A game of interesting choices
First I'll get the bad out of the way: I had to restart a mission once due to a broke in-mission checkpoint. Sometimes the conversation options are deceptive. The bosses are very frustrating and violate the importance of choice. The game has about 3 too many characters and primary conspiracy is both bland and confusing. The visual character customization options consist of hat and/or beard. Okay, those are the things that are wrong.
But, Alpha Protocol is a game that does one thing extremely right: choice. On the narrative side, you have a huge number of choices you can make, and the final fate of a dozen different characters rests on your shoulders. I don't want to spoil any of the characters, but it's a mix of standard spy-fiction archetypes and a few characters that go beyond the genre's limitations. Nolan North's character is both hilarious and morally highly suspect. The banter between your player character and your female handler is a great example: their relationship can be professional, snarky, or outright hostile. Also, Alpha Protocol has the absolute best-written in-game emails I have ever seen.
Past the narrative, the theme of choice extends to how the game actually plays. Almost all (skip submachine guns) of the advancement paths are viable ways to approach the game. You don't always have every option available, but you can talk, quietly assassinate, computer hack, lockpick, use a variety of debilitating gadgets, stealth kill, or simple hide your way through a variety of spy-themed challenges. The game is fairly linear as far as environments go, but each environment has a full array of interesting things to find that actually tie into the plot or character advancement. Picking up dossier files is particularly compelling, and learning a character's history will concretely affect your relationship with them. Oh, and essentially every choice you make is explicitly rewarded, via a nicely designed perk/achievement system.
In a lot of ways, Alpha Protocol is a melding of the choice inherent to late 90's PC gaming (Deus Ex) with the trappings of a modern stealthy 3rd-person shooter. There is no game like it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys exploring a wealth of player choice. But, you should definitely play your first game as a Novice on Easy, and pick up at least one ranged weapon skill. You'll thank me later.
