FiOth
Dedicated Gamer
- May 10, 2011
- 121
What happened to ALPHA PROTOCOL is surely the worst crime committed against gaming since the abandonment of the Dreamcast by SEGA...
Seriously. As a dedicated RPGer I had pre-ordered the game quite some time before its release but decided to cancel since I read a lot of overwhelmingly negative reviews. Little did I know about how epidermic the judgment of most "journalists" has become these days and how easy it is for a game to fall under the radar - and the public's good graces - if it doesn't include flashy tech and exposed breasts...
It's not the pretties game you've ever played, not by a longshot. But interesting artistic direction and abundance of different locales keep things interesting
First things first, this is an RPG experience to the core. The amount of decision-making and serious consequences you will have to face is such that it makes most of the other big competitors in the genre seem simplistic and predictable in comparison. Don't take this the wrong way, I absolutely LOVE titles like Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3/ New Vegas and Mass Effect - I personally consider the second installment the best western non-free-roaming RPG of all time - but really, here the stakes in terms of what you do and what you can expect are MUCH higher. Who lives and who dies, who will be the games main villain and who will be your partner are just some examples. Suffice to say, there is a ton of replayability here and to witness each outcome one will have to plan carefully and dedicate lots of time.
I could really go on forever about the game's graces, but of course it's not all bags of gold and rainbows. The game's tech is pretty archaic - it positively looks like an average XBOX title from 2005 - and some of the mechanics are quite problematic. Worst of all, the AI is totally unpredictable, in the worst possible way. Enemies will spot you without seeing you, they will react by lobbing grenades and shouting profanities just as they go down from a bullet. It gets old fast.
The game's progression system borrows heavily from BioWare's masterpiece. Well, nothing bad in using something that works, lack of inspiration aside
But apart from all this, AP is really a rough diamond like few we've ever seen. It wouldn't be an overstatement to call it one of the 10 best RPGs I've ever played and believe me, I've played most.
So if you consider yourself a dedicated RPG fan and are willing to look past some old tech and the occasional bug do yourself a favor: Experience this title. Like each and every one of its characters, AP is full of charisma and wit... even if it sometimes looks a little wrinkled.
Seriously. As a dedicated RPGer I had pre-ordered the game quite some time before its release but decided to cancel since I read a lot of overwhelmingly negative reviews. Little did I know about how epidermic the judgment of most "journalists" has become these days and how easy it is for a game to fall under the radar - and the public's good graces - if it doesn't include flashy tech and exposed breasts...
It's not the pretties game you've ever played, not by a longshot. But interesting artistic direction and abundance of different locales keep things interesting
First things first, this is an RPG experience to the core. The amount of decision-making and serious consequences you will have to face is such that it makes most of the other big competitors in the genre seem simplistic and predictable in comparison. Don't take this the wrong way, I absolutely LOVE titles like Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3/ New Vegas and Mass Effect - I personally consider the second installment the best western non-free-roaming RPG of all time - but really, here the stakes in terms of what you do and what you can expect are MUCH higher. Who lives and who dies, who will be the games main villain and who will be your partner are just some examples. Suffice to say, there is a ton of replayability here and to witness each outcome one will have to plan carefully and dedicate lots of time.
I could really go on forever about the game's graces, but of course it's not all bags of gold and rainbows. The game's tech is pretty archaic - it positively looks like an average XBOX title from 2005 - and some of the mechanics are quite problematic. Worst of all, the AI is totally unpredictable, in the worst possible way. Enemies will spot you without seeing you, they will react by lobbing grenades and shouting profanities just as they go down from a bullet. It gets old fast.
The game's progression system borrows heavily from BioWare's masterpiece. Well, nothing bad in using something that works, lack of inspiration aside
But apart from all this, AP is really a rough diamond like few we've ever seen. It wouldn't be an overstatement to call it one of the 10 best RPGs I've ever played and believe me, I've played most.
So if you consider yourself a dedicated RPG fan and are willing to look past some old tech and the occasional bug do yourself a favor: Experience this title. Like each and every one of its characters, AP is full of charisma and wit... even if it sometimes looks a little wrinkled.
