E3 2009: Preview: Alpha Protocol - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 13 June 2009 / 3,062 Views
VGChartz had the opportunity to sit down with Chris Parker and Matthew Ernst of Obsidian Entertainment and see a behind closed doors demo of Alpha Protocol. For those of you that are just not joining us, let me get you up to speed. Alpha Protocol is a one-of-a-kind spy RPG. You take control of Michael Thorton, a young agent that has been abandoned by the US government. The catch is that Michael is the only person that knows of an impending catastrophe, so it is up to you to make the correct decisions in Michael’s life to help save the day.
In the demo I saw, Michael is investigating a weapons warehouse. When confronted with different characters, you choose the tone in which Michael reacts. For example, when asked a question, you may choose to answer aggressively, honestly, or just plan bluff. The choices you make will impact the way Michael’s personality is molded and will also effect how the events in the game are played out (and if they are ever played out).
At its core, the game is still an RPG though. So you will have a skill system where you can level up a total of nine abilities that include stealth, sabotage, toughness, martial arts, weapon expertise, and more. You can also activate buffs that will help you through tough missions. In addition, the more people you converse with, the more intel and reputation you will acquire. There is also an ability in the game named Fury. It works similar to Witch Time (found in Bayonetta). Fury will slow down the world around you and allow you to wreck face before the enemy even knew what hit them.
The game is all about decisions. You are constantly faced with choices. Do you want to take your enemy does lethally or non-lethally? Do you want to be a tough guy who runs in with guns blazing or a more manipulative guy who thinks things through? If you choose the more manipulative approach, you may want to take advantage of your surroundings. To kill the enemy up on top of the water tower, why not just blow up the water tower instead of running in and shooting him? You don’t have to choose between good and evil. The game is more detailed than that. The game will have a good amount of replay value due to it’s willingness to let you choose your path. There are multiple endings to the game, but how many endings specifically have not been revealed yet.
Lastly, we were shown a little mini boss battle between Michael and a uniquely designed mute girl. The game looks like it has a lot of personality and uniqueness, but is it enough to make it a hit? There isn’t too much buzz about the game yet, but we still have a couple more months until release. VGChartz will keep you up to date on any news regarding Alpha Protocol and we look forward to playing the final build.
Alpha Protocol is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by SEGA. You can pick the game up on October 2009 for the 360, PS3 and PC.
Here's the E3 trailer if you haven't seen it yet:
