Alpha Protocol: Is it worth getting?

[Audemas]

A friend of mine told me about this game and said it was a type of game I'd enjoy. I read a few reviews about it most of them said it was fun, but a mediocre game at best. The reviews interested me enough to want to play it, but I'm not completely convinced. It reminds me when I wanted to get Just Cause 2 and was hesitant, but I ended up getting it and enjoyed it for quite a while.

Right now, I can get it on Amazon for about $12.00 (which my friend tells me is a steal) and I only need a game to occupy me while I wait for Battlefield 3 to come out. I was wondering if anyone else has played Alpha Protocol and if they would suggest it.

EDIT: Thank you everyone for your input, I decided to get it and it'll be here on Friday.

 

[Giest4life]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I found it entertaining enough and the conversation system is much better than I expected it to be. It isn't perfect by any means, but it has its merits and is good fun to mess around with.

 

[lordmardok]

Alpha Protocol is one of those games that got way to little press for how good of a game it was. It has a robust upgrade system that lets you choose a variety of skills from stealth/utility-focus to various forms of melee and ranged combat. It does have the issue that allows you to build one way only to drop you in a scenario that requires a marginally different set of skills, but the story is good the gameplay is a lot of fun, and (HOLY SHIT) CHOICES ACTUALLY MATTER. For instance, in the first mission at the end you can choose to bring the bad guy in (the mission objective), shoot the guy (the vengeance objective), or accept his bribe and allow him to go. Each one gives out very real changes, characters talk to you differently, different weapon sale options are opened, etc...

Even the choices of what order you do missions in has a massive effect on the game.

So I would give a resounding yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I played it on the PS3, which was buggy as hell. That said, I did enjoy the RPG elements of it - the different ways to carry on conversations, the emails, etc. The combat was pretty ordinary, but not offensive. I'd say it's worth $12, certainly.

 

[Armored Prayer]

I hear its got a "love it or hate it" vibe. Many people consider it one of the best games to come out that year, while others labeled it as "mediocre."

I say its best to rent it or possibly borrow it from someone, if not then buy it.

 

[Audemas]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Could you be specific what about the game you didn't like it?

 

[Tharwen]

I've played several missions and it's been fun!

The graphics are a bit 2007-y and the controls are a bit clunky, however it's nice to be able to choose all sorts of different ways to get through a mission.

 

[lordmardok]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Man you really need to not post on whether or not a game is good if you couldn't even bring yourself to finish the first mission. What kind of valid opinion could you possibly be able to give? You didn't give it a chance. This is the kind of review that nobody should pay attention to.

 

[dickywebster]

Its basically a shooter where you micro manage everything, most people i know just got bored like a couple of missions in.

 

[Audemas]

Alpha Protocol is one of those games that got way to little press for how good of a game it was. It has a robust upgrade system that lets you choose a variety of skills from stealth/utility-focus to various forms of melee and ranged combat. It does have the issue that allows you to build one way only to drop you in a scenario that requires a marginally different set of skills, but the story is good the gameplay is a lot of fun, and (HOLY SHIT) CHOICES ACTUALLY MATTER. For instance, in the first mission at the end you can choose to bring the bad guy in (the mission objective), shoot the guy (the vengeance objective), or accept his bribe and allow him to go. Each one gives out very real changes, characters talk to you differently, different weapon sale options are opened, etc...

Even the choices of what order you do missions in has a massive effect on the game.

So I would give a resounding yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Is there anything negative you can say about the game? While I like all the positives, I know it has it's faults or else it would have gotten better reviews.

 

[Bebus]

I had some extreme problems with the graphics.

As in, the game would not even run on 800x600 without glitching out.

My own fault for not checking the reqs when I have a weak machine, but make sure you do so before buying, the minimum are higher than you might expect!

Sorry, but am unable to comment on the actual game... just a friendly warning!

 

[Takolin]

Considering I played it twice, it was worth the 2 euro's I spend on during the steamsale.

Though I have to say than pistols + stealth perks combined with a silencer on the pistols make it a very easy game and you can nail most bosses with 1 (or rarely 2) chain shot(s).

 

[AndrewC]

I'm regretting the £1.50 I spent on it. If I could rewind time, that's something I'd undo.

This exactly ^

I'm not one to give up on a game really quickly, but I really regret even buying it.

 

[Valdsator]

I got it for 2 dollars and I love it. It's like a somewhat crappier version of MGS (I'm playing as a stealthy dood) with a cool dialogue/choice system. It's not perfect, definitely not, but I'm certainly enjoying it.

 

[Audemas]

I had some extreme problems with the graphics.

As in, the game would not even run on 800x600 without glitching out.

My own fault for not checking the reqs when I have a weak machine, but make sure you do so before buying, the minimum are higher than you might expect!

Sorry, but am unable to comment on the actual game... just a friendly warning!

I'll be playing on the 360 not the PC, something I should have mentioned. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[Bayushi_Kouya]

Remember this game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_2]? It came out and everyone was like 'This sucks, they turned it into GOW!' (Gears, not God)

Remember how its original version was highly praised for a robust conversation system and RPG opportunities, and rich characters and interesting combat, and how that was all sucked out in the sequel to make room for more crouching and ammo-counting?

Well, all the up grades that SHOULD have been made to ME2 were instead implemented in Alpha Protocol. It's that weirdly unique phenomenon where Obsidian takes Bioware's buggy, shitty proof-of-concept game and polishes it into a mirror gleam with refinement (see KOTORs 1 and 2). That's Alpha Protocol yet again, though you play as a single character and are an actual spy, rather than a blunt object with a team of blunt objects who vaguely resembles a spy from a distance.

Alpha Protocol is not without faults. It has an immensely steep learning curve, and playing a tech-based character is like playing carnival horseshoes sometimes, but it's a very good game with tons of replay value. Best RPG I've played, except for Dragon Age 2 -- a game where Bioware started doing what Obsidian does when making sequels. You know, make them better.

 

[Mariena]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Yep. That's right.


I spent 2 euros on Steam for this game, and I could have had a pretty good panini instead. Or something else. I actually regret spending two euros.

 

[Giest4life]

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Man you really need to not post on whether or not a game is good if you couldn't even bring yourself to finish the first mission. What kind of valid opinion could you possibly be able to give? You didn't give it a chance. This is the kind of review that nobody should pay attention to.

What? That doesn't make sense. I don't have to slog through the game before I offer my opinion on it, hell, I don't even have to play half the game to know if its good. I did not like the game one bit and I wasn't going to be arsed to give the game a "fair" chance to impress me. My time is not for charity. The game should be good enough from the first mission for me to retain some interest in it. I'm actually surprised that people would have it any other way.

I got that game for $2 on a Steam sale, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I'm regretting spending those $2 on it. I haven't even completed the first mission yet. It's stupid--oh-so-very stupid.

Could you be specific what about the game you didn't like it?

Sure.

Let's start off with the plot. I'm one of those guys who want a solid plot to have any interest in the game. I don't mind a few holes here and there, but Alpha Protocol's plot was positively vesicular. Here's the opening cut-scene: My character wakes up on an operating table. I'm clearly in some sort of lab. I've no idea where I am, how I got here, and who brought me there. A PDA on the counter in the room conveniently starts beeping the moment I wake up and a girl informs me that I'm currently in the brainwashing section of a special agent producing factory. "Just trust me" she says. "I don't have time to explain." Fair enough. I don't have any choice. But how about this a)I'm apparently a highly trained mercenary, and the best way to handle me is just to leave me completely unguarded. Not only that, the bastards didn't even bother cuffing or restraining me in any fashion. It gets worse. b)The retards placed all this high-tech equipment around me and left a PDA (unlocked) and with complete access to me. c) Lastly, but but certainly not the least in this jungle of idiocy, there are absolutely no security cameras or monitoring stations where I'm being held. Hell, even the fucking door is unlocked!

There are gameplay issues aplenty, as well, but I'm willing to forgive those if the story is interesting enough--or at least makes sense. I know that the game designers weren't making the game for me, but it felt as if they were intentionally trying to make sure that I not play this game.