Alpha Protocol

Date played: March 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 140 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I just received this game from Goozex.  I was initially interested in this game when I first heard about it but then the reviews came out and blasted the game for having clunky controls and being buggy.  I decided to give it another shot since I basically got it for free and so far, I'm impressed with it.

From what I've played, this is essentially Mass Effect 2 but with modern day spies instead of space colonies and aliens.  It also has the lack of polish that is typical of Obsidian, the developer of the game.  The game starts off by having you choose a background for your spy that will determine your starting skills and such.  I chose a technician as I felt using gadgets would probably be fun.

The first mission I played

There is a lengthy tutorial that was pretty interesting and taught me the mechanics well enough.  This game is a little rough though.  The aiming is weird, the character is a little stiff to control and the animations are a bit stilted. However, I still had fun.  The best part of the game so far has been the conversations.  It's like Mass Effect 2 except that you have a timer to select your conversation "stance" such as professional, agressive, suave, etc.  It's really interesting so far.

I also played a mission and bought some weapons and equipment.  The mission was pretty basic and had sort of a Metal Gear Solid feel in spots.  There was also a cool conversation with an arms dealer at the end of the level and I chose to extort him.  He now provides me with discounts on weapons and intel on various things.

I think I needed a game like this.  We'll see if it pans out as I progress.  The combat really takes some getting used to.