What happened to ALPHA PROTOCOL is surely the worst crime committed against gaming since the abandonment of the Dreamcast by SEGA...
Seriously. As a dedicated RPGer I had pre-ordered the game quite some time before its release but decided to cancel since I read a lot of overwhelmingly negative reviews. Little did I know about how epidermic the judgment of most "journalists" has become these days and how easy it is for a game to fall under the radar - and the public's good graces - if it doesn't include flashy tech and exposed breasts...
First things first, this is an RPG experience to the core. The amount of decision-making and serious consequences you will have to face is such that it makes most of the other big competitors in the genre seem simplistic and predictable in comparison. Don't take this the wrong way, I absolutely LOVE titles like Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3/ New Vegas and Mass Effect - I personally consider the second installment the best western non-free-roaming RPG of all time - but really, here the stakes in terms of what you do and what you can expect are MUCH higher. Who lives and who dies, who will be the games main villain and who will be your partner are just some examples. Suffice to say, there is a ton of replayability here and to witness each outcome one will have to plan carefully and dedicate lots of time.
I could really go on forever about the game's graces, but of course it's not all bags of gold and rainbows. The game's tech is pretty archaic - it positively looks like an average XBOX title from 2005 - and some of the mechanics are quite problematic. Worst of all, the AI is totally unpredictable, in the worst possible way. Enemies will spot you without seeing you, they will react by lobbing grenades and shouting profanities just as they go down from a bullet. It gets old fast.
But apart from all this, AP is really a rough diamond like few we've ever seen. It wouldn't be an overstatement to call it one of the 10 best RPGs I've ever played and believe me, I've played most.
So if you consider yourself a dedicated RPG fan and are willing to look past some old tech and the occasional bug do yourself a favor: Experience this title. Like each and every one of its characters, AP is full of charisma and wit... even if it sometimes looks a little wrinkled.
Cultured Vultures: In the spirit of preserving some kind of history of this industry, we’ve decided to list some of the best games that you just simply can’t get hold of digitally at the minute.
I just started playing Spec op. I've had it for years on steam and forgot about it. Such a good game.
Yes great game spec ops! Since the time we’ve been asking sony to make one:/
Auto Modelista.. a PS2 capcom racer!! A blast to play and great graphics!
Maximo!
Rival Schools!
all the games in the above list are bang on. this is the only reason we need backwards compatibility and physical presense of games for the upcoming future, no matter what.
Honorable mention to the excellent Driveclub, one of the best racing games of all-time and one of my favourite games ever.
yes! incredible rain effects; so good to drive along in rain with your Spotify playlist blaring
I really wanted a MotorStorm using the same engine, Driveclub is easily one of the best looking games on PS4 and I'm surprised they didn't even give it a PS4 Pro patch.
I adored Driveclub and the Bike expansion. I also loved Motorstorm. Evolution shutting down was a crime
Outrun Online Arcade, Sega Rally Online Arcade, After Burner Climax... all good stuff. I keep my 360 hooked up to play these as well as the TMNT games that were also delisted.
wow...I have all of them except the Nintendo ones either in physical or digital version.
Also..Deadpool the Game is missing on that list.
Many overlooked RPGs lie dormant in the catalogues of gaming, but players can pick up their swords and shields with these amazing JRPG hidden gems!
Kevin F. from Link Cable Gaming writes: "Many of the best Xbox 360 games are playable on the Xbox One and Series X|S consoles. Some even with some enhanced visuals and performance. Unfortunately, not every game from the Xbox 360 library has received this glorious feat of being able to be played on more modern Microsoft consoles."
The Spider-man games will never happen. The xbox 360 Marvel Ultimate Alliance games have a better chance of happening than Spider-man titles but won't happen. The Xbox One Ultimate Alliance games delisted years ago
Yeah... you can totally forget about those entries that got delisted because of licensing issues. Those are not happening.
Almost all of the games people want to play are BC, and that's a hell of a lot better than having none available.
Almost all the games people want to play? Not true. Majority picks screw over the minority who have games collecting dust. Metal is right. Fans make it seem that it's all. 39/997 games from OG Xbox is NOT all. 568/2154 from 360 is NOT all. But you guys play it up like it is.
And from my count, there are 4,000+ PS4 BC games on PS5 that I see. And almost every VR game. Series X has no Kinect games or Kinect 2. But you played that up too. No more dancing.
As for the article, some of the BC games make sense. The others with Spider-Man aren't happening.
I finally picked up Alpha Protocol for $25 bucks and I'm really enjoying it.
It suffers from the typical Obsidian lack of polish, but it's a surprisingly quality Western RPG. I used to work at Obsidian, so I have a soft spot for the devs there, but I really think Alpha Protocol got the short end of the stick from reviewers.
Reviewers are so quick to overlook the flaws in their "little darlings" they consistently score well (see any Call of Duty game), but the things that AP does well went unspoken of in their "oh boy, Obsidian dropped the ball AGAIN," tone of their reviews.
The dialog system in AP is really well done, and there are totally consequences to your actions, and you don't have the luxury of just reloading a save and trying again. I was doing great in a conversation with the redheaded reporter, and chose an answer to a question that she didn't like, and lost some friend points. I just had to grin and bear it, and move on with the story.
In a way, it made me think of Heavy Rain in that you weren't always sure of what your actions would result in. As much as I love the Fallouts, Mass Effects, Dragon Ages, and inFAMOUSes, you can telegraph with damn near 100% accuracy the consequences of your actions. in HR and AP, you just CAN'T, and that makes the game feel so much more organic.
The game falters in some of the execution/visual presentation, but the game play at work is good. No, it can't compete with a game that has a $20 million+ budget, but the game that's there is solid.
The story was your typical spy espionage tale, but because of how much control you have over the story, it's pretty unpredictable.
Overall, I'm enjoying the game, and wish that one day Obsidian will partner with a publisher that will give them the time and budget to truly maximize their potential. They were a great dev to work for, but they were ALWAYS being pressed for time by the publisher (at the time, Atari).
I don't regret picking up AP at all. It's a shame so many games live and die by reviewers whims. Look at Heavenly Sword and Folklore. Those two games were AMAZING year one PS3 titles, and they got shit on for little things that got swept under the rug for critical favorites like Bioshock, Gears, even Lost Planet for fracks sake.
I literally just finished this game on a rental yesterday. Honestly enjoying it and I'll probably buy the game by summer. Real shame, a few months of polish and this could have been a damn masterpiece.
As it stands though, it's quite possibly the best example of choice and consequence in a game. You're absolutely right. In Mass Effect and Fallout, I can usually tell what the consequences of a choice are before I make it. AP is just full of surprises and seemingly minor choices can bite you in the ass later on, or save it.
Really well written game, and the gameplay (apart from a few massive bugs) is decent as well. Shame, because it could of been brilliant.
Great Piece. This is one of my permanent collection games. I couldn't understand why there were so many negative reviews. People spent so much time complaining about the crouched movement. I played this game 2 times through. I have 2/4 endings completed.
Alpha Protocol was one of my favorite games this Gen. I loved it and I've mentioned it in several of my "best of" articles. I tell SEGA all the time they need to make a sequel. :p