Alpha Protocol E3 Previews
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The demonstration I attended at E3 focused a bit on the game's innovations. Unlike previous titles like KotOR2 and Neverwinter Nights 2, Alpha Protocol is giving players a dialog system with a sense of urgency and impact. I watched as the developer demonstrated the dialog stance system, which allowed players to chose a posture but not explicit dialog. While we've seen something like this in Bioware's Mass Effect, Obsidian seems to be taking the system a step further by imposing real time pressure for decision making and a branching but non-looping choice system. Make a decision, the character speaks and the opportunity passes. This means players will have an extra reason to replay the game and alter the outcome.
Next is GamersInfo:
The backdrop for Alpha Protocol is a world overshadowed by a huge conspiracy of power brokers, and navigating the web of interactions between these various characters and towards a satisfactory resolution will provide variety in method, development, and goal. For instance, killing an arms dealer early in the game will (obviously) remove him from the deeply branching plotline - but you have NO idea whether he was destined to be a major player, or if he really was just a gun-peddler. This could, in fact, CHANGE based on whether or not you kill him, bribe him, take him prisoner, etc... No matter what you do to him, you MAY have just made an enemy of his boss, or you may have just created a power vaccuum that the remaining characters (known and unknown) will move to fill. The overall world of espionage in AP is highly nonlinear, though particular "leads" can be chased down to satisfactory resolutions of their own as long as they hold a player's interest and have room left to grow. A minor character that "owes you one" could turn out to be a huge asset down the line, and the player's control over the world in which this contact moves will be unprecedented if the developers have anything to say about it.
And, finally, PSX Extreme:
Artificial intelligence demonstrated some pretty good features, and firing the weapons felt extremely solid, with just a perfect amount of recoil and punch per shot. The weapons are fully customizable, so Alpha Protocol boasts a wide variety of firepower you can carry with you. Additionally, the game implements the usage of costumes which aren't just there for aesthetic purposes, but also serve as a way of affecting gameplay. Costumes are another example of how the multi-path gameplay in Alpha Protocol works -- you can either dress-up and calmly infiltrate an area, or choose not to you and pour bullets.
