ATTN: EL DOUCHEBAG (Coffee) Alpha Protocol

[GuppyShark]

I picked this title up last night after reading it referred to as Deus Ex meets Burn Notice.

I have so far replayed the tutorial about five times experimenting with the different character types, personality traits etc.

I am enjoying the Recruit a lot, so my first playthrough will be with him. Really loving the time limit on conversation options so you can't spend forever deciding what the optimal approach is, you just have to roll with your gut.

[Havok]

Like a clever and realistic conversation system... I know right? TOOOO HAAAARRRRRRRDD

Oh the other thing that I REALLY liked about this game, is that you truly feel like a spy that has been cut loose by his company and have limited resources, i.e. you can't just get fucktons of money and equipment at your leisure. You, or at least I, had to actively work at saving money and figuring out what to buy as you weren't sure when it wasn't going to be available or if you would be able to buy it later or again because you had to spend your limited money on intel and missions too.

That, and as I found on on my second play through, you can hop from city to city at will, and aren't required to do one "campaign" before starting another.


Don't get me wrong though, the game wasn't perfect... there wasn't NEARLY ENOUGH FUCKING DRESSUP!!!!

[GuppyShark]

Can you get a cowboy hat? I always wear a cowboy hat in these games.

[weemadando]

Oh tell me about it.

I really wanted to just go the full Michael Weston and wear the casual wear on missions with just a pistol on my hip.

[Stark]

Oh the other thing that I REALLY liked about this game, is that you truly feel like a spy that has been cut loose by his company and have limited resources, i.e. you can't just get fucktons of money and equipment at your leisure.

At the same time, it felt like you were a guy who knew people; almost everyone you could meet could offer you access to hardware, and unlike some other games you weren't scavenging for bullets all the time. It was pretty cool getting that kind of feedback from your friends; building your own spy network!

[weemadando]

Oh the other thing that I REALLY liked about this game, is that you truly feel like a spy that has been cut loose by his company and have limited resources, i.e. you can't just get fucktons of money and equipment at your leisure.

At the same time, it felt like you were a guy who knew people; almost everyone you could meet could offer you access to hardware, and unlike some other games you weren't scavenging for bullets all the time. It was pretty cool getting that kind of feedback from your friends; building your own spy network!

And with some actual choices to make too. Almost all of them are things like: "this dude is mad shady/a murderer/likely to betray me, but can offer me some potential short term gain. IS IT WORTH IT?"

[Mr. Coffee]

Huh, you was right about the Shotgun, Stark. I started another playthrough and specced for pistol/shotgun/stealth. Shotgun is great for when you come across more guys then you can take down with pistol mastery, and it gives me yet another way to execute badguys besides the usual "creep up and stick a knife in their neck" schtick.

The SMG still remains fucking useless though.

[Stofsk]

Man all this talk about AP is making me want to play the game again.

[Bluewolf]

It's making me want to try the game out for certain.

[Chardok]

It's making me want to try the game out for certain.

Quite frankly, you're doing yourself a disservice if you *don't* play it.

[weemadando]

I had already put AP in my 360 last night before just playing BLands instead.

I am totally keen to play it again though.

[Stark]

Huh, you was right about the Shotgun, Stark. I started another playthrough and specced for pistol/shotgun/stealth. Shotgun is great for when you come across more guys then you can take down with pistol mastery, and it gives me yet another way to execute badguys besides the usual "creep up and stick a knife in their neck" schtick.

The SMG still remains fucking useless though.

It's not very 'good', but it's kinda 'fun'. When you're on later playthroughs and just want to see how shit turns out in the story, it really lets you just blast through the levels, knocking people in the way the fuck over and stomping them. If you upgrade the gun for rate of fire and ammo, it's like a pratfall show.

[Chardok]

I don't think I ever took shotty. I was all pistola/MA/Stealth. Guess I'm boring.

Oh, guess what I'm ordering on Amazon RIGHT NOW.

[Havok]

It's making me want to try the game out for certain.

Quite frankly, you're doing yourself a disservice if you *don't* play it.

This... I mean, when have you seen this...

All the people that usually bash pretty hard on the GREAT games are all agreeing that, even if unpolished, this is a fun as hell game to play.

[Lord Pounder]

You guys convinced me, just got it ordered from Amazon for a tenner. Fable 3 will have to remain on the shelf for a while.

[Flagg]

You guys convinced me, just got it ordered from Amazon for a tenner. Fable 3 will have to go into the woodchipper.

Fixed that for you.

[weemadando]

Man. I just realised that I missed out entirely on G22 (except for the missions where they are in the field) as I didn't do the boat mission in Moscow at a certain point in my first game, so never got the hook-ups with them.

Alpha Protocol rocks.

[Stofsk]

G22 is one of my favourite factions, because it's obvious that they - and Albatross, and Sis - all have fantastic backstories that are only hinted at.

I just love the layers in this game. Especially the whole 'secret' facts that get revealed in individual dossiers. They're not necessary, but if you uncover them, YOU FEEL LIKE A FUCKING SPY.

[Stark]

Its funny because I generally hate endless reams of codex shit trying to artificially create background, but AP's worked pretty well.

By comparison, DEHR's doesn't, and world-changing revelations have no impact. They're just there to set up the first game, after all. Saying 'FEMA' and 'Manderley' a lot isn't the same as finding out what happened in Pakistan.

[Stofsk]

The best thing about finding out about what happened in Marburg's past is that it directly enters into goading him into fighting you to the death. It is my favourite moment of the entire game, because it's something you control in a way that feels natural as opposed to being forced (i.e. it's not just like choosing the renegade option to kill vs the paragon option of letting him go). You find out something about his past, and the choice is either to let him go or to use it to manipulate him. It's not just 'oh look that's an interesting piece of fluff'.

[Stark]

It's my favourite acheivement in the game, because it's something in a game like this that actually uses a variety of character skills, player thinking, and social shit to create a difficult to achieve but really fulfilling plot event.

[GuppyShark]

Man. I just realised that I missed out entirely on G22 (except for the missions where they are in the field) as I didn't do the boat mission in Moscow at a certain point in my first game, so never got the hook-ups with them.

Alpha Protocol rocks.

It was close run for me too, I nearly put a bullet into her on the boat mission which would have changed things just a little.

I like the level design. It's a little bit on rails but is generally open enough to seem otherwise and things are generally laid out rationally.

Dunno who'd leave a duffel bag with $1500 in it in the Taipei subway though

[Mr. Coffee]

The best thing about finding out about what happened in Marburg's past is that it directly enters into goading him into fighting you to the death. It is my favourite moment of the entire game, because it's something you control in a way that feels natural as opposed to being forced (i.e. it's not just like choosing the renegade option to kill vs the paragon option of letting him go). You find out something about his past, and the choice is either to let him go or to use it to manipulate him. It's not just 'oh look that's an interesting piece of fluff'.

The set up for it is kind of easy...

All you do is use the suave mothafucka option when talking to the guy (the blue button for you console fruits). Once you've got that set up it opens up the option to manipulate him into a fight to the death, but you have to go for disabling the bombs and let Madison die, so I hope you're not attached to her character. Really doesn't matter if you've been a "gentleman" and let her sleep or fucked her silly, though boning her gets a little disapproval from Mina (who cares, if you don't have Mina eating out of your hand by the end of the Saudi missions you're doing something horribly wrong or you're attempting my "Let's piss off and/or murder every single NPC in the game and see just how difficult we can make the end mission" play through). The big thing you get for killing Marburg is a fairly shiny pistol, it's not the best pistol (toss up between the Hamilton Duelist (Balanced traits, accurate as fuck, hits pretty hard) or the US Commissar (less accurate, but hits like fucking freight train), but it'll save you having to spend $115k-$150k on one of the high end pistols towards end game.

Side effect to offing Marburg is if you do Rome before you do Moscow Sie will start off liking you because she apparently has massive daddy issues that she's projected on Marburg (And getting Sie liking you is kind of nice for some of the equipment she unlocks or if you plan on using her as you handler for the end game shit).

[Stofsk]

The Commissar is arguably the best gun in the game because the only stat that really matters on a pistol is damage, thanks to chainshot. If you don't use chainshot though the Hamilton Duelist is probably better for the balanced traits.

Incidentally I like to do Moscow before Rome, because that way I get a quick and easy -2 rep with Marburg when he points out I've met SIE. Just meeting her makes Marburg hate you.

I'm thinking of doing another run of the game again. This time going with mainly casual attire instead of armouring up. I usually go with the SWAT/utility armours because it gives me extra gadget space. The stealth armour is another option too, but I like the idea of doing a lot of the missions dressed casual, and just using pistols (although you're forced to carry the second weapon, which I usually have as assault rifle).

Playing it on hard though makes money tight. Can't get all the tier 3 items IIRC.

[Stark]

Luckily the higher tiers are tiny, almost insignificant stat bonuses. 120,000 for +1 recoil and +1 damage!