Alpha Protocol - Xbox 360
“Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Never was there a more appropriate adage for a game than this one.
Alpha Protocol is a bit of a mess. Supposedly an ‘espionage RPG’, the game itself plays like a mix of Splinter Cell, Mass Effect, James Bond movies and a little of Jason Bourne, drawing inspiration from each one and coming up with a product which should have been incredible – but which instead falls far short.
The premise is Tom Clancy-esque fare, and is arguably the best aspect of the game.
Michael Thornton, a new inductee to the secretive agency known as Alpha Protocol, is tasked with chasing down some renegade tech and a bunch of shady bad guys, all the time trying to unravel a conspiracy that stretches into the American government itself.
Starting off apparently captured and in a lab, the player has to battle his way out and get started on his missions, paving the way for a globe-trotting adventure.
Along the way he meets and greets a bunch of interesting characters, ranging from a crazed, M60-wielding Russian lady-commando to a manipulative overlord-like boss, making choices which affect the course of the story.
The interaction between all the characters is handled through a Mass Effect-style conversation wheel, offering Thornton a selection of responses, from seductive to threatening. While the system works well, the game doesn’t offer you an inkling as to what Thornton is going to say, as the option is just labelled ‘seduce’, and can often lead to Thornton saying something inappropriate, losing you valuable trust points, and closing characters off – denying you vital support later in the game.
Getting to know the other characters does, however, have an effect on the story, as characters who trust you or who have fallen for your Bond-eque charm might come to your rescue, but wether you stick with the action is the challenge, as the game falls down in many other areas.
The game is played in third-person, with an over-the-shoulder view. Focussing on gunplay and martial arts, the plot itself is a battle through various missions, ranging from a snowy firefight in Siberia to an assasination attempt in the deserts of the Middle East.
Thornton’s skills with the various weapons, which are the usual predictable options including sniper rifles, shotguns and pistols, are handled by the in-depth upgrade screen, which allows you to spend your accumulated XP points on your favourite abilities.
XP is gained through killing enemies, completing objectives, snatching data and collecting the thousands of bags of gold apparently strewn around the world by feckless minions.
As well as upgrading Thornton’s skills, a variety of additional abilities are unlocked over time, or through completing specific objectives. These include the ability to spot enemies through walls and slow down time, and are actually pretty handy in a fight.
The fighting itself is pretty standard run-and-gun fare. While Thornton can take cover, the object tracking is hit-and-miss and will often leave you open to attack, hugging a wall that’s not actually there, for example. Your accuracy is also circumspect, despite the in-depth upgrade system, and firing bullets willy-nilly is never fun.
Not that it really matters – the AI is abysmal, with the soldiers not bothering to flank you, more than happy to stand in front of you and even charging you on occasion, carrying perfectly good rifles in their hands.
They are also either incredibly eagle-eyed – spotting you despite your stealth upgrades and obvious cover – or won’t see you when you walk up to them and snap their necks.
The game’s environment is also pretty slapdash – CCTV cameras have a blue cone sweeping out of them, like a game from the 90s, and the graphical engine is also pretty awful, with the rendering looking about five years out of date, especially on the characters themselves.
The animation is also messy. When Thornton takes out an enemy – using the same martial arts takedown every time, I add – the characters jerk and wobble, rather than the smooth movement you would expect as an agent takes out his prey with a flying back-kick, it’s just lazy.
The sound effects and voice acting are also a little rushed. Some characters are brilliantly voiced – one of your bosses sounding very dry and sarcastic in particular – while anyone with an accent just sounds silly, and Thornton himself is a monotone drawler at times.
The guns’ sound effects are also a little pathetic, as is the music, which is less Jason Bourne and more John Lewis.
Alpha Protocol should have been great. The plot is good, the ideas were there, but the end product falls far short of expectations. If you stick with it and work with its flaws the game can be enjoyable, but the shoddy combat and poor graphics can start to grate on you pretty quickly. This is one worth trying when the price drops, and even then only if you’ve always wanted an ‘espionage RPG’ and are incredibly patient.
Score: 3/10
Good Stuff:
- Intriguing plot
- In-depth upgrade system
Not So Good Stuff:
- Poor AI
- Shoddy graphics
- Out-of-date gunplay
Loading ...
Comments