Alpha Protocol - Video, Preview

:D That has to be the most wonderful piece of unintentional irony I've come across in ages.

Why am I not surprised that you fail to appreciate the difference between being negative, and being vocal about that which you either like or dislike.

I think you should start reading children's books, as you seem to have skipped those dealing with the basics :)
 
DArtagnan stating that they are "one of the very last enthusiast semi-AAA houses left" tends to raise my ire.
Enthusiast houses? HOW?

I'm not sure if you equate enthusiasm with something unequivocally positive, but I don't.

Obsidian has been targeting enthusiasts more than most development houses with a relatively high budget. This means that casual gamers generally pass on their titles. At least, I consider KotOR 2 and NWN2/MotB/SoZ to be relatively complex and inaccessible if you compare them with the typical CRPG of such budgets these days. Need I mention Oblivion or Mass Effect?

Whether or not they've succeeded is another matter, and I've yet to see something truly great from them.

That doesn't change what they've been trying to do, however.
 
I'm not sure if you equate enthusiasm with something unequivocally positive, but I don't.
Ah...chalk it down as a case of semantics then, mate, either word-choice on your part or misinterpretation of such on mine.
Personally, I have always defined the term "enthusiasm" as denoting a positive feeling or aspect, irregardless of connotation, as so many other words exist to clarify one's emotive state should it drift towards negativity or ambivalence.

EDIT:
PS: I don't have a triangle button, but I do have a mouse.
That should be a t-shirt PC gamers everywhere own. ;)
 
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At least, I consider KotOR 2 and NWN2/MotB/SoZ to be relatively complex and inaccessible if you compare them with the typical CRPG of such budgets these days. Need I mention Oblivion or Mass Effect?


KoTOR 2 "complex and inaccessible"? Did they totally overhaul it from KoTOR 1? Because if not, then it's no more inaccessible than Mass Effect was.
 
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This looks great, and pretty original. I don't think I've seen an espionage RPG before. The skills are a bit like ME, but beyond that and the fact that it involves 3rd person shooting, it looks like a pretty different game.
 
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* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II --- A buggy and unfinished followup to Bioware's KotoR.

Unfinished, yes. Buggy, not particularly. And in every other way it was far superior to the original -- especially when it comes to writing.

* Neverwinter Nights 2 et al --- A buggy followup to Bioware's NWN.

And, again, far superior in terms of atmosphere and writing. Mask of the Betrayer is one of the best-written cRPG's to come out since Planescape.

...wow, a little underwhelming isn't it?

Only if you don't appreciate writing in games.

No longer content to mimic one "major" studio any longer, are we, Obsidian? Must you sink so low as to dig through the relics of Bethesda's mainstream success as well?

I get a feeling that you don't have a very good grasp on the economic realities of the game industry.

In short: I do not like Obsidian, as they have yet to produce anything truly unique, something that defines them as a studio. I have high-hopes, what with the caliber of their staff, but until they release something that is indistinguishably their own, something that screams "Proud Product of Original Thought, Courtesy of Obsidian Studios!" I just don't care.

For me, Mask of the Betrayer is that game. Other than the writing, of course, it *is* just another high-level D&D romp.

But some of us do appreciate skill and creative risks in writing, and Obsidian is the only mainstream studio currently around that appears to appreciate this too. That's why I have a very soft spot for them. No more, no less.
 
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This looks great, and pretty original. I don't think I've seen an espionage RPG before. The skills are a bit like ME, but beyond that and the fact that it involves 3rd person shooting, it looks like a pretty different game.

Story, characters, plot etc are going to be different, but what is upsetting people (perhaps needlessly) is how the game-play looks like a copy and paste from Mass Effect.
 
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Honestly, where does this fan-frenzy of adoration stem from? Thus far they have delivered a slew of buggy sub-par games, nothing more.

Prime Junta has already responded but, to echo, I found KotOR II far superior (within the confines of being a quick-turnaround sequel built on identical tech) and Mask of the Betrayer is simply the best RPG campaign in years and years. Honestly, it's fantastic.
 
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Story, characters, plot etc are going to be different, but what is upsetting people (perhaps needlessly) is how the game-play looks like a copy and paste from Mass Effect.

Alpha Protocol has a stealth path, whereas ME doesn't. Obsidian has a different approach to writing characters. If they get that half right, those alone move it past copy-and-paste for me, other than both being action-oriented shooter-RPGs.
 
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To be fair to bioware, they not only made the original games they also had to develop the engine. Its a whole lot easier if you are given the tech and told to make a game.
 
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You're not the only one who noticed that. ;)

I personally think it looks great so far, and this video has really peaked my interest. I especially like the concept of the Safe House, it reminds me of the Haven in VtM:Bloodlines.

At this point I'd have to say AP is very close to being a "must buy" for me.

I see great potential ... I refuse to join the black & white 'RPG or death' crew ... life isn't about absolutes (only the Sith). I see some elements as mentioned of Bloodlines - where I am currently loving having a nice ghoul in my Tremere chantry - and also Deus Ex.
 
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Yeah the influence of both Deus Ex and VtM:B is obvious here, especially things like using computers, and sending/receiving emails. I couldn't care less about any perceived similarities to Mass Effect.
 
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Personally, I don't mind convergence of UI and "look and feel" within genres one bit. I like NWN(2) expansions precisely because I don't have to learn the system and can concentrate on the "meat" of the game; I don't want to learn every new shooter from scratch, and I don't mind at all if every "cinematic action RPG" behaves similarly enough that I can just pick up the controls without having to read the manual or have a tutorial explain to me how I walk forward or manipulate my inventory. IMO these games are about content, and the less the UI gets in the way, the better.

That said, I also like brilliant new gameplay concepts if well executed -- but I *don't* think that making something different just for the sake of "not looking like ME" would be a very smart move.
 
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3:37 - lady on the TV reminds me of Malkavian female from Bloodlines.
 
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I was interested, now I'm excited after watching this. A RPG that's not elfs & swords! Yeah!

I'm waiting for a Fallout that's not humans and guns !
 
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Looks good to me, it'll be interesting to see where this kind of trend for cinematic experience ends up.

At the least this one looks like good fun & a bit of a different setting and I'm generally hopeful for Obsidian.
 
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Hm, don't you people think that dispatching enemies looks a bit too easy? It's got me worried. I really hope that there will be some good opportunities for stealth, electronics, etc. also. I'm glad about the safehouses, though, what with the emails and stuff.

Minor concern: hey, is that the "worst inventory system ever" (Mass Effect) I saw in there?

Prime Junta said:
Unfinished, yes. Buggy, not particularly.

You must've been lucky, 'cause KotOR2 was quite buggy. Not as much as NWN2, I think, but still. Here's to hoping AP will be relatively bug-free.

I'm looking forward to this game.
 
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Minor concern: hey, is that the "worst inventory system ever" (Mass Effect) I saw in there?

IMO ME's inventory system could work perfectly well if the game didn't insist on cramming it to the gills with useless and identical junk. I'll be sorely disappointed if Alpha Protocol provides us with a Desert Eagle VII that I can upgrade with Explosive Bullets VII, Scope VII, Custom Grip VII, Silencer VII, and Rifled Barrel VII, all of which I can convert into Nano-Gel at will.

Somehow I'm not too concerned that that'll happen. And if it doesn't, the inventory system will be perfectly manageable.
 
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KoTOR 2 "complex and inaccessible"? Did they totally overhaul it from KoTOR 1? Because if not, then it's no more inaccessible than Mass Effect was.

Please look at the entire sentence.

RELATIVELY complex if you COMPARE it to....

KotOR 2 (and 1) is significantly more complex than Mass Effect in terms of the RPG mechanics and character building. The same goes for items.

Beyond that, the story in KotOR 2 was somewhat more cerebral and "challenging" than that of Mass Effect - but this is just my subjective opinion.

I feel quite confident that Obsidian traditionally targets enthusiasts MORE than most houses of that level - and that's basically my point.
 
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