Alpha Protocol - News Roundup

[Dhruin]

Here's a small collection of Alpha Protocol news as we enter the final stretch before release.

CVG's second video (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=248187) from their review copy shows off some stealthing.
There are contests at CVG (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=244248) and The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/contests/register/SpyProtocol).
A new Sega video titled Sly Ol' Dog (http://blogs.sega.com/europe/2010/05/25/alpha-protocol-sly-ol-dog/), showing the infiltration of a mansion.
...and an interview at MSXbox World (http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/features/article/427/Exclusive-Alpha-Protocol-Interview-with-Obsidian-Entertainment.html) with unnamed developers:
How much exploration will there be in terms of mission structure, can gamers expect to look off the beaten track for example to discover new things, new ways to tackle objectives? How much freedom will the player have? Will players be able to revisit locations to explore?

Players will have an option to choose the order of missions and operations. The chosen order will affect the way the game will play out. Some missions will disappear or appear, if a certain mission is completed before it. Due to the reactive nature of the story and Locations, players will not be able to revisit mission.
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=15005)

[Maylander]

While all that is good'n dandy, where are all the reviews? The game is being released this week (unless it has been pushed back?), so we should be seeing something more than previews soon..

I've only seen one review so far, and that was hardly the most thorough review I've read.

[bemushroomed]

Lots of people playing the pirate (i guess?) 360 version.

People are complaining about the graphics (expected). People also complain about the controlls, very large crosshairs and that the AI is bad. Nonetheless they say it's better than the sum of its parts..

bushwacka wrote; "it's like if metal gear solid 4 and mass effect had a child, but daddy worked at a nuclear powerplant and mommy smoked a pack a day during pregnancy. a bit wonky and not that nice to look at, but special. in a good way." :biggrin:

[WorstUsernameEver]

For once the version it's not pirated though :P It seems that simply stores broke the release embargo and released it before the planned date in France and Australia.
I'm getting a positive vibe by the impressions so far, though of course, some of the negative may be a turn-off for some.

[DArtagnan]

It's definitely pirated on the Xbox - and I frequent sites where people freely pirate stuff. That's not an endorsement, by the way.

Sounds to me like my fears are confirmed, and that people are responding quite negatively to the clunky technical state of the game, as per usual with Obsidian. The problem, if there is one, is that it's a game that would normally appeal to mainstream gamers - and as such their reactions have the potential to hurt the success of the game.

I'll wait until I hear something based on a legitimate version, and I'm going for the PC version - but things aren't sounding very good.

But, I can deal with clunky subpar technical stuff, if the game is good. I'm still hoping it will be, but I'm not really into the genre either way.

[bemushroomed]

yeah where i read the comments i guess most play the pirate version since its a site for warez discussions (though many hardcore RPG'ers there, that's why i like to read there + its where impressions of new games comes up days or weeks before sites like this ;) )

PC version should at least have better controlls + i hope you can edit for how long the dead bodies stays. In the 360 version they disapear within a few seconds which is extremely lame.

[Lemonhead]

i hope you can edit for how long the dead bodies stays. In the 360 version they disapear within a few seconds which is extremely lame.

Why do developers remove dead bodies anyway? To reduce the number of polygons on the screen? Just to annoy? If I return to to a location after a certain amount of time then I expect bodies to be gone, but removing them after a few seconds is always bad in my book.

[joxer]

People are complaining about the graphics (expected).
Those people prolly wanted brainwashing FPS and not a RPG. ;)

mommy smoked a pack a day during pregnancy.
A pack? Of weed? Goody! :D

[DArtagnan]

Why do developers remove dead bodies anyway? To reduce the number of polygons on the screen? Just to annoy? If I return to to a location after a certain amount of time then I expect bodies to be gone, but removing them after a few seconds is always bad in my book.

Most likely a combination of issues.

Bookkeeping can be expensive in terms of memory, and the size of savegames can be increased - and dead bodies can be quite expensive as you mention, in terms of GPU/CPU workload, and bodies tend to be interactive using the physics system of whatever engine (I assume it's Havok/Unreal here). Especially if it's a game that could potentially have a LOT of dead bodies - in which case the game could be bogged down in certain scenarios that are hard to prepare for, as a developer - because gamers can be weird ;)

Oh, and I believe the latest versions of the Unreal engine is particularly expensive in terms of PC/NPC polygons/meshes - because they're incredibly detailed compared to most other engines. This is especially evident in games like Batman: AA - and the Mass Effect games.

[bemushroomed]

Those people prolly wanted brainwashing FPS and not a RPG. ;)

Nope most of those people were enjoying it even though the graphics are dated. BUT, there's nothing that says that a RPG has to have dated graphics (/shitty texture/model artists). Graphics are very important for atmosphere imo.

[Dhruin]

Comments I've read have been broadly positive. It seems to take people a mission or two to get past their action-game expectations and settle in to the RPG landscape but I think it bodes fairly well. It does seem to take a little while to get over the initial impression and expectations, though.

Comments from Denny Atken, editor at xbox.com:

Well, honestly, I haven't gotten that far into it -- past the training and into the first major operation. My initial reaction, based on the 2008-level graphics and the "I thought we decided last year that we didn't like these any more" hacking puzzles, was kinda "meh." But once I put a few hours into it, the gameplay's a lot of fun -- BioWare-ish character interactions, better shooter/stealth gameplay than the BioWare games, and I see tons of potential for customizing your character's play style down the road.

My co-host has played well over a dozen hours and absolutely loves it. Says the missions have been really great and the ability unlocks make for a very interesting game.

I have to put a lot of hours into it this week as it's our Insider Moves show on LIVE next week, so I'll have a more solid opinion in a couple of days.

[DArtagnan]

Comments I've read have been broadly positive. It seems to take people a mission or two to get past their action-game expectations and settle in to the RPG landscape but I think it bodes fairly well. It does seem to take a little while to get over the initial impression and expectations, though.

Comments from Denny Atken, editor at xbox.com:

Well, honestly, I haven't gotten that far into it — past the training and into the first major operation. My initial reaction, based on the 2008-level graphics and the "I thought we decided last year that we didn't like these any more" hacking puzzles, was kinda "meh." But once I put a few hours into it, the gameplay's a lot of fun — BioWare-ish character interactions, better shooter/stealth gameplay than the BioWare games, and I see tons of potential for customizing your character's play style down the road.

My co-host has played well over a dozen hours and absolutely loves it. Says the missions have been really great and the ability unlocks make for a very interesting game.

I have to put a lot of hours into it this week as it's our Insider Moves show on LIVE next week, so I'll have a more solid opinion in a couple of days.

Certainly more positive than the stuff I've been reading, so that's great :)

[Maylander]

Surprisingly positive to be honest, especially regarding the combat (I expect interesting characters etc from Obsidian), thanks Dhruin.

[Starwars]

Most impressions I've read have also been positive once people get past the "dated graphics" blockade. It does seem a bit unpolished and all that but a lot of people report being sucked in as they go on in the game and once they understand that maybe trying to stealth isn't a good thing to do when you haven't put any points into the stealth skill.

[northreign]

I love graphics and just pre-ordered it. They contradict each other but that's the way it is =)

[JDR13]

Due to the reactive nature of the story and Locations, players will not be able to revisit mission.


So areas are permanently closed off once you've finished the missions?

That's not something I wanted to hear.:-/

[Ausir]

We have a contest at Alpha Protocol Wiki as well:

http://alphaprotocol.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/Alpha_Protocol_iPod_Touch_giveaway

[Dhruin]

15 minutes of rushed impressions (13 hour work day - just can't keep going).

Graphics are much nicer than I expected - it's looks quite good (not cutting edge good, but better than I expected). Good framerate (so far) on a lowish system with most things enabled or high.

Control feels decent, though not as sharp as the best action games - perhaps better than Mass Effect 1 but not as smooth as Mass Effect 2 or "real" shooters. You can select locations when you're in cover and have Mike dive / run automatically to them by pressing space, which is nice.

The first two dialogues have a choice with a very minor consequence - not bad straight off the bat. The mini-games (hacking, lock-picking) aren't too bad as far as mini-games go. The hacking one actually makes some sense, though I'm sure it will get tiresome after the entire game.

…And that's it for now. Definitely feels promising to me but there's a long road ahead.

[holeraw]

Would you say that the game seems to be in the vein of Mass Effect (even with more story related choices) or does it tend to go into more deep waters like, say, Bloodlines?

(I certainly hope we will find it more appropriate to compare it with the later even if it's only to reach the conclusion that it's somewhat of a 'poor relative')

[Anderson]

Glad you got a copy, Druin. I look forward to further impressions.

I heard there are no sidequests in this game, and that it lasts about 20 hrs. Both of those things surprised me and were a little disappointing to hear.

[Starwars]

There are sidequests for sure (though they may or may not be related to the main plot). Perhaps it would be better to say that there are optional missions. In fact, I read somewhere that you can unlock an optional mission as early in the game as in the tutorial (if I read it right) if you do well at the stealth,

[bemushroomed]

Bitech (http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2010/05/27/alpha-protocol-review/1) gives it 5/10.

Sounds a bit harsh..

[WorstUsernameEver]

Bitech (http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2010/05/27/alpha-protocol-review/1) gives it 5/10.

Sounds a bit harsh..

What really worries me are the complaints about the writing. We knew (at least I knew :P) from the beginning that the game would have arcade-ish elements and I'm pretty much prepared to stats influencing combat a lot more than in Mass Effect (especially the 2nd according to the info I have of its combat system since I still have to try it), but I don't think I can stand a game by Obsidian that has bad writing.
Opinions seems quite mixed though, while I've heard some people complain that the story feels too standards, many other lauded the writing as 'fresh', 'fantastic' etc... I don't really know what to think.
Guess I'll just patiently wait for my copy.

[Maylander]

Well, he completely misunderstood minigames and so on - they rely on skills to make them easier. I'm not too worried due to the review.

Then again, the inconsistent writing and so on worried me a bit, but I'll wait for more reviews to make up my mind (or simply buy the game, it should be out tomorrow).

[Thrasher]

The lack of reviews from the more well-established sites / mags is almost always indicative that the publisher has little faith in the product. A bad sign...

[Starwars]

I played the game at a friends house today. I had a ton of fun with it, can't wait until Steam unlocks it. After playing it, I'll say that I can't understand people who've reported not liking the game. I think the bit-tech guy is *completely* wrong about some of the things he mentions (the writing and characters in particular). Then again, his past scores are not something I agree with either, so...

[ayreon]

Offical Alpha Protocol Review from Gladriel.com has been out!

http://www.gladriel.com/reviewFull/content/1581/Alpha-Protocol-review/

[Thrasher]

Tons of bugs and glitches

Deja vu...

[DPB]

The lack of reviews from the more well-established sites / mags is almost always indicative that the publisher has little faith in the product. A bad sign…

Well, it's not out in the US until Tuesday next week, as opposed to tomorrow in Europe. I remember sites like Gamespot not publishing their review for Dragon Age until just a couple of days before it was out in the US, so on that basis I'd expect to see the big sites reviewing AP at the weekend.

[Thrasher]

PC Gamer reviews the month before release. All there is is a weak preview in this month's issue. It's as if Sega was afraid to give advance copies to reviewers. It's not like they weren't available...

[Dhruin]

There's a review embargo for the US until June 1st - release day. This really isn't unusual. That said, I have no doubt the reviews will be mixed. The decision to use RPG stats for shooting will instantly upset some gamers, end of story.

As for the length, yes, it's reportedly not long. But it was clearly designed for re-playability. Have a look at some of the storyboards we posted about during development - you just can't do modern full-voiced branching content like that for 50-100 hours. Major characters like Sie just aren't in the game with certain choices.

[Maylander]

Yes, I believe you're right. For some reason it's perfectly okay to use stats to determine a sword hitting something, but not a gun hitting something. The latter is bound to upset quite a few players.

Probably has something to do with the number of pure action based shooters out there compared to action based fantasy games.

[Thrasher]

The Dragon Age review on PC Gamer was released ahead of the game release date. Of course it got a score above 9. I'll bet the same won't happen for AP.

And there are others, I'm sure. It seems like companies will only allow an early review from a established source if they know they are glowing. Since there are no early AP reviews from established sources, that tells me that it looks bad for AP.

I'll bet I'll be proved right next week.

[Dhruin]

Yes, you'll be proved "right" in that sense. I'm not sure pre-arranged "we'll let you release early if the score is >9/10" proves much, though.

I admit I've barely scratched the surface but on first glance, it doesn't seem worse than ME1, which everyone fell all over themselves to congratulate.

[Anderson]

Bitech (http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/xbox-360/2010/05/27/alpha-protocol-review/1) gives it 5/10.

Sounds a bit harsh..

Very harsh. I've seen 2 other reviews give it 8's.

I predict it'll average 7.0.