How do you mean controls? If you mean does it fully support controllers and steering wheels then yes it's fantastic. If you mean can you play it on a keyboard then no, not without great difficulty. It's one of Codemasters best racing games in years and well worth the money.

Or it could be that people have different opinions about what makes a game good. Do respect that at least.

Regardless, I still stand by what I said about the dialogue wheel being awkward, and having said that, I've never read a single review about AP, nor did I expect something else other than a shooter with stats and C&C.

That's the problem. IT'S NOT A SHOOTER. IT'S AN RPG. People see it look like a shooter and expect it to play like a shooter, including the shooting mechanics. But the game is not a shooter.
It's a very good arcade driving/racer. Not too light, but not sim either. Basically it's like Dirt, only not off road. Among the best of its type IMO.

Doesn't change the fact that it is still a shooter. It's still twitch-based, except the stats of the guns affect how well you perform. But I understand where you're coming from, and I feel the same way about people who complain that their bullets don't hit etc. No I'm not saying this to patronise. I truly feel sorry for undeserved criticism that the game got.

In fact, for the record, I actually have a really long comment that was meant for a new thread, and contains my thoughts on what you just mentioned. But I'll just PM you about it anyway, so as not to derail the thread any further (sorry!)

To be fair, misses that look like they're hits are very misleading and immersion breaking no matter how much of an RPG the game is.

Did AP at least use something like Deus Ex where your skill affected your cone of fire, or were there actually shots that could be seen hitting enemies without doing any damage?

To be clear about this though, it's not Amnesia or even trying to be. It's much closer to being an FPS. Just one with cleverer enemies and very, very little ammo. It's sort of like how, in an ideal world, a game based on Se7en would have turned out. I liked the crime scene investigation stuff they have in there too.

Kind of.
BTW, for anyone who buys Alpha Protocol, make sure you play at top difficulty and it helps immensely to use a 360 gamepad. Some of the mini games are a pain without it.

Latest version and does not require Steam?

The versions sold on D2D, GamersGate and GetGames are Steam free.

GamersGate version "requires a 3rd party download and account"... Never mind that, are these versions up to date? :) I can't seem to find info anywhere. :(

Huh, didn't notice that on GamersGate before. The GetGames one is Steam free anyway, they always list when Steam is required. They actually mention Steam rather than 3rd party. No idea if it's the latest version, might want to check the dev's website.

I actually was referring to a keyboard. The closest thing I have to a controller or steering wheel is an old Microsoft Joystick. Why exactly is the game difficult to play with a keyboard?

The game requires precision. I'm sure it's playable on a keyboard but I can't imagine it would be enjoyable.

Hm. Well, thanks for the reply. I'll think about it...

on d2d tdu and tdu2 for 8bucks each game.. are the worth it?