Alpha Protocol E3 Previews

Some more impressions of Obsidian Entertainment’s Alpha Protocol have arisen from E3. Gamecyte.

Alpha Protocol’s promise of a truly reactive game world is one we’ve heard a number of times before, and we’ve seen a number of games fail to deliver. BioShock’s big promise of moral choice came down to a single (good ending/bad ending) split, and for all of Grand Theft Auto IV’s freedom of gameplay, the game world never really changes based on the player’s choices, save for one divergent plot point near the end. For my money, the last game to really execute a divergent plotline well was Deus Ex (coincidentally, another global-conspiracy action-espionage title). Still, Obsidian seems to be making the full effort, including plenty of different game elements which will reflect the player’s choices up to that point. Thorton’s safehouse will look different depending on his exploits, and the TV news will frequently contain tales (or not, depending on the stealth used) of his actions’ consequences. Thorton will meet up with many of the power-hungry factions involved in the conspiracy, and will have an opportunity to join up with several of them.

GCHD.

Players will also have the option of customizing their play style to fit one of three different categories. Stealth, Aggressive, and Suave are all viable personality selections, and will ultimately have an impact on what answers are selectable during conversations. And to further ensure that each player’s experience throughout the game is different, each kill, conversation, and action you perform will shape the world around you. For example, Stealth players will notice familiar enemies later in the story because they spared their lives in previous levels, while Aggressive players will see increased guards or security patrols because they chose to execute the same character earlier in the storyline. Each decision has its ups and downs, and it will be up to the individual player to determine what’s best for them.