Game Informer April Issue - Alpha Protocol Cover Story (Obsidian's New Action RPG)

[Sallokin]

Alpha Protocol

(1 player action/RPG)

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Platform: PS3/360/PC
Publisher: Sega
Release: Spring 2009

"A modern day espionage focused action/RPG that takes you on a suspenseful ride in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. Take a wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn agent up through the ranks to become a bona-fide super spy."

-Main character is Michael Thorton, a fully trained but inexperienced young operative who has the world turned upside down when a mission goes wrong.

-Title "Alpha Protocol" is a phrase that is used when operatives go underground to work off the grid. Usually reserved for senior agents.

-Battle system is similar to Mass Effect but have more in common with Uncharted. It revolves around real time combat with an emphasis on gun play and high tech gadgets.

-Third person perspective, action orientated gameplay

-Close quarters combat can be a last resort or primary method of fighting depending on how you spend skill points you have earned.

-Skill system is based most closely on Fallout. It's classless, you have 10 skills and 10 ranks in each skill. Skills don't simply improve things like accuracy, they improve the way your character will perceive situations.

-The game will suit all play styles from the run and gunner to the stealth assassin.

-Extremely in depth dialog system that is a mix of Mass Effect and Indigo Prophecy. Once conversations happen, that's it, no revisiting the NPC to try to talk again and again. System is named the Dialog Stance System. You dictate your characters tone in a conversation by pressing a corresponding face button. Options can be cool and suave others can be brash/impatient.

-You can have multiple active missions in different countries and travel freely between them.

-Lots of girls and romance subplots. You'll meet tons of different girls on missions and yes you can bag them all.

-Current control scheme for selecting powers and weapons is similar to Bioshock.



Other items of interest in the April Issue

Guitar Hero Aerosmith

Final Fantasy A2: Grimoire of the RIft confirmed for release in NA this summer

PREVIEWS:

Saint's Row 2
Prototype
GTA4
The Bourne Conspiracy
Battle of the Bands
This is Vegas
Spore
Stargate Worlds
The World Ends With You
Boom Blox
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Incredible Hulk

REVIEWS: (SO = Second Opinion)

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: 9.25 (SO: 9.5)
Army of Two: 7.5 (SO: 6.75)
MLB 2K8: 8.5 (SO: 8)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot: 8.75 (SO: 8.75)
Frontlines: Fuel of War: 7.25 (SO: 7.75)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty: 3 (SO: 3.5)
Conflict: Denied Ops: 5.75 (SO: 6)
Bully SE: 8.5 (SO: 8.5)
Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)
Twisted Metal: Head On Extra Twisted Edition: 7.25 (SO: 8)
Lost Odyssey: 8.5 (SO: 8.75)
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements: 8 (SO: 8.25)
Sins of a Solar Empire (PC GOTM): 9 (SO: 9)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (GOTM): 9.5 (SO: 9.5)
Opoona: 5.5 (SO: 5)
Final Fantasy VII CC: 7.25 (SO: 7)
Professor Layton and the Curious Village: 7.5 (SO: 8.75)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: RoF: 6 (SO: 7)
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles: 6 (SO: 5)


Loose Talk:

Xbox Live 2.0?

Talks about the recent job posting for a program manager.

Bionic Terminator.

Rumored that next gen Bionic Commando developer Grin is getting started on the next Terminator video game project.

What Else is EA Planning? A Console?

Speculates that EA may enter the console arena in 2010. They're waiting to see if PS3 sales pick up first.

[Kagari]

Their Crisis Core score saddens me.

[kenta]

Ouch at Crisis Core

Edit: What else has Obsidian made and was it any good?

[Captain Glanton]

What's in the Hulk preview? How's it look?

[Visualante]

Worst Game Informer cover story in a while. Soon to become super saturated market.

[madmook]

Can't fucking wait for Rainbow 6 Vegas 2!

[Salazar]

Isn't 8 quite, quite high for Dark Messiah: Elements ?

Spy RPG sounds nice.

[Stumpokapow]

Lost Via Domus a 7.25/6.75?

- The game is 3-5 hours long
- The game is absolutely incoherent if you are not a fan of the show and pisses all over canon if you are a fan of the show.
- Core gameplay is ultra-repetitive and not enjoyable to begin with.
- Voice acting is quite poor.
- Full price

Unless it's getting 2 full points for easy achievements (check my Gamertag; my second playthrough was my first under my Gamertag. I got the full 1000 in fewer than 3 complete hours.), that's ridiculous.

Also Bully in the 8s? How ridiculous is that. The 360 version is barely beta-level unless review copies were patched before consumer copies were.

Assassin's Creed DS above Bully?

[batbeg]

Those reviews look all kinds of wild.

[monkspider]

Ouch at Crisis Core Edit: What else has Obsidian made and was it any good?

KOTOR II (AKA probably my favorite RPG last gen).

[bathala]

i wonder wat they said about CC.

is it an interactive movie?

[monkspider]

Worst Game Informer cover story in a while. Soon to become super saturated market.

Wait, what?

This is a million times more exciting than Brutal Legend or Prototype or Dead Space or almost all their other covers quite frankly.

[SummaGGL]

"Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)"


Is this about right?

[Snaku]

Will Alpha Protocol have an ending?

Edit: WTF @ Crisis Core? Are they high? Not even a full point higher than Dirge of Cerberus? What a fucking joke.

[Stumpokapow]

"Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)" Is this about right?

It's about 2 points too high on a normal scale and about 4 points too high on EDGE scale. I've played the game start to finish twice and have 1000/1000 achievement points, so I'm not just hating without playing.

[Agent Icebeezy]

Can't fucking wait for Rainbow 6 Vegas 2!

IAWTP

[DevelopmentArrested]

@ Lost Via Domus

[Kagari]

Ouch at Crisis Core Edit: What else has Obsidian made and was it any good?

KOTOR 2, AND YES.

[RobertM]

Can't fucking wait for Rainbow 6 Vegas 2!

Really?Really?Really?

[GreekWolf]

Great to see Lost Odyssey and Condemned 2 finally receiving justice.

[Sallokin]

I'll finish with the cover story and start responding to some of the questions here. There's quite a bit to the Alpha Protocol story.

[TheGreatDave]

Lost having a score anywhere near Layton is a fucking joke.

[SummaGGL]

According to Game Informer, Lost Via Domus is a better game than Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door.

Jack > Mario

[Visualante]

Also Bully in the 8s? How ridiculous is that. The 360 version is barely beta-level unless review copies were patched before consumer copies were.

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy
Rockstar PR: yeah we're aware of those issues. trust me they'll be ironed out before the game ships
GameInformer: kay

This is a million times more exciting than Brutal Legend or Prototype or Dead Space or almost all their other covers quite frankly.

I'll give you Dead Space, but for me this is really unexciting.

[golem]

awesome.. bout time they announced this. I know Obisidan catches alot of flak for KOTOR2, but its only partially deserved. In terms of what actually made it into the product, IMO KOTOR2 > KOTOR in alot of areas. They have great games in them and hopefully this time they have the freedom to execute as well.

[batbeg]

Oh, I didn't see FFTA2 is confirmed at last. I will probably wait til it drops in price though, import impressions did not impress me.

When you can, a quick summary of the Crisis Core complaints would be nice please

[SHOTEH FOCK OP]

I thought Crisis Core was supposed to be the best game PSP has ever seen.

[SummaGGL]

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy Rockstar PR: yeah we're aware of those issues. trust me they'll be ironed out before the game ships GameInformer: kay

Or:

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy
Rockstar PR: yeah we're aware of those issues. trust me they'll be ironed out before the game ships. Now, good review or no GTA exclusives!
GameInformer: kay

[Stumpokapow]

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy Rockstar PR: yeah we're aware of those issues. trust me they'll be ironed out before the game ships GameInformer: kay

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy
Rockstar: We'll buy some EB Standees and a clip on your monthly in-store ad DVD
GameInformer: kay

[Kafel]

need to see the cover

[DevelopmentArrested]

I thought Crisis Core was supposed to be the best game PSP has ever seen.

God of War already came out.

[Kagari]

GI's Crisis Core score is way off :/ I beat the game and would have at least given it a 8.5/10... maybe it was too deep for them.

[MassiveAttack]

Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)
Final Fantasy VII CC: 7.25 (SO: 7)

[Dark FaZe]

Anyone seen the screens for Alpha Protocal? I'd think they are using the Unreal Engine but who knows?

[Sallokin]

What's in the Hulk preview? How's it look?

Only 4 screens. All from Hulk's back. Game looks great though. More realistic in terms of graphics. They really didn't go for the comic book look. (Think of the Iron Man game screens that came out a while back).

[Jon of the Wired]

Obsidian + RPG = Fuck Yeah!

In way of a more nuanced analysis, the setting for the game seems interesting, as does the discussion of the mechanics. Sounds like it may be a bit like Deus Ex minus the cyberpunk, which would be pretty awesome.

[Kagari]

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy Rockstar: We'll buy some EB Standees and a clip on your monthly in-store ad DVD GameInformer: kay

You don't know how true this is.

[A Link to the Snitch]

Why is it that PC GotM and Handheld GotM are competing? That is, if a PC game scores better than a handheld game, the handheld game doesn't get a GotM award, and vice versa.

[SantaC]

wow FF:CC disappointment total

[kenta]

God of War already came out.

Once I play Crisis Core I'm pretty sure I'll be convinced that they accidentally swapped the God of War score with Crisis Core's

[Snaku]

I thought Crisis Core was supposed to be the best game PSP has ever seen.

It's an excellent RPG. I'm seriously shell shocked by this. I mean, not even a full point better than Dirge of Cerberus? And that piece of shit Bully port got a 8.5?

[Zer0]

wait..might and magic 8.5 and army of two 6.5? MUHAHHAHAHAHAHHA

[Mifune]

Wasn't Obsidian working on an Aliens Action-RPG? What happened to that?

Anyway, an espionage-based one could be very cool.

[Sallokin]

i wonder wat they said about CC. is it an interactive movie?

They say really nice things about the game actually. Their main gripe seems to be about the "one button combat"

[AltogetherAndrews]

There's something ironic about there being previews for Hulk and Prototype in the magazine.

Now, the reviews, LOL

[Snaku]

Their main gripe seems to be about the "one button combat"

Wait....wat?

[Eric WK]

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: 9.25 (SO: 9.5)

Wow.

Can't wait.

[Haunted]

Game Informer is the new Play?

Those scores are all over the place.

[dude]

According to Game Informer, Lost Via Domus is a better game than Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door.

Isn't that bannable?

Obsidian? I'll keep an eye on this.

[TurtleSnatcher]

GameInformer: this game is pretty buggy Rockstar: We'll buy some EB Standees and a clip on your monthly in-store ad DVD GameInformer: kay

GI and GameStop act as 2 seperate companies pretty much.

What's in the Hulk preview? How's it look?

Plasticky.. But still good enough that I took a second look at it and Im not even interested in the game.