Story and gameplay is classic Obsidian
I can't think of a single developer that has had more backstage drama and issues then Obsidian. Obsidian's track record so far has been spotty at best with them producing what should be great games but they're continually hampered by either delays or publisher problems. Not to mention on a technical level they're all over the place with bugs, hit-or-miss graphics and even outright crashes so I got to wondering: are they just a dev team that can't catch a break? Or are they just seriously that bad? Known for mainly doing sequels to exisiting franchises (Neverwinter Nights 2, KOTOR 2, Fallout: New Vegas), Alpha Protocol is a new IP that hopes to basically put Mass Effect in the spy world. But make no mistake: Alpha Protocol is a disappointment but there's one clear distinction: some games disappoint because what they turned out to be, while others show such obvious and visible promise that it's a shame it's not better than it is.
I'm going to say something bold here and say I think Obsidian and Alpha Protocol handles the idea of choice better than Bioware, there I said it. What makes this game so interesting is the fact the game literally shapes itself based on your choices, as opposed to Bioware where you'll likely see the same event, but maybe you're a jerk the second time around. I guarantee even the second time around, you probably didn't see everything the game has for its story. What used to be an enemy will now get you out of a boss fight should you spare him and killing another pisses off an entire organization. The plot of Alpha Protocol is pretty simple: you're Michael Thorton, an agent for Alpha Protocol, an organization that deals with secret ops which the government can deny involvement in. But when a commercial airliner is shot down and arms supplier Halbech is potentially behind it all, you have to gain allies and garner information that will bring them to justice.
The idea of calling it "Mass Effect in the spy world" is not that far off as you can customize the progress of your character's skills how you see fit and you make decisions which'll impact the story. But the gameplay side of it isn't as smooth as so many issues repeatedly pop up to remind you just how messed up it is. Guns don't seem to actually hit the enemy despite the reticule right on them, you can be found when you're barely moving and in cover and the AI is kind of laughable. They'll often shoot elsewhere even though you're the only one even around, they don't seem to note their knocked out comrades (and then discover them 10 minutes later) and one even looked like he was running to punch me but then he started to back up, get down on one knee and start shooting at the wall. But most of the time the enemy's are easy to deal with but oh man, the boss fights. Some of the worst designed and frustrating encounters ever, where enemies where inaccurate and dumb, bosses are way too good of a shot and then to take longer to kill. Quite simply they're just not fun at all and I guarantee you'll have half a mind to just execute the bastard for pissing you off that much.
Then there's the technical side and the glitches and bugs are fairly common. My game paused for 2 seconds before it continued, once the graphics warped with me thinking my Xbox was going to die and one hilarious glitch was when one enemy was shot off an incline and landed on his buddy below, in a totem-like formation. Graphically, too the game's all over the place. Textures look rough and blurry (once they're finally loaded in anyway), environment detail and lighting lacks and some scenes had some serious ghosting and artifact issues. Unlike other games where glitches may or may not happen to you, you will notice the problems that plague the game.
So why suffer all of that? Really, it's the story for me. Seeing radically different enemies and scenes and seeing different outcomes makes me want to replay it and see what else I missed. The voice acting is top notch, the "Bond girls" of the game are all really attractive (though Sis is underutilized) and the conversation system that lets you get on people's good graces or their nerves makes for a dynamic experience. But Alpha Protocol is a clear example of a love-it-or-hate-it game: some will start up a 2nd playthrough as soon as they're done yet have no idea why considering how flawed it is, and some will just give up and pass. The game is a disappointment, no question, but whether you like it anyway is the question.
