Alpha Protocol Preview

OXM has put together a quick preview of Alpha Protocol, should you find yourself looking for a few more morsels of information about the spy-themed RPG.

Playing as an agent to a shadowy government branch, you’re presented with a number of handlers, informants and missions across the world. The free-form choice you’re given means that you can constantly change the storyline. Act tough on an informant, for instance, and he’ll snitch, meaning a later covert op into a hideout turns into a massive set-piece after your tipped-off target kits his guards with automatics and body armour.

Yet the real draw is in the conversational flow. You’re given the option of three presets: professional, aggressive or suave to filter your responses by. A timer quickly ticks down to pressurise which answer you choose while the other party talks. At times this forced weighing of choices can detract from the actual details of the conversation, but the best replies and one-liners aren’t just entry-level Bond quips.