Alpha Protocol review

Story: (9.5 | 10)
"Loyalty carries a price and no one knows this more than agent Michael Thorton. A talented young agent cast out by his government, Thorton is the only one with the information needed to stop an impending

international catastrophe. To do so means he must cut himself off from the very people he is sworn to protect."
(Source: Metacritic.com)

The story in Alpha Protocol is very, very, VERY good and carries on its story with plot-twits and the ability to have the game changed completely just from one decision, giving players the ability to play the game again to see what sort of choices affect the story as a whole which I find to be very interesting and also gives players more reason to play more then just once.

Gameplay: (4.5 | 10)
The game play in Alpha Protocol is horrendous, it's overflown with bugs, glitches, cheap combat when it involves the AI and the hacking/pick locking is terrible. If you attempt to pick the lock on a door or to hack a keypad, as long as you back out before the timer runs out, an alarm will not trigger but it's different for safes for some unknown reason.

The AI will often charge you and will attempt to melee you multiple times before backing away and unloading you with lead. If you're lucky enough to survive, you generally end with very little to no health. Also, there are bugs which will involve you having to go through a doorway before realizing that you're trapped and that you'll have to reload an older save in order to get through the part which will generally get onto your nerves if you just spent the last hour and a half trying to beat a boss or had to go through a horde of enemies.

Graphics: (5 | 10)
The graphics in Alpha Protocol vary, sometimes a character will be detailed very well while another one will look terribly detailed and will have lots of problems with his looks or will generally have animation glitches.

The backgrounds themselves tend to be bland with nothing really special about them, and after the first mission in any area, you'll probably see it all by then which is a shame since some of the graphics in the game are really good.

Music: (5 | 10)
The music in Alpha Protocol much like the graphics tend to vary, some of the music in the game I really liked while others tended to be kind of random when it came to a boss battle or for when a horde rushed me.

Wait until the last boss battle and you'll see what I mean by random, out of place music. It's nothing really irritating but it can be kind of confusing at some points.

Pros:
Really good story.
Amazing voice actors.
Well developed characters.
Good plot twists.
Lots, and lots, and lots of choices that will change the game a lot.

Cons:
Bad controls.
Rip-off level up system from Mass Effect 1.
Terrible hacking/pick locking mechanics.
Way too difficult at times.
Short.

Overall: (7.5 | 10)

Rank: Great rental or amazing purchase.

Alpha Protocol is a game that will not be enjoyable for some audiences but it is a very, very fun game with it's story and characters alone if you can get over the massive amount of bugs and glitches, if you can find this game for really cheap or if you can find a rental copy, pick it up as you might like it if you enjoyed games like Mass Effect.