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Game Informer April Issue - Alpha Protocol Cover Story (Obsidian's New Action RPG)
- Thread starter Sallokin
- Start date
Fragamemnon
Member
Going for a ME/Deus Ex style game is a pretty solid (if ambitious) way of expanding their name beyond Bioware-styled CRPGs. Here's hoping they can pull it off bugfree, polished, and complete, things that have challenged them through no fault of their own (though to be fair, last year's tremendious Mask of the Betrayer had none of the rough edges KotOR2 or NWN2 had at release).
Future PhaZe
Member
Don't worry guys, I'm sure a Gears of War 2 cover is coming up soon.
Honestly though, at the least the magazine has some meat and decent previews. If it costs a few shitty scores here or there...who cares
.
Honestly though, at the least the magazine has some meat and decent previews. If it costs a few shitty scores here or there...who cares
.Snaku said:
Here's a bit from the review. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the whole thing.
...Unfortunately the path you travel to guide Zack to that fate isn't exactly full of excitement. Crisis Core is intriguing from a story perspective, but the mechanics of playing the game are far less engaging. You tromp through various maps, encounter enemies at every node, and slash through them using one-button combos. Magic and other special attacks are accessed by cycling through materia, but you'll usually do just fine with only your sword...
They also say the side quests are sort of bland etc. the review is really short actually.
TurtleSnatcher
Member
GI only does world exclusives it feels like... I bet we won't see a GoW2 cover =[Dark FaZe said:Don't worry guys, I'm sure a Gears of War 2 cover is coming up soon.
Honestly though, at the least the magazine has some meat and decent previews. If it costs a few shitty scores here or there...who cares
Damn you world!
Classic_Gs
Member
Great score for Condemned 2
FF: CC was lower than I expected
Lost = :lol
FF: CC was lower than I expected
Lost = :lol
Dead Prince
Banned
Sallokin said:
oh. they won't enjoy White Knight Chronicles then ;o
SolidSnakex
Member
Stumpokapow said:
Are those their complaints? If so then how the hell did it score that?
Is this clip on YouTube or something? I keep seeing this GIF but I want to watch the full thingSnaku said:
Edit: found it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTRIVskXwM
Barakov
Member
Sallokin said:
"Do just fine with your sword". Really? Playing the Japanese version I remember relying on more than my sword. Whoever reviewed this needs to go back and play this some more.
The sidequests definitely could've of used some variety. They were basically go here and kill this enemy.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
I never realized that Jason Bourne, James Bond, and Jack Bauer all have the same initials. =/
It's hard to get psyched about those Rainbow Six 2 scores when the reviews seem all over the place this month.
It's hard to get psyched about those Rainbow Six 2 scores when the reviews seem all over the place this month.
SolidSnakex
Member
batbeg said:
Oh ok. Although it seems like every review (even thosethat give it good scores) describe it as being useless unless you're a fan of the show.
SuperSonic1305
Member
The Lost review is easily explained.
"UBISOFT TOOK MA SON"
"UBISOFT TOOK MA SON"
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
KGKK said:
ISNZ THIS BANNABLE
right dude?
Start getting pumped for R6:V2 bitches. Granted I was disappointed by the shameless rehashing of locale (Ubi: what the fuck dude we already made all these casino art assets, can't they just fight in Vegas again or something?) but shit it looks like they tightened up an already tight game and it's not like the story was anything other than 4th rate Tom Clancy (Clancy being a second rate Larry Bond) poorly told anyway. Terr hunt woooooo.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
SolidSnakex said:
Those are my complaints but I assure you, I'm legit. This is not a good game. I'm a real lover of budget trash and awful games, but this was not even a good awful game.
Playthrough time:
First playthrough with girlfriend, playthrough time was about 5 hours + 1 hour to unlock the rest of the "bonus" content. Second playthrough, solo, took me 2 hours and 55 minutes to 1000/1000 the game.
Plot:
- If you're a fan, here's why this will drive you nuts: Jack and Sayid are portrayed as if they're consistently nutcases who do nothing but torture and beat up people. Major characters are completely written out (Alex, every non-Juliet, Ben, and Tom other, Ana-Lucia, Libby, Mr. Eko, Walt, Boone, Shannon, Rose, Bernard). Major characters appear once or twice in the game and then disappear afterwards (Desmond, Sawyer, Charlie, Claire, Michael, Jin, Sun, ). The main character of the game discovers a number of significant Lost events before the rest of the castaways, resulting in a Nikki-and-Paulo-esque feeling of "why the fuck is this guy here when the main characters aren't here". Locke's character is basically a stoner, since they gutted him of all his practical acumen and left him with his bizarre pseudo-philosophical bullshit. Kate and Locke are the only characters with actual substantial parts. Kate's character is basically far kinder and almost a floozy than her in-show character. Locke's character inexplicably
lets the main character leave the island in the ending, dropping all protests he made all throughout the game
- If you're not a fan, the game makes no sense. Major events in the plot happen without you being informed. Major characters are referenced without ever appearing on screen and no details given about them--who is Rousseau? Who is Arzt? Why did people leave the island on a boat? Why did some of them come back while others didn't with no explanation? Why is there suddenly a ton of food at the beach? The game does not establish ANY of the mythos about the Island, with the exception of during the ending and the smoke monster. For the remainder of the time, you're left wondering "Why don't I just leave the island normally?"
- The "new" story of the main character is boring. He's a journalist. He did something shady in his past. The development is about equivalent to one flashback episode of Lost.
Voice Acting:
- Ben, Sun, Desmond, Claire, Tom, and Mikhail are the real voice actors. Everyone on that list except Ben has only one or two lines. Claire does not sound like Claire, even though it's the same actress.
- The rest of the actors range from poor (Kate, Jack, Sayid) to AWFUL (Charlie, Locke; Locke's is SEGA Arcade game level bad).
Core gameplay:
- There is a trading system. You pick up fruit and beer and water and trade it for useful items. The trading takes place based on bartering. You offer so much in exchange for so much. You are shown the "dollar value" if what you offer and what you want. No one ever accepts a trade that is not a fair deal for them, and you're an idiot if you offer more than you have to since you already know the value of what you want. There are probably around 500-700 dollars worth of items to pick up in the game; to finish the game, you need about 150 dollars. You need to buy one gun, three torches, a lantern, and one can of lamp oil. Everything else in the game is extraneous. The game offers you items like extra bullets, but...
- Shooting. There is a shooting mechanic. There are three times in the game where you have to fire your gun, for a total of four bullets fired. You receive 15 bullets for free and there's a clip of ammo that you can't miss, bringing your total to 30 bullets. You can ONLY use the gun during these three scenes. The first of which, you have a long time to aim before you are shot. The second of which is a quick-draw competition. The third of which is a remarkably stupid scene where Jack and Kate are held hostage by the Others and you are given an infinite amount of time to decide what or who to shoot in order to save everyone.
- Photography. Every episode, you have a flashback where a limited 10 second-1 minute set of character actions is played out. You can adjust your zoom and your focus in order to capture the right moment in this set of actions. If you get it wrong, you have an infinite number of more tries. If you get it right, you progress. Outside these flashbacks, you use your camera to take pictures of stuff to earn achievements (Locke's wheelchair, the Medical station logo, Hurley's van, etc.) These are entirely optional.
- Fuse puzzles. About half a dozen times in the game you need to solve a puzzle where you put fuses in holes. I thought the puzzles were neat, but they certainly wore out their welcome.
- Talking. Talking consists of back-and-forth between you and one other character. You can ask them about your inventory, which is useless. You can asked them small-talk questions, which are all throughout the game completely useless except to hear Charlie's impostor sing YOU ALL EVERYBODY. You can ask them a plot question to continue the plot. No choice, no variety, poorly written.
- Dharma IQ Tests. Three times in the game, you can answer 2-3 question Dharma IQ Tests to progress. The questions are like "Continue the pattern: Z, X, C, V, B, _" (the answer is N; look at your keyboard) or "Continue the pattern: 1, 10, 19, __". You're an idiot if you get these wrong.
- Run from the Black Smoke. Several times in the game, you have to run from the Black Smoke. It's sort of scary. Certainly a highlight in the game. You run from flag to flag in the jungle. If the smoke sees you, you hide in a thicket. It goes away, you continue.
- Crash Bandicoot. Twice in the game you have to run. You have two moves; jump over shit, duck under shit. It takes place like the old crash bandicoot levels where the boulders are chasing you, only this time it's the Black Smoke and later you are rushing towards an area for a certain plot-related reason.
- Walk through dark shit. Three times in the game, you have to walk through a dark area. Here's how it works; to progress, you need to light a torch or lantern. If you see bats or water, turn off your torch or lantern. You slowly use up the items and require replenishing to continue. If you turn off your stuff for too long, you die instantly.
This is literally 100% of the gameplay in the game. If you read this, you just played through Lost: Via Domus. Everything else in the game consists of walking from point A to point B and triggering the next gameplay mechanic. Don't think of walking in the wrong direction, since there are invisible walls everywhere. You thought you could explore? :lol
Graphics:
- Character models; ugly.
- Environments; gorgeous.
That's the long and the short of it.
You're an idiot if you buy this game. If you are an extreme fan or an achievement whore, this is worth a mild rent. I would not pay more than $5-$7 to play the game. This review is easily 2 points too high on an ordinary grading scale and 4 points too high on an EDGE-tough scale.
Death_Born
Banned
Game Informer? With those obviously bribed reviews, more like Game Mobster.
Patrick Klepek
furiously molesting tim burton
Lost doesn't piss on the TV show's canon, it just does a shitty job shoehorning a new character into the plot. It's poor fan service in a game that's all ABOUT fan service.
No Means Nomad
Banned
monkspider said:
Brutal Legend my not let you "bag tons of chicks" but look at it's superficially silicon offerings: Brutal Legend has groupies and giant vagina monsters.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
eXxy said:
I think if you interpret the game to be a retelling of Lost, it pisses all over it. Characters are portrayed in a way completely unlike their on-show characters. Characters are missing and unmentioned. Characters are missing and mentioned with no elaboration. The device behind the magnetic wall is introduced like a piece of poor fanfiction. The character can go to the medical station without leaving the beach (even if it is an easter egg). The flame is inside the sonic fence. Beady-eyes holds Mikhail hostage; WTF? The computer in Mikhail's office suggests that Kate has already escaped from prison (and thus Jack should be in the underwater jail) but then a few minutes later, Jack and Kate are at the beach and have never been to the Other's camp. Sun speaks English with no explanation of why. Locke inexplicably lets Elliott
leave the island
blowing up the Other's sub
The ending will also end up contradicting the official island mythos by the time the show is over, I can guarantee it.
If you interpret this game to be a game about a plane crash on an island that shares a large number of characters and situations with Lost, it leaves the show's canon intact but... it doesn't make any fucking sense because of the constant references to major events that are not shown. It's like a series of totally disconnected vignettes if you don't connect them into the official canon.
I've spent way too long talking about a game I didn't even like.
LordAzrael
Banned
Goddamn, I love Obsidian, but I am fucking sick of shooting people. Really.
Can't people think of more creative ways to make games? I used to be into shooters hardcore, but after emptying untold amounts of rounds into virtual bodies, its fucking old. Find a new way to interact with worlds, guys. I know Obsidian is better than this.
Can't people think of more creative ways to make games? I used to be into shooters hardcore, but after emptying untold amounts of rounds into virtual bodies, its fucking old. Find a new way to interact with worlds, guys. I know Obsidian is better than this.
Jason's Ultimatum
Member
I need this issue now or at least the cover pic on GI's site!
Also, I hope the animation isn't terrible when it comes to CQC.
Also, I hope the animation isn't terrible when it comes to CQC.
As far as I know, the lead designer on Alpha Protocol is Chris Avellone (Planescape: Torment, KotOR2: The Sith Lords) and the creative lead(lead writer) is Brian Mitsoda (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines).
Obsidian has two development team. One for Alpha Protocol and the other for Aliens.Quazar said:
Broadbandito
Member
Sallokin said:
Awesome