Alpha Protocol - Screens @ VoodooExtreme

Five new Alpha Protocol screens were released with yesterday's delay announcement, which you can find at VoodooExtreme.
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Look at that screen, a conversation wheel? looks like mass effect?

isn't it kind of great, since I do not have to read any lines ( of what I want to say, but just read one word and choose ) just press a button to get the action keep going.

Honestly, I thought the dialogue wheel worked reasonably well in the context of Mass Effect. There were some issues, such as conversations not representing the preview and not having to read it because you always selected upper-right (or whatever stance you were going for) but the idea fits an action/RPG/shooter quite well.

Yes, it does fit, but it doesnt change the fact its progressive dumbing down of RPGs. Afterall AP was first meant as RPG with action elements and now its action game with RPG elements. Soon there will be no mainstream cRPGs, but all of them will be action RPGs with convenient wheels… And a little later designers will ask themselves: "So if they liked one-word stances, why bother with complex dialogs tied with stances?". Something good ends, something bad begins.

Actually, according to the GTTV video, AP was originally meant to be a pure action game with a strong storyline, and they put more roleplaying elements back in to play to their strengths.

(This could be just what Obsidian said on the video, but I thought it was worth pointing out regardless.)

I also recall reading an article/interview which stated AP was cRPG with action combat(though it was some time ago). I really dont have the time to dig it up.



Disclaimer: It is also possible that I am completly wrong on this account.