Alpha Protocol Video Interview and Preview

There are two more Alpha Protocol news items worthy of mention today, starting with a six-minute video interview with SEGA associate producer Matthew Hickman on Gamereactor. Discussion topics include the game’s “flash forward” storytelling mechanic, how the game has been polished and fine-tuned during its multiple delays, the overall degree of freedom we’ll be given in the espionage RPG, and more.

And then we stop by SideQuesting for another PAX East preview:

In Alpha Protocol, you’ll play as Agent Michael Thorton of the CIA (and this is one of the trade-offs I mentioned). You will have to role-play as Michael Thorton as opposed to being able to create your own character with the sex, ethnicity, and sexual orientation of your choosing. In terms of character customization, things are a little limited. You can change Thorton’s facial appearance and clothing. But due to budget restrictions, Obsidian was unable to provide the option of playing as a female.

In combat, the character customization shows a lot of promise, especially in the context of an espionage RPG. Some of the character attributes that were shown to us included sabotage, technical aptitude, toughness, and martial arts. These attributes, skills, and weapons could be leveled up as you go on in the game. For example, one skill that stood out caused arrows to pop up on the screen above the heads of enemies. This allowed you to see exactly where they were. You can also tell how aware of you they were based on the color of the arrow (a’la Assassin’s Creed II). A skill like this would be more suitable if you wanted to focus on your character’s stealth capabilities. And all this time, Mass Effect had been offering us skills that strengthened shields or our next sniper rifle shot.