Alpha Protocol has been a game that has been pushed back for far too long. Who wouldn't want to play an espionage RPG shooter right? Well Obsidian Entertainment went there. Find out how that all turned out by clicking read more.

The secret agent Michael Thorton is thrown into a world of decisions to make after a civilian airline is attacked and nationwide political tensions build up. In this modern day espionage story Thorton's greatest weapon is choice. And the feature works well, you get to choose between being a smooth talker, to being a complete professional spy, or you can go the roughneck headstrong tough guy route. Think James Bond, Jason Bourne, and the spies on their scale. And then that's where the good part stops in Alpha Protocol (AP).

As a spy you can take on missions how you see fit and depending on how you approach them your skill set. Thorton can use stealth, firepower, sabotage, and/or sheer charisma. You can even combine your desired styles; it's all up to the player. Bad thing is, taking on the actually missions are not so eventful. The controls are clunky at times and the game doesn't provide that "I'm a professional spy" feel. You WILL get caught if you sneak, you WILL die in shootouts, and explosive tactics are NOT up to company standards. Regardless of how careful you are or how experienced, the game glitches and makes you feel not so powerful at times. And did I mention Thorton's sneaking looks like a duck gone retarded?

GAMEPLAY:

Might I say, glitches out the ass! I attempt to sneak, hey that guy with his back turned saw me! Better yet, I get a clear head shot at point blank range, no damage whatsoever. Now I'm aware this game is tailored like a RPG but hey I'm shooting a gun here; who misses when the gun is practically touching a guy's head? I did find that I could beat a guy to sleep from behind a door tho!

CHARACTERS:

Michael comes across many women in this game and you can attempt to gain ground with them. Some of the characters in this game are kind of interesting whether through their dialogue or simply based off of their looks. You will come to love some of the handlers, but Michael, that's the main character right?, you can hang up your coat. You can also give him a slight customization and you simply play through this game as some cutout poster boy.

SOUND:

The sound of AP isn't impressive to say the least and that times you find yourself hearing gunshots but never have any enemies onscreen or anyone shooting at you to be honest. The voice-work is subpar. The handlers and other characters you meet sound decent enough yet the protagonist, Michael Thorton, is left bland and at times unbearable. You never find yourself truly liking Thorton nor do you feel like he is truly representing you as an avatar.

GAME A.I.:

The game A.I. is off to say the least, never interesting yet only difficult when there are several enemies surrounding you and then you just get pummeled with bullets. But I must say alot of the guards were dumb enough for me to perform my stealth kills and takedowns, I get a kick out of those. Some of the guards happen to be too dumb. I had two guys charging me, so I ducked for cover and lobbed a grenade. Then I stood up and laid down suppressing fire. One enemy fell dead from my bullets and the other guy turned around and started firing in the direction the grenade exploded in. I just ran up behind him and gave him my martial arts 5-hit combo, which you'll get tired of seeing over and over.

QUICK COMMENTS:

Though Alpha Protocol turned out to be pretty much a beached whale, it isn't without some merit... GOOD IDEA! But sadly a bad example. And from the start of AP's first revealing I was in full intrigue. I didn't begin to doubt until the six month delay, that's when I worried. Now a pre-owned copy of the game can be found at Gamestop for only $34.99... after being released only about three weeks prior. If you are bored and just want something to play that's spy-like, Alpha Protocol might keep you interested for the 15 or so hours it takes to beat it. Sorry I have to Kanye West this thing but... Splinter Cell is the best spy game of all time!