Posted May 10, 2017
Alpha Protocol (360)
I actually reported this in the games quit thread about 2 weeks back. But it kept nagging at me that maybe I didn't give it enough of a try...I mean I couldn't even get past the tutorial computer hacking segment! I came back to it, created a new character with points in tech to make the hacking a bit easier, learned to sort of look sideways and squint at the terrible hacking screens and got far enough so that it hooked me. And the game really did hook me in the end, despite a massive list of flaws:
It's ugly. For a game using Unreal 3 Engine, it honestly looks crap. I mean it's the same engine as Bioshock and the Arkham games, but looks no where near as good on the same hardware. I think Obsidian showed a lack of experience with the engine for sure.
Whilst I encountered no actual serious bugs, the game is glitchy. Enemies often get stuck running against corners or just stop for no reason. Lots of minor graphics glitches etc.
Aiming is sometimes a joke, especially with grenades. You aim around some obstacle with a clear sight line only to clip some object nowhere near you...resulting in grenades bouncing back on you and blowing your ass sky high. I gave up even using grenades as I blew myself up twice as often as the enemy! Luckily the enemy blow themselves up quite regularly as well.
On the subject of grenades, when are devs going to realize that they are heavy (really they are) and cannot be thrown 100m like a baseball? In fact many grenades are so heavy that an average user cannot throw them beyond potential blast kill zone- making them defense only (from behind cover) weapons. I wish developers would finally learn this.
I could list many other flaws but the worst one, my pet hate in RPG games, are the many forced stupidity scripted sequences. The type where your sneaking along perfectly in stealth, sneaking up on the bad ass dude, when you cross a line on the ground, and bingo, cutscene- your elite agent then stands up like a moron and walks openly into a room of enemies and has a chat. Then gets ambushed (didn't see that coming!) by 10 enemies that appear out of no where. I hate that shit. What's the point of game mechanics if a cheating dev is just going to override them to force their story down your throat?
But...I loved the game! I have no idea how I ended up liking it so much with so many faults. But there you go. The missions and the way you make real choices with consequences really held the game together and made it feel like a spy epic. I like it so much I even plan to play it again to make different choices and see what happens. Definitely a game that defines the term "diamond in the rough".
I'm glad someone else likes it as much as me. One of my favourite RPG's since the old Black Isle and Troika games. The second game is just as good, the third maybe not quite as good, but still decent enough. I played a mostly melee character in the first game and dedicated spell casters in the next two, and magic throwers have it easier for sure.
I especially like how experimenting with spells cast together can result in extra undocumented benefits, like cats eye and light enhancement. Adds a whole layer of exploration and experimentation.
I actually reported this in the games quit thread about 2 weeks back. But it kept nagging at me that maybe I didn't give it enough of a try...I mean I couldn't even get past the tutorial computer hacking segment! I came back to it, created a new character with points in tech to make the hacking a bit easier, learned to sort of look sideways and squint at the terrible hacking screens and got far enough so that it hooked me. And the game really did hook me in the end, despite a massive list of flaws:
It's ugly. For a game using Unreal 3 Engine, it honestly looks crap. I mean it's the same engine as Bioshock and the Arkham games, but looks no where near as good on the same hardware. I think Obsidian showed a lack of experience with the engine for sure.
Whilst I encountered no actual serious bugs, the game is glitchy. Enemies often get stuck running against corners or just stop for no reason. Lots of minor graphics glitches etc.
Aiming is sometimes a joke, especially with grenades. You aim around some obstacle with a clear sight line only to clip some object nowhere near you...resulting in grenades bouncing back on you and blowing your ass sky high. I gave up even using grenades as I blew myself up twice as often as the enemy! Luckily the enemy blow themselves up quite regularly as well.
On the subject of grenades, when are devs going to realize that they are heavy (really they are) and cannot be thrown 100m like a baseball? In fact many grenades are so heavy that an average user cannot throw them beyond potential blast kill zone- making them defense only (from behind cover) weapons. I wish developers would finally learn this.
I could list many other flaws but the worst one, my pet hate in RPG games, are the many forced stupidity scripted sequences. The type where your sneaking along perfectly in stealth, sneaking up on the bad ass dude, when you cross a line on the ground, and bingo, cutscene- your elite agent then stands up like a moron and walks openly into a room of enemies and has a chat. Then gets ambushed (didn't see that coming!) by 10 enemies that appear out of no where. I hate that shit. What's the point of game mechanics if a cheating dev is just going to override them to force their story down your throat?
But...I loved the game! I have no idea how I ended up liking it so much with so many faults. But there you go. The missions and the way you make real choices with consequences really held the game together and made it feel like a spy epic. I like it so much I even plan to play it again to make different choices and see what happens. Definitely a game that defines the term "diamond in the rough".
I'm glad someone else likes it as much as me. One of my favourite RPG's since the old Black Isle and Troika games. The second game is just as good, the third maybe not quite as good, but still decent enough. I played a mostly melee character in the first game and dedicated spell casters in the next two, and magic throwers have it easier for sure.
I especially like how experimenting with spells cast together can result in extra undocumented benefits, like cats eye and light enhancement. Adds a whole layer of exploration and experimentation.
Post edited May 10, 2017 by CMOT70