Alpha Protocol

This being my first review I thought I would pick the game I finished last, Alpha Protocol. The game is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 which is the platform I had the pleasure of playing this hidden gem on. This is a single player game with no multiplayer or online components.

The game has received some average ratings as reflected on Metacritic. PC - 72, Xbox 360 - 63 and PS3 - 64. If you just jump into the game expecting a normal 3rd person shooter or stealth game you will consider it to be average as the reviews above show. The game's story is based around a secret agent that goes rogue after completing a mission in the middle east, while a major American company controls the agency he is from, sounds very familiar doesn't it?

When you take the time to scratch the surface and commit yourself to playing through to the end you will find yourself getting personally attached to the story, for me it really felt like I was the rogue agent. This isn't a normal experience for me, I very rarely become attached to story and character like this. For me it was an enjoyable experience, but sadly one I don't think I will have anytime soon. While the story can be very predictable at times, I find the different characters and situations more than make up for it.

The game play is a mix of 3rd person action shooter, stealth and rpg. It is the rpg element that really makes this game, without it the game would just be just another 3rd person shooter. The game has standard action missions where you can choose to go all out assault with guns blazing, you can go the stealth approach and only use martial arts to knock out your opponents rather than killing them or somewhere in the middle.

There are only 4 types of simple weapons, the pistol, shotgun, sub-machine gun or assault rifle. As you progress you are able to purchase better weapons and upgrade them through local black markets from money you earn completing missions, side missions, finding it laying around when in the action sequences or by certain decisions you make throughout the game.

There is some limited customisation of your character's appearance but you still stay as the typical American male spy stereotype.

The mechanics are pretty stock standard but seem to blend in well with the game.

As you progress through the story you will gain experience and level up. With each level you have action points to spend on different abilities which range from weapon competency, close combat, technical ability, stealth proficiency and physical toughness. At certain levels you unlock passive and action abilities that greatly enhance what you can do in the field.

After reading all of this it still sounds like an a pretty average game still, that is until you get into the nitty gritty of the true rpg mechanics of the game. In between and during action sequences you will have conversations with many different character's of varying personality. You talk to character's such as Westridge the straight laced chief of Alpha Protocol, SIE a German gun brandishing blonde female and Steven Heck who claims he is a secret agent but has a penchant for extreme violence.

Each time you have a conversation there are generally 3 types of responses (Suave, Aggressive or Professional) then depending on the situation a 4th special type is opened up that includes special actions such as executing the person you are talking to.

The different characters respond to each conversation type differently which affects their relationship with you, there is varying degrees of relationships from hate to love. This affects quite a bit in the game as you progress such as future conversations, what information they pass on, assistance in missions and even the missions them selves.

Through the game you are able to have a romance with 4 different characters. For me this didn't really add much as mechanic itself, but did open up some interesting plot points in the game.

Your choices in conversations and your style of play, whether all stealth, all killing or somewhere in the middle goes towards setting out the missions. I have played the game 3 times and each time has been a different experience. This gives the game a great deal of re-playability as you adjust how you play to find out more of the story and gives a much deeper experience.

There is a great amount choice in the game as you can decide which missions to take in what order, what country you wish to travel to and even skip missions if you do not see them as necessary.

The game is quite a bit longer than I was expecting, especially compared to a lot of other games in the shooter genre. I felt the game went just long enough, any shorter and it would have felt empty and any longer would have made the game drag on.

The graphics were what I would consider average for this generation, they were good enough to do the job and give the player a good experience. It certainly didn't take away from the game which is the most important part.

Controls were generally fine, the main issue that I had wasn't being able to get the sensitivity of aiming to 100% of my liking, but I got used to it and didn't really affect the game play in the end.

The PS3 trophies are the stock standard affair, kill a certain amount of people using certain weapon, choose one decision or not, romance certain person, story progress and finishing the game on a certain difficulty level.

My only major disappointment with the game was the ending that I first received, but it got better with different plays.

Overall I rate the game a 9/10 and is one of my top 10 of this generation. I really hope the game gets a sequel. I would highly recommend this game to people who love 3rd person shooters and love a good story.

My Overall Rating 9/10

Game Information

My Rating - 9/10 for the PS3 version
Metacritic Rating - 64/100 for the PS3 Version

Players - 1

Online - None

Approximate Play Time - 20 Hours

Purchase the Game

Purchase for PC from Gamersgate



Purchase from Amazon

                         PS3                                           Xbox 360                                         PC

                                                               

Introduction

Welcome to my new blog! The purpose of this blog is for me to share my love of board and video games, review the games I own and hopefully introduce some people to some good games that they haven't heard of before.

I have been actively been playing games for 23 years now, I own and have played thousands of games on consoles since the Atari and have just started to really get into boardgames. I am in no way a qualified expert, but I think I know a fair bit about the subjects I am writing about. My opinions are mine and I welcome open discussions, I won't tolerate idiocy.


Video Games are my main relaxation in life and allow me to switch off without actually switching off. I enjoy games that challenge me by developing strategies and tactics, a great story is a great bonus for me. I enjoy most genres, but have grown quite tired of first person shooters as they are getting dumber and dumber.

I have owned an Atari 5200, Original Game Boy, Sega Master System 2, Game Boy Pocket, Sega Mega Drive 2, PlayStation 1, Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and various PCs. I will eventually buy a PlayStation 4, but not until I finish the remaining PS3 games that I own.

 

I despise the current trend of mobile games and the micro transaction model. I am very happy to pay full price for a game that is actually worth full price, unfortunately these are becoming fewer and fewer each year. Maybe I am just becoming cynical in my old age?

I have always enjoyed playing board games, but have rarely had the chance to play them. It is actually quite rare to run into someone that enjoys playing them. I grew up playing the old classics like monopoly, cluedo and risk which I always found enjoyable until the inevitable problem of people quitting half way through the game.

I didn't really catch the boardgame bug until I went to Germany and saw all of the different types of games that were widely available. From there I started building my collection and occasionally getting to play a game with family or friends. Favourites became Axis and Allies, Settlers of Catan, Powergrid, Carcassonne and Ideology.

It wasn't until very recently that I started attending casual board gaming events and it was one of the best decision I have made. Not only do I finally get to play games more often and get to try out new games, I get to meet others with a common interest that is hard to find. I recommend anyone that enjoys board gaming to take the dive and find a community to join.

I always play games to win, but winning isn't my end goal. My goal is to have fun and I believe to get real enjoyment of playing a game is to play the best you can and be combative in the game. At the end of the game it should all be laughs and smiles, after all it is only a game!

With each game reviewed I will give a brief history of the game itself, how I came upon it and give it a rating out of 10.

I will try to provide some links for viewing and purchasing purposes. I recommend buying anything you enjoy, it is a way of thanking the artist for creating the work. In the meantime I use BoardGameGeek to track my collection and ratings of board games, I mainly purchase PC Games from GamersGate but occasionally purchase from Steam. I am a PlayStation boy since the first and I use PSN Profiles to track my gaming stats.