Alpha Protocol Preview and Video Interview

GameSpot has kicked up some new Alpha Protocol coverage, including a brief hands-on preview and a five-minute video interview with SEGA producer Tim Ernst. An excerpt from the preview:

Reputation and consequences are an important aspect of the role playing in Alpha Protocol, but it isn’t the whole story. The game’s many action sequences are also powered by an RPG system that has you buying weapons or equipment with money you pick up, upgrading weapons with new accessories or ammo, and a robust skill system that lets you build Thornton into the kind of spy you want to play. There are nine different skills you can train in–a good chunk of them are centered on the different kinds of weapons you use in the game, including pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and so on. There are also specialized skills, such as stealth or breaking and entering, which you can upgrade as well.

As you upgrade skills, you’ll gain additional proficiency with that particular weapon or ability; if you upgrade it enough, you’ll earn entirely new active skills that you can use in the field. For example, if you put enough points into stealth, you’ll eventually earn an active skill that will let you essentially move invisibly for a short amount of time. It can’t be used at a full run, of course, but it seems as if it will be valuable tool for those who are looking to play Alpha Protocol in a stealthy manner.