timewaster

supposed to be out today.
anyone picking it up? not much news about it and haven't seen any reviews on it from ign.

MrX

I've seen a couple of reviews and they haven't been that good. Basically the story is good, but the game play is terrible.

chuckd21

Yes, I've heard not nice things.

Liver&Onions

That's too bad. I thought this would be a cool mix.

Rob V

Yep, I was looking forward to this but it would have just ended up in my pile of shame.

foxdvd

I picked it up just for the hell of it at kmart for 44.99....If the story is good I can look past bad gameplay...to a point.... (please don't fuck up Fallout New Vegas....please oh please)

cruzness

Lots of potential but it looks like the reviews are panning it as being buggy.

Decker

There's no excuse for a major console game to be buggy at release in this day and age. Maybe with a movie tie-in, but otherwise, you just push it back and fix it. I don't see why that didn't happen here.

cruzness

I don't recall the release date but I think this was alraedy pushed back.

Liver&Onions

http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010...lpha-protocol/

chuckd21

Sometimes you put so much money into a game that you have no choice, as a business, to just dump it out there and make back whatever you can.

Decker

New Pool :

Date Alpha Protocal Drops To $19.99 Or Less Somewhere

I'll guess -- August 8, 2010

kms_md

i picked it up today - preorder from best buy. did anyone get the preorder bonus?

flashburn

I'll be getting it from Gamefly in a couple of days. I'm already regretting it!

stingermck

Same here. Theres not even a keep it price like usual. Gamefly is looking out for us!

Kidding aside, I was really looking forward to this. Shame about the reviews/quality.

DeanoBKN

I remember the hype for this game years ago, then it kinda faded away. I'll wait till this is in the bargain bin to pick it up. I figure it's worth a try at least.

dsa_shea

After playing the laughable Yakuza 3 and seeing that this was made by SEGA I have to avoid it. It just seems that they can't do Net-Gen games.

foxdvd

call me crazy but it is not that bad of a game...I know that is not a glowing endorsement of the game but

Positives...

1: The acting has been very well done, and your interaction in dialog choices is as good as people have been saying (one of the few points most seem to like) You really are nervous you are going to make the wrong choice, though after you learn a person's "likes" it is easy to keep them happy...

2: The story so far, while not mind blowing, is of a good quality...

3: The RPG nerd in me loves the upgrades and digging for Intel on a case, though so far it has not been hard to get Intel...

Negatives...

1: After playing Splinter Cell Conviction, it is hard for me to respect the games stealth aspect...If you offer a game that has the option of playing stealthy, it better damn well be at least a serviceable stealth game..

2: The game advertised itself on how you would have to focus on one path, and if you wanted to experience the other ways to play, gadgets, stealth ect...you would need to play multiple times...I am not seeing this. Half of the upgrades are weapons...and I don't see how picking an smg vs assault to upgrade really changes the core game that much, which leaves the other 4 or 5 choices to upgrade...and of those, 3 of them really don't change the game at all...so you could really get a feel for just about everything and not have to play it multiple times.

3: Enemy AI is bad...real bad...

Other Negatives that I don't agree with all the way.

1: People are blasting the graphics like they are last generation. Just load up Black, a game that was praised late in the xbox/ps2's life span for its graphics and compare it to this game...not even close. I think when a game has average graphics it is easy to say "worst than a xbox game" This game does not look great, but it is an ok looking game, with decent facial work....WAY fucking better than an xbox game...

2: Stat based combat....it is a rpg game, and like Fallout 3, stats have a lot to do with it, but combat does not feel as disconnected as I was led to believe, and really only the enemy AI is making it feel bad, not the stat based combat attacks...

About 5 hours in, and I would give it a "B" right now...Also not a single glitch yet...not something I could say about Red Dead Redemption.

dvdjunkie32

Screw the reviewers. I've been excited about this game for over a year, and I refuse to let them tarnish my excitement. It's a freaking RPG, folks, not an action game!! Mass Effect 1 had horrible combat and cover system. Framerate was awful and the texture pop-in was pretty bad. You could call that game a buggy mess as well, but it was fun because of the RPG and dialogue aspects.

Zwerchfell

my problem with AP, while I'm interested in the game it looks so generic and bland its a total turn off. I'll check it out after a major price drop.

chuckd21

I've held off reading any reviews because I'm reviewing it myself, but I was aware that the vibe out there was generally negative, sometimes angry. But after playing the tutorial and a handful of missions tonight, I'm not seeing it. It's a tad generic, but I've played FAR worse games recently. I'm enjoying it.

I do think though that this should have been a $40 game. That seems like a perfect price point based on how much I've played so far...

foxdvd

well just goes to show how much reviews really can get it wrong...a game like Resident Evil 5 gets HIGH scores, and I hated it...and game like Alpha Protocol gets blasted, with a 2 out of 10 from Destructoid...and I am fucking loving it.

The only real complaint is enemy AI....outside that combat really has grown on me, and once you start upgrading stealth it gets fun doing a mission and not getting caught. More important the story is really engaging with some strong characters, and even better voice work.

I really have to agree with 1up's (EGM) B+ review on this...Flaws aside, I just played 5 hours strait for the second day, and the games keeps getting better, a good sign.

foxdvd

I think I am close to being done, and I am loving this game guys....some tough choices that really pull you into the game..

chuckd21

I can definitely see how the game would be different on multiple playthroughs. You have four characters to choose from and are constantly making life or death decisions along the way. The outcomes are probably the same, but the story in between would probably be a lot different.

There is a HEAVY Mass Effect vibe to the game, particularly when you're in your Russian safehouse which feels almost exactly like running around the Normandy, right down to the ambient music. The only slight I have against the game still is its generic feeling. They could have called it *CIA* or something much more definitive and not so vague and made a franchise out of the thing.

(For a while there I always confused this game with The Agency, that Sony game that may or may not ever be coming out.)

foxdvd

Finished it....

That was a great game guys. Flaws aside, I would have had no problem paying full price for it. The ending really throws a lot of shit at you, and I do feel there are a lot of things I did not get to experience by the end of the game...some real tough choices.