Posted on 28-May-2010

Alpha Protocol Review

Bond, Bourne, Bauer or somewhere in between?

By Rob Taylor for Games Master Magazine Subscribe now!

Beaten Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2, and at a loss as to where your next bout of moral muddling might be emanating from? Look no further. A spy has emerged from the shadows and he's in possession of some vital intel for RPG fans... meet agent Michael Thorton, and enter the murky world of Alpha Protocol.

Best described as an action-RPG, Alpha Protocol is a quiet revelation - delivering dynamic shooting, insane levels of customisation and a thumping near-future dose of espionage and sinister conspiracy - where the bad guys are occasionally good, the good guys invariably bad and everyone else is hovering somewhere in between.

Alpha Protocol Screenshot
As far as the talky stuff goes, instead of traditionally responding via various dialogue options, Thorton is instead able to mould conversations via aggressive, professional, suave or cocky replies. It's a decent enough system, but a bit vague and Mike sometimes comes across as borderline schizophrenic.

Granted, Obsidian may not be the best when it comes to graphic engines, but when it comes to dialogue this team pulls out all the stops. There's no black and white here - just so many shades of grey, which means learning to trust your gut becomes vital. Then, when the often dramatic consequences unfold, you genuinely feel it was your actions that shaped them. Cause and effect, baby.

GET SMART

Despite Thorton's rather weedy, campy player model (more Maxwell Smart than Jason Bourne) you will feel like a super spy at times - especially when 'using the shower' in your dilapidated Taipei safehouse operates a lift that transports you down into what can only be described as Thorton's Batcave - complete with high-powered motorbike tunnel exit! Here you'll indulge in intelligence gathering, liaising with your handlers, experimenting with facial hair and even some email flirting.

Video interview

Alpha Protocol

15

3:53 Dev diary #3

THAT'S JUST UNREAL

The shooting's nowhere near as slick as that other Unreal Engine-powered RPG fave, Mass Effect 2, but it's more gratifying and multifaceted. As Thorton levels ups and develops his weapons specialities/perks the initially frustrating: 'I'm shooting this goon repeatedly in the face, but he's not actually taking any damage' routine fades to black and combat becomes very exciting indeed.

There are more than a handful of exceptionally fun shootouts - and most levels are labyrinthine, offering plenty of opportunity to flank (and be flanked!), loads of goodies to pick up and bonus objectives to achieve.

Alpha Protocol Screenshot
Alpha Protocol's a technical turkey but it's also a gripping, innovative and deserving of both success and a sequel. It might look like a dog, but dig deep and you're in for an undercover treat - it's a stonking feeling when a game we were expecting to stink turns out to be a revelation. If you've any interest in RPGs that also deliver explosive action, don't let this double agent slip through the net.

This article was originally published in GamesMaster issue 227. Why not subscribe and get it posted to your door here.

Games Master Magazine
Rob Taylor

The verdict

Score
8.4 10

An ugly duckling that soon becomes a swan. The only spying game you need to play...

Games Master Magazine
Uppers
  • Feeling like a badass spy
  • Flirting with the hot ladies
  • Neat minigames
Downers
  • UE3 visuals look plain hideous in places
  • Riddled with slowdown
  • At times the globe-spanning narrative
Format
PlayStation 3
Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher
Sega
Genre
RPG
Recommended Links
From The Web

Comments

14 comments so far...

  1. Report this post Reply with quote
    splitter on 28 May '10 said:

    Don't know what it is, but I'm just not buying that score. Hope I'm wrong, but seems generous for a 'technical turkey' where 'flirting with the ladies' is one of its main selling points.

  2. Report this post Reply with quote
    lonewolf2002 on 28 May '10 said:

    Sounds like one of the kinder reviews so far, as on metacritic the 3 press reviews there are 60-70%

  3. Report this post Reply with quote
    DrLucienSanchez on 28 May '10 said:

    I would take the opinion of a small child or the tabloid press over Gamesmaster any day of the week.

  4. Report this post Reply with quote
    lordirongut on 29 May '10 said:

    I'm slightly wary of this after it got 2/10 from Destructoid. This is probably the kindest review going on it, though. I'm hoping for some kind of demo otherwise I'll wait 'till I find it in a bargain bin somewhere.

  5. Report this post Reply with quote
    dragonjim on 29 May '10 said:

    dragon age was a technical turkey too, but no one complained because bioware(great developers though) made it.

  6. Report this post Reply with quote
    ian666uk on 29 May '10 said:

    I bought this game yesterday going off this review and the game sucks , the gameplay is awful I tried playing more for the story but the ammount of bugs , rubbish AI and gun play just makes it unplayable for me

  7. Report this post Reply with quote
    The_KFD_Case on 29 May '10 said:

    A bit of a shame I think; I had hoped Alpha Protocol would be more polished as the premise holds much potential IMO. Still, SEGA's Uniloc DRM ensures I won't purchase it first hand on any platform and with the consistently lackluster reviews I have an even easier time justifying a delayed second-hand purchase for the Xbox 360 once the all but inevitable price crash sets in.

    GameSpot gave it 6.0 out of 10.0.

    http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/alp ... %3Ball%3B4

    Update: ...Or maybe not. After reading Destructoid's colorful (and quite entertaining) review IMO, I think I'll pass on Alpha Protocol entirely unless I find it for five quid or less at some point.

    http://www.destructoid.com/review-alpha ... 4617.phtml

  8. Report this post Reply with quote
    dragonjim on 30 May '10 said:

    destructiod gave assassins creed 2 a 4 and people trust them.

  9. Report this post Reply with quote
    samuri7 on 30 May '10 said:

    poor graphics & poor combat cant climb cant go prone SPLINTER CELL AINT GOT ANYTHING 2 WORRY ABOUT. 3rd rate mate

  10. Report this post Reply with quote
    The_KFD_Case on 31 May '10 said:

    destructiod gave assassins creed 2 a 4 and people trust them.

    Considering how many people were in a hurry to trip over themselves in an effort to sing praises to the first AC, and now having tried the game for myself (and completed every achievement), I can state that hype won over actual quality of game play on that occasion. It has been enough to ensure that I won't touch any other AC game.

    But to the heart of the matter: I don't trust any single game reviewing media completely. Same goes for global news outlets which is why I compare sources to measure any discrepancies.

  11. Report this post Reply with quote
    Altered Idol on 31 May '10 said:

    I've been playing the game since Thursday. I bought the game with high hopes and I haven't been disappointed in the least bit.

    The gameplay is great, the dialogue system works very well and you definitely become engrossed in the well-written and well voice-acted story. It feels very realistic and believable and I think its definitely worth the score it received here.

    Yes its not the prettiest game ever, it looks pretty dodgy in a few places. But so did Dragon Age and that is another great game worthy of praise.

    If you can look past the graphics (which arent the worst I've ever seen by the way) then you'll find a very good game.

    Can't wait for the sequel.

  12. Report this post Reply with quote
    seabeast on 1 Jun '10 said:

    I have this on my lovefilm rental list, looking forward to it.

  13. Report this post Reply with quote
    Moribundman on 3 Jun '10 said:

    I think the dev talking in the feedback on Joysttiq saying they should have scrapped this probably firmed up my decision not to buy.

  14. Report this post Reply with quote
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