[Neuromancer]

Yeah, it's a short game, but it's a hell of a ride to the end. I'm guessing that you chose him as your handler for the last mission too?

Hell fucking yeah I did. Next time I'll roll with SIE, as I want Thorton to smang her.

Regarding the second statement, I didn't have any problems with it personally; I ran around from rocket launcher to rocket launcher, healed every now and then and used the the damage buff. Every shot connected and it blew up when it was supposed to. What did you decide to do with Leland and the black dude? Westinghouse I think is his name.

Oh I executed both of those dudes without even a second thought. In my playthrough I tried to make the decisions I like to think I would have made as Thorton. I had zero mercy at that point, especially after what happened to Madison.

[Gravijah]

copy arrived yesterday and i've done a few missions today and so far i'm really loving it. i've been focusing on pistols, stealth and endurance, though i'm not entirely sure how many different skills i can safely invest in yet.

[XiaNaphryz]

copy arrived yesterday and i've done a few missions today and so far i'm really loving it. i've been focusing on pistols, stealth and endurance, though i'm not entirely sure how many different skills i can safely invest in yet.

Cool. Be sure to bounce around between the various locales after you get the chance to (after Saudi Arabia hub is done), was much more fun for me hopping between areas every few missions.

[Jipan]

Oh I executed both of those dudes without even a second thought. In my playthrough I tried to make the decisions I like to think I would have made as Thorton. I had zero mercy at that point, especially after what happened to Madison.

My first time playing through the mission, I spared Westinghouse, but killed Leland. When I replayed the mission, I spared both of them so I could get the achievement for not executing no one. Scarlet ended up killing Leland instead because she came into the picture in the end as the assassin who was hired to kill the president of Taiwan. I chose not to let Heck kill her. I could have romanced her if I wanted to, but maybe next on the next run.

[Sober]

And the second: yes that was just plain old bullshit. You don't want to know how many tries that took with my kung-fu master.

My first time through I missed a few times and didn't reload but you can definitely shoot it down with other guns, it is pretty much just a miniboss with no visible hp bar.

My first time playing through the mission, I spared Westinghouse, but killed Leland. When I replayed the mission, I spared both of them so I could get the achievement for not executing no one. Scarlet ended up killing Leland instead because she came into the picture in the end as the assassin who was hired to kill the president of Taiwan. I chose not to let Heck kill her. I could have romanced her if I wanted to, but maybe next on the next run.

Also, I did a playthrough where you might not even learn that Scarlet was the assassin, though I guess that's mostly through not finding her at the finale.

[Jipan]

My first time through I missed a few times and didn't reload but you can definitely shoot it down with other guns, it is pretty much just a miniboss with no visible hp bar. Also, I did a playthrough where you might not even learn that Scarlet was the assassin, though I guess that's mostly through not finding her at the finale.

Ohh I see. I read in a FAQ that if you run of missiles, it would made it harder especially since my I was only rocking a pistol and a shotgun with the pistol being my only long range weapon. SMG's in this game kind of suck. Especially since you dual wield them, which doubles the recoil. An Assault rifle would have probably have been ideal to take it down.

I see. It's because you chose to speak to Parker instead of Omen Deng. Since I chose to speak to Omen Deng, I ended up having to fight and kill Parker. I also wasn't honest with Scarlet at the hotel before I went to Alpha Protocol.

[Kaizer]

Just got this in the mail, can anyone tell me the benefit of choosing recruit?

[egocrata]

Just got this in the mail, can anyone tell me the benefit of choosing recruit?

It makes the game quite a bit harder, as you begin with no AP at all, but you get different dialogue choices. If you beat the game as a recruit, you can play again starting as a veteran, which is pretty badass.

I just got this game last week, and I am really enjoying it as well. Such a hidden gem.

[Patryn]

It makes the game quite a bit harder, as you begin with no AP at all, but you get different dialogue choices. If you beat the game as a recruit, you can play again starting as a veteran, which is pretty badass. I just got this game last week, and I am really enjoying it as well. Such a hidden gem.

The game's story also works a lot better as a recruit.

But, yeah, to unlock the closest thing to NG+, you have to finish as a recruit.

[Neuromancer]

Just got this in the mail, can anyone tell me the benefit of choosing recruit?

There's an achievement for it

[Snuggler]

There's an achievement for it

Plus, there are a few unique recruit dialog options (early in the game, iirc) and upon completing the run, you'll unlock the veteran class which gives you some extra points from the start and a few new dialog options as well.

[Gravijah]

i was thinking of going recruit my first playthrough, but i think i'll do that if i replay it.

edit: also important question for snuggler, jim-jam and hk: why didn't you guys make me play this sooner?

[Snuggler]

edit: also important question for snuggler, jim-jam and hk: why didn't you guys make me play this sooner?

Because you didn't listen. Consider this a lesson learned: always do what I tell you to do.

[duckroll]

Pro-tip, when replaying the game you should try to be as much of an ass as possible. Asshole Thornton has the most amazing character scenes.

[Neuromancer]

Pro-tip, when replaying the game you should try to be as much of an ass as possible. Asshole Thornton has the most amazing character scenes.

That's my plan, haha. I can't wait.

[edgefusion]

I completed it just the other day despite having it since near launch and loved every god damn second. Such a shame it didn't do too well as I'd love to see a sequel (hell even a spiritual sequel would be good enough). Gotta say that maxing out the stealth branch completely owns, you can simply decimate the whole room with ease.

[Kanik]

Pro-tip, when replaying the game you should try to be as much of an ass as possible. Asshole Thornton has the most amazing character scenes.

With these type of "be good or evil!" games I tend to play good first, then play evil. With the hilarity of being evil adding to the incentive of replaying the game.

Fallout, Infamous and Mass Effect, etc...very minor differences. Asshole Thorton on the other hand has such a great payoff.

[Gravijah]

quick question re: the "shop"

i'm not going to lose access to items currently available in moscow after i complete the final mission there, right? i assume i lost access to the stuff in first hub because of story reasons.

[Labadal]

quick question re: the "shop" i'm not going to lose access to items currently available in moscow after i complete the final mission there, right? i assume i lost access to the stuff in first hub because of story reasons.

You can still visit your hideout and buy stuff in Moscow.

[Kaizer]

Wow, this Brayko kid is being a real pain in the ass to kill. I've been playing the game for a while now and can definitely say it's awesome, I was a little iffy during the initial Saudi Arabia part, but now I can't get enough of it.

[Snuggler]

speaking of the saudi arabia part, this was definitely one of the top five psycho mike moments: http://i.picpar.com/2410296f15d56984...a3fd0d5f7f.jpg (spoilerz)

edit - fuck it, I think it's time for a new playthrough...

[Snuggler]

Doing a true badass run: hard mode, no firearms outside of a pistol with tranqs, no armor, no alarms and no kills. Went with Veteran mode, but it only gives you a little hard start. I'm kinda forced to put a bunch of points into stealth again, but I'm trying to work gadgets into my playstyle for something different. This game is so nuts, I hope all the LTTP bros give it a replay or two, no two playthroughs are the same.

[Neuromancer]

I'm gearing up for my balls to the wall shooter play through but I just had the thought, won't alarms be going off all the time? I can see that getting pretty annoying.

[Gravijah]

I'm gearing up for my balls to the wall shooter play through but I just had the thought, won't alarms be going off all the time? I can see that getting pretty annoying.

let them know you're coming. they're still going to get a bullet to the head.

[PumpkinPie]

What's the consensus on which version is better, PS3 or 360? Or are they both about the same?

[Neuromancer]

Here's my dudebro assault Thorton, this game is a surprisingly fun shooter even if you play it straight:

What's the consensus on which version is better, PS3 or 360? Or are they both about the same?

I haven't heard anything, I'd guess they're probably about the same.

[Neuromancer]

So I decided to let Brayko live this time through and was pleased to find it opened a new mission I'd never seen before, very cool. And getting his sound system in the safehouse kicks ass!

Photo

[Jipan]

Wow, this Brayko kid is being a real pain in the ass to kill. I've been playing the game for a while now and can definitely say it's awesome, I was a little iffy during the initial Saudi Arabia part, but now I can't get enough of it.

I dunno if this has been answered already, but what you need to do is shoot him like crazy (or lob him incendiary grenades since there are plenty of them), until you get him down to about half his health. He eventually sniffs coke and starts charging at you with melee attacks. What you do then is run around the square box in the middle and shoot him; he won't be able to catch up to you.

When he calls out his goons, take them out first before he appears again. Then run around the square box while shooting him and spamming your gun powers. Heal when necessary; rinse and repeat. That's what I did.

The licensed music in that boss battle is great.

At the rate I'm going, it seems like it's going to take another 2-3 playthroughs to romance every one, get the Antisocial achievement, get the Thornton Inc achievement, and Shoot First, Ask Questions later (which is going to be my next run). Dudebro Mike is boss, so props on that Neuromancer.

[XiaNaphryz]

I dunno if this has been answered already, but what you need to do is shoot him like crazy (or lob him incendiary grenades since there are plenty of them), until you get him down to about half his health. He eventually sniffs coke and starts charging at you with melee attacks. What you do then is run around the square box in the middle and shoot him; he won't be able to catch up to you. When he calls out his goons, take them out first before he appears again. Then run around the square box while shooting him and spamming your gun powers. Heal when necessary; rinse and repeat. That's what I did. The licensed music in that boss battle is great. At the rate I'm going, it seems like it's going to take another 2-3 playthroughs to romance every one, get the Antisocial achievement, get the Thornton Inc achievement, and Shoot First, Ask Questions later (which is going to be my next run). Dudebro Mike is boss, so props on that Neuromancer.

There is a much easier way to kill him of course, if you have the right intelligence to purchase ahead of time.

[Jipan]

There is a much easier way to kill him of course, if you have the right intelligence to purchase ahead of time.

Really!? Well now that I think about, I didn't get his full dossier probably because I didn't get all the intelligence in one-two missions. I did buy all the intelligence before every mission.

Hold up. Now that I think about it, I know exactly what you're talking about. :D Being on good terms with Heck gives one the option to buy intel to have Heck poison the coke. I could have sworn I bought the intel, but he never got poisoned. }:l

[Winnie the Pimp]

being one of those "LTTP bros" i am thinkin, damn i really need to throw this game up the priority list now hmm...

[Ledsen]

This is $5 on GMG right now, activates on Steam

http://www.greenmangaming.co.uk/game...lpha-protocol/

[daviyoung]

Everyone should own it for that price.

[Typographenia]

Just finished the game tonight, and what a fantastic game it was.


Seriously, I couldn't have ended 2011 and started 2012 off on a better note.
I pretty much loved everything in this game except for a few things-


1. The camera was really annoying sometimes. I don't know if it was just my mouse or what, but having the camera suddenly swing around was really disorienting and frustrating at times.

2. The balance between how you approached and were rewarded with your approach seemed a little half baked. It was excellent that there were so many avenues and ways to go into missions, but I usually ended up exploring all of them for the money and data they held. Felt like it sort of defeated the purpose of the approach, but I still had fun clearing rooms in my own way before collecting.

3. I only killed two people at the very start because I didn't know how to switch ammo, but the game kept presenting itself as though I was a killing machine. One level actually ended with some guy getting blown up by a grenade, after I had seemingly rampaged through the area. However, I used stealth and melee takedowns through the entire game. Heck, I think I went like six hours without using my tranquilizer near the end. I only started using it on two of the final encounters in the last "level." Just bugged me that it kept talking in cutscenes and so forth like I was a murdering machine.

4. It would have been nice if they had more consistently given you ammo for the way in which you were playing. One of the reasons I ended up going very melee heavy (other than just avoiding alerting people with badly aimed tranqs) was because I was afraid of running out of ammo. There just never seemed to be as much around the levels for my choice in ammunition as there could have been. Not a big one, but whatever. Probably just trying to get you to shake things up.

5. Not enough Sis.
Seriously, she looked like she was going to be a freaking awesome addition to the cast, but she had such a tiny role to play. I wanted to take her under Thorton's wing and turn it into Leon2 or something. Granted, I wouldn't sound as cool as Jean Reno, but WHATEVER. : (
Go, Texas.



Other than that, I thought this game was superb. I was happy at how well the Intel on agencies and individuals were pretty informant without being overly lengthy. It actually felt like it was worth my while to buy and read up on some things before going into missions because it wasn't going to take forever.

The characters pretty much all did a 180 on me as I played. I don't think I honestly felt the same way about anyone comparing their final and initial impressions. I would sometimes intentionally reload before a conversation level and do different things just to see what kind of reactions I got. Some really good stuff going on in the dialogue system.

I can't decide if I liked the Russian or Taiwanese levels more, but I think I'm leaning towards Russian, simply for the snowy setting. Rome was okay, but the level with the Gelatto shop was the only real standout to me, hahaha. I seriously wanted that guy to have a bigger part.

If I didn't have a tremendous backlog at the moment, I'd probably start replaying this immediately. I'll certainly be revisiting it in the future, though. I'm so glad I gave this game a chance, but it breaks my heart to know we'll probably never get a sequel or a similar title to it...

[Mxrz]

I've been meaning to go back and 100% this game, but it is almost daunting how many variations there are to keep track of. A sequel with better graphics & cleaned up gameplay would've been amazing.

[Mindlog]

I've been meaning to go back and 100% this game, but it is almost daunting how many variations there are to keep track of. A sequel with better graphics & cleaned up gameplay would've been amazing.

I really want a sequel to this game. Between AP, ME and DE - Alpha Protocol is the closest to getting it right.

Failing a direct sequel, if the South Park Games does well I know the next license they should work with.


Archer Protocol

If anyone from Microsoft is reading: Forget about the Splinter Cell series. It's over. Get with Sega and fund another AP game.

[AgentOtaku]

What's the consensus on which version is better, PS3 or 360? Or are they both about the same?

PS3 version tears more ....and oh and shooting is on L2/R2. That's about it.

Question,

When does the gunplay get better?

I started as recruit (doing professional Thorton for the most part) and have been putting points into pistol and melee (for when enemies rush). I get really tired having to wait for the reticule to turn red all the time =(

[Edgeward]

It doesn't, that's why it's better to go stealth/pistols. Melee will not help you in boss battles.

[AgentOtaku]

It doesn't, that's why it's better to go stealth/pistols. Melee will not help you in boss battles.

So I should reroll then? Maybe pistol and rifle?

[Edgeward]

Honestly, you don't need anything other than pistols. Because once you get chain shot, it will break the game. You will kill almost any enemy with a fully upgraded pistol tree. It slows down time and you can tag enemies or the same enemy multiple times.

[AgentOtaku]

Honestly, you don't need anything other than pistols. Because once you get chain shot, it will break the game. You will kill almost any enemy with a fully upgraded pistol tree. It slows down time and you can tag enemies or the same enemy multiple times.

Yeah already got. Really breaks the game huh?

[Edgeward]

It mitigates any combat troubles/frustrations I had. For the final boss I (I'll just tag this just in case, but it's really just the tactic I used) ended up cloaking, making a beeline for the boss. Chain shot, use the skill that eliminated the cooldown for used skills, chainshot, dead. This was also in a room with dozens of lackeys. Hell really, I used this every boss battle and they were always done in under a minute and usually even faster than that.

[AgentOtaku]

Yeah melee seems kinda pointless and completely unsatisfying to boot (tap tap tap). Looks like I'll reroll ....again

[Labadal]

Yeah melee seems kinda pointless and completely unsatisfying to boot (tap tap tap). Looks like I'll reroll ....again

Melee can be great. On my "no kills" run, the stats page showed hands as my favorite weapon. You can play any way you want. My first run I was mowing enemies down with assault rifles and shotguns.

Think of the combat as rpg combat and I think your mind will change. When your Pistol skill is maxed you will not have to wait long for Reticule to turn red. You can also clear rooms fast with headshotting people.

[AgentOtaku]

Yeah, decided not to reroll as melee does become fun once you unlock first ability (and you get to respec after Saudi, which I forgot about) and you're not just tapping B ...and as I said, it deals with the rushing enemies.

[Typographenia]

It doesn't, that's why it's better to go stealth/pistols. Melee will not help you in boss battles.

I meleed every boss fight except for two of the last fights near the end.

Took me a couple of tries to figure out the best way to do it, but yeah, totally workable.

[Gooster]

Honestly, you don't need anything other than pistols. Because once you get chain shot, it will break the game. You will kill almost any enemy with a fully upgraded pistol tree. It slows down time and you can tag enemies or the same enemy multiple times.

Ha ha. I haven't played AP in a long while but this happened to me. Upgraded pistols and chain shot and I took down that one boss (playing Autograph's "TURN UP THE RADIO!") in literally under 5 seconds.

[revolverjgw]

I also got hit with nostalgia moments from the SEGA game, Headhunter while playing this..

Yes! Michael Thorton is no Jack Wade, though.

[Kinosen]

I just finished it last night.

I was absolutely blown away by how reactive it was to player choices, as this is the first game I've played where the story was so well designed around branching threads and unique outcomes based on character allegiances and other factors, it's very impressive. On the other hand the gameplay ranges from decent, to mediocre, to utterly frustrating. Both Mass Effect and Deus Ex were criticized for clunky shooting but man, they were never this bad. It's a real shame, because had the gameplay been polished it would've been a phenomenal package overall.

[doomguy64]

Just loaded this up on the pc the other day for the first time and was wondering whats with the hacking controls? I had to plug in my 360 controller to pass the first hacking part because I couldn't control the mouse to line up the code.

Had this on my steam list for a year or so, I remember being reluctant to play it after reading all these bad headlines e.g "broken controls, stealth, shooting etc", looks fine to me so far.