After just shy of 20 hours, I've finished my first run of Alpha Protocol and what can I say except this game is pure treasure. A welcome edition to my list of all time favorite RPGs. It's not a perfect game by any means but it's special - ambitious and bold and utterly unique.
To date, I don't know if there's been another rpg focused on the subject of espionage, let alone one that's so ready to immerse itself in the style and conventions of that genre without scoffing at them. Mike Thorton is Bond, Bourne, and Ethan Hunt all rolled into one, with lots of blank space left over to make him the kind of protagonist you prefer - from a no-nonsense pro to a goofy if nonetheless empathetic jokester to a loose cannon rogue agent who chews the rules up and spits them back into your face. The dialogue system, designed to have you pick from brief summaries in a short time window, ensures a sort of constant forward momentum in the story and action, keeping the player on their toes constantly while giving them precious little time to second guess their actions. I can see why a system like this would frustrate many players but I was super into it from the jump - the life of a secret agent from the movies is one of split-second decisions with monumental weight and this game dares to put you in that position in a way that I think most modern games never would.
The script is an absolute jewel in how well written it is despite having to account for so many dozens upon dozens of permutations of choice - I can't even begin to imagine just how many there are or just how many things they impact. Nevertheless, the story manages to establish the stakes of its conflict well while still leaving room for a bit of cheekiness. Just a bit though. The script leaves precious little breathing room for non player characters to get as much time to develop as you'd expect in most RPGs, but that both fits the pace of this story and is meant to encourage subsequent playthroughs. And indeed, this game is extremely replayable, as it's not very long and has a contained mission structure to keep you from having to worry about lengthy side quests and collect-athons.
The mechanics themselves are familiar to anyone who's played other cover shooters - very much the genre du jour around the time of this game's release. Both the flow of combat and the progression/leveling feel very reminiscent of Mass Effect 1, which is a system I quite enjoyed, and so I felt very at home in this game. That said, much like Mass Effect 1, this is very much an RPG before it is a shooter - your investment of exp is perhaps a greater determinant of your success in a firefight than raw skill alone. The game's combat also has a martial arts function that allows the player to engage in close quarters fighting seamlessly in a way that's both more interesting mechanically and visually than the sort of generic rifle butt bash that you see in most games. The ability to quickly engage and dispatch of enemies in the middle of a firefight with your bare hands keeps the forward momentum of the action, and by extension the plot, going effectively.
The game's stealth system might not be as robust as what we would expect today - MGSV this is not - but it's nevertheless comfortable and intuitive. It's not without a little jank and you'll probably have your share of "Oh come on, how did he see me?" moments early on but as you figure out the rules and particularities of how stealth functions in this game it becomes one of the most satisfying parts of this game's loop to engage with. Though crucially, stealth never stops being a challenge (at least it wasn't for me with my build) and the tension of sneaking around is preserved all the way through to the final mission.
All in all this is a game where every aspect of its design from its writing to its mechanics to its aesthetic are all in line with one another creating an experience that, though not long, is incredibly memorable. This game begs for a sequel, or some kind of spiritual successor. All props to the team behind it for being willing to tackle the hard subject matter of espionage while keeping the story interesting and relevant almost 15 years after the initial release. This game begs to be played, and with its recent re-release on GOG there is absolutely no excuse not to. If you love RPGS the way I do, you owe it to yourself as a lover of this genre to experience Alpha Protocol.
4/5
Played on Windows PC, on Xbox One Gamepad
To date, I don't know if there's been another rpg focused on the subject of espionage, let alone one that's so ready to immerse itself in the style and conventions of that genre without scoffing at them. Mike Thorton is Bond, Bourne, and Ethan Hunt all rolled into one, with lots of blank space left over to make him the kind of protagonist you prefer - from a no-nonsense pro to a goofy if nonetheless empathetic jokester to a loose cannon rogue agent who chews the rules up and spits them back into your face. The dialogue system, designed to have you pick from brief summaries in a short time window, ensures a sort of constant forward momentum in the story and action, keeping the player on their toes constantly while giving them precious little time to second guess their actions. I can see why a system like this would frustrate many players but I was super into it from the jump - the life of a secret agent from the movies is one of split-second decisions with monumental weight and this game dares to put you in that position in a way that I think most modern games never would.
The script is an absolute jewel in how well written it is despite having to account for so many dozens upon dozens of permutations of choice - I can't even begin to imagine just how many there are or just how many things they impact. Nevertheless, the story manages to establish the stakes of its conflict well while still leaving room for a bit of cheekiness. Just a bit though. The script leaves precious little breathing room for non player characters to get as much time to develop as you'd expect in most RPGs, but that both fits the pace of this story and is meant to encourage subsequent playthroughs. And indeed, this game is extremely replayable, as it's not very long and has a contained mission structure to keep you from having to worry about lengthy side quests and collect-athons.
The mechanics themselves are familiar to anyone who's played other cover shooters - very much the genre du jour around the time of this game's release. Both the flow of combat and the progression/leveling feel very reminiscent of Mass Effect 1, which is a system I quite enjoyed, and so I felt very at home in this game. That said, much like Mass Effect 1, this is very much an RPG before it is a shooter - your investment of exp is perhaps a greater determinant of your success in a firefight than raw skill alone. The game's combat also has a martial arts function that allows the player to engage in close quarters fighting seamlessly in a way that's both more interesting mechanically and visually than the sort of generic rifle butt bash that you see in most games. The ability to quickly engage and dispatch of enemies in the middle of a firefight with your bare hands keeps the forward momentum of the action, and by extension the plot, going effectively.
The game's stealth system might not be as robust as what we would expect today - MGSV this is not - but it's nevertheless comfortable and intuitive. It's not without a little jank and you'll probably have your share of "Oh come on, how did he see me?" moments early on but as you figure out the rules and particularities of how stealth functions in this game it becomes one of the most satisfying parts of this game's loop to engage with. Though crucially, stealth never stops being a challenge (at least it wasn't for me with my build) and the tension of sneaking around is preserved all the way through to the final mission.
All in all this is a game where every aspect of its design from its writing to its mechanics to its aesthetic are all in line with one another creating an experience that, though not long, is incredibly memorable. This game begs for a sequel, or some kind of spiritual successor. All props to the team behind it for being willing to tackle the hard subject matter of espionage while keeping the story interesting and relevant almost 15 years after the initial release. This game begs to be played, and with its recent re-release on GOG there is absolutely no excuse not to. If you love RPGS the way I do, you owe it to yourself as a lover of this genre to experience Alpha Protocol.
4/5
Played on Windows PC, on Xbox One Gamepad
enneyehc
1 month ago
This point is so fascinating to really think about because you're right. When I compare it to other games and specifically the gameplay, this feels like it's really married all the elements together to create an experience. I'm not as far into the game as you, but this review makes me excited to spend more time with it soon.
Also I've been thinking a lot about secret agent media in general because Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Amazon was so disappointing to me (it really didn't seem to care about the secret agent facet and just wanted to be a romantic dramedy, which I can respect, but it's not what I wanted out of the show). There's a real dearth. I'm glad this game exists to fill the gap a bit across all the different storytelling mediums.