Alpha Protocol E3 Previews

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Written by BuckGB on June 6th, 2009

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At the core of Alpha Protocol is the dossier, which catalogues information on the various factions and characters you meet. The storyline is relatively open-ended. It's up to you whether or not you end up allying with or making enemies of all the different personalities you'll encounter.

Sie is one example of these characters, a Russian cougar in a wifebeater with a red bra peeking out of the top. She's tough as nails, and carries a machine gun that'd make Rambo jealous. If you choose to play well with her, she'll assist you on missions, both directly and with henchman support. Cross her, and you'll have a firefight on your hands. Careful, though, because playing nice with Sie may involve dealing with her in the bedroom as well as in the field.

When not out killing, Thornton can chillax at his own private pad, which slowly gets decorated with memorabilia from characters and missions encountered during the game. From one of his several safehouses, Thornton can watch TV, where newsflashes detail his latest mission and describe the methods in which he chose to tackle them, depending upon how it was played. He can also read emails containing helpful hints, or silly jokes, such as one particular message from "Milflover."

Graphically, the game is looking solid. There were a few bugs in this build, but it's in the alpha phase and I expect things to look far better soon. The game appears to have taken the best parts about Mass Effect and Fallout 3 (dialog options, customizations, looting) while leaving out all the shit bits (everything else). Obsidian admits to being a huge fans of both those games and was inspired by them when creating Alpha Protocol and it shows.

Gameplay-wise, Rorie does mostly run-and-gun maneuvers, and the game looks a bit like a traditional cover-based third-person shooter with RPG mechanics (like Mass Effect). Rorie uses abilities (Alpha Protocol's version of spells) such as Focus Fire (which lets him quickly lock onto foes) and Fury (a Martial Arts skill that temporarily boosts melee damage significantly). On occasion, Rorie uses some gadgets (he's quite fond of remote mines), and engages in some minigames; one is hacking a security door by connecting some power nodes on a circuit board, while the other is hacking a computer by finding the correct string of code hidden among others on-screen. Another interesting note is that if you approach an enemy with stealth, you have the option to either kill him or perform a non-lethal takedown. Those actions can affect your reputation; Rorie notes, "You'd probably want to do the non-lethal moves if you're breaking into the CIA or an embassy of a friendly nation." Also, Rorie points out Alpha Protocol's twist on Fallout's Perks system: you don't select Perks ahead of time; instead, you earn Perks based on the decisions you make and on your general gameplay style.

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