A modern day spy RPG. In the near future, worldwide political tensions are at a breaking point when a commercial airliner is shot down by a U.S. missile over Eastern Europe, killing all aboard. The U.S. government claims no involvement, and dispatches Agent Michael Thorton to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. As the first modern day spy role-playing game, Alpha Protocol offers unprecedented control over the development of Thorton's abilities and his interactions with other characters. Upgrade skills such as physical combat, weapons mastery, cutting-edge technology and even seduction as you grow in experience and complete missions.
A 2020 Review - Alpha Protocol (PC, 2010)
Score: 6/10
Mediocrity Score: Mediocrity on a Good Day.
While taking it slightly out of context - Christian Donlan with Eurogamer describes it best, "[Alpha Protocol is] a contemporary super-spy mod of Mass Effect...".
Tags: A few words or tags that come to mind are: entertaining, anticlimactic, buggy, bittersweet.
Avg. Time to beat: 13 hours
Quickest Speedrun: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Ten years after its release, Alpha Protocol still sneaks by with a passing grade. A spy thriller, action role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment casts Michael Thorton as the spy protagonist. Diving deeper into the world, you'll be split between safe houses in Taipei, Rome, and Moscow where you'll execute various missions. While I found this title to be quite buggy and shallow in some respects, it still managed to entertain and amuse its way into my recommended list - even if narrowly. Many accounts have detailed the many missteps between Obsidian and Sega, but ultimately lack of direction and organization is what led to this release not being more of a slam dunk. Alpha Protocol has entertaining gameplay and the narrative, characters, and dialogue hold up well. Unfortunately where it sags down is in its lack of depth. Many components or aspects of the game either feel shallow and unfinished, or appear to be directly lifted and shifted in from other games (like Mass Effect in terms of leveling up, skill progression, and combat). I feel much today about this game as I did the first time I played it. And In a way, it's satisfying to see that my opinions on some things don't change through the years. I just wish in the case of Alpha Protocol, they weren't so bittersweet.
Pros:
- Character progression and leveling are rewarding and leave you excited to play further.
- Shooting the AI like fish in a barrel. It's also a barrel of fun.
- Reputation system makes conversation and dialogue choices all the more interesting.
- While minor - cool thematic settings, locations, and safe houses. They breathe some extra life into the game.
- Great and fitting characters. While there are some exceptions, most play their part well and add an extra bit of intrigue.
- Unique concept we don't see enough of. Spy action RPG.
Cons:
- AI is absolutely dreadful and brain dead.
- Unfulfilling ending conclusion. Especially with the characters outside of Michael.
- Dialogue options can feel shallow and limited. The responses based on options can be a bit off.
- The main character, Michael Thorton. I just don't like him.
- Bugs & Crashing are a present and occurred numerous times.
- Limitations of stealth and the options to employ it.
It's an odd experience in that I found it entertaining and wanted to keep playing, but on a component level, I found a mess of problems across the board. I think the entertainment in Alpha Protocol ultimately boils down to getting more stuff so you can kill more bad guys, rinse and repeat. Multiple weapons, armor, and gadgets; Lots of which can be upgraded or modified in some way. As you level up and your skills refine, you can really feel the difference in combat and gameplay. It does get a bit repetitive at the end of the game which felt appropriately long. Overall I found the game to be quite entertaining. All issues aside, I still enjoyed Alpha Protocol and would recommend it. Just keep your expectations realistic if not low.
Alpha Protocol is almost exactly how I had remembered; good but not great. A lukewarm, bittersweet, "so close" kind of game. It got some things right, but did a lot wrong - or sometimes even really wrong. Part of what makes Alpha Protocol good is it taking a different approach in being an action spy RPG adventure that has a skill map and leveling up involved. Very standard fare for modern fantasy games, but not for action games and certainly not any spy ones. It's just such a cool and refreshing genre and idea. Unfortunately, that alone is not a sufficient selling point to lure people into playing. It had a rough time during development and had to be majorly redone in parts. I think it shows through in many spots, but for the most part, holds up. I'd fully support either an HD re-release or a new title in the series.
If you're wondering where Alpha Protocol can be purchased, sales for Alpha Protocol halted in Summer 2019 due to expired licenses for music within the game.
If you have any interest in gaming history, I strongly recommend the following article which provides back story and interviews with the developers about the making of the game. It's quite a fascinating read that highlights why some aspects of the game seem so messy or poorly thought out.
Thanks for reading!
+Story
+Dialogue options are provide a deeper and more nuanced playthrough everytime (although its a shame that you don't really know what your char is going to say, you only get one word summary),
+Stealth, it is quite hard forcing you to rely on your various abilities at times (esp on hard). However at times you have to go into combat which is a shame but for the most part its one of the most challenging stealth games out there ATM.
-Serious mouse stuttering issues (using various tweaks to minimise it)
-Can't rebind the PDA button on PC
-Hacking uses the default use key instead of the one you set it to, meaning it takes some getting use to pressing the space bar instead (your average persons jump button)
-Graphics by default are toned down due to it being made primarily for the consoles, meaning you have to edit the APGame.ini to bring highpoly character models in, x16 anistropic filtering and shadows on all of the game environment.
Un jeu cool et atypique. Le côté RPG y est basique mais le jeu se voit amélioré grace à lui.
Some Shaky Combat Mechanics and Visual Downgrades don't stop this game from being an underrated classic. With an engrossing story, complex multi layered relationship and choice systems, even on my 5th playthrough, the game still offers much more depth and content in terms of story than games like the walking dead season 2 or Game of thrones (Both Telltale) Yep.... I said it!
May not be the best game but its still good
lots of fun with multiple choices
Absolutely agree with Sanguinius! Amazing game, but leaves you wanting more. Going through my second playthrough now.