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Party Plane Jones posted:I already own the 360 version of this, are there any major differences between it and the PC version besides the PC version having issues with the hacking minigame? PC version has access to higher-res textures than consoles. Generally speaking, PC version with a 360 controller is considered "the best" way to play. You're not really missing out or gaining anything besides prettier graphics either way, though.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:14
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Hannibal Smith posted:One more piece of advice for newcomers: Don't shut the game off the instant the credits start. There's a newsreel voiceover that plays while they roll that gives closure to a lot of the major events of the game. There were a few people in the last thread who didn't realize that even after playing a few times. God drat it.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:14
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Ok, I'm downloading this now through Steam. Playing through as a recruit my first time sounds enticing, but how boned will I be on skill points? Tiny inner ear boned, arm boned, or entire skeletal structure boned? Is recruit a viable way to play the first time through (I get that it's a class rather than a game difficulty, and thanks to those that have explained this), or is it more geared toward a new game + experience, where the player laughs at the more naive main character and uses the lack of skill points as a way to make a repeat playthrough more challenging? Edit: to clarify, since I know nothing about AP aside from the OP, I like the idea of playing a guy who knows as little about the setting as I do about the game mechanics. Let me know if I'd just be screwing myself over to the point of frustration.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:19
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You guys are much more effective selling a game than any marketing type. This Steam sale has to end very, very soon. My backlog of games is now frightening.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:21
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Happydogska posted:Ok, I'm downloading this now through Steam. Playing through as a recruit my first time sounds enticing, but how boned will I be on skill points? Tiny inner ear boned, arm boned, or entire skeletal structure boned? Is recruit a viable way to play the first time through (I get that it's a class rather than a game difficulty, and thanks to those that have explained this), or is it more geared toward a new game + experience, where the player laughs at the more naive main character and uses the lack of skill points as a way to make a repeat playthrough more challenging? Definitely the latter. There's some jokey dialogue changes and you start off with no skills. But you'll be fine as long as you don't spread points too thin and focus in on 3 skills or so, including one gun skill. It'll just take longer to get going at the beginning.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:25
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Happydogska posted:Ok, I'm downloading this now through Steam. Playing through as a recruit my first time sounds enticing, but how boned will I be on skill points? Tiny inner ear boned, arm boned, or entire skeletal structure boned? Is recruit a viable way to play the first time through (I get that it's a class rather than a game difficulty, and thanks to those that have explained this), or is it more geared toward a new game + experience, where the player laughs at the more naive main character and uses the lack of skill points as a way to make a repeat playthrough more challenging? Just don't play on hard and you'll be fine, really. If you're that worried about difficulty vs. roleplaying, feel free to knock it down to easy, have fun saving the world, and then bump it up to play a more asskicking, loose cannon Thorton.
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Jul 5, 2011 05:27
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This game's camera is annoying the poo poo out of me. I did all of the tweaks but it seems like every ten seconds the game is moving the camera wherever it wants. It's bad enough that it's making it borderline unplayable. Any way to fix this?
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Jul 5, 2011 06:04
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Role Play McMurphy posted:......what? An excellent summary of Alpha Protocol. Along with the obligatory "You can do that?" Such a shame it didn't sell well, I would've loved to see developers risk making their stories this reactive.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:12
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I can't believe this game is still being talked about. It's been a while since my last playthrough, but I still can't look back on virtually any part of this not-fondly. Also, I've heard about several game reviewers that initially gave middling to poor scores to AP who, a few months later, called Obsidian back and said "You know, after I learned the ropes and was able to really get into it, this was pretty great!" So, to re-quote the last recommendation: french lies posted:gently caress game reviewers forever. At least Obsidian knows they made a great game, and the players do, even if the critics don't.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:20
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Maybe with the money they could save cutting out combat almost entirely they could focus on what AP did best and also release a game that makes economic sense. Regarding reviewers, even Yahtzee, who I usually respect for calling out bullshit games like The Witcher when nobody else seemed to, didn't seem to give AP a chance. Dude characterized it as "a game about a PMC that is secretly evil." Even if we cut him some slack and assume he doesn't mean VCI (the only PMC in the traditional sense of the word,) I don't know how you could play past Saudi Arabia and limit it to that.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:26
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My favorite part about Alpha Protocol was that the suave option almost always resulted in an incredibly cheesy and lame line which made everyone hate you.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:41
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Not Eek posted:Goddamn, everytime I see an Alpha Protocol thread pop-up I get the urge to replay it again.  This also means you haven't done a Veteran run, which is truly the only way to get the full Alpha Protocol experience. Being able to sweep through levels like a cloud of death collecting dossiers like a beast is  Hypocrisy posted:My favorite part about Alpha Protocol was that the suave option almost always resulted in an incredibly cheesy and lame line which made everyone hate you. Yeah, the dialogue's easily the greatest part of this game. And as others have said, it's during tense exchanges of dialogue that you get the most exciting moments of the game. The options are really "This is the type of response Mike thinks he's giving" and it's awesome because Mike owns. He's great at being a sociopath and horrible at being suave. Right when Mike gets out of Saudi Arabia one of the first things you can say to Mina is a shower sex joke via the suave option. rawdog pozfail fucked around with this message at 06:47 on Jul 5, 2011 |
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Jul 5, 2011 06:42
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Hypocrisy posted:My favorite part about Alpha Protocol was that the suave option almost always resulted in an incredibly cheesy and lame line which made everyone hate you. I loved this, too. "I will be the suavest secret agent, and everybody will think I'm super awesome and all the girls will want to get with me!" *Picks all suave options, everybody thinks I'm a sexist idiot, girls are disgusted with me, nobody likes me*
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Jul 5, 2011 06:43
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Hypocrisy posted:My favorite part about Alpha Protocol was that the suave option almost always resulted in an incredibly cheesy and lame line which made everyone hate you. I don't think we heard the same lines. I played a suave Thorton and remember hearing rather snarky lines but a general demeanor (particularly to neutrals like Grigori or friendlies like Sis) that said "Hey, catch me off duty sometime; we'll shoot pistols and eat gelato!" Maybe some people don't like that sort of suave option, (I'm looking at you, Leland and Marburg!) but I thought it was a very pleasant Thorton, all told.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:46
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Crappy Jack posted:I loved this, too. There's like one or two times where it's appropriate, and about thousands of times where it's not, from what I remember. I liked this game quite a bit but I wish they hadn't adhered to such a rigid checkpoint system that doors would lock themselves behind you. That kind of sucked.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:52
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This game is great value for $5. I brought it full price at release and absolutely do not regret that decision, and I've just been replaying at again (after a long break) because it is so awesome. It is occasionally rage inducting - I'm up to restarting the final Alpha protocol infilitration mission for the third loving time because I keep walking past the doors with Scarlet and Mina behind them - I'm willing to do that because it's great. If you are thinking of doing your first play through on easy or whatever, be prepared to power game with pistols/stealth/martial arts or drop the difficulty level. There are few (no?) reasons to play on a difficulty above easy, particularly if you are going for a stealth or non-leathal run (sneaking don't get any easier with difficulty it feels like), so don't bother.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:53
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Crappy Jack posted:I loved this, too. I duno, it worked pretty well on Scarlet. 
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Jul 5, 2011 06:53
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The "karate chop a dude in the neck" animation is still great and was one of the things that made me go "and people gave this a 6.0 why???"
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Jul 5, 2011 06:54
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:It is occasionally rage inducting - I'm up to restarting the final Alpha protocol infilitration mission for the third loving time because I keep walking past the doors with Scarlet and Mina behind them - I'm willing to do that because it's great. This was the worst part, because there's absolutely no indication that going through the other door will not allow you to backtrack.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:55
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Midnight Voyager posted:No. It's painful, if you're not a snarker. Here's what I did and got the same result:Used Suave options in the VERY beginning to get the Suave perk. Majority of responses were suave, including emails. Went to Rome first and did NOT shoot Al-Bara, but I did however have a shotgun slipup with the gelato shop man, which didn't net me positive reputation from Marburg. Every encounter with Marburg was met with pure suave attitude. I killed his men as well. And finally, I got his reputation to -8. Then in the final shootout I stuck with only suave options to drive it home. Dossier completion at 83% Also something I noticed with a Suave playthrough: It's hilarious. The amount of people you piss off with terrible one liners, sex jokes, and one-track minded sayings is hysterical. Mina "Ice Queen" Tang of all people actually responds well to them. And the best part is Mike isn't really aware of how terrible half the things he says are.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:57
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I heard terrible things about it when it came out, and never got around to buying it but I followed it up to release just was too busy to buy it. I can't really say no at $5 dollars so consider me in. Your thread gave me some hope too. It really helps that I loving love espionage... love. Love.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:58
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Fuzz posted:I duno, it worked pretty well on Scarlet. My super suave Mike ended his first encounter with Scarlet at -2 or -3. I forget. I kept on thinking "it's bound to work this time". Nope.
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Jul 5, 2011 06:59
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Regicide posted:Love. Not the most polished game, but this was the only Spy game where I actually felt like a spy. A great mix of combat, verbal manipulation, dramatic on the spot decisions, email hacking and dossier research made this game stand out from the rest.
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Jul 5, 2011 07:01
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GetWellGamers posted:Also, I've heard about several game reviewers that initially gave middling to poor scores to AP who, a few months later, called Obsidian back and said "You know, after I learned the ropes and was able to really get into it, this was pretty great!" So, to re-quote the last recommendation:
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Jul 5, 2011 07:08
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Party Plane Jones posted:This was the worst part, because there's absolutely no indication that going through the other door will not allow you to backtrack. Yeah this is by FAR the largest pitfall of the game. All doors look the same so if you have 2 doors to choose from you're always inching through waiting to see "Checkpoint...", then gently caress!
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Jul 5, 2011 07:22
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I'm really impressed that this game has now been out for over a year and reached that holiest of grails: a new thread. After I finish up playing through STALKER (again) I'll probably pick up Alpha Protocol (again). I'm starting to lose track of my playthroughs. It's possible I could be on my sixth one. And I still have never been able to stomach using SMGs for an entire game. I always abandon them at the Saudi respec.
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Jul 5, 2011 07:22
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In the old thread someone detailed how to turn Marburg, including what dossiers to get and such. Any luck getting a repost of that?
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Jul 5, 2011 07:30
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Ho Chi Minh Holiday Inn posted:The "karate chop a dude in the neck" animation is still great and was one of the things that made me go "and people gave this a 6.0 why???" Because of every other animation.
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Jul 5, 2011 07:32
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Holy Calamity! posted:In the old thread someone detailed how to turn Marburg, including what dossiers to get and such. Any luck getting a repost of that? I don't have the exact post but its something like this, and there may be some discussion over the particulars but this combination always works - Having the Suave perk - Being a Suave jerk to Marburg every single chance you get - Purchasing every available dossier - Befriending Madison (not sure about this but I believe she talks about Marburg at one point) - Finding the secret room in Marburg's mansion (this one is definitely required) I've manage to do it with definitely less than 100% dossier. The rules aren't really hard and fast.
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Jul 5, 2011 07:34
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In Training posted:I don't have the exact post but its something like this, and there may be some discussion over the particulars but this combination always works Wait I think I meant to ask how to turn Parker  I remember it included getting 100% of Madison's dossier and resulted in Parker attacking marburg. Thanks though! I might do this now, I just got out of Saudi Arabia and am currently befriending Heck. I love how you can get like +5 right off the bat if you're crazy enough  As an aside, another thing I love about this game that really helps the Spy element is the 'Lie' dialogue option. Mike's a great liar like any good Spy should be, and lying doesn't just outright punish you like it often does in other games. It usually rewards you! rawdog pozfail fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Jul 5, 2011 |
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Jul 5, 2011 07:43
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Bluffing Leland gets some of my favorite suave dialogue. And he actually admires your ability to deflect questioning!
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Jul 5, 2011 07:56
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Holy Calamity! posted:Wait I think I meant to ask how to turn Parker This one is tougher and it's not something I've seen, but it's my goal for my next playthrough. You definitely have to sleep with Madison and find her secret fact. You need to have 100% of Parker's dossier, which requires asking Mina for intel once and a more obscure email trigger with Mina. In one of her flirty emails, if you respond aggressively, she will send back data on Parker and Deus Vult. You find out enough about both guys heading into the final level, there is a scene where you can trigger the confrontation.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:04
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In Training posted:This one is tougher and it's not something I've seen, but it's my goal for my next playthrough. I thought you could turn Parker just by picking the right path, unless 'turning' him is different than convincing him he made the wrong choices in the end-game. Is it possible to turn Darcy? I mostly think this'd be a good idea because the annoying fight with him as the Grenadier God where he throws ten grenades at you at once is really, really lovely.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:27
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Sadly, that is unavoidable. 
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Jul 5, 2011 08:29
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Nope there's no way to interact with Darcy at all after Saudi Arabia which is weird given the funny photoshops in your pad and all. And yeah I meant you can both turn Parker AND get him to attack Marburg if you learn that Madison's his daughter or whatever and reveal it to him at the end with the correct dossiers and reps
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Jul 5, 2011 08:30
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Holy Calamity! posted:if you learn that Madison's his daughter or whatever and reveal it to him at the end with the correct dossiers and reps What the gently caress? No way.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:31
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Ho Chi Minh Holiday Inn posted:What the gently caress? No way. Ten THOUSAND replies and this still comes up. Goddamn is this game great.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:36
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I can't fathom what kind of trouble Obsidian, et al., knew they'd be in by releasing a game where you wouldn't understand even a quarter of what was really going on by only beating the game once. The Witcher 2 is the only other game I know of that does this and some people really didn't like that. I can only hope it becomes more acceptable that differing paths lead to knowing differing amounts about what happened at the end of the story, because that poo poo's interesting.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:40
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Ho Chi Minh Holiday Inn posted:I can't fathom what kind of trouble Obsidian, et al., knew they'd be in by releasing a game where you wouldn't understand even a quarter of what was really going on by only beating the game once. The main problem with it is that it's release was pushed back after already going gold for some reason. Which meant it was released after Mass Effect 2. And since ME2's big thing was the change from the RPGish shooting to the more standard shooter gameplay, which replaced the more RPG style of the guns and inventory of the first game. Alpha Protocol had the more RPGish gameplay so when compared with a similar recent game in ME2 it's action just didn't hold up. Also it doesn't help that most reviewers are terrible at playing video games. If you watch some of the video reviews and actually read them you almost get the impression they didn't pay any attention to the game and it's mechanics whatsoever. I literally remember reading a review where they said Pistol's were useless, weak and should never be used. I read this review after beating the game and pretty much just started laughing.
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Jul 5, 2011 08:57
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Dexo posted:The main problem with it is that it's release was pushed back after already going gold for some reason. I don't think your comparisons are quite right. ME2 made a LOT of improvements over its predecessor, and not only did it have 'tighter' combat but it focused a lot more on the characters and their growth than trying to convince you that the setting was, like, a totally cool space thing (despite it being a loose rip-off of KOTOR). Alpha Protocol did not feel right as a shooter. I don't know how to quantify this; maybe it isn't quantifiable; but it just didn't quite work. It had a lot going for it in the writing department and certain playstyles were definitely rewarded, especially the Pistols/Stealth playstyle, but I think people had a hard time meshing the modern, relatively realistic setting with RPG elements like 'cloak yourself when you get spotted by an enemy' or 'your grenades do +20% damage'. The further a setting is removed from the modern day, the more people are able to accept game mechanics that don't intrinsically make sense. Games like Deus Ex were better able to integrate the game mechanics and the story than AP was, and I feel like if they had maybe designed it less around powers that had cooldown times or whatever it might have been more palatable by general audiences. Or if it was too hard it might have been a total mess! It probably couldn't be too difficult to be a Master Spy without pissing off a lot of people. This sort of stuff is less cognitively dissonant in a fantasy setting, where you can kind of make up your own rules as you go, than it is in a modern, 'this is the secret spy world YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT' kind of setting that AP took place in, and I think the negative review scores reflected that, even if the game was good once/if you were able to get over that.
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Jul 5, 2011 09:08
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