![]() But at least tense dialogue standoffs give you blunter descriptions: the consequence of selecting the “fuck off” option is not hard to discern. Conversational options sometimes feel unexplained, oneword descriptions like 'suave' are not enough to plot what your Thornton will say. Dialogue choices, too, kick you down different paths, invisible game voodoo closing off and opening further options as you either tell a counter-agent how you're going to kill him, or join his side. Several missions offer you two black and white options and make you live with the consequences. This choice is Alpha Protocol's core strength. Knowing whether a contact likes you to engage them with a direct offer or banter first usually elicits a better response than pissing them off on the other hand, the game is at pains to suggest you deliberately stay on the bad side of some of those you run into, to approach missions in a different way. Thornton keeps dossiers on each, repositories of incidental information about their background, but also handy tips to keeping them on-side. Any game depicting a shadowy world of anonymous grey-haired men has its work cut out trying to make those men anything other than grey, but Alpha Protocol's operatives, doubleagents and mercenaries present unique fronts. Trying to square a tense, low-key cafe discussion in a Roman cafe with a break-in at a tracksuitwearing, coke-snorting superhuman disco fan's neon mansion in Moscow is tough, given the general gravitas of the central plot, with its themes of patriotism and betrayal.Ī few characters came close to breaking the game's spell, but the central cast is quite strong. Rome is all grey haired men and believable targets, while Moscow has surprise appearances by mafia major-domos who've wandered off-set from Metal Gear Solid. The game quickly splits into three locales – Rome, Taipei and Moscow – and they feel like they've been developed by three separate teams. ![]() These bosses are a confused presence in Alpha Protocol. I wangled the game to let me off some of the beefier bosses before they'd even finished their taunts, turning invisible before walking up to them and plugging them in the head. Lean on it – or other powerful skills – too heavily though, and it's worryingly easy to get into gamebreaking territory. Used sparingly, it's a moment that leaves you clapping for more. Once the timer ticks down to zero, Thornton fires, dropping an entire room of goons in a heartbeat. It slows time to a crawl to allow me to line up a series of snap-shots. My absolute favourite abilty, born of pumping my action points (obtained by levelling up, which is in turn accomplished with experience points) into pistol-slinging, is the 'chain shot'. Combine a few powerful ones and you feel like the incontrovertible badass an international man of mystery should be. Some skills are selected via a radial menu, lasting a short period when activated. Plumping for the spy lifestyle, I had my action points pre-spent on the skills that'd assist in my chosen approach, filling the stealth and close-combat areas of Thornton's character sheet. Thornton's background is selectable, the choice between soldier, spy or techy informing how far you can progress in certain skills. I went a different route, pocketing a silencer for my handgun early on, and combining it with futuristic stealth armour that muffled any loud movements.Theoretically I had no protection against gunned-up guards who spotted me realistically, my gameplan meant they never would. Body armour can be purchased and then lined with various gadgets, boosts, or armour plates: want to be the spy world's Rambo? You can purchase clanky soldier armour, and stuff it full of ceramic pads to deflect bullets aimed for your vitals. Sidearms have four slots in which to cram technology – either bought from the 'Clearinghouse' black market or nabbed on-mission – and these make a notable difference to a weapon's handling. Great at 15 feet, where a headshot meant goodnight goon, but beyond that and he had the aim of a standard Bond henchman.There is some good in the floaty combat: an impressive weapon customisation system will, if the right elements are combined, let you upgrade guns and armour. My Mike was a pistol specialist, having deliberately ramped up his shooting hand to off targets quickly. Considering the game takes pains to introduce your Thornton as a prodigy, it's confusing to work out quite why his myopia hasn't been diagnosed correctly on one of his company physicals.
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