Alpha Protocol Preview and Interview

The folks at GamesRadar have posted a hands-on preview of Alpha Protocol, followed by an interview with executive producer Darren Monahan on the second page. An excerpt from the preview:

In a classic RPG fashion there are numerous plot threads to explore. Just like GTAIV, you’ll have to make key decisions at certain times, which will shape the outcome of upcoming events and the people you’ll encounter. So giving a negative response to a character’s questioning will lead you to a different directive and vice-versa. This intertwining story is also affected by your in-game actions, since you’re allowed to choose how to approach a mission objective. Unlike, say, Splinter Cell where you have to use stealth throughout an operation Alpha Protocol gives you a free-form template to play with, so if you’re partial to a spot of sneaking then you can avoid confrontation by sticking to the walls, taking out security cameras with EMPs and other gadgets and hacking keypads via a selection of minigames, but there’s scope for going nuts with a gun too.

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No RPG would be complete if an upgrade system wasn’t in place, and Alpha Protocol delivers the goods. There are various ways to spend your experience points, in what’s known as your Personal Dossier. Here you can tune skills like sub-machine gun handling, Sabotage techniques and Martial Arts, among other things. You’ll earn points during missions, and you can spend these before your next one to unlock things like new gadgets and hacking equipment, larger clips and power for weapons, or new fighting moves to pummel anyone in your path. Again, these choices will determine how you’re referred to by your chums and your enemies, so they may refer to you as being very technically gifted or simply ‘˜crazy punchy-man’. Or something.

And a bit from the Q&A:

Where do you think AP stands within the RPG market and what does it do differently?

I think the setting helps to ground you. The player doesn’t have to get to know all-new alien races because it’s set in a familiar universe. This is important to us as we didn’t want the gamers’ saying (Oh, God, what’s this game’s version of orcs?) I hate to say this, but we wanted to make it more action-orientated rather than pure RPG so that players get a sense of excitement throughout. EA have a lot of their sports games using RPG elements, so we’re trying to do that with the action genre.