E3 2008: Alpha Protocol

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E3 2008: Alpha Protocol

Thu, Jul 24, 2008

I feel like I might not have gotten the proper experience out of my Alpha Protocol demonstration last week, since I didn't employ any stealth or guile when gaining access to Sega's E3 booth. There I was, coming in to see an espionage RPG, and I walked right in the front door with legitimate credentials. What a wasted opportunity to spark an international incident and get burned! I learned from the demo, however, that not every spy game is about lies, hiding in the shadows, and/or choking people. When you play Alpha Protocol, you too will have plenty of chances to choose between a safe, boring entry and a sneaky, underhanded one. Our preview has more details, after the jump.

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Alpha Protocol takes the company's RPG skills into a more modern setting, placing you in the stylish-but-quiet shoes of Michael Thorton, a pretty-boy government operative who is trained to "eliminate threats to national security." Thorton, we were told, was designed to let players act as an amalgam of espionage's three big "JBs:" James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer (I had honestly never noticed that before). However, though Thorton may start off working for the good old USA, the main attraction in Alpha Protocol is its massively branching storyline; by the end of the 20-hour game, Thorton may be working for any one of several factions. Our hero will find himself entangled, naturally, in a multifaceted global conspiracy, and the game's developers repeatedly promised a reactive game world, whose appearance and course will be constantly altered by the player's choices -- both through immediate consequences and far-reaching implications.

Hide The first example we were given found Mr. Thorton trying to reach a critical contact who was holed up in the American embassy in a foreign nation. Of course, our contact happened to have a bullseye on his back for various reasons, so he was under heavy guard by US Marines. Our demonstrators explained that, in the full game, we would have several potential methods of entry, including sneaking in through the roof or a back entryway, or mowing down the marines with heavy artillery. Like me, however, our demonstrators chose the agreeable path, and walked right up to the front door.

Standoff From here, we got to take a look at the conversation system and how it might branch during gameplay. As we were stopped at the gate by a marine, eager for our identification, a timed menu appeared with a selection of choices. The conversation is directed by general "moods," such as "intimidation," "friendly," "bribe," or "draw gun," instead of full lines of dialogue (as in Knights of the Old Republic) or summaries (as in Mass Effect). We opted for the friendly route, and Thorton innocently asked why the embassy was on alert, and whether a fellow American might lend a hand. The marine wasn't having it, and when we failed to produce ID, he decided to make a call to the boss, and check whether we ought to be detained. At this point, while listening to the marine's tense radio conversation, we continued to have timed options -- this time, though, they allowed us to react to a potentially worsening situation, giving us choices like "draw gun," "retreat," or "wait." We waited, like a polite spy ought to, and the situation was defused -- the marine got confirmation from our contact that we were okay to let inside.

Blast We jumped forward a bit to look at the combat, which also gave us a look at some of the "reactive" consequences from our actions: The embassy had been breached by hostile counter-spies, and Thorton was engaged in a firefight -- with the US Marines at his side. Had we chosen to sneak past the marines or attack them, we might now have to fight them, as well. Or, we were told, if earlier parts of the story had gone differently, we might now be working with this opposing faction. For the moment, though, they were the bad guys, and so we watched as Thorton started blasting away. Combat is handled from the over-the-shoulder perspective which seems to be so popular lately, complete with taking cover and firing from behind obstacles. Alpha Protocol, however, as an RPG, allows for character customization in the ways of combat, including not only enhanced skills with specific weapons, but the purchase of special feats and abilities. We saw an ability called "chain shot," which was rather reminiscent of Red Dead Revolver: combat slowed down into bullet time, and Thorton put crosshairs over three simultaneous locations, which he then placed a quick series of shots into as the flow of time resumed.

Computers Alpha Protocol's promise of a truly reactive game world is one we've heard a number of times before, and we've seen a number of games fail to deliver. BioShock's big promise of moral choice came down to a single "good ending/bad ending" split, and for all of Grand Theft Auto IV's freedom of gameplay, the game world never really changes based on the player's choices, save for one divergent plot point near the end. For my money, the last game to really execute a divergent plotline well was Deus Ex (coincidentally, another global-conspiracy action-espionage title). Still, Obsidian seems to be making the full effort, including plenty of different game elements which will reflect the player's choices up to that point. Thorton's safehouse will look different depending on his exploits, and the TV news will frequently contain tales (or not, depending on the stealth used) of his actions' consequences. Thorton will meet up with many of the power-hungry factions involved in the conspiracy, and will have an opportunity to join up with several of them.

Ambush Certain plotlines can even be completely changed as a result of the player's choices. We were treated to one last demonstration, in which Thorton corners a Middle Eastern explosives dealer, demanding to know where his latest bomb is. The man smugly replies that he has sold it to another party, but he may be willing to lead us to them in exhange for a few favors. This plot point, we were told, could lead to a number of possibilities, including establishing the bomber as a recurring contact, or even a later threat. Or, as our demonstrator was happy to show us, we could shoot him in the head, thus erasing all of those possible outcomes in one rash action and allowing us to track down the bomb on our own. A harsh demonstration, but a point well taken. If Alpha Protocol can deliver on these promises, then it's definitely a game worth keeping an eye on.