@@travishunstable5283 yes that's why I was responding to someone who said something was "an unpolished gem. But with amazing replayability" to paraphrase. Just like us KoA fans have been saying since the original release. A little unpolished but Amazing.
One of the most underrated games of all time. I played it several time and enjoyed it a lot every single time. It was a breeze of fresh air in the middle of WWII shooters and generic fantasy rpgs.
@@MortismalGaming Agreed. I was just telling my students the other day that I find myself more and more unlikely to buy games from certain developers or platforms due to geo-restirictions. I work in Kyrgyzstan, so a bunch of Steam games, if bought here, are unplayable if I leave the CIS region. And also that I only really started buying games on Steam as a kid when things like Steam credit cards appeared.
This is a game that plays better with a controller I think. The lockpicking is a bit harder, but the hacking for example works much better. Having a stick to move each set of numbers and then use the trigger to select when you have the correct one makes it a lot better. I guess I have to go through this a few times and complete it on recruit and veteran to see a bit more of the story options. And the recticue to aim means mouse targeting is not so important. Anyway glad you got to play it. I had fun with it for sure.
Yancy Westridge is actually a pretty interesting character. If you ever get a chance to talk to him in the epilouge; barring you have positive standing with him, that is; he'll reveal to you that he never wanted you dead. He'll tell you that most people in Alpha Protocol were expecting your return, and how much of a disappointed, confused, pissed-off, father he is for you going rogue. He reveals that Parker was the one who disobeyed orders and sent the Rockets, and Mina was the one who cut you off from Westridge who was trying to rescue you. It's all rather poignant as it puts Mina Tang's manipulation, and Michael Thorton's paranoia into perspective. He plainly states, that had you had just trusted in the good standing relationship that you had built with him, and called him, he would have done everything in his power to get you safely back home to Alpha Protocol, and back to work. If you pay attention, Darcey, Security, and Yancy all ask in an exhausted irritable tone: "Are you done?" As in: Are you done being a rebellious teen disappointment? Are you done playing in the mud puddle? Are you done having a temper tantrum? And to make this even more hilariously insane, you can call Mina Tang out after you awaken from the halbech explosion, Lampshading this revelation. The game goes "Ho ho, yeah, you know the truth now, Mr. Replay, but to bad; Thorton doesn't actually know that, so you still HAVE to go with Mina, but hey. I see you." It's god damn refreshing.
The dialogue timer exists to make every conversation paced like an actual conversation. It's great and I genuinely wish more games did it. Alpha Protocol is one of the only games where the dialogue actually sounds like dialogue rather than characters taking turns trading exposition with literal infinite pauses in between the exchanges.
I don't entirely agree with this. I get what they were trying to achieve with it, but in a real-life conversation you also take time to think, or you ask some extra questions before you can answer, etc. etc. The conversations in AP really don't reflect how a conversation IRL works. The timer always felt just TOO fast to me. I think they could've kept some of the tension without forcing you to pick a random choice because the timer was running out. They could have given you just a LITTLE more breathing room, giving you a little time to think, but not TOO long.
@@robinmattheussen2395 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe my thoughts move at an inhumanly fast pace although I should have clarified that by actual conversation I meant a scripted one - it's not meant to replicate IRL conversations so much as ones from spy movies which it absolutely nails
Best spy RPG ever made. Also one of the best actual roleplaying games in that genre. it has its issues, but honestly none of them even come close to be deal breaking for me. Loved this game since its release, and I have always been super sad it never got a sequel building on what was set up here, especially in terms of gameplay.
Recruit = Jack Ryan experience Veteran = John Clark mode TBH, that choice is one of the earliest newgame+ modes in a Western RPG I can think of, until AP came out NG+ was domain of JRPGs. And that aside - there is infinite sadness in me that there will never be AP2 or anything that is "AP but not named AP to avoid license issues" from Obsidian. Sure it was janky, but the plot, atmosphere, the actual choice and consequence - it's masterpiece storytelling. Like a spy thriller that came to life.
Honestly, I’ll take 1000 games that shoot the moon over a few AAA safe releases. Big wild idea like making a 3 games with interconnecting stories that kinda don’t land at the end. That sort of stuff.
I loved this game warts and all, but I'll admit the warts are there. There's one particular instance that I've always looked to as one of the most egregious examples of cut content in recent memory: The whole Albatross/Sis thing. They introduce a character with a really interesting design and character trait, they give you a hook that there's a mystery to her and make you wonder what the deal is (the St. George medallion and the way each character reacts to you asking about it), then they just drop that plot thread like a stone and never bring it up again.
I played this back in the 2010's on xbox at the recommendation of a friend and damn, it's such a hidden gem. Makes me wonder how they would do in 2023 with a second chance at the franchise.
My favorite moment was going to Rome to meet Marduk after a perfect stealth/nonlethal run through Moscow and Taipei. Just hearing Marduk's praise for leaving no evidence of my presence at all got me shook.
The "jank and bugs" reviews of this game were always overblown; it is still the very best spy thriller action rpg game ever made, with a dialogue and mission system that still feels fresh and organic even today. awesome game, really needs a sequel that doesn't have a rushed development cycle (like every obsidian game)
I've only played it once. I did replay the final mission a couple time to see different endings though. I didn't read any walkthroughs beforehand but luckily I happened to pick pistols and stealth and so I had a pretty good time with the combat. I would love to see Obsidian get a second try with this franchise, although I would say that for most of Obsidian's older games.
I Loved this game. My favorite ending is the one where you piss everyone off so much that they all show up at the end and fight AP and each other, not to rescue you, but for dibs on killing you, which let's you slip away and fight everyone like a 1 man army. It was amazing. I really hope they reboot or remaster this one day.
Man I always tried to make the 3 final handlers hate me just to see what happens in the final mission if you have no handlers to select but despite that Steven Heck was always available.
A tip I never see: this game becomes MUCH more stable if you always perform full loading of the game, and avoid the Last Save button like the plague. No idea why. But worked like a charm last time I played. Presumably some failed unloading stuff.
Because of this channel (and Raycevick) I found out about this game. I missed it back in high school and I'm glad that you helped me find it. While not perfect, it's a lot of fun and actually the first game I've completed in a long time. As a side note, I bought this on GOG and play it on my steam deck. I just launch it with Lutris and it runs very well. I've not run into any gamebreaking issues after 2 playthroughs
I loved this game I did a super stealthy recruit play through and then a second melee only veteran run right after. I’ve played it 4-5 times since it released and every time it was great.
It's one of the very few games, where information really is a weapon. Most of the characters you encounter are multi-faceted and even if you suspect they might be shady here and there, getting that last bit of proof to call them out on it can be tricky. But it also can lead absolutely amazing exchanges, like with Parker in the end section. It's practically a dialogue boss fight, where at some point you bait him, and then beat him at his own game. It was bloody brilliant. I played this game ages ago, and I still remember how awesome that was. That's what makes a cult classic to me.
It definitely belongs to my top 5 favorite games of all time. Sure it was buggy, but the story and the choices alone made me love it to the point where I finished it like 30+ times and I still wasn't bored. If I hadn't sold my PS3 I would probably still play it to this day.
I remember diving through the menus and finding a "orphans created" counter, which surprised me. What surprised me more was my count was zero and I was near the end of the game. Turns out I had tranquilizer rounds equip since the start. Also. Steven Heck is great. One option you can buy is for him to help in a subway mission. So how does he? He does a drive by with a mounted gun in a subway train car. My orphan count is zero. Steven's...not so much.
Forgot about this game until now. This game is like Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines to me, where it’s unfinished and unpolished, but it’s a terrific game nonetheless.
As someone that followed the development of this game extensively, I can tell you that the reason for the dialog being the way it is, is the desire from Obsidian to create a very cinematic conversation system, where the player and the other characters had a flow to their dialog. The downside of that is, as you noticed, that you sometimes had very little time to choose your dialog option.
I quite appreciated your review of this classic I've somehow never played although I got it over a year ago for my Xbox 360 collection! Similar to Raven's 2009 "Wolfenstein" it's gone from PC sales yet playable on the still enjoyable offline Xbox 360.
Man, I'd like a lite remake more of a remaster with a bit of improvments. Just the graphics, continuity, combat fluidity and definitely the selection timer. The way I play Deus Ex reminds me a lot of this game. Heck, I'm currently playing HL and I still like going stealth on enemies.
I have the game on CD. I probably should take it from my father's house 😅 I really liked the game, didn't realize obsidian made it. I see I keep liking things they do.
Pity the game achieved cult status so late, I remember it was sold on Steam for like 2 bucks on sale, which was when I got it. I loved it but I remember the last mission being very buggy. The choice system is easily the best we have seen so far. I think the real world setting played against the game. Had it been sci-fi and people would talk so much more about it.
I think this game highlights a basic principle - Chris Avellone needs a good project manager and a decent budget. And if he's given both of those things - he can create absolute gold. I wish he'd get some fulltime consulting gig over at Microsoft (XBox Game Studios and ZeniMax) and just be let loose to do whatever he sees as necessary. Given that both InXile and Obsidian are there, as well as Arkane and Bethesda - the absolute dream would be a Chris Avellone who can add creative ideas etc to any in-development games. e.g. Basic design and gameplay loop of Elder Scrolls hasn't changed in 20 years, and I reckon it will take someone like Chris to do for it what he did for Fallout franchise (noting that was a Bethesda-engined game).
Loved this game. My favourite NPC that you meet is the lady with the massive machine gun... and now I can't remember her name. At this point, I would just like for someone to be able to release an unofficial patch that would maybe clean up some of the bugs and problems with the game. Of course that is about as likely to happen as a sequel or a remaster, but I can dream.
Played this at release on 360. I loved it even tho' parts were buggy. Hoped for years for a sequel (where much bugginess could be exterminated) but it obviously never happened and now, most likely, never will. Still think it could have become a stellar franchise but oh well. I'd love to play it again but would have to get another functional 360 and that's just not in the cards. Good vid
Obsidian proved with this game that they are gods of choice and consequences and very much could create the best of the best in the choice and consequence division.
It is a decent game, a little behind its time but there was potential. It would be interesting to see a remastered version with better game systems implemented.
Runs perfectly with everything maxed out on a Steam Deck, though you need to play in 720p so you will have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If you happen to be one of the lucky few to have this on your Steam, yeah... go for it. Quite fun.
Loved this game, my first 100% (at least as much as you can on this game) - plus the battle with the Coke Powered Russian Gangster was one of my all time favorite boss battles.
I have a sweet spot for this game because it comes closest to what I think should be a role playing game on PC/Console. I barely experienced the bugs you encountered and I don't even remenber the broken timer in conversations (that would've make me freak out).
Alpha Protocol! Fuck yeah! Such a great game. Not in any way perfect or even polished, but at least it was an original take, it was memorable and fun to replay. Imagine a game in which you can go full stealth without problems! (Hear that Human Revolution?!?)
Just reinstalled thanks to this vid, I never finished it originally because I got frustrated with the bugs. Internet being what it is, there'll be ways around them now. Thanks Mortismal, for reminding me of this one.
Amazing Gem but also one of the most janky RPG I played! For Steam Deck compatibility: it generally works but it's a chore for the commands. Sometimes it does forget you activated the controller support and you have to go to the options.. which inherently isn't a problem! The issue arises when you try to apply the option to activate the controller and 9 times out of 10 it doesn't do that. You have to do it again and again and again for the game to finally accept it. Never had this issue on Windows but it might be a stroke of luck for me..
Idk if you’ve watched “road to eternity” small documentary on obsidian and how they just about collapsed before kickstarting pillars of eternity, really good. You’d enjoy it as an obsidian fan
I think the game was great a great game from the past the way that you can make your character different ways and then the real decisions in game that affect the entire game great concept I wish they would make more like this and the combat style that you can be aggressive or silent or a little of both but everything feels so natural and the way that if you help a certain factions they'll help you fight other factions it's crazy I don't know why people don't make more like this game besides you know the bugs and all that but I mean come on you can buy $100 game these days and it'll be all kinds of bugs in it it feels not even game tested
I dug this game with all its flaws. For combat, I was all about stealth and handguns, and in terms of personality, mostly James Bond with some Jason Bourne, with very little Jack Baur. Would have really liked an Omega Protocol that was hinted at in the end.
I love this game, but it on a PC discount rack(which was weird...but it was like a electronics discount store) had no idea what it was, was majorly impressed. It was sort of a spy mass effect, its good times...
This is just Obsidian in a nutshell: brilliant, unpolished gems. Alpha Protocol is something you should play, because we may never get anything else like it again.
Seemed to work great on Steam Deck after disabling motion blur from the engine config like someone adviced on the internet. And if I recall correctly, first time launching you had to change controls in the options menu from m/kb to Xbox 360. But after ironing those out, at leasy the beginning area ran flawlessly. Didn't play further than that though, my backlog on crpgs is huge and I already played this game so much on Xbox 360.
I really liked this when I played it. It didn't blow me away or anything but it sticks in my memory is a good game (minus the latter part of it). I liked the original premise of a modern day spy thriller combined with an rpg. I still remember my sarcastic tech nerd with a backwards baseball cap version of Michael Thorton being a blast to play
I remember feeling like this was very much a product of a time that had passed a few years before its release. Given the development drama I see why that was. I remember really having fun with it though.
Thanks for the review bro, I was replaying Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic. I thought I should try Alpha Protocol, your review inspired me to play it today!
I remember this was a game I took a chance with. To this day I can't think of many others that does the "choices matter" as well as this game. Tyranny was also ok in that department. Or to say it had potential as well... Sure AP is janky, not fully baked and the ideas they were going for didn't reach full conceptualization... But what is there really shows a huge amount of engaging ideas that they attempted to implement. Players freedom of choice on how to play as much as decisions and dialogue carrying actual weight to not just the story but also how the game plays. It is a failure but a failure that did succeed in some of the things it was attempting to do. Even if it didn't do them perfectly. It became one of my favorite games. Up there with Bloodlines, Tyranny, Shadow Hearts and a handful of others. I'm not even a huge spy kinda guy. I used to play Spy Vs Spy on Commordore back in the day. To deviate from just the gameplay focus, the characters we generally well written and felt like...characters. Especially ones you'd probably see in any number of spy flicks. The story was functional, entertaining enough. Even modern games with a larger budget...vast majority fail to have as engaging a story or well crafted characters.
I played through this last year and had fun. I played as an Engineer with all my specialized skills maxed, Submachine Guns as high as a non-specialized skill can be and a few points in Pistols because Pistols are the only guns that allow non-lethal ammo and there are some areas where I wanted to disable hostile without killing them. One thing that annoyed me is if memory serves you can't change weapons in the field. For example I typically took a Shotgun and a Submachine Gun on most missions this run but when I anticipated the presence of hostiles I didn't want to kill I took a Shotgun and a Pistol with non-lethal ammo. In most such missions there's a point where the hostile group whose members I don't want to kill stop showing up and there is nothing but enemies I'm fine with killing. I would have loved to be able to swap my Pistol for aa fallen enemy's Submachine Gun at those points mid mission but couldn't figure out how to. I would have been fine with having to buy a replacement Pistol or at losing access to the one I dropped for future missions and I thought from what I had read about the game back when it first came out that I pick up enemy weapons in the field. (This was my third finished run with one aborted doing to having to reset my PS3 to factory spec many years ago but it had been long enough I couldn't remember if I had issues swapping weapons mid mission.)
I loved how doing missions in certain orders could have effects on other levels. As well as all the little details in the emails and news reports. Just too bad the shooting was rubbish. Though you can mod it to be way better through some file tweaks.
Great video. Man I loved this game. I'd play it now if I could - jank and all. AP and The Bureau are two of my favorite "hidden gem" action rpgs that are impossible to find now. I play on console so piracy's out, unfortunately.
Honestly I've never played another game with player choice that ACTUALLY makes a difference in game. Everything from missions, enemies, allies, safehouses and endings are effected.
I really enjoyed this game, played it on console when it came out. I actually like the shooting mechanics based on the agents skill (though it could use some polish), games where I'm playing as a grizzled soldier one game and as a white collar tech wiz the next is immersion breaking when their shooting skills are exactly the same.
I'm a sucker for pulpy, third-person gun games like this. I recall playing a pistols build and at some point being so powerful that I just trotted through levels blasting enemies with headshots.
I don't find enjoyment in this game. I freaking love it. 🤩 It have it´s problems, i know about them. But playing it once in a while make you adapt. Also, nice review. As someone who know this game pretty good, i agree with most of those things.
One of those times I really wish I hadn't listened to the reviewers. It was bombed so hard, so I passed. Console gamer here, so it would have filled that western RPG niche for me perfectly.
You can now purchase this legitimately on GOG (as of 3/20/24) where they claim to have fixed the most crucial bugs as well.
I just came back here when I heard that... that's what I call reactive !
I just got the game i want to say thank you for the info and i just subscribed to your channel! 💚💚💚💚
Yup! Downloading now!!!!
Glad you pinned this! I was going to make a comment but you beat me to it 😎
It’s on Steam as well, and it’s marked “playable” for Steam Deck 🎉
This game is an unpolished gem. Janky yes, but the sheer amount of player choice and the replayability of the game was amazing
Lol this sounds Exactly like something a fan of Kingdoms of Amalur would say..
I was playing coz of the story.... Its the best janky game I've ever played until finished.... 😂
@@JRussellDay I’m confused what’s your point? Kingdoms of Amalur was an amazing game.
@@travishunstable5283 yes that's why I was responding to someone who said something was "an unpolished gem. But with amazing replayability" to paraphrase. Just like us KoA fans have been saying since the original release. A little unpolished but Amazing.
Must've beaten the game over a dozen times, including several recruit hard mode runs on perfect stealth.
I honestly wish they made another game like this, I really miss this style.
Yeah it's terrible how much they have to dumb games down for cod morons who can't comprehend gameplay changes
@@justinbezaire8115 “cod morons” bro be quiet and come up with something original
@@stuartbagley2586idiot
"Regular old piracy will do" is a sentence I never knew I needed to hear Mort say, but it was none the less amusing
Its a shame it wasnt successful enough to justify a Part 2. The Story and Choices and all the hidden endings/developments were amazing.
One of the most underrated games of all time. I played it several time and enjoyed it a lot every single time. It was a breeze of fresh air in the middle of WWII shooters and generic fantasy rpgs.
This game is janky, but just so charming. Also, I appreciate your stance on piracy regarding games which would be otherwise impossible to acquire. ^^
Piracy has always been primarily a service issue.
@@MortismalGaming Agreed. I was just telling my students the other day that I find myself more and more unlikely to buy games from certain developers or platforms due to geo-restirictions. I work in Kyrgyzstan, so a bunch of Steam games, if bought here, are unplayable if I leave the CIS region. And also that I only really started buying games on Steam as a kid when things like Steam credit cards appeared.
I remember being amazed how far your choices/gameplay effected the story
This game deserves a reboot.
Beta protocol, or something less cringe
Omega Protocol :p
Chad Protocol.
Perhaps Sigma Protocol
Also, if they don't want to make character creation, just make him look like the Chad. Suddenly, the game garnered attention. Marketing 101.
Callisto Protocol.
This is a game that plays better with a controller I think. The lockpicking is a bit harder, but the hacking for example works much better. Having a stick to move each set of numbers and then use the trigger to select when you have the correct one makes it a lot better. I guess I have to go through this a few times and complete it on recruit and veteran to see a bit more of the story options. And the recticue to aim means mouse targeting is not so important. Anyway glad you got to play it. I had fun with it for sure.
Yancy Westridge is actually a pretty interesting character. If you ever get a chance to talk to him in the epilouge; barring you have positive standing with him, that is; he'll reveal to you that he never wanted you dead.
He'll tell you that most people in Alpha Protocol were expecting your return, and how much of a disappointed, confused, pissed-off, father he is for you going rogue.
He reveals that Parker was the one who disobeyed orders and sent the Rockets, and Mina was the one who cut you off from Westridge who was trying to rescue you.
It's all rather poignant as it puts Mina Tang's manipulation, and Michael Thorton's paranoia into perspective.
He plainly states, that had you had just trusted in the good standing relationship that you had built with him, and called him, he would have done everything in his power to get you safely back home to Alpha Protocol, and back to work.
If you pay attention, Darcey, Security, and Yancy all ask in an exhausted irritable tone: "Are you done?" As in: Are you done being a rebellious teen disappointment? Are you done playing in the mud puddle? Are you done having a temper tantrum?
And to make this even more hilariously insane, you can call Mina Tang out after you awaken from the halbech explosion, Lampshading this revelation.
The game goes "Ho ho, yeah, you know the truth now, Mr. Replay, but to bad; Thorton doesn't actually know that, so you still HAVE to go with Mina, but hey. I see you."
It's god damn refreshing.
The dialogue timer exists to make every conversation paced like an actual conversation. It's great and I genuinely wish more games did it. Alpha Protocol is one of the only games where the dialogue actually sounds like dialogue rather than characters taking turns trading exposition with literal infinite pauses in between the exchanges.
I don't entirely agree with this. I get what they were trying to achieve with it, but in a real-life conversation you also take time to think, or you ask some extra questions before you can answer, etc. etc. The conversations in AP really don't reflect how a conversation IRL works. The timer always felt just TOO fast to me. I think they could've kept some of the tension without forcing you to pick a random choice because the timer was running out. They could have given you just a LITTLE more breathing room, giving you a little time to think, but not TOO long.
@@robinmattheussen2395 wrong!
@@syraphian no, you're wrong!
Certainly better than Ragnarok's system of constantly badgering you if you stop giving it attention for more than 5 seconds.
@@robinmattheussen2395 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe my thoughts move at an inhumanly fast pace
although I should have clarified that by actual conversation I meant a scripted one - it's not meant to replicate IRL conversations so much as ones from spy movies which it absolutely nails
Best spy RPG ever made. Also one of the best actual roleplaying games in that genre.
it has its issues, but honestly none of them even come close to be deal breaking for me. Loved this game since its release, and I have always been super sad it never got a sequel building on what was set up here, especially in terms of gameplay.
Recruit = Jack Ryan experience
Veteran = John Clark mode
TBH, that choice is one of the earliest newgame+ modes in a Western RPG I can think of, until AP came out NG+ was domain of JRPGs. And that aside - there is infinite sadness in me that there will never be AP2 or anything that is "AP but not named AP to avoid license issues" from Obsidian. Sure it was janky, but the plot, atmosphere, the actual choice and consequence - it's masterpiece storytelling. Like a spy thriller that came to life.
Diablo 1 had NG+ in 1997. Mass Effect 1 also had NG+ 3 years earlier.
I'm the Platinum speed run holder in my country for this game. It's simply awesome and deserved a sequel.
Honestly, I’ll take 1000 games that shoot the moon over a few AAA safe releases. Big wild idea like making a 3 games with interconnecting stories that kinda don’t land at the end. That sort of stuff.
Chris Avellone really knows how to build a story
I had so much fun with this game. Fortunately I still own a copy. :)
A reboot would be amazing!
I loved this game warts and all, but I'll admit the warts are there. There's one particular instance that I've always looked to as one of the most egregious examples of cut content in recent memory: The whole Albatross/Sis thing. They introduce a character with a really interesting design and character trait, they give you a hook that there's a mystery to her and make you wonder what the deal is (the St. George medallion and the way each character reacts to you asking about it), then they just drop that plot thread like a stone and never bring it up again.
I used to play this and Jade Empire back-to-back during the pandemic. Made the anxiety around that time a bit easier, enjoyed this game a lot.
I played this back in the 2010's on xbox at the recommendation of a friend and damn, it's such a hidden gem. Makes me wonder how they would do in 2023 with a second chance at the franchise.
One of my fav games I've finished it like 40 times it's a game I'll never stop playing
I didn't realize they took it down from the Steam store. Glad I got it on a sale a while back.
Fighting the boss on the music stage was always my hardest point, but I loved this game.
My favorite moment was going to Rome to meet Marduk after a perfect stealth/nonlethal run through Moscow and Taipei. Just hearing Marduk's praise for leaving no evidence of my presence at all got me shook.
I enjoy these retrospective reviews! Thank you
The "jank and bugs" reviews of this game were always overblown; it is still the very best spy thriller action rpg game ever made, with a dialogue and mission system that still feels fresh and organic even today. awesome game, really needs a sequel that doesn't have a rushed development cycle (like every obsidian game)
I've only played it once. I did replay the final mission a couple time to see different endings though.
I didn't read any walkthroughs beforehand but luckily I happened to pick pistols and stealth and so I had a pretty good time with the combat.
I would love to see Obsidian get a second try with this franchise, although I would say that for most of Obsidian's older games.
I Loved this game. My favorite ending is the one where you piss everyone off so much that they all show up at the end and fight AP and each other, not to rescue you, but for dibs on killing you, which let's you slip away and fight everyone like a 1 man army. It was amazing. I really hope they reboot or remaster this one day.
Man I always tried to make the 3 final handlers hate me just to see what happens in the final mission if you have no handlers to select but despite that Steven Heck was always available.
This game grew on you the further you played into it. Hidden gem.
I loved this game in all its imperfection. Sometimes people expect too much from a video game. It is what it is.
Currently playing this. It’s a lot of fun! The story and dialogue is actually good and would love a little bit of polish. Would also be fun on switch
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Obsidian as a whole now that you've covered the bulk of their catalogue like you did with Bioware
A tip I never see: this game becomes MUCH more stable if you always perform full loading of the game, and avoid the Last Save button like the plague.
No idea why. But worked like a charm last time I played. Presumably some failed unloading stuff.
a polished sequel would be amazing, not to end this idea but to expand it. i hope they take a look again
Because of this channel (and Raycevick) I found out about this game. I missed it back in high school and I'm glad that you helped me find it. While not perfect, it's a lot of fun and actually the first game I've completed in a long time.
As a side note, I bought this on GOG and play it on my steam deck. I just launch it with Lutris and it runs very well. I've not run into any gamebreaking issues after 2 playthroughs
A lovely game that I gifted to as many people as I could on Steam. I really hope to see its work incorporated into other games some day.
I loved this game I did a super stealthy recruit play through and then a second melee only veteran run right after. I’ve played it 4-5 times since it released and every time it was great.
It's one of the very few games, where information really is a weapon. Most of the characters you encounter are multi-faceted and even if you suspect they might be shady here and there, getting that last bit of proof to call them out on it can be tricky. But it also can lead absolutely amazing exchanges, like with Parker in the end section. It's practically a dialogue boss fight, where at some point you bait him, and then beat him at his own game. It was bloody brilliant. I played this game ages ago, and I still remember how awesome that was. That's what makes a cult classic to me.
It definitely belongs to my top 5 favorite games of all time. Sure it was buggy, but the story and the choices alone made me love it to the point where I finished it like 30+ times and I still wasn't bored. If I hadn't sold my PS3 I would probably still play it to this day.
I remember diving through the menus and finding a "orphans created" counter, which surprised me. What surprised me more was my count was zero and I was near the end of the game. Turns out I had tranquilizer rounds equip since the start.
Also. Steven Heck is great. One option you can buy is for him to help in a subway mission. So how does he? He does a drive by with a mounted gun in a subway train car.
My orphan count is zero. Steven's...not so much.
Just installed from steam on my deck. Outside of having to use the mouse to enable controller in the settings, it runs fine.
Forgot about this game until now. This game is like Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines to me, where it’s unfinished and unpolished, but it’s a terrific game nonetheless.
As someone that followed the development of this game extensively, I can tell you that the reason for the dialog being the way it is, is the desire from Obsidian to create a very cinematic conversation system, where the player and the other characters had a flow to their dialog. The downside of that is, as you noticed, that you sometimes had very little time to choose your dialog option.
I quite appreciated your review of this classic I've somehow never played although I got it over a year ago for my Xbox 360 collection!
Similar to Raven's 2009 "Wolfenstein" it's gone from PC sales yet playable on the still enjoyable offline Xbox 360.
Man, I'd like a lite remake more of a remaster with a bit of improvments. Just the graphics, continuity, combat fluidity and definitely the selection timer. The way I play Deus Ex reminds me a lot of this game. Heck, I'm currently playing HL and I still like going stealth on enemies.
I have the game on CD.
I probably should take it from my father's house 😅
I really liked the game, didn't realize obsidian made it.
I see I keep liking things they do.
Pity the game achieved cult status so late, I remember it was sold on Steam for like 2 bucks on sale, which was when I got it.
I loved it but I remember the last mission being very buggy. The choice system is easily the best we have seen so far.
I think the real world setting played against the game. Had it been sci-fi and people would talk so much more about it.
I think this game highlights a basic principle - Chris Avellone needs a good project manager and a decent budget. And if he's given both of those things - he can create absolute gold. I wish he'd get some fulltime consulting gig over at Microsoft (XBox Game Studios and ZeniMax) and just be let loose to do whatever he sees as necessary. Given that both InXile and Obsidian are there, as well as Arkane and Bethesda - the absolute dream would be a Chris Avellone who can add creative ideas etc to any in-development games. e.g. Basic design and gameplay loop of Elder Scrolls hasn't changed in 20 years, and I reckon it will take someone like Chris to do for it what he did for Fallout franchise (noting that was a Bethesda-engined game).
I'm watching this because it is now on Steam in time for the Steam Summer Sale and I'm freaking hyped! Can't wait to get my hands on this game!
Really enjoyed playing this game and glad I got all trophies for it! Wouldn’t mind a remastered to enjoy it once again! Glad I still kept my copy.
Lets Go!!!
Damn he 100% the games and gets a great video out so fuckin quick, when does this man sleep?!?!
Loved this game. My favourite NPC that you meet is the lady with the massive machine gun... and now I can't remember her name. At this point, I would just like for someone to be able to release an unofficial patch that would maybe clean up some of the bugs and problems with the game. Of course that is about as likely to happen as a sequel or a remaster, but I can dream.
Played this at release on 360. I loved it even tho' parts were buggy. Hoped for years for a sequel (where much bugginess could be exterminated) but it obviously never happened and now, most likely, never will. Still think it could have become a stellar franchise but oh well. I'd love to play it again but would have to get another functional 360 and that's just not in the cards. Good vid
Obsidian proved with this game that they are gods of choice and consequences and very much could create the best of the best in the choice and consequence division.
It is a decent game, a little behind its time but there was potential. It would be interesting to see a remastered version with better game systems implemented.
Runs perfectly with everything maxed out on a Steam Deck, though you need to play in 720p so you will have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If you happen to be one of the lucky few to have this on your Steam, yeah... go for it. Quite fun.
Loved this game, my first 100% (at least as much as you can on this game) - plus the battle with the Coke Powered Russian Gangster was one of my all time favorite boss battles.
Currently playing this game in 2022 this game brings a lot of memories 🥰
I have a sweet spot for this game because it comes closest to what I think should be a role playing game on PC/Console.
I barely experienced the bugs you encountered and I don't even remenber the broken timer in conversations (that would've make me freak out).
Alpha Protocol! Fuck yeah! Such a great game. Not in any way perfect or even polished, but at least it was an original take, it was memorable and fun to replay.
Imagine a game in which you can go full stealth without problems! (Hear that Human Revolution?!?)
Just reinstalled thanks to this vid, I never finished it originally because I got frustrated with the bugs.
Internet being what it is, there'll be ways around them now.
Thanks Mortismal, for reminding me of this one.
Its been re-released on GoG. So happy days.
loved the idea of this game when it came out, and honestly had fun with it. And it is the perfect case for a remake
Love your retro reviews!
Amazing Gem but also one of the most janky RPG I played!
For Steam Deck compatibility: it generally works but it's a chore for the commands. Sometimes it does forget you activated the controller support and you have to go to the options.. which inherently isn't a problem! The issue arises when you try to apply the option to activate the controller and 9 times out of 10 it doesn't do that. You have to do it again and again and again for the game to finally accept it.
Never had this issue on Windows but it might be a stroke of luck for me..
I see you decided to use both retrospective and 2022 in the title. Putting the year in parentheses was a good choice 👍
Idk if you’ve watched “road to eternity” small documentary on obsidian and how they just about collapsed before kickstarting pillars of eternity, really good. You’d enjoy it as an obsidian fan
I think the game was great a great game from the past the way that you can make your character different ways and then the real decisions in game that affect the entire game great concept I wish they would make more like this and the combat style that you can be aggressive or silent or a little of both but everything feels so natural and the way that if you help a certain factions they'll help you fight other factions it's crazy I don't know why people don't make more like this game besides you know the bugs and all that but I mean come on you can buy $100 game these days and it'll be all kinds of bugs in it it feels not even game tested
It's janky, but I love it. Wish it was available for sale.
I dug this game with all its flaws. For combat, I was all about stealth and handguns, and in terms of personality, mostly James Bond with some Jason Bourne, with very little Jack Baur. Would have really liked an Omega Protocol that was hinted at in the end.
I love this game, but it on a PC discount rack(which was weird...but it was like a electronics discount store) had no idea what it was, was majorly impressed. It was sort of a spy mass effect, its good times...
This is just Obsidian in a nutshell: brilliant, unpolished gems. Alpha Protocol is something you should play, because we may never get anything else like it again.
Seemed to work great on Steam Deck after disabling motion blur from the engine config like someone adviced on the internet. And if I recall correctly, first time launching you had to change controls in the options menu from m/kb to Xbox 360. But after ironing those out, at leasy the beginning area ran flawlessly.
Didn't play further than that though, my backlog on crpgs is huge and I already played this game so much on Xbox 360.
Now I'm waiting for the Obsidian summary ;)
Onward to 200k. All glory to the algorithm.
I really liked this when I played it. It didn't blow me away or anything but it sticks in my memory is a good game (minus the latter part of it). I liked the original premise of a modern day spy thriller combined with an rpg. I still remember my sarcastic tech nerd with a backwards baseball cap version of Michael Thorton being a blast to play
I remember feeling like this was very much a product of a time that had passed a few years before its release. Given the development drama I see why that was. I remember really having fun with it though.
Wow played the game 3 times and I've only been through the surface of what the game does and endings. I just love how you just punching everyone lmao!
Thanks for the review bro, I was replaying Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic. I thought I should try Alpha Protocol, your review inspired me to play it today!
Braykeyo Boss fight set to Autograph Turn Up The Radio is still in My top 5 Boss fights.
I remember this was a game I took a chance with.
To this day I can't think of many others that does the "choices matter" as well as this game.
Tyranny was also ok in that department. Or to say it had potential as well...
Sure AP is janky, not fully baked and the ideas they were going for didn't reach full conceptualization...
But what is there really shows a huge amount of engaging ideas that they attempted to implement.
Players freedom of choice on how to play as much as decisions and dialogue carrying actual weight to not just the story but also how the game plays.
It is a failure but a failure that did succeed in some of the things it was attempting to do. Even if it didn't do them perfectly.
It became one of my favorite games. Up there with Bloodlines, Tyranny, Shadow Hearts and a handful of others.
I'm not even a huge spy kinda guy. I used to play Spy Vs Spy on Commordore back in the day.
To deviate from just the gameplay focus, the characters we generally well written and felt like...characters.
Especially ones you'd probably see in any number of spy flicks. The story was functional, entertaining enough.
Even modern games with a larger budget...vast majority fail to have as engaging a story or well crafted characters.
I played through this last year and had fun. I played as an Engineer with all my specialized skills maxed, Submachine Guns as high as a non-specialized skill can be and a few points in Pistols because Pistols are the only guns that allow non-lethal ammo and there are some areas where I wanted to disable hostile without killing them.
One thing that annoyed me is if memory serves you can't change weapons in the field. For example I typically took a Shotgun and a Submachine Gun on most missions this run but when I anticipated the presence of hostiles I didn't want to kill I took a Shotgun and a Pistol with non-lethal ammo. In most such missions there's a point where the hostile group whose members I don't want to kill stop showing up and there is nothing but enemies I'm fine with killing. I would have loved to be able to swap my Pistol for aa fallen enemy's Submachine Gun at those points mid mission but couldn't figure out how to. I would have been fine with having to buy a replacement Pistol or at losing access to the one I dropped for future missions and I thought from what I had read about the game back when it first came out that I pick up enemy weapons in the field. (This was my third finished run with one aborted doing to having to reset my PS3 to factory spec many years ago but it had been long enough I couldn't remember if I had issues swapping weapons mid mission.)
I loved how doing missions in certain orders could have effects on other levels. As well as all the little details in the emails and news reports. Just too bad the shooting was rubbish. Though you can mod it to be way better through some file tweaks.
Great video. Man I loved this game. I'd play it now if I could - jank and all. AP and The Bureau are two of my favorite "hidden gem" action rpgs that are impossible to find now. I play on console so piracy's out, unfortunately.
Honestly I've never played another game with player choice that ACTUALLY makes a difference in game. Everything from missions, enemies, allies, safehouses and endings are effected.
I don't remember much about this game. I just remember love'n it
I really enjoyed this game, played it on console when it came out. I actually like the shooting mechanics based on the agents skill (though it could use some polish), games where I'm playing as a grizzled soldier one game and as a white collar tech wiz the next is immersion breaking when their shooting skills are exactly the same.
Hmm...I love this game.
I bought a 360 just to play this again.
True classic whether on ps3 or PC
That's how i discovered TURN UP THE RADIO song
Good show sir!
I'm a sucker for pulpy, third-person gun games like this. I recall playing a pistols build and at some point being so powerful that I just trotted through levels blasting enemies with headshots.
A fun game saddled with a crap-ton of bugs.
God I wish a remake was possible
This is one of the games that i thought was a fever dream but played it as a kid
We need a remake I LOVED this game
I loved this game and would fully support a sequel 👍
I don't find enjoyment in this game. I freaking love it. 🤩
It have it´s problems, i know about them. But playing it once in a while make you adapt.
Also, nice review. As someone who know this game pretty good, i agree with most of those things.
One of those times I really wish I hadn't listened to the reviewers. It was bombed so hard, so I passed. Console gamer here, so it would have filled that western RPG niche for me perfectly.
A shame that this game is not on steam. I would love to play it.
Playing through this on the steam deck and it works perfectly. You have to use the touch screen on the launcher but other than that it works great.