty of certain fights, globetrotting is very effective. I've bounced between safehouses about a couple dozen times in this playthrough, meeting handlers, opening up Clearinghouse dealers and doing the intro missions in each area before moving on to the later, boss-fight missions and I think I was around Level 9-10 before I encountered my first boss.

2) Holy everloving mother of god is Chainshot ever a) awesome and b) overpowered. I completely understand why it's being called the Easy button. I've yet to encounter even a boss character that doesn't die in a single Chain Shot volley. Granted, it helped that my approach to this game (see previous paragraph) means I had leveled it up to five shots before I had to fight a boss NPC but, still, combined with steel core rounds it's essentially unstoppable. I think I'd actually suggest that people considering starting the game not use the pistol on their first playthrough just to avoid how ridiculously easy the big fights are with Chain Shot. Of the three fights in the game that have had the most talk about being hard, I've gone through two of them in this playthrough and both have lasted all of fractions of a second.

3) I've said it and everyone else has said it, but you HAVE to play this game twice to appreciate it. Moscow with the two different handlers is just incredible. I don't know quite what I was expecting by playing with the German handler this time around but it wasn't...that.

Also got a couple of really amusing Perks this time around: "These aren't the agents you're looking for" and "Verbal Menage a Trois".

I'm undecided on whether the game will merit a third playthrough. There is one ending I want to get that I don't think I'll qualify for this time around but several of the midgame choices are essentially binary and, thus, I'm not sure repeating those will be interesting enough to carry me through a whole third round. Still, however much this may not be a technical masterpiece, it is nevertheless a tremendously fun game.

- Ash

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:17 pm

OK - I gave in and got this today and was enjoying it until I got stuck hacking the computer in the tutorial. I have absolutely no idea what to do. Even when clicking on the right codes I suffer epic fail.

I don't plan to do a lot of hacking in my first game, specializing in pistols, stealth, and martial arts (just call me b - tgb), but I can't move forward until I hack this friggin' thing.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:29 pm

The computer hacking is definitely difficult at early levels; at least there aren't bad consequences during the tutorial.

Hacking is a two step process. Matching the two non-scrolling patterns is only step one. Once you identify the stationary code and you place the matching code over it, you need to activate it.

There's two timers - a clock running on the top and a code resort on the bottom. When the top clock runs out, an alarm is activated. When the clock on the bottom runs out, the hidden code is reshuffled into the mix and you have to find it all over again if you didn't lock it down. Depending on your skill level you might get two or three shuffles before the clock runs out so it's a matter of finding the code (in practice) before it's shuffled. You might think you have it but if you find it at the end of the shuffle timer, it's already been moved.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:56 pm

Smoove_B wrote:The computer hacking is definitely difficult at early levels; at least there aren't bad consequences during the tutorial.

There are. The tutorial doesn't progress until you hack the computer.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:58 pm

Well....the consequences outside of the tutorial are much worse. More...hurty.

ydejin · Post by **ydejin** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:59 pm

Asharak wrote: 1) For those complaining about the difficulty of certain fights, globetrotting is very effective. I've bounced between safehouses about a couple dozen times in this playthrough, meeting handlers, opening up Clearinghouse dealers and doing the intro missions in each area before moving on to the later, boss-fight missions and I think I was around Level 9-10 before I encountered my first boss.

I'll have to admit that I did something similar. I ran all of Moscow, got my ass kicked by the end boss, switched to Rome had trouble with the end boss, then switched to Taipei, wiped the Taipei end boss, then went back and did the Rome and Moscow end bosses.

I'm not sure if the game takes your level into account when a mission starts, but I do think the Moscow end boss is the hardest of the lot.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:23 pm

Smoove_B wrote:Well....the consequences outside of the tutorial are much worse. More...hurty.

There has got to be a way to get past it. I can get one, but there is never enough time for both. This sucks.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:52 pm

I want to say I had to do it like 5+ times and I remember it sucking. Eventually you'll get a shot where the codes are on the same side and close to the top. Wish I could be of more help.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:55 pm

FINALLY I made it through. Please tell me I can get through the rest of the game without hacking. This is worse than that stupid dune buggy in ME.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:02 pm

I haven't been in a situation yet where I've been stymied by an inability to hack something, but just having a few points in the skill has been helpful for completing secondary objectives and disabling alarms / security.

I'm sure you can just brute-force your way through.

Our characters sound very similar. Don't be discouraged by your inability to stay stealthy early on. Not only is it skill based but the armor (and armor add-ons) you have equipped can make your chances of staying stealthy more or less difficult.

ydejin · Post by **ydejin** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:07 pm

tgb wrote:FINALLY I made it through. Please tell me I can get through the rest of the game without hacking. This is worse than that stupid dune buggy in ME.

You can use EMP grenades on them. I think you might have to put some points into one of the skill lines to do it though (maybe Sabotage?). Also it turns out you can only carry two EMP grenades per slot. I'm not sure if there's an upgrade to carry more or not.

ydejin · Post by **ydejin** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:10 pm

Smoove_B wrote:Our characters sound very similar. Don't be discouraged by your inability to stay stealthy early on. Not only is it skill based but the armor (and armor add-ons) you have equipped can make your chances of staying stealthy more or less difficult.

Plus there are skills that will give you a second chance if the guard spots you, plus skills that will make you completely invisible for several seconds (long enough to cross open ground for a stealth kill).

As Smoove says, things will get much better than they are at the start of the game. Thorton becomes much better as he levels up.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 9:35 am

tgb wrote:FINALLY I made it through. Please tell me I can get through the rest of the game without hacking. This is worse than that stupid dune buggy in ME.

A qualified yes. There are several times that getting into a computer is necessary (i.e., the entire point of a mission is to get to and then steal data off a highly-secure server or whatnot) but, as others have said, you have the option of using an EMP to skip the hacking minigame. And if you limit your EMPs to just the mission-critical computers, you won't blow through too much money keeping them on hand.

There are a wide range of non-essential computers in the game, however, that you can completely ignore if you like but I would caution you against doing that too much. You can get money or intel from those workstations. The latter, in particular, is very valuable, as certain elements of the plot will be completely hidden to you if you don't find out certain things about certain people. The beauty of the game is that you certainly can still complete the game without that information - it will just end quite differently than if you get that information and unlock some alternative dialogue options.

Lastly, I will also say: give it time. I found the hacking game extremely frustrating initially as well but I'm actually pretty good at it now. It's one of the few instances in modern gaming where I found that my skill as a player, not just my character's skill, improved as I went along.

Oh, and if you haven't already, take my and everyone else's advice and take the first two ranks of Sabotage ASAP! You get significantly longer text strings (i.e., significantly easier to spot) to find in the grid for most of the game. Makes it a lot easier.

ydejin wrote:I'm not sure if there's an upgrade to carry more or not.

There is. I never bothered with it, though.

I do think the Moscow end boss is the hardest of the lot.

I didn't have trouble with any boss on my second playthrough (finished it last night) but I will agree that the Moscow one probably is the hardest, based on the fact that he actually managed to get his knives into me once before I killed him (it would have helped if I hadn't triggered a Chain Shot at the same time he flashbanged me, though...waste of five critical hits right there).

Actually, it's probably a tie between the Moscow boss and the endgame tower battle, depending on whether you have Shadow Operative / how quickly you figure out how to manage the latter.

- Ash

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 12:16 pm

I didn't realize you could move around from country to country. I started in Russia because it was first on my list...good to know that if I get stuck I can make a run to the other locations.

Also: I am almost curious to see a Prima strategy guide for this book. It had to be a *nightmare* to write.

Asharak · Post by **Asharak** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:07 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I didn't realize you could move around from country to country. I started in Russia because it was first on my list...good to know that if I get stuck I can make a run to the other locations.

I think the city list is just organized alphabetically (Moscow, Rome, Taipei) rather than by any sort of sequence recommendation.

The only very minor caveat to the globetrotting approach is that you can trigger some of the reputation dialogue a little early. I.e., someone might say something about "after the events in Rome" when there haven't really been all that many events in Rome yet. As far as I could tell, though, nothing more significant is adversely affected by jumping between hubs willy-nilly.

- Ash

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 12:38 pm

I decided to just finish it out in Russia -- and good lord is that Russian boss a lunatic. As a Martial Arts / Pistol character, I had a tough time. It took me a while to figure out a working strategy and I had to look up some hints. He was particularly difficult because he had all the angles covered - melee and long distance were his strong points.

Spoiler:

I am still absolutely enamored with all the perks associated with the story. I think those might be my favorite part of the game -- seeing it acknowledge what's happening.

And as the story starts to get more complicated it's nice to see your character (and others) acknowledge things you've already done or knowledge you've discovered.

My character is pretty straight-forward and law abiding. I'm seriously curious to see how a joking gun-toting maniac's story would unfold.

Scoop20906 · Post by **Scoop20906** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 12:57 pm

Smoove_B wrote:My character is pretty straight-forward and law abiding. I'm seriously curious to see how a joking gun-toting maniac's story would unfold.

Thats my next character. Head slams for the win.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 4:42 pm

So far, playing it straight has seemed to work. Only one NPC has burned me for being honest and upfront

Spoiler:

And I can't help but be an evasive jackass when talking to

Spoiler:

but he seems to like it.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:48 pm

Finished it tonight. It's not a GOTY, but it's also not anywhere near as bad as some of the reviews would have you believe.

My ending was rather complex but it followed the way I played the game. I had to fight a bit but I was also able to convince some people to help me, breaking from their employers.

I was completely surprised about:

Spoiler:

I thought the story was very well done and I was glad that the game wasn't just a "run and gun" FPS with some lite role-playing elements. It's my opinion that "old school" gamers shouldn't skip this title at all. I think it has potential to be a fan classic.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:12 pm

I have to admit - despite my skepticism, and my aversion to action games with checkpoints, I've been enjoying the ride. I'm still pretty early in (Boss battle in the Middle East), but, other than screwy A.I., the bashing is not justified.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:21 pm

The one thing I started to see with the AI is that if you get detailed dossier info no each of the factions, they let you know what to expect from the foot soldiers. Some groups are prone to run at you guns blazing, while other groups will actually try to pin you down and flank you. While I definitely had some weird AI moments, I began to appreciate the differences between the different groups of enemies I was fighting and adjusted accordingly. For example there were some guys that I knew would come running down corridors or into rooms to get me. I could simply hide off to the side and unload a melee attack on them when they ran in. Other groups I knew would find cover and engage me at range - there was nothing else to do but arm a pistol and have at it.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:43 pm

The issue I have with the A.I. so far is in firefights. Once one starts, soldiers come running in with guns blazing - usually in the wrong direction. I've seen several just spinning in circles.

Delraich · Post by **Delraich** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:33 am

Yes, that's my biggest issue too. I played a stealth/pistol character, but if I was detected I could easily dispatch all baddies with the assault rifle, even though I had zero skill points invested in it. Still a fun game though.

silvaril · Post by **silvaril** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:27 am

Heya

I've completed this once now and am close to completing my second play through.

Definitely a better game than the reviews would have us believe.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:48 am

Delraich wrote:Yes, that's my biggest issue too. I played a stealth/pistol character, but if I was detected I could easily dispatch all baddies with the assault rifle, even though I had zero skill points invested in it. Still a fun game though.

That's exactly the way I'm playing, and the experience I've been having.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:49 am

I don't think I saw any AI enemies spinning in circles; that would definitely be odd.

After finishing Alpha Protocol last night I fired up Mass Effect 2 and the one thing that immediately jumped out at me was how each game handles conversations. I think Alpha Protocol is probably one of the best conversation engines I can think of. Not just because of how they handle your responses (attitude versus showing you what you'll say) but the conversations flow more naturally. In Mass Effect 2 the conversations are more robotic and you can skip around in a way that makes them feel artificial.

And I would also agree that with earlier comments about ranking up the Pistol chain shot kill. It definitely makes some boss fights much easier. But the trade off is absolutely the distance. While it's nice to slap down 5 steel core rounds in someone's skull, if you're not close enough to make the shot, it doesn't help. That was an issue for two of my final fights. But yeah, overall it's definitely a good way to end frustration.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:22 pm

OK, so I've played the game for a good while. I like the way it handles conversations and the storyline. It's got seamless, well written dialogue. It uses information about what you know, what decisions you've made and what actions you've taken. I'm not wild about how you choose (Sometimes it's too little information, plus it's definitely too quick at times). I like the choices you can make, and there are a few good twists/scenes.

I'm less happy with the game play. I was hoping something more adventure like, or Codename Hitman like, rather than just shooting or sneaking past everything. It's not bad, and I'll continue playing, it's just not what I was expecting.

Havent had any bugs, but I hate the console save system (and that sometimes you have to wait a while if you're in a conversation and you want to restore a prior point).

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:15 pm

There was an announcement made by SEGA yesterday saying that the "metacritic ratings" for Alpha Protocol aren't good enough to justify a sequel. As predicted, it will become a fan favorite. I've been trying for over a week to get back into ME2 and it's just not grabbing me.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:21 pm

Smoove_B wrote:After finishing Alpha Protocol last night I fired up Mass Effect 2 and the one thing that immediately jumped out at me was how each game handles conversations. I think Alpha Protocol is probably one of the best conversation engines I can think of. Not just because of how they handle your responses (attitude versus showing you what you'll say) but the conversations flow more naturally. In Mass Effect 2 the conversations are more robotic and you can skip around in a way that makes them feel artificial.

I managed to finish Alpha Protocl (on 360) over the weekend. I completely agree with this assessment. When the first Mass Effect came out, I loved its dialogue system -- it was probably the first time in my RPG history that I actually listened to, and enjoyed, all of the spoken dialogue. Alpha Protocol feels like the next evolutionary step forward for RPG dialogue, taking the basic approach that Mass Effect pioneered and making it more natural and meaningful. I hope that future RPGs continue along this path.

Scoop20906 · Post by **Scoop20906** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:47 pm

Smoove_B wrote:There was an announcement made by SEGA yesterday saying that the "metacritic ratings" for Alpha Protocol aren't good enough to justify a sequel. As predicted, it will become a fan favorite. I've been trying for over a week to get back into ME2 and it's just not grabbing me.

While I feel bad for the people who develop the Intellectual Property for this, I don't think anything ground breaking was done here as far as world building. Maybe not this specific IP will get a sequel but the play mechanics and plot branching model needs to be used in other games. I sent an email to Chris Avellone letting him know that I will buy more of is games if his company makes them similar to this.

All I can think is what if they took the sneaking mechanic from a game like the latest splinter cell and married it with the RPG elements and plot balancing of AP?

wi111 · Post by **wi111** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:02 pm

Another old thread rise from the deep.

woo this game really is not just having some rough edges, it is broken in so many places, it is really a shame since it also had some nice ideas
it could be a good/great game if the developer put more time in it,

now the only thing keep me playing is the story the way it unfold and how the NPC do react to how i play the game this really is the nice touch.

i don't know is it because i do those mission out of order or what some NPC interaction really seem out of place or odd.

so is there any GOOD / correct to do those mission ??

also not sure is it the language problem ,i do a bit lost track of the story ,any suggestion ?

thx

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:24 pm

wi111 wrote:
also not sure is it the language problem ,i do a bit lost track of the story ,any suggestion good read ?

I felt the same way. The "main plot" is really only the first missions in Africa and the final set of missions. The safehouses in between are only loosely tied in plot-wise and are more like side quests in traditional rpgs.

wi111 · Post by **wi111** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:10 am

Mike as a Psychopath ,it is hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUydx57te9s" target="_blank

ydejin · Post by **ydejin** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:12 am

wi111 wrote:Mike as a Psychopath hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUydx57te9s" target="_blank

I loved Alpha Protocol and am very sad that there won't be a sequel. However, one thing that video highlights for me is exactly how awful the lead voice actor was. His lines are incredibly flat and dull. Truly a horrible pick for the role.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:00 pm

For those who still might be interested, Alpha Protocol is on sale on Steam this week, 75% off.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:19 am

Just finished this one up. Into the Completed pile it goes.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:22 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:19 am Just finished this one up. Into the Completed pile it goes.

What did you think of it?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:27 am

I enjoyed it. It's definitely a bit rough around the edges in terms of gameplay, but the story was good enough to keep me interested. This was actually my second attempt at it, as I'd bounced off of it once before.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:20 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jan 18, 2023 4:19 am Just finished this one up. Into the Completed pile it goes.

How many hours did it take to complete it?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:10 am

Steam says 11 hours, but it feels like it was more.