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[unagisensei]

Ugh, torn whether to buy this now on D2D, or take my chances that it's around the same price on Steam during the holiday sale. Would really rather have it on Steam...

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I just bought it from the Uk site of d2d: 3,96£ using the promo code.

I hope the patch works on the d2d version.

The digital download patch should work fine.

 

[Redrum_82]

The digital download patch should work fine.

Yes, I can confirm it now.
You can install it, patch it and it doesn't even ask you the cd-key.

I played it a bit and I really like it.

 

[TheVisualizer]

Okay, so this definitely seems like my type of game and I really want to pick it up. I'm just a little skeptical still, so if somebody could answer my questions that would be great. no spoilers please.

1) Does the story change significantly based on your actions? As in, will your choices cause the story to branch off into different directions or does dialog just change how people react to you? Also, how is the story overall?

2) Are the actual missions themselves linear (like in a Call of Duty game) or can you approach them in different ways (like Deus Ex)?

3) Do the bugs significantly detract from the overall experience?

Thanks guys.

1) The story doesn't change much per se, but how all of the characters fit within the story and are involved can drastically change depending on your choices when dealing with them. Depending on what order and how you choose to complete the missions as well as your choices in dialogue there is a lot of different ways things unfold and are revealed to you. You won't see everything in one playthrough, their are a lot of variables to consider. The story isn't really that strong, but the writing and characters are excellent. In that respect it's kind of similar to Mass Effect 2, except your choices actually matter and make a difference in how the actual missions unfold.

2) They are pretty linear, you can definitely approach them in either a stealthy way or run and gun it. You have different skills you can level up that can lead to some different routes, such as being able to hack a security door and cut thru a level, or sabotage devices like turrets against enemies. You can also spend money before the missions on different intel that provides you with detailed maps, weapon drops, secondary objectives etc that add some variety.

3) I played on 360 and didn't run into many bugs that I remember, it's just a somewhat unpolished game that doesn't have big production values. If you don't plan on at least attempting a somewhat stealth approach it's not even worth playing as the shooting mechanic is tied into your attributes, so you can't really run and gun as all the guns are really inaccurate unless you invest all your skill points into them.

If you can pick it up cheap its def worth the price, I bought it when it released, played thru it twice and it's one of my fav games of the year.

 

[archnemesis]

1) Does the story change significantly based on your actions? As in, will your choices cause the story to branch off into different directions or does dialog just change how people react to you? Also, how is the story overall?

I beat the game for the first time yesterday and it sure felt like the story changed because of my actions. You'll still visit the same locations around the world, but you get to choose who are your enemies or your allies. Your decisions also affect your stats. If you spend most of the game doing stealth stuff, like I did, your character will develop a knack for it.

2) Are the actual missions themselves linear (like in a Call of Duty game) or can you approach them in different ways (like Deus Ex)?

It's mostly a choice between stealth or going in with guns blazing. Most levels have a few alternative paths and there are some exploration for loot.

3) Do the bugs significantly detract from the overall experience?

I picked up the PC version from a recent Steam sale and I encountered no bugs. There were some issues with texture loading and the occasional frame drop, but I guess that is to be expected from an Unreal Engine 3 game.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Bought this during the STEAM Thanksgiving sale and I'm glad I did. Only 3-4 hours in (just finished Saudi Arabia) and it's ten times better so far than what I expected. Yes it's a little janky and the enemy AI is terrible, but with that said I've been having a blast. The dialogue system is great, Bioware could learn a thing or two.

 

[Discotheque]

Yeah as an RPG I was really impressed by this game. The dialogue choices and results of your actions really work well in this game. Mass Effect pales in comparison big time in that regard.

Honestly I wish other developers were taking note of stuff like this and Deus Ex, but sadly that's not happening. Oh well, my next super hyped rpg is Deus Ex 3.

 

[Kurtofan]

Am I the only one who sees G22 as a sort of badass Wikileaks with Albatross as Assange? :lol
I know the game was made before the events, but it's pretty funny though

 

[Discotheque]

LOL yes, I thought I was the only one. When I was playing that I kept saying to myself "God damn Assange should get himself a private army"

 

[Instro]

Bought this during the STEAM Thanksgiving sale and I'm glad I did. Only 3-4 hours in (just finished Saudi Arabia) and it's ten times better so far than what I expected. Yes it's a little janky and the enemy AI is terrible, but with that said I've been having a blast. The dialogue system is great, Bioware could learn a thing or two.

Yup I started playing it a few days ago, so far Im enjoying it a lot. Sure it lacks a bit of polish, the dialogue and choice system is fantastic. Seems really underrated, at least the PC version is anyway.

Hopefully this little cult following its starting to get through Steam sales will translate into a sequel at some point.

 

[Dark Stalkers]

Why do some enemies explode when I use phosphorous rounds?

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Just got to the end of Saudi Arabia. My character is completely stealth - I either do stealth kills, or shoot dudes in the head with a silenced pistol. I like that the game seems to be designed a lot around stealth. It must be so boring going through the game just shooting dudes. With that said, the detection seems a bit iffy sometimes. I can be right next to a guy and he doesn't see me, and in the next room my head sticks one inch from behind a box in the wrong way and I get bullets sent my way 1st class.

The story hasn't hooked me yet, but I'm not deep enough I suppose. I've yet to come across any really good dialogue options, either, but again I expect that to change since the main thing I've heard is this game does the choices thing better than Mass Effect.

Not nearly as bad as I heard it was so far. Very enjoyable, in fact.

 

[butsomuch]

RPGSite interview with Josh Gilman (Mike Thorton's voice)

RPGSite: Having voiced characters in several RPG and Action games, you could recently be heard voicing Michael Thornton, the lead in the previously mentioned Alpha Protocol, which combined the two genres. Can you remember when you first auditioned for the role?

Josh: I think it was back in August of '08. Or that might be when we started the sessions. I can't recall.

RPGSite: Are you a fan of the kind of characters Thornton was based on – James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer – and was it fun getting to become a secret agent?

Josh: I'm a fan of Bond, and I've seen the first two Bourne films, but I've never seen "24". And, really, it doesn't feel at all like you're a secret agent when you drive the ten minutes to the recording studio and stand in front of a microphone in whatever t-shirt and jeans you're wearing that day. Not at all glamorous.

RPGSite: The game was delayed several times, eventually arriving the better part of a year late. Do you have any insight as to why it was delayed for such a long time?

Josh: I have an idea of what happened. We worked for months, maybe even half-a-year, before a major script rewrite occurred. When we first started out, Michael Thornton was a completely different character. Suddenly, the entire project did a 180, and about 90% of what we had already recorded was thrown out the window.

It's a real shame, too, because the first plot-line had more to do with character interactions and emotions, which were more fun to play out as an actor. Also, my performance was altered in the second go-around, which I felt gave me less to do as the character. I was at odds with the session director for most of this because she kept telling me to flatten out the performance while I was trying to inject some sort of personality into the character in a failed attempt to reclaim what we had been doing the first months of recording.

RPGSite: How long did it eventually take you to record the game?

Josh: I think we recorded Alpha over a year-and-a-half period, but it's been so long, with so many changes, it's hard to remember. Once we started that second version, though, we really didn't have any long breaks between recordings. Usually a session every couple of weeks to a month.

RPGSite: Despite the extra time they had to develop the new version of the game, it still was not considered successful enough for a sequel. When did you find out and were you disappointed?

Josh: Well, I just found that out now. Thanks. And, no, I'm not really disappointed. Given the delay, and hearing from a lot of people about the quality of the visuals, it doesn't surprise me. I had fun working with most everybody on Alpha, but I've moved on. I guess I'm actually glad I don't have to reprise the Michael Thornton role. It would've been nice to recreate the character we originally started with, but it's too late now.

RPGSite: The game received an average console score of 65% and average PC score of 73% which is far from terrible, so why do you think it failed to catch on?

Josh: For the most part, the visuals. Call of Duty really raised the bar, and if you can't approximate those graphics, people won't care what kind of game you have. It's too bad people can't look beyond the visuals. Also, I personally think my character fell flat, and having to do the same numeric games to unlock/disable keypads can become monotonous. Alpha had a lot of potential, but failed to deliver. And after all the waiting, and all the hype, you better be able to deliver.

RPGSite: Had the possibility of an Alpha Protocol 2 ever been discussed with you and if so were there any concrete plans for where they were going to take the franchise?

Josh: Nothing like that was ever discussed with me. I wasn't privy to any plans they may have had that extended beyond the first game.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

I'm a few more hours into the game, I would suspect about halfway through after doing a few missions at all three main hubs. I'm not a big Obsidian guy (I thint NWN: Mask of the Betrayer is overrated) but I absolutely love this game. Having the time tick away as I sit there debating whether to try to blackmail or play nice with a contact is ten times more intense than 99% of the dialogue choices in all other RPGs.

Any RPG fan who doesn't mind playing through the ugly child of Splinter Cell + Mass Effect should pick this up. So glad I did.

 

[slamskank]

Echoing a lot of posts in here, but this game really wasn't bad. The animations were bad, the balance was poor, the level structure was a bit repetitive, but all in all it was enjoyable. I beat it, which says a lot since there are few I bother to finish these days.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Man, when this game lets you be stealthy it's great, but when it forces you in to combat it fucking sucks.

 

[Stallion Free]

Man, when this game lets you be stealthy it's great, but when it forces you in to combat it fucking sucks.

As you get farther into the game, the combat moments begin to disappear as high level Stealth and Pistols make short work of them.

 

[Azih]

Alright spoiler free answer please from you guys who have finished it concerning Russia.

Spoiler

SIE or G22? God damn has me more twisted up than Rome!

One word answer please!

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I'm hoping so. I'm saving up for a powerful pistol now because my assault rifle skill is 0 and basically useless unless I'm in their face, since I picked stealth as my speciality.

I've just done the mission where you

Spoiler

go in to the embassy in Moscow

and not only were the guards placed in several spots where it was impossible to avoid them or take them out without other guards seeing, but then you had the awful shoot-out at the end with grenade spam and limited ammo.

It kills my enjoyment of the game completely.

 

[Zomba13]

I just thought, if there was a best death animation of the year award this game should win it. All the silly slow-mo, low gravity shit is hilarious. Getting shot in such a way that you literally fly off when you die is awesome.

 

[Karak]

Glad to see people still enjoying this.
I am on my 6th playthrough since its release. I really enjoy it and luckily missed most of the bugs in both the 360 and PC version. I still consider this one of my favorite to play games of all times. I just enjoy everything about it.

 

[Deleted member 13876]

As you get farther into the game, the combat moments begin to disappear as high level Stealth and Pistols make short work of them.

Just bought the game but haven't started yet. I've heard the combat is janky as hell, but some specs make it more tolerable. Is stealth + pistols be the generally recommended way to go to make the combat more bearable?

 

[Stallion Free]

Just bought the game but haven't started yet. I've heard the combat is janky as hell, but some specs make it more tolerable. Is stealth + pistols be the generally recommended way to go to make the combat more bearable?

Yep.

 

[Durante]

not only were the guards placed in several spots where it was impossible to avoid them or take them out without other guards seeing

I don't believe that there is a single such spot in the game.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Alright spoiler free answer please from you guys who have finished it concerning Russia.

Spoiler

SIE or G22? God damn has me more twisted up than Rome!

One word answer please!

Why would you ever pick anything aside from

Spoiler

SIE

? What a goddess.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Just bought the game but haven't started yet. I've heard the combat is janky as hell, but some specs make it more tolerable. Is stealth + pistols be the generally recommended way to go to make the combat more bearable?

If it really bugs you, there are config files you can edit to adjust accuracy, weapon strength, etc. (assuming you got the PC version).

 

[Azih]

Why would you ever pick anything aside from

Spoiler

SIE

? What a goddess.

I just kinda feel sorry for

Spoiler

Sister

too.

 

[Stallion Free]

I just kinda feel sorry for

Spoiler

Sister

too.

I went with

Spoiler

Sis

myself because I just liked her better.

 

[Azih]

If it really bugs you, there are config files you can edit to adjust accuracy, weapon strength, etc. (assuming you got the PC version).

You got a link?

 

[Azih]

I went with

Spoiler

Sis

myself because I just liked her better.

Spoiler

Albatross

is an asshole though.

 

[Stallion Free]

Spoiler

Albatross

is an asshole though.

Well to be honest

Spoiler

Sie

creeped the shit out of me. And made me feel like less of a man.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Well to be honest

Spoiler

Sie

creeped the shit out of me. And made me feel like less of a man.

Hah, I had the opposite reaction. Complete boner.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I'm finding myself liking the smaller scale missions.

I just did the quick job where you had to

Spoiler

go and bug the CIA house in Rome

and it was amazing. Taking out the cameras, sneaking past the guard, downloading data, creating a distraction, being careful not to hurt any guards, and then slip out undetected. Wonderful.

Compare that to the mission before, attacking

Spoiler

Brayko's mansion

where my amazing stealth skills were constantly ruined by the game forcing me in to a huge firefight. Not to mention the actual boss fight was something out of Dead Rising 2 - completely gimmicky, camp and ruins the entire atmosphere of the modern spy story.

 

[Stallion Free]

Not to mention the actual boss fight was something out of Dead Rising 2 - completely gimmicky, camp and ruins the entire atmosphere of the modern spy story.

Idk, the whole game is kind of campy and I love it for that.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

It's sort of Metal Gear Solid level of camp, which I like. Masculine Russian soldiers, dozens of different factions, etc etc.

But a guy jumping around a room to 80s pop? Just didn't seem to fit. Especially when the conversation instantly when back to arms deals and double crosses.

 

[mik]

Crazy talk. Everything to do with Brayko is 100% awesome.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I let him live because I needed the money. If I get another chance, he's eating a bullet.

 

[Jerk]

Crazy talk. Everything to do with Brayko is 100% awesome.

I second this.

 

[Yasser]

I second this.

i just wanted his banging sound system

 

[Bebpo]

Reading all the positive reactions since release, it's really a shame the game bombed and any idea of sequels were ditched right away. It's defintely a buggy rough game not for everyone, but if you like it, you really like it and going by this thread there are plenty of people who liked it. The game was really creative and well written in its branching story with sharp and sometimes hilarious dialogue. Classic campy characters, great email branching dialogues. I really feel AP took the genre in a positive direction and another game that refined the gameplay side while pushing the story side even further would have been amazing. But now it will be relegated to cult classic in the future years/decades. I just hope Obsidian takes what worked from AP in story branching and tries implementing it in a future game.

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

So yeah. I'm stuck on the helicopter fight. How many rockets does it take to bring it down? I keep getting KO'd by splash damage here when going through narrower spaces.

 

[kamspy]

Brayko is the motherfucking man.

 

[Bebpo]

So yeah. I'm stuck on the helicopter fight. How many rockets does it take to bring it down? I keep getting KO'd by splash damage here when going through narrower spaces.

8 iirc. Basically you have to hit it with every single one. Worst part of the game by far until you get it down so you can do it easily on further replays.

 

[archnemesis]

There are seven rockets in the area and I'm pretty sure I only needed five of them to bring it down on normal difficulty.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Argh this game just doesn't reward good stealth play. At the

Spoiler

ruins in Rome

I was an absolutely GHOST. I flew through the place taking out guards before they knew what hit them and not one had the slightest hint I was there. Once I downloaded the data? Wave after wave of enemy trying to kill me. It's bollocks. You should have a different outcome if you did the mission stealthy.

The game is really good with the consequences of dialogue options, but less so with the way you tackle the missions sometimes.

Is there a NG+? I really hope there is because the game is so fun now I can take out a room full of guys in an instant. I'd like to replay it to see various outcomes, but if I have to start from scratch that isn't happening. The game is too frustrating to put up with that again.

Despite my complaints in this thread I am really enjoying the game - it just gets so close to being a great title, then does stupid things which annoy me. They ultimately hold it back.

I'm on to my last location now.

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

There are seven rockets in the area and I'm pretty sure I only needed five of them to bring it down on normal difficulty.

Thanks guys, will try this next time. It's so close I could taste it, but this damn fight is bringing out everything I hate about the game.

I don't know what's more amazing, the amount of choice you have in the game or that all the boss encounters are hilariously terrible. Except Turn Up The Radio, that's about as surreal as a video game is going to get. :lol

 

[D2M15]

Reading all the positive reactions since release, it's really a shame the game bombed and any idea of sequels were ditched right away.

Only by Sega. Sure, Beta Protocol's highly unlikely, but at least Obsidian have the IP rights and the ideas for where to take it (somewhere pretty different, apparently), as opposed to any number of other cult most-wanted sequels where the rights and creators are scattered to the winds.

 

[subversus]

Only by Sega. Sure, Beta Protocol's highly unlikely, but at least Obsidian have the IP rights and the ideas for where to take it (somewhere pretty different, apparently), as opposed to any number of other cult most-wanted sequels where the rights and creators are scattered to the winds.

No, Sega has them.

 

[D2M15]

That's not what members of the dev team have stated, unless there's newer, awfuler news.

 

[vocab]

Does Alpha Protocol still ask you to activate it with the DRM removed?

I even patched it with the link from sega to make sure, but game sill crashes on startup.