Sometimes a game just slips under the radar. Whatever the reason for this occurring, be it bad marketing, classification problems or a strange concept, some games just fail to find their audience. Here at Player2.net.au we want to highlight these rough gems and that is where “In Case You Missed It” comes in. Some games just deserve a second chance.
In Case You Missed It – Alpha Protocol
In the world of RPG’s there are two categories, Sci/Fi and Fantasy. It has been that way since the dawn of time (or video games anyway) and it has been a time honored tradition that if an RPG didn’t have dragons, it had space dragons. But in 2010 Obsidian Entertainment and SEGA set out to challenge that notion with Alpha Protocol. No longer did elves and martians have the genre to themselves. No they had to share their home court with James Bond (well Micheal Thornton to be exact but let it be known that he is basically James Bond).
Alpha Protocol was an espionage based RPG that was released to little fanfare and quite a few problems. A buggy launch (something that is a bit of a tradition with Obsidian) hampered gamers good will to this stealthy title and that was a crying shame as it is one of the most unique role playing games to have ever been released. The structure of the game was set similar to just about any modern day RPG with conversation trees, real time combat and skill upgrade paths but where it set its self a part was with the implementation of consequence.
A lot of games have touted player choice and consequence as a feature but it is hard to think of any game that has implemented them as well as Alpha Protocol. Every action, conversation and mission has the chance to affect the world the game is set in greatly. There is no “good or evil” path here, only shades of grey, and it makes the story and game so much more intriguing. Do you approach a target aggressively, as a human or simply shoot first? Do you steal drug money for yourself or inform the press about the drug running activities? Each of these approaches are a legitimate tactic in the world of espionage and all have far reaching effects. This system makes multiple playthroughs of Alpha Protocol almost essential, just to see how all the different options can pan out.
It is these systems that also make ignoring the multiple bugs and camera quirks quite easy. Alpha Protocol is by no means a perfect game but it is a solid RPG with a unique setting and some amazing consequence mechanics. What’s more is the game can regularly be had for under $5 on Steam so there really is no excuse to miss out on it. Who knows, there may even be a chance of a sequel to this unpolished gem, stranger things have happened.
