Control rogue agent Michael Thorton as he tries to unearth an international conspiracy in the near future (where everybody seems to have a hidden agenda or two) in this third-person action RPG.
It has issues, everybody knows this. But damn if this isn't a great game! i'm a child of much harder RPG days, when games would kill you without mercy and boot your sorry, stupid ass back to the start of the game. Thanks for your money!
Alpha protocol isn't that hard, even with it's technical issues and on the hardest difficulty.
It's IMPOSSIBLE if you play it like a shooter. you have guns, an aiming reticule, ammo, weapon customisation. This is NOT a shooter.
I feel like this is a point that so many reviews missed. Criticising poor gunplay and difficulty (and it is poor if you play it like a TPS).
I'm not gonna defend it, it's buggy, requires a mindset most people don't have to play and it could look more impressive visually.
But if you're curious about it, deffinately try it out, Alpha protocol isn't as bad as the reviews make out imo.
I agree completely, I loved this game, I am in my 5th play-through, but I might not finish it. The main isuee as you point out is that if you try to play AP as a shooter, the only thing you can accomplish is getting frustrated, once you understand how the different weapon work, and how the game expects you to use them (and put some skillpoints) you can enjoy the game.
"I agree completely, I loved this game, I am in my 5th play-through, but I might not finish it. The main isuee as you point out is that if you try to play AP as a shooter, the only thing you can accomplish is getting frustrated, once you understand how the different weapon work, and how the game expects you to use them (and put some skillpoints) you can enjoy the game. "
He is right. All you need is to put some points into the weapon, and use it in the right way and you will be fine
I feel the same way. It doesn't even really feel like a shooter. It looks like one, but it controls like an action rpg in the classic sense. I'm actually playing it on easy and still having a hard time not getting spotted (which doesn't matter I guess since you are superman on easy). I think I'll have to play it again on hard if I finish it on easy (before I get tired of the mechanics).
I think I put all my points into stealth, toughness, and martial arts. It was all about trying to get behind guys and give them the old choke out maneuver which is how I assume all those Sam Fisher games worked. Then if I got seen, I wasn't subtle about it and just ran head first at armed guys and comboed their face. Shooting was also my last resort, where I would try to get in cover in a way that they would stand still to let me get crits without them lining up a shot on me.
Sadly most reviewers seems to see ME2 (a third person shooter with RPG elements) as the game every RPG should play like. That what I hate with most game reviewers they always pick one good game and then they want every game to play like that game.
I have a very hard time calling Alpha Protocol a great game, but I certainly enjoyed it much more than the reviews would suggest. The combat was easily the worst part of the game, but when I tried to be as stealthy as possible it was much more bearable. I quite enjoyed the story too.
Alpha Protocol is a very mediocre game. It's a good thing that it doesn't try to focus too much on the shooting, because the gunplay is so God damn awful.
I've just finished Rome and now I'm at Moscow and I have to say the game gets WAY better in terms of story (in my opinion). Played it last night from 4pm to midnight (with breaks of course). I am enjoying it a lot more now. Just wish I didn't gimp him too bad. Oh well, I wanna play through again with veteran or whatever the option is after play as recruit.
Im going to agree with Kane on this one. The RPG elements were fine and all that but why not stick to the roots of RPG style combats instead of a masked RPG as a shooter. Just because its labeled RPG dosnt mean my aim should be forced to shit. Sure you might need points to make it better but why does it have to take that long to get to that point? I would kill myself if i missed 60% of the time in a final fantasy game or baldurs gate. Even morrowind wasnt that cruel.
" I agree completely, I loved this game, I am in my 5th play-through, but I might not finish it. The main isuee as you point out is that if you try to play AP as a shooter, the only thing you can accomplish is getting frustrated, once you understand how the different weapon work, and how the game expects you to use them (and put some skillpoints) you can enjoy the game. "
Who plays a game through 5 times? Even a kid with down-syndrome couldn't play the same game through five times without going insane.
" I agree completely, I loved this game, I am in my 5th play-through, but I might not finish it. The main isuee as you point out is that if you try to play AP as a shooter, the only thing you can accomplish is getting frustrated, once you understand how the different weapon work, and how the game expects you to use them (and put some skillpoints) you can enjoy the game. "
Who plays a game through 5 times? Even a kid with down-syndrome couldn't play the same game through five times without going insane. "
Man... what a stupid statement... for so many reasons. If you're going to pointlessly insult someone, you should at least spell "Down's Syndrome" like someone who doesn't have it.
It's IMPOSSIBLE if you play it like a shooter. you have guns, an aiming reticule, ammo, weapon customisation. This is NOT a shooter. I feel like this is a point that so many reviews missed. Criticising poor gunplay and difficulty (and it is poor if you play it like a TPS).
The big issue with this is if it's not supposed to be played as a shooter, why do they present it overwhelmingly as a shooter? I agree that it's a fun game but so many little things add up. The incredibly stupid why you move when trying to stealth, the awful voice actor they picked for Thorton, and the little AI glitches here and there really pile up into a game that is just mediocre.
I also think it positioned itself in a bad release window, where people still have fond memories of ME2, which was the same style of gameplay but far more balanced. Even ME1 didn't suffer from as many balance related issues as this game.
" I agree completely, I loved this game, I am in my 5th play-through, but I might not finish it. The main isuee as you point out is that if you try to play AP as a shooter, the only thing you can accomplish is getting frustrated, once you understand how the different weapon work, and how the game expects you to use them (and put some skillpoints) you can enjoy the game. "
Who plays a game through 5 times? Even a kid with down-syndrome couldn't play the same game through five times without going insane. "
Man... what a stupid statement... for so many reasons. If you're going to pointlessly insult someone, you should at least spell "Down's Syndrome" like someone who doesn't have it. "
Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity.
" Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity. "
I would have thought the answer was obvious; Because I enjoyed it.
So you have never reread a book? or watch a movie or tv show twice?, did you throw away boardgames after playing them once? I guess you think all athletes should be institutionalized since they keep playing the same game over and over. Why do we sometimes replay some games and not others? the reasons are unique to each person and to each game. in this particular case for me it was a combination of factors including, the fact that I enjoyed the gameplay, trying different approaches (stealth vs weapons), see how the different choices affected the game and getting an S-rank.
Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity. "
I played through Rez something like 20 times. But that's for another thread.
Honestly, I fail to see the appeal in Alpha Protocol. Game-wise, at least. The story stuff looks pretty neat. I just don't want to have to endure through a game to get to the good stuff. I play games to have fun. Not to work myself through crap to get to the fun.
Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity. "
I played through Rez something like 20 times. But that's for another thread. Honestly, I fail to see the appeal in Alpha Protocol. Game-wise, at least. The story stuff looks pretty neat. I just don't want to have to endure through a game to get to the good stuff. I play games to have fun. Not to work myself through crap to get to the fun. "
Did you played it already?
I've played through Alan Wake and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories 5 times. Am i crazy?
Maybe so, but the games are really awesome and make up for it.
I guess I'm the retard. I played through Dragon Age twice but that was only because I read the books and felt like playing the game again. I would get bored playing most things through more than once. Multiplayer games are different, I can keep playing a game against people after the campaign is done.
I almost bought this game when it was on sale yesterday but all the hate on the bombcast on the shooting kept me from doing it. I love a good story, but if most of the game is action and it is no fun I would get frustrated. From what I've read though it might not be as awful as Jeff made it sound, so I might have missed out by not buying the game.
Basically, to enjoy Alpha Protocol--a game that heavily emphasized player choice in all its advertising--you have to play it a certain way, because it's impossible get through otherwise.
Yeah... great game. I enjoyed the first 5 hours or so, and now it's just a crappy slog. Story's decent, however.
Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity. "
I played through Rez something like 20 times. But that's for another thread. Honestly, I fail to see the appeal in Alpha Protocol. Game-wise, at least. The story stuff looks pretty neat. I just don't want to have to endure through a game to get to the good stuff. I play games to have fun. Not to work myself through crap to get to the fun. "
Did you played it already? I've played through Alan Wake and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories 5 times. Am i crazy? Maybe so, but the games are really awesome and make up for it. "
No, I didn't played through it. Not when a friend updates his Facebook like this:
I've played enough mediocre games in my life to know when to avoid a new one. Sorry.
Google chrome changed it. I stand by my statement. Who plays a game through 5 times? That is pure insanity. "
I played through Rez something like 20 times. But that's for another thread. Honestly, I fail to see the appeal in Alpha Protocol. Game-wise, at least. The story stuff looks pretty neat. I just don't want to have to endure through a game to get to the good stuff. I play games to have fun. Not to work myself through crap to get to the fun. "
Did you played it already? I've played through Alan Wake and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories 5 times. Am i crazy? Maybe so, but the games are really awesome and make up for it. "
No, I didn't played through it. Not when a friend updates his Facebook like this:
I've played enough mediocre games in my life to know when to avoid a new one. Sorry. "
lol do you really know the guy? And do your tastes really match that well together?
One man's crap is another man pure gold.
You shouldn't talk about if you haven't played it. The game has issues technically, but the rest i felt it was very good.
@Jeust: I'm entitled to my opinion even if I haven't played. Friends have and I'm well aware of their tastes, which is why I posted about it as an argument regarding my opinion.
" @Jeust: I'm entitled to my opinion even if I haven't played. Friends have and I'm well aware of their tastes, which is why I posted about it as an argument regarding my opinion. "
yeah, but everyone's opinion and tastes are different, and while your friends didn't, you might like it. Just a though... sorry if i sounded preachy, as i didn't mean to.
" Alpha Protocol is a very mediocre game. It's a good thing that it doesn't try to focus too much on the shooting, because the gunplay is so God damn awful. "
Oooooo Kane if our roles were reverse you would be tasting the ban hammer!
I played through Metal Gear Solid 7 times when it first came out. And before that, I must have played the beginning demo 30 times. That game happens to be similar (in a spiritual type way) to Alpha Protocol. So far I've been enjoying the game with minor annoyances like when a guy spots you out of no where. Or how you can't even stand up without getting spotted (even if no one is around). Different strokes for different folks. I played Killzone 2 demo for all of 2 mins before I gave up out of boredom.
Here's a question. Can you play that game without ever shooting at all? I mean could you just talk your way out of everything and never have to deal with the horrible combat? i might get this game if that were possible.
It's a flawed masterpiece. Just like the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines And will be remembered by RPG lovers fondly just like that game still is.
@BunkerBuster said:
" Here's a question. Can you play that game without ever shooting at all? I mean could you just talk your way out of everything and never have to deal with the horrible combat? i might get this game if that were possible. "
It's possible without shooting but it's harder. It's easier from time to time to use the tranquilizer rounds when sneaking is too risky. Also some fighting is mandatory, but you can use martial arts to pummel them into submission for example or traps/grenades. There are 3-4 boss fights where you have to fight. 2 of them being against a vehicle with an rpg. If you do decide to pick it up, one very important piece of advice: do the Moscow boss at the end, he's the hardest. It is possible (I've done it in fact) to have 0 kills by the end of the game, but you will likely have some non lethal takedowns.
@ATrevelan said:
" Basically, to enjoy Alpha Protocol--a game that heavily emphasized player choice in all its advertising--you have to play it a certain way, because it's impossible get through otherwise.
Yeah... great game. I enjoyed the first 5 hours or so, and now it's just a crappy slog. Story's decent, however. "
False. There are many different ways you can play this game. You are not limited or restricted to using stealth at all. For example my second play through was an all guns blazing kind of fun, with a heavily armored character and using assault rifles, I even hardly ever had to use cover. As long as you increase the weapon skill for the weapon you want to shoot they became crazy effective fast.
@shakra: You are missing out :P Oh and I've played thought the game 3 times and got different endings each time, and people are still posting shit I've never seen at the end.
@lilman1101: Hard and slightly frustrating at first. Very useful after you spend some points in them. Godlike when fully leveled (except on bosses).
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