Game rating: ALPHA Protocol

[Art Blade]

Game title
ALPHA Protocol

Category            Rating            Category Details Story line 10 You start out by choosing a profession or go freelance, do some tutorial during which you get to know a couple of characters that will be around during the game and you start to make friends (or not). During missions you gather information regarding your own agency (employer) and targets and other people and organisations you happen upon by mission design. You start to realise it's a big jigsaw puzzle with political and economical goals hidden everywhere and secret services and criminal organisations that form a network of sorts you get caught in. It is up to you to find out what the story really is, if you can, and most probably you won't know it all during a single playthrough. The more you play different variants and deviations, the more you'll find out in total. If you don't care about intel and if you don't read dossiers etc, you'll be lost in a mist and probably wonder what this is all about. So "story" is yours to find out. Positive side note: I only found one or two minor flaws in logic during a lot of variating and different choices that drives the story in different directions. Despite an incredibly deep story (due to decisions you make) it all works out and everything you did or didn't is reflected on correctly. The more you play, the more you understand the story, and I re-evaluated it "10"  :-X Graphics 7 Based on Unreal3 engine, the game looks a little dated but kudos to what they managed to get out of it. It reminds me of a polished version of Hitman:BloodMoney. The good thing is: Low system specs, so even low-end PCs will be able to handle this game, which is really a very good thing for those who are not into high-end gaming rigs. Sound 10 Oh man, I don't give a 10 easily. First, there is that score (music) that plays during menu screens or general background, I could listen to that all day. And then, the best bit: Voice Acting (English version) is absolutely believable. Every character has got its own voice (some with nice accents), they are all strong and recogniseable, and they do act as if it was a true story they're telling. Nuances and moods, subtle hints or straight-forward expression of what's going on inside of them.. really convincing and believable. They do act according to character and situation. Not once a faulty recording that would seem like recorded out of context and later thrown in. It really plays like a movie. Sound effects (hehe, martial art movements..) are great, fun, and believable. Constantly changing background noises depending on your location blend in really well. Game play 9 TPS controls with "V" to toggle your camera left or right allow for peeking and shooting around corners, simple to use movement keys and quick access to everything you need. Buy/sell menu as well as upgrade/change parts is a little clumsy but nothing worth complaining about. Just the total of all things you can do in the menus could have been polished a little more for even better/quicker access. Not so cool: You can only save at checkpoints and the amount of savegames is limited (but it's a large number of savegames allowed, say 50 or so). Missions don't need to be played in a given order, but some missions will only be available after unlocking them by doing bonus objectives that are not known previously or are unlocked only if you made the "right" choices. So there are more missions than meets the eye. The entire game is based on discovering and making choices which I like a lot. Replay value 10 Again, I don't give a 10 easily. However, this game has such a vast amount of choices that lead to other choices and so on that it is impossible to grasp the story and potential in a single go. Just to find out all there is you'd probably need ten playthroughs. Then there is the factor of your own style: Stealth or guns blazing, making friends or foes, being suave, aggressive or professional, or a combination of all that.. If you act like a jackass, people will react accordingly and if you're playing nice, you'll get help and support.. all depends on you. MOST EXCELLENT Only now I can add that having played through a regular career, the option to start as a rookie first to unlock veteran later adds even more to the replay value. Both rookie and veteran offer unique options for the game. Rookie is challenging and veteran opens even cooler options, so you can at least expect two additional and different playthroughs. Excellent  :-X Final thoughts Probably THE best RPG/TPS game I've ever played although the graphics are not exactly top notch. The story is perhaps not always realistic and at times not completely developed but I'd say in real life you don't know everything either. However, the story is deeper than I ever thought, played through and cross various times, I re-evaluated it 10. :) Music and voice acting are extremely good, the rest of the SFX is very nice too. Controls are cool once you've got used to them. The biggest plus is the replay value. There are SO many ways of influencing the story and feel (play Jason Bourne, James Bond or Jack Bauer style, or any mixture of them) you won't believe it's the same game. Although not exactly open world, the amount of choices and skill branches and upgrades plus dialogue and cutscenes make this game feel like living a movie. Most excellent! So much fun to try out various things, I can't get enough of this game! :)

[Art Blade]

Edited: Explained my rating (orange) and added a little to final thoughts.

[PZ]

Most excellent rating - very detailed and a good read.  Even though I stick mostly to open world games, I'll need to put this on my list because of the multiple ways to play.  However, because you reported less than top notch graphics, I'll wait until I can find it at a reduced price - graphics are probably at the top of my requirement list.  Would you rate the graphics better than Hitman?

[Art Blade]

I did.. 6 HM, 7 AP  :)

[JRD]

I did.. 6 HM, 7 AP  :)

Considering that HM:BM is from 2005 and AP is from 2010, a 6 to 7 difference won't reflect the real gap between both games graphics wise!

HM:BM is a great game for its gameplay, but when you get to a graphics comparison, there's no chance HM:BM is even close to AP today... no way!

Again, that game age versus date of rate question... AP is not top notch for todays standards, but HM:BM is not on the same level, so AP is far better than HM and yet they got almost the same rate (6 x 7)

[Art Blade]

It's indeed not the same rating.

HitMan looks better than its age suggests = above average = 6.
ALPHA Protocol is far worse than it could have been, yet it is, as you say, better than HM. The only game I can think of that I'd rate 10 is Kane&Lynch. Games like JC2 got my 9, FC2 an 8, so the only reasonable rating is 7.

[Art Blade]

After a couple of playthroughs and cross plays (testing out stuff) I re-evaluated the story, from 9 to 10. Wow. :) :-X

[Art Blade]

Man, I can't believe it. How often will I have to edit the rating? :) Just now added to the replay value description that rookie and veteran careers are really worth it, so if you played through using whatever career, rookie is another unique option and that will unlock veteran which is even cooler.. SUCH A GREAT GAME  :-X

[PZ]

One thing I've noticed, at least in my case, is that the longer I spend time with a game, the more I appreciate it's nuances.