• Summary: Alpha Protocol is an espionage role-playing game set in the modern world. Loyalty carries a price and no one knows this more than agent Michael Thorton. A talented young agent cast out by his government, Thorton is the only one with the information needed to stop an impending international catastrophe. To do so means he must cut himself off from the very people he is sworn to protect. As players determine how to accomplish different objectives, the decisions made and actions taken in each mission will ultimately transform the type of secret agent Michael Thorton will become. Every choice the player makes as Michael Thorton will carry consequences for his future and the fate of the world. [Sega] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 25
  2. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. Modern-spy simulation game with little compromise, surprises in every part – sophisticated RPG system, excellent story, catchy action segments and a precious conclusion. [Issue#192]
  2. That exhilarating core deserves more than the pretty rancid crust that tops it. [Aug 2010, p.76]
  3. The abysmal AI, the absolutely disastrous PC controls, boss battles that all but throw out the gameplay style that got you there in the first place, and the complete and total illogic of some of the gameplay systems (like the aforementioned "shields") all serve to derail what should have been as memorable a game as I've played this year.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 95
  2. Negative: 15 out of 95
  1. 10
    This game reminded me a lot of Mass Effect 1. A coherent, well thought-out story with many player options is presented with some graphical hiccups and gameplay mechanics issues. However, as in the case of ME1, the established environment of the game and level of customization made it a joy to play. It felt like Splinter Cell in an RPG style affair. I recommend it for anyone who enjoyed ME1 or any espionage aficionados. I picked it up for 5 bucks on sale. Worth it. Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. This game has a very ambitious branching storyline but some of the worst game mechanics i've ever seen. The "stealth" in this game is basically an invisibility cloak and the boss fights look like they came out of an arcade game. It seems they would have done a lot better by just lifting the mechanics of splinter cell and combining it with the style of much superior RPGS (like deus ex) they were trying to mimic. Speaking of which, it tries to be another RPG like deus ex in more ways than one but lacks the clever detailed gameplay or plot design of that classic. The main character is also vanilla boring and cliche. All in all this is a disappointment but not too bad if you want to be entertained by a silly storyline and some mindless entertainment. The graphics in this game are fairly dated and boring to look at. Expand
    • 4 of 8 users said yes
  3. I came at this game with high hopes. I am an avid gamer and RPGs are especially close to my heart. However, I was disappointed with this game for several reasons, all of which fit under the umbrella of failed to live up to expectations. A breakdown: 1. Ability to customize playable character is minimal at best. Cosmetic options are very limited, and the skill trees are drawing from an awfully shallow pool. 2. The game borrows rather than steals, becoming a reminder of better games rather than developing past greats into something new. The gameplay is *highly* derivative. To say that the game reminds strongly of: Mass Effect, the Hitman series, and the weaker moments of Splinter Cell, hardly seems like criticism; but the versions encountered in Alpha Protocol are watered down and consistently miss the mark. In doing so, they serve not as a presence of ingenious design and engaging gameplay, but as a poor copy that draws attention to its failure to imitate more perfectly. 3. The game does bring to the table a very interesting dialogue system, modeled on the ME radial. On the whole it is reasonably well-written, supports replay, and fits with the tone of the story. 4. That said, because of the cookie-cutter construction of the game, the dialogue comes out of the mouths of puppets who are obviously puppets and at no point flirt with becoming characters. 5. The AI is frequently stupid and occasionally idiotic. 6. Mechanics issues abound. Errors which in another game might be no more than irritations, in a spy game where goals, story tone, skill trees, dialogue structure are all to some extent hung on the notion of the main character being (indeed becoming) a specialist, the utter failure to allow the possibility of precise and deliberate action was, at least for me, a game-breaking flaw and fouled the whole experience. In all, the hopes and enthusiasm I had for the game were soundly dashed by poor design decisions and what to all appearances seems to be an astonishing lack of post-production quality control. Expand
    • 5 of 9 users said yes

See all 95 User Reviews