As the subtitle of Alpha Protocol helpfully explains, this is ‘The Espionage RPG’ and it looks to be shaping up rather nicely in my opinion. The game is being developed by Obsidian who brought us games such as KOTOR II and Neverwinter Nights 2, so they have a decent pedigree when it comes to making RPG’s

Alpha Protocol is an RPG first and a shooter second so don’t go into the game expecting to be able to play through it as a shooter alone like many people did with ME2. What you can do is play through the game in a superb variety of different ways. Character creation which is done at the beginning of the game borrows spy archetypes from traditional sources (Bond, Bourne et al) as the basis for the player character and the decision on which class to choose at the beginning of the game can lead to a massively different experience.

The RPG nature of the game is best demonstrated by it’s shooting mechanics. To aim at an enemy players must first place their reticule over the target’s head and depending on the characters skill with their weapon it will take a certain amount of time to zero in. Whilst this sounds like it may slow down the gameplay, in practice it encourages players to play to the strengths of their characters and to use the different abilities of each class correctly. Don’t be worried by this: I’ve read several hands on write ups of the game and every single one of them describes how the combat is always fast paced and compelling.

It’s possible to play the game as a stealthy Sam Fisher type which will require you to sneak your way through or you could choose to play as a more typical soldier type and blast through missions. The decision is in the hands of the player, and this element of choice shaping the game prevails throughout.

Conversations with NPC’s and the impact of these on both mission structure and future character interaction is the games strongest point. Very much in the style of mass effect it’s up to the player to choose the style of their responses to NPC’s and these different choices can lead to very different reactions from the various characters players meet through the course of the game. These different reactions can range from allowing access to different missions to making certain items or abilities available or merely rebuking an unprofessional response.

As to be expected, players can choose to play through main story missions only or to take on a bunch of secondary missions. These secondary missions actually have an effect on the main story though which makes playing through them an absolute must if you’re intent on experiencing Alpha Protocol to the full.

Secondary missions are gained by buying dossiers and then taking on the tasks found within them. One such example involves taking down a munitions dump, this having the effect of ensuring that enemies are not as well supplied for the rest of the game. What makes secondary missions even more interesting is that they must be carried out within certain time restraints, this means that it’s not possible to take on all side missions in any one playthrough. As a result it’s extremely unlikely that any two players will have the same experience with this game. Again it comes down to player choice shaping the experience.

The final example of how player choice can impact on the game comes from the levelling up system. As players level up their character it’s possible to choose from many different active (player activated) or passive(always on) abilities to customise their experience. For example, one such active ability which is available to the stealth class is being able to place markers over the heads of enemies (think Splinter Cell style ‘mark and execute’ markers) which enable the player to keep tabs on enemies and sneak past them more easily. Levelling up this ability can improve it from active to passive which enables quicker sneaking through sections. As I mentioned earlier some of these abilities require certain styles of interactions with the NPC’s in order to allow their use, so think carefully about how you approach conversations!

There you have it then: Alpha Protocol looks to be shaping up to be an extremely compelling and customisable experience that encourages multiple playthroughs if only to see what effect different choices have on both narrative and gameplay. I’ll certainly be picking this one up on release and hopefully a few of you will now be considering doing so too.
If you’re still not convinced then keep an eye on 360G for the full review in a couple of weeks time.